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Blood Pressure

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Crankinit

Crankinit

Bluelighter
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Sep 17, 2007
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So I've been going through some health issues lately, had glandular fever, which evolved into post viral fatigue which is slowly clearing up, as well as some mental shit, which was pre-existing but has kind of ramped up, I assume as a result of my (since ceased) drug abuse and shitty health and life status.

Anyway I at one point had to get a whole swath of tests done, one factor which stood out (other than the obvious viral infection) was that I had a high blood pressure. The doctor said it was around 95, if that means anything, and that the normal for someone of my age (19) is 60 or so.

Recently (being since I got sick in october) I've been having a lot of trouble with concentration. I don't so much feel cognitively impaired, as that I just feel foggy, like my brain is wading through thick goo, especially when I have to concentrate for lengths of time. I've read this this 'brain fog' can be caused by interfering with the blood flow to the brain, and I was wondering if anyone knows if this is a possible side effect of having a high BP?

At first I assumed it was the dissociation, but then that started clearing up, then the glandular fever/PVF, but that's slowly fading too, I saw a physio to help deal with the headaches I was getting, which has worked wonders, but I'm still feeling very lightheaded and foggy, and couldn't find any clear answers around online as to whether this could be related to my blood pressure.

Anyway sorry if I've rambled on abit, I'm open to any opinions on the subject, or suggestions about going about sorting my BP out and getting it back down to normal.

Cheers :)
 
I know high blood pressure can cause headaches. If I was you I would try to eat healthier, do some exercise and relax. Then go to the doctors office frequently and get my blood pressure checked.
 
High blood pressure.. why?

I will start out with my past drug abuse and behaviors and lead up to the discovery of my HBP.

1995-1999 Almost daily marijuana consumption. 1-3 bowls daily, or every other day.

1995-1999 Daily cigarette smoking. About 2-6 cigarettes daily. Marlboro Menthols

2000-present Cigarettes limited to weekends only. 5-10 cigarettes with alcohol consumption

1998- 2005 Mushrooms, about ½ of an eigth consumed. I would say about 15 times total, all spaced out

1997-1999 Eating disorder consisting of "binging" large amounts of food at once. Then feeling "guilty" and only consuming 400 calories per day for around 1 week until next binge. Weight 140 height 5'5"

1999-2000 LSD used total of 5 times, intervals spaced out by couple months

2000-2003 Ketamine used about every other weekend, small amounts ingested per use.

1998-2003 MDMA and MDA used 1-3 tablets about every couple of weekends.

2002-2006 Occas. Xanax, ativan, valium, dexedrine, ritalin, adderall, 1 dose on weekends.. usually with alcohol

2000-present Alcohol consumed on weekends, moderate to large amounts consumed

2003-2006 Began working out. 30 minutes cardio on eliptical/ treadmill, swimming, pilates, yoga, with weight lifting. 2-4 times per week

2002-2003 another binge of daily marijuana smoking. 1-2 bowls almost daily.

1996 Chicken pox at age 15

1999 Mononucleois at age 17

1998-1999 40 mg Accutane daily -- 6mos

2005-2006 60 mg Accutane daily -- 6mos

1994-2003 Birth control pills varying brands... 1 year off of them

2004- present Birth control pills resumed

2004- present Fish oil, multi vitamin, calcium, Lysine, Vit C, occas. 5HTP and Ecinachea (if feeling sick)

1999-2002 Occas. Vivarin (caffeiene based pills) and Ephedrine consumed on weekend drives to "stay up"

2004-2006 Daily trips to Starbucks, 2 shots of espresso

2006-present 1 trip to Starbucks per week

Diet since eating disorder resolved, greatly improved. 3 balanced meals per day consisiting high in fruits and grains. Cheeses, breads and carbs. Not much protein

Allergy shots 1 time per month (in 5th year) for cat, and trees, grass

height 5'5" female. Weight 120-130 (currently 127)

2004 went in for routine bloodwork (all came back normal) found BP was elevated 140/92

Dr first took me off BC pills for 3 mos. Greatly limited caffeine. No coffee, no tea, 1 diet pop twice per week. No changes in BP found

Then came a battery of tests. 24 hour urine screenings (did this twice) No findings

EKG and echo all normal. Father had chol. and heart problems among congential cardio defects. None showed up for me

Renal doppler normal. (thought was constricted artery causing HBP)

MRI revealed nothing outstanding other than an "accessory spleen" About 5 x 5 in and "hangs off" my normal spleen

Bladder/vaginal screening performed. Consumed large amounts of water until bladder full and probed with doppler device to check ovaries and cervix, no findings

1 month journal composed of 3 blood pressures taken daily

Findings: Early A.M. 110/78
Afternoon (at work, stressed) 150/100
Before bed 145/90 *********** averages per day.

Saw cardiologist, blood pressure was normal for his visit.


Could my past drug use be to blame for my elevated BP? At work it seems to run very high. I am usually very stressed at work and running behind. Any feedback would be great.
 
Cool thread, i'm kinda in the same position. Except, i'm only 22. Did the whole cardiologist thing and basically they said they didn't know why and i was perfectly healthy. I'm 5'7 160lb male, doc said i should lose 10 lbs, which is understandable but not exactly drastic. Eat better and exercise.

It really is a bizarre thing and seems hard to pinpoint why this happens. I also have used my fair amount of drugs, nothing too extreme but I've done about em all.

I also would be curious if this could be the reason.
 
*Diet since eating disorder resolved, greatly improved. 3 balanced meals per day consisiting high in fruits and grains. Cheeses, breads and carbs. Not much protein*

This is quite likely your problem. Excessive carbohydrates cause your kidneys to stop filtering out sodium, which forces your body to retain water to maintain your electrolyte balance. This excessive water drives up your blood pressure.

Balance out your protein intake. Your carbohydrate intake should barely exceed the protein. A ratio of 4 grams of carb to 3 grams of protein is ideal, but you don't need to be that precise. Just get it close. Fish oil supplementation will also help.

This is very, very effective. I just had a 48/m client with stage II hypertension (averaging 190/110) drop down to normal bp in one week by getting his carb intake under control. As a side benefit, he also lost 8 pounds in that week.

Also, your blood pressure isn't terrible. It's prehypertensive at best.
 
Rabbi said:
*Diet since eating disorder resolved, greatly improved. 3 balanced meals per day consisiting high in fruits and grains. Cheeses, breads and carbs. Not much protein*

This is quite likely your problem. Excessive carbohydrates cause your kidneys to stop filtering out sodium, which forces your body to retain water to maintain your electrolyte balance. This excessive water drives up your blood pressure.

Balance out your protein intake. Your carbohydrate intake should barely exceed the protein. A ratio of 4 grams of carb to 3 grams of protein is ideal, but you don't need to be that precise. Just get it close. Fish oil supplementation will also help.

This is very, very effective. I just had a 48/m client with stage II hypertension (averaging 190/110) drop down to normal bp in one week by getting his carb intake under control. As a side benefit, he also lost 8 pounds in that week.

Also, your blood pressure isn't terrible. It's prehypertensive at best.
Click to expand...

great post, i always feel irked as fuck until i chew on a few nuts (har har i know) or some meat (har har i know again.. fuckers.) i did not know this was why
 
^lol

Good post, Rabbi.

For high-bloody folks with cholesterol counts that are normal, it's always good to pay attention to sodium and water retention. You may also be consuming too much salt in your sauces/cheese.
 
Blood pressure, and occasional light stimulant use. At what BP to worry?

I would say I am a fairly healthy person. I run 10km twice a week, and lift weights twice a week.

I am 6'1, 180lbs.
My blood pressure normally is 120/60 in the morning, and 130/70 when I get home stressed from work. My resting heart rate is 40 (jogging a lot does that to you I guess).

So here is my problem.
If I take 10mg of dextroamphetamine at 8am in the morning. I feel good for 2-3 hours. After about 4 hours I start to come down, and I get peculiar effects. My heart rate becomes elevated, my muscles get tense. And this condition does not get reset until I fall asleep, and of course I cannot fall asleep with this condition.

So, my blood pressure at 6pm when I get home would be 144/80, heart rate of ~60. I would feel the increased heart stroke volume, as my body would jolt a bit with every heart beat which would obviously not let me fall asleep.
At 9pm, 150/90, heart rate still in the 60s

This is where I obviously start getting even MORE concerned and anxious about BP, so it just keeps on going up. So by 1-2am I end up eating benzo's and falling asleep. In the morning of course back to normal.

I take stimulants once a month at most because of the above. So how dangerous is 150/90 once in a while?

Also, I am not sensitive to stims, I can take 50mg instead of 10 and go and dance the night away. By the morning I would be so beat, I would just sleep anyways. It is the prescribed dosage that makes my BP go insane once the stims wear off. :!
 
Well, I can't offer you advice on bp cause I don't know anything about that.

However, I can tell you that your heart rate is fine-- mine has gone up to 100 not on any stims at all, and it usually around there that docs have begun to worry. You have a low naural heart rate though, even as a runner. Have you always had it in the 40s?

Muscles getting tense and heat rate elevating are pretty normal effects of stim use. Do you have a condition that's making you worried about your bp?
 
No condition, just read on wiki that a hypertensive person cannot expect to live more than a few years without treatment. So anxiety from stimulants, and the thought that any second I can get an anurisim while am hypertensive creates a positive feedback loop for my anxiety and blood pressure.

I wish I never read wiki :p
 
Low Blood Pressure, bad accident

I recently had a very bad incident in which I was smoking a little weed and drinking a bit, but was by no means "trashed", and I got up to go to the bathroom and as soon as I stood up I got extremely dizzy/lightheaded, I fainted then proceded to fall over and get a gash in my nose and a very bad bruise but I don't think it's broken. This happens to me virtually every time I take a puff of weed.

Anyway, my question is: Is there any way that I can solve this other than not smoking?

Also I would really appreciate some tips on a change in diet to raise my blood pressure a little bit.
 
Have some jelly beans next to your bed and munch on when your sugar is low like that! That is the first think a diabetes specialist advises you (endoctrinologist). It works like a first aid remedy, to raise it quickly.
 
Thanks for the input, I'll try that.

Edit: Thanks, the extra sugar seems to fix this up for the most part.
 
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low blood pressure

recently i've had lower than normal blood pressure...and even tough im an athlete i sometimes get readings in the 40's and 50's on the diastolic reading..i know that ahletes sometimes have lower than normal(80) blood pressure, but i sometimes feel fatigue when i know im not supposed to and i may also have orthostatic hypotension because sometimes i feel pressure build up in my head when i change positions from sitting to standing..also when im sitting down i tend to feel my legs sort of numb, like if there isnt much blood going to my legs..i've experience some hairloss on my legs and also on my scalp..i have smoke marihuana and i;ve been trying to quit because i consider this may be a factor since marihuana tends to decrease blood flow..
im trying to quit, but its hard especially when im with friends..
has anybody had any similar problems..
 
I used to have low bp and orthostatic hypotension before I started exercising regularly. Now it's cured it.
 
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