What Causes BP Fluctuations And Chronic Neck Pain?

Posted on Thu, 18 May 2017

Question: I am a 77 year old male with blood pressure that keeps spiking up and down. I am 5' 10" high and 165 lbs. My diet is full of fruits and vegetables with a minimum of sugars and fats. I have had blood tests and chest x-rays that show everything is normal. I had a test where i was injected with a radio isotope, but everything showed normal. I have chronic neck pain due to past surgeries and I am taking 50mg of Metoprolol per day. My pressure has spiked as high as 205/95 and as low as 115/72. I take Arnica for pain, which seems to help and I also take vitamins and fish oil. Any suggestions ?

Answered by Dr. Sagar Makode (14 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Need to change metoprolol and avoid arnica

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for asking,

I want you to monitor bp regularly thrice a day for a week atleast and make a chart of it, in order to have clear interpretation. Metoprolol is not a first Choice of drug for hypertension now a days. It should be changed to other drug like tab Amlodipine 5 mg or telmisartan 40 mg once a day. So you please discuss these things with your doctor.

Avoid arnica as it can cause elevated blood pressure. Also, avoid dehydration as it can precipitate low blood pressure. Rest, continue healthy lifestyle and it's good that hypertension has not affected your heart and other organs yet.

Hope this helps you and get back if you have any doubts.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee