Whats up with my blood pressure? -

I am 18 and have high blood pressure. I believe stage 2 hypertension. I take 50mg Metoprolol and 150/12.5mg of Avalide. The Metoprolol I have been taking for a couple of months and am just on my second week of Avalide. I know that it can take two to four weeks for a medicine to take full effect. I take my blood pressure usally after moving around to see how high it gets which it really shouldn t get very high. Last night after driving around for a while and moving around a bit I checked my blood pressure and it was 141/60 on my left arm. Took it on my right arm about 10 secs later and 140/60. About 30 secs later I took it again on my left arm and it went down to 117/50. I know this is something that should really be discussed with my cardiologist, but has anyone else experianced something similar? The monitor is pretty accurate. Thanks in advance.

i am not sure there is anything wrong or unusual. the upper number should vary 20-25 points with the lower one varying only about 10 points and the values can change quickly. i wouldn t worry about it. i think the difference between the two numbers is a bit higher than usual and i would ask the dr. about that. otherwise i don t see a problem

Sometimes medication can make you worse. Please visit this website www.freewebs.com/sunflowerhealthorg maybe you will find help.

Why is an 18 year old needing such large doses of antihypertensive medications? Is your weight in a healthy range and are you getting regular excersie? Blood pressures fluctuate a great degree throuh out the day and this is normal. 140/60 is a little high but certainly not worth worrying about. In a normal person there should be very little variation between blood pressure on left vs right arm. The 117/50 is probably accurate. Blood pressures should only be taken when you are relaxed and have been sitting for atleast ten minutes to ensure maximum accuracy. BP s taken at doctor surgeries are usually far higher than what you would normally experience, this is usually because you are stressed (commonly called quot;white coat syndromequot;). There will be a slight drop or rise in BP in standing vs sitting. All home BP machines should be recalibrated every year to ensure accuracy. You Should try taking it to your GP and comparing its results next time you have an appointment. I hope this helps? Chris- Registered Nurse