White coat sydrome

[Vandelsrock21 104]

So I went to the doctor for a gout flare up they took my BP and panicked. It was 167 over 108. She said have you ever had a stroke or heart attack. So instantly I went from 0 to 100. She said we will check it again I said well it's not going to help now.  She wanted to start blood pressure meds right than. But I declined. Bought a BP monitor and checked it a couple times later. Sitting at 143 over 80. She said anxiety wont raise blood pressure like that I disagree 

[bin_tenn 1237]

167 / 108 is quite high if you haven't done anything to raise it that much. Mine has only ever been near that during the peak of a severe panic attack. It also depends on your blood pressure when you're not having a severe episode of anxiety though. If it's already higher than "normal", it could go even higher with anxiety.

When you check it at home, be sure to rest for at least 5-10 minutes first. Then take a measurement, wait a minute or two and check again, then repeat once more. Discard the first reading and take the average of readings two and three. If you're anything like me (and so many others) your first reading will almost always be quite a bit higher.

[clearhead 129]

46 minutes ago, Vandelsrock21 said:

She said anxiety wont raise blood pressure like that 

BS. Mine has been much higher than yours on one visit. They didn’t want me to leave the office until it was sub 140. Doc said white coat + panic attack.

[BrightPhoenix 60]

27 minutes ago, clearhead said:

BS. Mine has been much higher than yours on one visit. They didn’t want me to leave the office until it was sub 140. Doc said white coat + panic attack.

Same thing happened to me when I ended up at the ER with a panic attack 15 years ago.  My pulse was sky high and my heartrate was through the roof.  I was breathing shallowly because of my health anxiety.

They made me calm down and not leave the ER until an hour after because they wanted to make sure I'm ok - they basically gave me something to calm me down, I forgot what but it was a VERY LOW dose.  BP went back to normal afterwards.

If you want to be sure, take a reading a few times, but 140/90 is in the "normal" range but on the upper end (always good to lower it through exercise and healthy living).

[Vandelsrock21 104]

1 hour ago, bin_tenn said:

167 / 108 is quite high if you haven't done anything to raise it that much. Mine has only ever been near that during the peak of a severe panic attack. It also depends on your blood pressure when you're not having a severe episode of anxiety though. If it's already higher than "normal", it could go even higher with anxiety.

When you check it at home, be sure to rest for at least 5-10 minutes first. Then take a measurement, wait a minute or two and check again, then repeat once more. Discard the first reading and take the average of readings two and three. If you're anything like me (and so many others) your first reading will almost always be quite a bit higher.

Well I thing is I pulled up on a car accident and had to physically push the car some distance to a parking lot. Yep I was warn out. Than right after a doctor's appointment. But my pulse is in the low 80s now and last reading was 145/76

[Vandelsrock21 104]

43 minutes ago, BrightPhoenix said:

Same thing happened to me when I ended up at the ER with a panic attack 15 years ago.  My pulse was sky high and my heartrate was through the roof.  I was breathing shallowly because of my health anxiety.

They made me calm down and not leave the ER until an hour after because they wanted to make sure I'm ok - they basically gave me something to calm me down, I forgot what but it was a VERY LOW dose.  BP went back to normal afterwards.

If you want to be sure, take a reading a few times, but 140/90 is in the "normal" range but on the upper end (always good to lower it through exercise and healthy living).

I could feel myself get excited when she said its blood pressure time. 

[lofwyr 215]

I have to self test for medical reasons twice a day. I can tell you my normal BP runs 119/72 or so. But when I am anxious about something it floats up around 147/88. Anxiety can massively affect BP. 

@bin_tenn gave golden advice about discarding the first check. 

[Vandelsrock21 104]

27 minutes ago, lofwyr said:

I have to self test for medical reasons twice a day. I can tell you my normal BP runs 119/72 or so. But when I am anxious about something it floats up around 147/88. Anxiety can massively affect BP. 

@bin_tenn gave golden advice about discarding the first check. 

Helpful info. I started taking a omega three to help with cholesterol and BP. Also a tart cherry extract. See it helps.

[BrightPhoenix 60]

1 hour ago, Vandelsrock21 said:

Helpful info. I started taking a omega three to help with cholesterol and BP. Also a tart cherry extract. See it helps.

Absolutely no shame in taking BP/cholesterol meds.  I've had great luck with Atenolol for BP and Atorvastatin (Lipitor) for cholesterol.  If you're a bit chubby like I am there's nothing wrong with taking the meds as a precautionary measure if your doctor thinks it's a good idea.

In fact!  My therapist gave me atenolol for the very same reasons you were having - he saw that I had some BP issues, but he also knew I had issues with anxiety, and because atenolol helps to control your BP and keep it down, it also has a calming effect on those with health anxiety about their BP/pulse rate.  It shouldn't be a primary medicine to control anxiety, but it helps alongside typical stuff that controls anxiety (i.e. Zoloft/Setraline, Klonopin/Clonezapam, etc)

[bin_tenn 1237]

4 hours ago, BrightPhoenix said:

Absolutely no shame in taking BP/cholesterol meds.  I've had great luck with Atenolol for BP and Atorvastatin (Lipitor) for cholesterol.  If you're a bit chubby like I am there's nothing wrong with taking the meds as a precautionary measure if your doctor thinks it's a good idea.

In fact!  My therapist gave me atenolol for the very same reasons you were having - he saw that I had some BP issues, but he also knew I had issues with anxiety, and because atenolol helps to control your BP and keep it down, it also has a calming effect on those with health anxiety about their BP/pulse rate.  It shouldn't be a primary medicine to control anxiety, but it helps alongside typical stuff that controls anxiety (i.e. Zoloft/Setraline, Klonopin/Clonezapam, etc)

I also take Atenolol and Atorvastatin! They're both low dose, but they've also corrected both the mildly elevated BP and the elevated LDL cholesterol. I agree, no shame in it. I'm almost 32 years old, thin, otherwise healthy. If I need to take medication to correct these things (I have the genetic factor) then so be it. 😛

[bin_tenn 1237]

As for my first reply, I'm not saying that your 167 / 108 was "definitely really bad" or that anxiety alone can't cause that. It certainly varies by person, as anything in medicine/health does. Just in my own experiences that seems quite high even for anxiety, unless you're having a bad panic/anxiety attack.

[Vandelsrock21 104]

2 hours ago, bin_tenn said:

As for my first reply, I'm not saying that your 167 / 108 was "definitely really bad" or that anxiety alone can't cause that. It certainly varies by person, as anything in medicine/health does. Just in my own experiences that seems quite high even for anxiety, unless you're having a bad panic/anxiety attack.

I agree with you. But I knew my anxiety was sky high with my high pulse and all. Do you use a wrist monitor? This morning I was at 135/70 but I don't know if this is that accurate.

[Vandelsrock21 104]

6 hours ago, BrightPhoenix said:

Absolutely no shame in taking BP/cholesterol meds.  I've had great luck with Atenolol for BP and Atorvastatin (Lipitor) for cholesterol.  If you're a bit chubby like I am there's nothing wrong with taking the meds as a precautionary measure if your doctor thinks it's a good idea.

In fact!  My therapist gave me atenolol for the very same reasons you were having - he saw that I had some BP issues, but he also knew I had issues with anxiety, and because atenolol helps to control your BP and keep it down, it also has a calming effect on those with health anxiety about their BP/pulse rate.  It shouldn't be a primary medicine to control anxiety, but it helps alongside typical stuff that controls anxiety (i.e. Zoloft/Setraline, Klonopin/Clonezapam, etc)

I don't think there is shame in it either. But I do have a fluctuating blood pressure. Sometimes low sometimes high. I am a cdl holder and in Washington state being on BP meds make keeping cdl harder.

[Nutmegbella 90]

When I was at the hospital once for what i know now as a massive panic attack, I felt like my ribs or lungs were about to pop, heart was beating out of my chest. They ran tests. Couldnt find a thing wrong. Until they checked my blood pressure which had peaked at 240/90. The nurses couldn’t believe it, i guess cause of my age, and the fact I wasn’t having a stroke because normally my bp was low. They had my history and say it was always low. So for me to be having this high reading was freaking everyone out. They left a nurse to stay with me and they gave me Ativan to calm down. That lowered it. But they had me there the rest of the night and day, until they felt it was going for me to go. When I went to my doctor two days later for a check up from that hospital stay, she saw the reading, her mouth dropped and she said I need to get this anxiety under control ASAP and she put me on Prozac with Xanax to help transition with the prozac she warned that the anxiety would be worse before it got better, which holy cow was it horrible. Oh and the Ativan was given by a shot they said that was the quickest way to calm me. Four hours later they gave a low dose of Xanax. 

[Sarnad 6]

19 hours ago, Vandelsrock21 said:

So I went to the doctor for a gout flare up they took my BP and panicked. It was 167 over 108. She said have you ever had a stroke or heart attack. So instantly I went from 0 to 100. She said we will check it again I said well it's not going to help now.  She wanted to start blood pressure meds right than. But I declined. Bought a BP monitor and checked it a couple times later. Sitting at 143 over 80. She said anxiety wont raise blood pressure like that I disagree 

Your doctor is inexperienced if she says anxiety won't raise BP like that. Everytime I go to a doctor my pulse is between 140-180 and my bp is always around 150+ / 90+. When totally calm it is 120/80. Your BP is extremely sensitive to fight or flight mode and can change in seconds. I would get a second opinion on what she is claiming or worried about cause it seems like she is unfamiliar with those who are terrified with doctors. 

[Heal 13]

Ooh boy sounds like me. I'm in normal conditions 110/70. Sometimes lower. Panic attacks have taken me to 140/80. I could feel the dread filling me as I was being checked

[Sunnydays 9]

I get the white coat syndrome as well. BP is normal all the time except for when I go to the Dr. Its even been going up lately when my kids have to go to the Dr.

I can feel it as well and can tell when it's high before they check it. Not sure what to do about it, other than not go to the Dr unless I have to. Or, I have considered maybe going more often would help cause I'd get used to it. Who knows?

[Vandelsrock21 104]

Well go figure she told me I am going to have a stroke or heart attack and I have been having chest pain and head aches on and off. But my blood pressure has gone from extremely high to borderline high. This morning it was at 135/70 I didn't believe my wrist machine to be accurate so I borrowed a co_works fancy arm cuff one. My top number was around 140 and bottom in low 80s. So I feel better knowing I am not have crazy numbers 247.

[BrightPhoenix 60]

You may want to find another PCP if they treated you like this.  Get a second opinion - always good to ask.

[bin_tenn 1237]

6 hours ago, BrightPhoenix said:

You may want to find another PCP if they treated you like this.  Get a second opinion - always good to ask.

Yep, I agree. Get a second opinion. Even though the 167 / 108 from your original post is high, it's not going to hurt you if it's a one-off thing (e.g. a bad episode of anxiety). If it were high like that all the time, sure, but not just occasionally. The general guidelines (it varies by person, of course) say "hypertensive crisis" is when the systolic is >= 180, and/or the diastolic is >= 120, and you should seek a doctor immediately. But even then, that's not always true. When I did my stress test, my BP peaked around 182/115. When I asked they said it was perfectly normal.

[jonathan123 2278]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 12:37 AM, Vandelsrock21 said:

So I went to the doctor for a gout flare up they took my BP and panicked. It was 167 over 108. She said have you ever had a stroke or heart attack. So instantly I went from 0 to 100. She said we will check it again I said well it's not going to help now.  She wanted to start blood pressure meds right than. But I declined. Bought a BP monitor and checked it a couple times later. Sitting at 143 over 80. She said anxiety wont raise blood pressure like that I disagree 

So do I and I speak from experience. I too suffer from 'white coat syndrome'. Well, come on, who wouldn't be anxious going to the doctors or a hospital. It's just that our anxiety goes over the top. Recently I took my BP at home and it showed 180 over 75. Now this shook me a bit. It was a weekend so I sweated it out until Monday and got an appointment with my GP. Her reading was 137 over 65. Allowing for white coat it was normal. There is something wrong with my machine, which is not a cheap one. But it's an example of how we get worked up over what 'might' be. I am not going to use a BP machine at home again. This was the first time for six months I had taken it. I will let the doctor do it. At least their machines are regularly checked!

[BrightPhoenix 60]

6 hours ago, jonathan123 said:

So do I and I speak from experience. I too suffer from 'white coat syndrome'. Well, come on, who wouldn't be anxious going to the doctors or a hospital. It's just that our anxiety goes over the top. Recently I took my BP at home and it showed 180 over 75. Now this shook me a bit. It was a weekend so I sweated it out until Monday and got an appointment with my GP. Her reading was 137 over 65. Allowing for white coat it was normal. There is something wrong with my machine, which is not a cheap one. But it's an example of how we get worked up over what 'might' be. I am not going to use a BP machine at home again. This was the first time for six months I had taken it. I will let the doctor do it. At least their machines are regularly checked!

There was a brief period in September - November where I was having major worries about my temperature because I had a brief episode in August where I had a high fever that lasted 6 hours, then another brief episode in September and another in October.  I mentioned this to my PCP and she wasn't worried, she said I most likely caught a virus but you know how health anxiety is - I started looking up symptoms as to why this was happening and it wasn't pleasant since "high fever suddenly" can be ANYTHING.

I was taking my temperature every 6 hours too and freaking out over anything over 98.6 and after a couple weeks I just forced myself to stop taking it.  Helped a bit.