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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Fluctuations In BP Level?

hi. i got pretty stressed and my blood pressure went to 165/115. it has been around 140/90 my whole life, sometimes a little lower... a couple hours later it subsided to normal , but tonight i was revisiting the cause of my stress, got irritated, and i feel it s gone back up. is this normal?
Tue, 12 May 2015
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello, and welcome to HCM,

It is very normal for blood pressure to fluctuate, even in a matter of minutes and stress definitely can make blood pressure go up temporarily. Blood pressure can be elevated when patients come in to see their doctor for an appointment and then decrease by the end of the visit. This is quite common. Hormones that are produced when we are stressed make the heart beat faster and the blood vessels narrow which results in higher blood pressure.

But a blood pressure of 165/115 is concerningly high, particularly the diastolic number (115). If there is a stressor in your life that you anticipate will be ongoing, and you have tried behavioral things to bring it down such as various relaxation techniques without benefit, then it would be appropriate to start a low dose antihypertensive (blood pressure lowering) medication. Your blood pressure without stress is already on the borderline for high blood pressure. You may also want to consider a medication for managing ongoing stress such as an "SSRI".

I wish you well, and hope that this information helps.
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What Causes Fluctuations In BP Level?

Hello, and welcome to HCM, It is very normal for blood pressure to fluctuate, even in a matter of minutes and stress definitely can make blood pressure go up temporarily. Blood pressure can be elevated when patients come in to see their doctor for an appointment and then decrease by the end of the visit. This is quite common. Hormones that are produced when we are stressed make the heart beat faster and the blood vessels narrow which results in higher blood pressure. But a blood pressure of 165/115 is concerningly high, particularly the diastolic number (115). If there is a stressor in your life that you anticipate will be ongoing, and you have tried behavioral things to bring it down such as various relaxation techniques without benefit, then it would be appropriate to start a low dose antihypertensive (blood pressure lowering) medication. Your blood pressure without stress is already on the borderline for high blood pressure. You may also want to consider a medication for managing ongoing stress such as an SSRI . I wish you well, and hope that this information helps.