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Question: I normally have low or normal blood pressure below 115 but, the last three times (over a month or so) have been between 135 and as high as 148/85. I am 44 127lbs and not many health problems other than celiac disease. I have chronic Migraines and they have been constant lately. What could all of a sudden contribute to this change. Should I worry?
Brief Answer:
No worries yet. It needs monitoring though
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
when blood pressure elevation is assessed, we need to be certain that measurements have been done correctly. This means:
- measuring blood pressure while the "patient" is calm and sitting for at least 10 minutes (no pain, no psychological stress, no physical activity etc)
- measuring the blood pressure with a reliable device
- avoiding smoking at least half an hour before measurements.
Your migraine problem that got worse could be contributing to a higher than normal blood pressure. Pain always elevates blood pressure.
If pain is excluded as a cause then you still have to make more measurements.
Blood pressure is not stable and could be fluctuating depending on many factors. If you've seen a higher than usual blood pressure a couple of times but you usually have lower values then the mean value would likely be more close to your real blood pressure.
In any case you should cut on salt (watch out for hidden salt in various foods - processed food is usually full of salt), exercise as much as your fitness and medical status allows (30 minutes of fast walking every day is good) and maintain a healthy body weight.
If those elevations become constant despite the salt restriction, exercise and body weight control then persistent values above 140mmHg (systolic) or 90mmHg (diastolic) call for medical intervention with antihypertensive drugs.
A basic biochemistry panel before treatment would be helpful to exclude secondary causes.
Judging from the migraine problem and your usual measurements I believe that you won't have a hypertension problem after all.
I hope I've addressed your concerns!
If you have more questions on this subject, please ask and I'll be glad to answer.
If not, please rate my answer and close this question.
Kind Regards!
No worries yet. It needs monitoring though
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
when blood pressure elevation is assessed, we need to be certain that measurements have been done correctly. This means:
- measuring blood pressure while the "patient" is calm and sitting for at least 10 minutes (no pain, no psychological stress, no physical activity etc)
- measuring the blood pressure with a reliable device
- avoiding smoking at least half an hour before measurements.
Your migraine problem that got worse could be contributing to a higher than normal blood pressure. Pain always elevates blood pressure.
If pain is excluded as a cause then you still have to make more measurements.
Blood pressure is not stable and could be fluctuating depending on many factors. If you've seen a higher than usual blood pressure a couple of times but you usually have lower values then the mean value would likely be more close to your real blood pressure.
In any case you should cut on salt (watch out for hidden salt in various foods - processed food is usually full of salt), exercise as much as your fitness and medical status allows (30 minutes of fast walking every day is good) and maintain a healthy body weight.
If those elevations become constant despite the salt restriction, exercise and body weight control then persistent values above 140mmHg (systolic) or 90mmHg (diastolic) call for medical intervention with antihypertensive drugs.
A basic biochemistry panel before treatment would be helpful to exclude secondary causes.
Judging from the migraine problem and your usual measurements I believe that you won't have a hypertension problem after all.
I hope I've addressed your concerns!
If you have more questions on this subject, please ask and I'll be glad to answer.
If not, please rate my answer and close this question.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Hello,
Thank you for responding. Both times lately that it has been taken I had a Migraine but, I have had them for 15 years now and in the past my blood pressure was normal even with the pain usually 115/70 or lower. I have had some strange neurological things happen lately where I have had numbness down the middle or just below the eye down my cheeks to be more specific of late, with dizziness, unbalance and blurred vision. I went to the DR and it was undetermined, just as my migraines have been for 15 years. I am otherwise very healthy, good weight, exercise, cholesterol is good. So now that all of a sudden every time they take my blood pressure it is high...is another weird anomaly no one can figure out.
I understand just to keep monitoring, and wait and see. I guess as the PT I've gone from 15 years of head pain, now numbness, now blood pressure problems. What exactly am I waiting for.... Death, heart attach, stroke? You can see my frustration as I am a women in good health, young (in my opinion) and my head seems to want to fall off or something LOL. Whom or what kind of DR should I see besides a Neurologist as they have no determination of cause, that could help with these odd...to me anyway, symptoms?
Thank you for responding. Both times lately that it has been taken I had a Migraine but, I have had them for 15 years now and in the past my blood pressure was normal even with the pain usually 115/70 or lower. I have had some strange neurological things happen lately where I have had numbness down the middle or just below the eye down my cheeks to be more specific of late, with dizziness, unbalance and blurred vision. I went to the DR and it was undetermined, just as my migraines have been for 15 years. I am otherwise very healthy, good weight, exercise, cholesterol is good. So now that all of a sudden every time they take my blood pressure it is high...is another weird anomaly no one can figure out.
I understand just to keep monitoring, and wait and see. I guess as the PT I've gone from 15 years of head pain, now numbness, now blood pressure problems. What exactly am I waiting for.... Death, heart attach, stroke? You can see my frustration as I am a women in good health, young (in my opinion) and my head seems to want to fall off or something LOL. Whom or what kind of DR should I see besides a Neurologist as they have no determination of cause, that could help with these odd...to me anyway, symptoms?
Brief Answer:
Neurologist for the migraine. Please read on...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
thanks for providing more information. I'd like to make clear that I did not suggest a wait until forever approach. I know you've been troubled by migraine but this is the way it is. You can't do much more about it. 15 years of migraine is tough, but looking it from another angle, it also means that a more serious diagnosis (a tumor for example) would be highly unlikely.
I still believe that your blood pressure can be affected by a migraine, particularly if you've also used drugs besides topamax for it (like NSAIDs, sumatriptan etc). Even if you didn't use anything, any pain increases the blood pressure (BP) - this a physiologic reaction caused by hormones.
I can't comment on your numbness since I don't have that much information about it, but neurological symptoms accompany -sometimes- the initiation of a migraine attack. If the time of onset coincides with the attacks then it could be the migraine. Your neurologist is the right doctor for that. What did your neurologist say?
Don't worry about heart attacks and stroke... Everybody can have one, but your chances are rather low. You don't have enough risk factors for any of those. You just need to be sure that these high BP measurements are the rule, not the exception. Immediate action would be required for much higher measurements.
I suggest a closer monitoring with 2-3 measurements per week for at least another couple of weeks. Just be sure to measure your BP only when you're perfectly fine (no pain at least).
The next step would be to visit you general practitioner, internal medicine specialist or cardiologist to be tested for secondary causes of hypertension and initiate treatment.
In the meawhile avoiding salt and maintaining your healthy lifestyle would be appropriate.
I hope I've answered your questions!
You can ask for clarifications if you want.
Kind Regards!
Neurologist for the migraine. Please read on...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
thanks for providing more information. I'd like to make clear that I did not suggest a wait until forever approach. I know you've been troubled by migraine but this is the way it is. You can't do much more about it. 15 years of migraine is tough, but looking it from another angle, it also means that a more serious diagnosis (a tumor for example) would be highly unlikely.
I still believe that your blood pressure can be affected by a migraine, particularly if you've also used drugs besides topamax for it (like NSAIDs, sumatriptan etc). Even if you didn't use anything, any pain increases the blood pressure (BP) - this a physiologic reaction caused by hormones.
I can't comment on your numbness since I don't have that much information about it, but neurological symptoms accompany -sometimes- the initiation of a migraine attack. If the time of onset coincides with the attacks then it could be the migraine. Your neurologist is the right doctor for that. What did your neurologist say?
Don't worry about heart attacks and stroke... Everybody can have one, but your chances are rather low. You don't have enough risk factors for any of those. You just need to be sure that these high BP measurements are the rule, not the exception. Immediate action would be required for much higher measurements.
I suggest a closer monitoring with 2-3 measurements per week for at least another couple of weeks. Just be sure to measure your BP only when you're perfectly fine (no pain at least).
The next step would be to visit you general practitioner, internal medicine specialist or cardiologist to be tested for secondary causes of hypertension and initiate treatment.
In the meawhile avoiding salt and maintaining your healthy lifestyle would be appropriate.
I hope I've answered your questions!
You can ask for clarifications if you want.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Hello again,
Thanks so much again for responding. I feel a lot better. It seems as though all my symptoms may co-inside with one another and are just "new" symptoms that I haven't experienced with my migraines before. I get prescribed a lot of different medications but often I do not take them as they will make me feel tired such as the anti-inflammatory the neurologist put me on. He did not know the cause of the numbness although it does happen when I have a migraine. I have had every test imaginable as well as a complete over hall with my heart since last year they thought I was having a heart attach when it was actually a severe vitamin deficiency that caused problems with my heart, only temporary though. That is why I take Vitamin D, Calcium and folate. My migraines for a short time subsided when they discovered 2 years ago I had celiac disease. After eliminating Gluten from my diet my migraines went away by 80% for over 13 months. Its has just been recently that they have returned. I did not change my diet, I do not "cheat" at all and don't know what now attributes to them returning back to the way they were. I imagine another "allergy" I haven't discovered.
Anyway, I feel at least secure that my head wont explode (my word for a stroke) and this is all due to the chronic pain I am again suffering.
Thanks again for answering me. I will get with my clinic and be monitored for a while just to make sure.
Thanks so much again for responding. I feel a lot better. It seems as though all my symptoms may co-inside with one another and are just "new" symptoms that I haven't experienced with my migraines before. I get prescribed a lot of different medications but often I do not take them as they will make me feel tired such as the anti-inflammatory the neurologist put me on. He did not know the cause of the numbness although it does happen when I have a migraine. I have had every test imaginable as well as a complete over hall with my heart since last year they thought I was having a heart attach when it was actually a severe vitamin deficiency that caused problems with my heart, only temporary though. That is why I take Vitamin D, Calcium and folate. My migraines for a short time subsided when they discovered 2 years ago I had celiac disease. After eliminating Gluten from my diet my migraines went away by 80% for over 13 months. Its has just been recently that they have returned. I did not change my diet, I do not "cheat" at all and don't know what now attributes to them returning back to the way they were. I imagine another "allergy" I haven't discovered.
Anyway, I feel at least secure that my head wont explode (my word for a stroke) and this is all due to the chronic pain I am again suffering.
Thanks again for answering me. I will get with my clinic and be monitored for a while just to make sure.
Brief Answer:
Nice to know you feel better!
Detailed Answer:
It seems that your migraine problem really messes you life. I'm sorry that I can't provide a guarantied-to-work solution because there isn't any!
There are factors that had been identified as important for migraine attacks. These include stress, menstruation, cold, head trauma, lack of sleep, fasting, some substances in processed meat etc - I'm sure you already know all about it.
Many patients find it difficult to identify one of them in their own case. The migraine just comes and goes. The blood pressure 'problem' is not that important though and shouldn't cause you distress. Just do some measurements and see how it goes.
I wish you the best for your health concerns!
Please don't forget to rate my answer!
Kind Regards!
Nice to know you feel better!
Detailed Answer:
It seems that your migraine problem really messes you life. I'm sorry that I can't provide a guarantied-to-work solution because there isn't any!
There are factors that had been identified as important for migraine attacks. These include stress, menstruation, cold, head trauma, lack of sleep, fasting, some substances in processed meat etc - I'm sure you already know all about it.
Many patients find it difficult to identify one of them in their own case. The migraine just comes and goes. The blood pressure 'problem' is not that important though and shouldn't cause you distress. Just do some measurements and see how it goes.
I wish you the best for your health concerns!
Please don't forget to rate my answer!
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
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