Hey guys! So my normal blood pressure is 100/70. For the past 3 weeks it’s been 150/90. Just trying to figure out what to do. Been to the doctors and bloodwork was normal. They are sending me for an MRI and adrenal ultrasound but that’s 3 weeks from now. I’ve had headaches and a little chest pressure the past 3 weeks and they won’t give me anything to actually lower my BP. I’m too scared to try the migraine medication because I’m seeing that it raises blood pressure. (Amitriptyline) I’m just sick of these headaches and feeling so off everyday. This morning I felt like I could pass out on the floor and so fatigued. What should I do? I’ve already been to the ER but they wouldn’t prescribe me BP meds. I’m 23.

For the past few weeks, I've had a lot of chest discomfort, especially on the left side. I went to the ER and they said my BP is high. They also said one of my arteries seemed just slightly thick, but it was nothing that needed immediate attention, and to try and lower my bp manually first. I went to a cardiologist, then ran tests, and again, my BP ran high in the 140s. My cardiologist told me to try and exercise and fix my diet for the next three to four weeks and then to come back (I don't exercise often, and my diet does suck, but I'm working on fixing it). If it was still high, he'd put me on medication. Both the doctors at the ER as well as my cardiologist said I am very low risk for a heart attack.

I'm two weeks in and my bp has been fluctuating in the 140s and high 130s. I don't get a lot of pain, but a lot of discomfort, kind of that feeling when you have too much caffeine and your chest feels full. It makes me feel like I can't sit still, and it makes me want to bawl. I have diagnosed severe anxiety and OCD, so when this happens, I tend to spiral into thinking I'm dying, and I know it must contribute and make it worse.

Today, my bp read 139/94. Not terrible, I must not be dying, but God, the discomfort in the left side of my chest is so distracting, it's so hard for me to function when my anxiety is in overdrive. I keep on trying to tell myself I'm not dying, I'm not having a heart attack, but my God, it's so uncomfortable, I can't enjoy anything.

How do you guys deal with high BP? Any tricks to coping with the discomfort?

My precious 76-year-old mother is fairly active. She is also small and petite. Over the last year she has been in and out of the hospital with high blood pressure (200/
90). Her heart rate has actually spiked over 120. Cardiologists have performed every test that is usually given with her symptoms. The only thing that was discovered is, she does have a partial blockage in one artery, but it does not require a stent.
She is currently in the hospital again it has taken the doctors over three days to get her blood pressure back down to a normal range. She is now taking four blood pressure medications.
The hospital doctors have done a variety of tests on her kidneys and heart and have found nothing. They are keeping her in the hospital because her blood pressure continues to spike as does her heart rate.
Mv question is: Is there anvone out there that has had something similar happening to themselves or a family member and can give me any additional tests to suggest or information that may help?

I feel quite lightheaded on and off, with a weird headache - y feeling. Sometimes my eyes ache trying to read. How long will these side effects last? Also on 12.5 HTCZ

I’m a 27-year-old woman who’s been dealing with fluctuating high blood pressure for the past 3–4 years due to a combination of genetics, lifestyle choices, and stress. I’ve tried everything from beetroot powder, grapefruit, natto/garlic capsules, and hibiscus tea to walking, weightlifting, and dietary changes. I’ve never taken BP medication.

Last year, I lost weight through consistent cardio (3–5 times a week) and reducing my salt and sugar intake. My BP went from consistently being in the 140s/90s to around 120s–130s. Unfortunately, after experiencing a pregnancy loss earlier this year, weight gain, stress, and other life changes, my BP skyrocketed again, sometimes consistently sitting around 153/113. It stayed elevated for MONTHS.

Recently, I started drinking beet and pomegranate juice daily, doing gentle lymphatic movement exercises, and, most importantly, incorporating isometric exercises (PLANKS!) into my routine.
And let me tell y’all, something has CHANGED! 😂

For the past week, my readings have consistently been below the 130s/95 range. I can’t say for certain what’s responsible for the improvement, but planks have been the biggest new addition to my routine. I genuinely feel a difference in my body, too.

Moral of the story: MOVE YOUR DAMN BODY! Even if it’s just a little every day. And look into isometric exercises, if they’re safe for you!
I’m still working on getting my numbers into a healthier range, but after months of frustration, I’m finally seeing progress.
Disclaimer: This isn’t medical advice, just my personal experience. Everyone’s situation is different!

I have hypertension, my BP can vary enormously when using machines like Omron and Braun which have traditional cuffs.

It can go from 180/110 to 130/80 in 5 minutes, sometimes it goes lower because I keep my arm straight, or move the cuff ever so slightly. Recently tried the Samsung smart watch as more convenient way to monitor BP. I have to calibrate it each month and the readings are always in the ball park of the calibrated readings ... you don't get the big differences that I notice when using the cuff ... makes me think that the smartwatch can't really take an accurate BP.

I'm fairly active, swim train about 3 times a week, in my seventies and take 5mg amlopidine daily.

This is going to be long but I feel likes its a very interesting post (Blood pressure and Supplement Communities)

I'm 18M, 6 ft, 95 kg, and I've had a pretty strange experience with magnesium, hypertension, and sleep over the past few years. Even my cardiologist was surprised by what happened, so I'm hoping someone here might have experienced something similar.

2023–2024: How it all started

Around three years ago, I started taking magnesium simply because I'd heard about its health and sleep benefits.

I initially tried Tata 1mg ZMA+ (400 mg magnesium oxide), followed by another magnesium oxide supplement. Both caused some initial diarrhea, but I genuinely noticed improvements in my sleep and overall well-being.

Eventually, I switched to Trexgenics magnesium bisglycinate after hearing it was better absorbed. The digestive issues disappeared, but looking back, I'm not sure the sleep benefits were nearly as noticeable.

I continued taking magnesium on and off over the following years, sometimes going months without it.

Around 2024, I also started occasionally experiencing heaviness in my chest or arms and becoming unusually aware of my heartbeat. Worried about hypertension, I checked my blood pressure regularly for several weeks. Surprisingly, it was always normal, usually below 120/80, with a resting heart rate of 70–80 bpm. Eventually, the sensations disappeared, and I forgot about them.

November 2025: My blood pressure suddenly became elevated

Fast-forward to November 2025.

During two separate hospital visits on the same day, both doctors noticed that my blood pressure was elevated. They initially thought it might be anxiety or stress, but I wasn't particularly nervous.

Concerned, I started monitoring it at home, and my readings were consistently around 140–150/90–100.

I eventually visited a cardiologist, who ordered a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure test. It confirmed hypertension. Since I was dealing with board exams and university applications around that time, he suspected stress might be contributing and suggested repeating the test after a month.

During that month, I happened to restart magnesium bisglycinate, completely unrelated to my blood pressure.

To my surprise, my readings dropped back towards normal.

I assumed the problem had resolved and, unfortunately, didn't return for the follow-up.

However, after I eventually ran out of magnesium and stopped taking it, my blood pressure gradually returned to the same elevated range.

August 2026: Things got much worse

Several months later, shortly before moving to Hong Kong for university, I decided to get everything checked again.

I visited an internal medicine specialist, who ordered another 24-hour blood pressure test.

This time, the results were genuinely alarming.

Almost every reading was elevated, including during sleep. reading were pretty consistently around 180/130 , and the only low reading I remember was approximately 150/89.

The doctor was understandably concerned, especially considering my age, and prescribed Olmetec (olmesartan) 20 mg.

I took it for two days before finally managing to see my original cardiologist.

He reviewed my results and ordered further investigations, including kidney-related blood tests, an ECG, an echocardiogram, and other bloodwork to look for possible underlying causes.

Everything came back normal. There was no apparent structural heart problem, and the investigations didn't reveal an obvious explanation for my hypertension.

I also explained what had happened months earlier when I restarted magnesium. He found it interesting and suggested trying it again while monitoring my readings.

And almost immediately, my blood pressure dropped again.

After restarting magnesium bisglycinate, my readings returned to approximately 128–130/76–80.

My cardiologist was genuinely surprised by the improvement. Given the results, he decided to monitor me without continuing antihypertensive medication for the time being. He asked me to regularly record my blood pressure and send him updates.

Of course, I realize this doesn't prove magnesium caused the improvement, especially since I'd briefly taken olmesartan. But what confuses me is that this apparent pattern has happened more than once: my blood pressure was high, I restarted magnesium, it dropped, I eventually stopped magnesium, and the high readings returned.

October 2026: My current situation

I've now been living in Hong Kong for approximately ten weeks, taking magnesium bisglycinate consistently.

My blood pressure has generally remained around 130/80, which is a huge improvement compared with August.

However, two things are bothering me.

First, my resting heart rate has increased significantly. Even when my blood pressure was extremely high, my pulse was usually 70–80 bpm. Now it's consistently around 95–110 bpm, sometimes accompanied by a noticeable pounding sensation in my chest.

Second, my sleep has actually been pretty bad, despite taking magnesium every day.

I frequently struggle to fall asleep, wake up randomly throughout the night, and rarely feel like I've slept particularly well. Some nights, I'll fall asleep normally, wake up shortly afterward, and struggle to get back to sleep for hours.

Interestingly, I remember getting much more noticeable sleep benefits from the cheaper magnesium oxide supplements than from bisglycinate.

I've seen people discussing sleep disturbances associated with magnesium glycinate, but I'm not sure how much evidence supports that.

A little more medical background

Mentally, I'm doing well. I don't have depression or any significant ongoing stress. I experience occasional everyday anxiety, like most people, but nothing particularly intense or disruptive. Even when my blood pressure was at its highest, I generally felt mentally fine.

One other detail: my first kneecap dislocation happened in December 2024. Since then, I've experienced approximately seven dislocations (five right, two left), eventually requiring arthroscopic surgeries in February and August 2026. My knees remain somewhat unstable, and I've wondered whether ongoing physical stress or recovery might have contributed to my hypertension. I have no evidence they're connected, but thought it was worth mentioning.

So, here are my main questions:

1. Hypertension: Has anyone experienced such a dramatic improvement in blood pressure with magnesium? What could explain it, and are there further investigations for secondary hypertension worth discussing with my cardiologist?
2. Heart rate: Why might my resting heart rate have increased from 70–80 to 95–110 bpm while my blood pressure decreased? Could these changes be connected?
3. Sleep: Could magnesium bisglycinate actually be worsening my sleep? Why might magnesium oxide have seemed better, and would a different form or timing make sense?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who's experienced something similar or understands the possible physiology behind it.

I know magnesium isn't a substitute for proper hypertension treatment, and I'm continuing to monitor my readings under my cardiologist's guidance. I'm just genuinely curious about what's happening and why the difference seems so significant.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this. I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

Looking for a little support and some insights.

I just had my had my annual physical and had another elevated BP reading of 138/88 and the Dr recommended starting blood pressure medication. I'm a 37y/o M, relatively healthy, I watch what I eat, exercise a few times a week, and make an effort to keep moving and take walks away from my desk during the week. Recent blood panel came back good, but the thing that has always been an issue is BP. No matter the lifestyle changes I make, I just can't get it down. I could lose a couple lbs, I'm 6' at 210lbs, ideal target is 190-185lbs.

Previous BP readings over the years have been 132/76, 122/80, 132/80, 148/98, 130/82, 140/90.

A bit of family background, my father died of a heart attack at 59, my brother also has high BP (which I just found out), so in almost thinking this could just be genetic but not sure as Dad kept medical issues private and my mom truly doesn't know.

I have never had to take medication and I'm kinda nervous. Part of me feels like this is going to start a chain reaction where I'll end up on more meds. I like having occasional drinks and enjoying my life so I feel like I now have to upend my entire life.

Prescription is ready for pickup but likely won't start it until my partner is back from her work travels so I can have someone around in case I have a reaction.

For those of you who are on Losartan, what were your initial feelings and reactions the days after initially starting? How has life been since? Any advice on life adjustments you can share if any?

Hello everyone, I am 21 years old and I found out that I had elevated blood pressure at 17 years old (140/80). My previous doctor prescribed me with Amlodipine 5mg OD and I used to take it everyday. But, I didn't see results so I stopped them (yes that was stupid of me). They ran all sorts of test such as MRI but all came back negative.

1 month ago, I still knew that I was hypertensive but I just ignored them until I was experiencing excruciating headaches and I went to the doctor, turns out my BP increased to 170/110mmHg. My doctor prescribed me Amlodipine 10mg but I said that it wasn't effective before so my Doctor changed it to Telmisartan 80mg OD. They ran all sorts of test again such as ultrasound, doppler, and blood tests but all were normal again.

Before 30 days my BP was still around 150/100 resting. And after 1month and 2 weeks my BP decreased to 120/70 and 115/60. I didn't just take medications, I also did exercise such as jogging and wall sits. For my diet, I didn't change much just lessened my sugar intake. This is just to share my success story on telmisartan and hopefully try to inspire others.

39m obese, I dont understand the numbers, I dont understand the terms, its been a week since ive been given these drugs. I can see the numbers going down but with how high my numbers started at, I was expecting a larger drop by now. Should I go back and tell her the numbers arent changing enough? Or wait another week, do the blood work asked, then consult 1 week after that?

(f24) weigh around 155lbs 5'5 (I could probably lose some weight and cut back on bad eating) my dad recently passed away from a heart attack at 42 (we had severe athsma and we got the flu which caused his heart attack but he did have high blood pressure) it runs in my family on both sides. I have really bad health anxiety and I did already make an apt with my doctor in about a month but im really scared my numbers are really bad. At the Walmart blood pressure machine I was reading at 133/93 I bought and arm cuff and have been taking two reading morning and night some nights ive had avrage readings of 115/72 and other mornings I've had readings as high as 150/98 (that was the highest reading I've had which really scared me) I'm averaging out at around 130/84 I just need to know how urgently I need to take action and if these numbers are as bad as they feel for my age. Any insight would be helpful

Hello,

It has not hit me yet but I went to the doctor today and my BP readings were as follows:

127/80something

131/80something

127/80

A little background:

I have a bmi of 19/20, and never had any health issues to thankfully. I was never obese, and only overweight when I was like 5, but never again after that (I have never been above 140 lbs)

My father has hypertension and high cholesterol which he is managing with medication, and his side of the family just in general has a lot of health problems, but they are older.

No hypertension on my mom’s side that I know of. However, her mother had some heart problem at 50+ though, and so did her sister (50+ also I think).

I have lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle before for a year, but I wouldn’t say I am that inactive. Yes there are/were days I would sit in front of the computer all day, but I walk 10/15k steps some days. I was a student athlete growing up but haven’t touched working out or running in like 5 years now unfortunately.

LMK what other history is important to mention.

I don’t want to get into the mindset of ‘my life is over’. Is the condition at this stage reversible? As in, if I lock in, I can undo it (unlike type II diabetes for example).

Does anyone have any tips on managing stress and in general lowering BP? What has helped you lower it the most? Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Right now I feel a bit lightheaded and tired. I know I did get a bit dehydrated earlier in the day, but this is unusually low! This is with 80 mg of Valsartan and 1.25 of Bisoprolol (yes my HR has always been high and actually used to be much higher!). Yesterday my BP was 94/76 Do I need to do something?

I'm just back from my medical practice where I had a gold standard blood pressure measurement taken by an experienced nurse using a manual cuff and a stethoscope. She measured 132/82. My home cuff was giving 146/101. She told me nothing is better than trained ears and my blood pressure is fine, "put your cuff in a cupboard and leave it there". I'm wondering how many more of you are getting stressed out by high and false readings at home. I'm not on meds.

Hi all,

This year my blood pressure was 155/90 instead of the usual 130/80 that I've had the past few years. It's always been elevated due to anxiety about visiting the doctor, but this time it's genuinely high.

The doctor wants to follow American guidelines and start me on meds for the rest of my life, but I think there's some steps I can take before that.

For starters, I've had untreated sleep apnea for my entire life, I let my diet go completely and gained 30 lbs, didn't exercise for a straight year, and dealt with daily panic attacks for almost half the year.

For context I'm 30 years old, 250lbs, with about 25% body fat.

How possible is it to get back under 130/80 if I address these health issues?

I hear so much about how hypertension is a "silent killer" and a "lifelong condition" but I never hear about the practical side of things.

Who's actually blowing a gasket at 50 and how high was their BP actually to lead to that? Probably higher than mine has been...

What are my actual odds if I just naturally sit around 130/80 ish for the rest of my life even after getting healthy?

Will I still "drop at fifty"?

I need some anecdotal evidence before I lose it.

I already have a message in and will ABSOLUTELY be calling first thing in the am but I needed to brain dump my thoughts to a community with experience.

38y female with an extensive history of pregnancy BP issues. Four babies progressively induced earlier due to either pregnancy induced hypertension or preeclampsia. Preeclampsia at 39w baby1, PIH 38w baby2, PIH 37w baby3 and preeclampsia at 34w baby4. My BP has been elevated since, never really addressed until now, baby4 is 8 years old. My average home BP readings were 144/99 when I went in to address my concern and was finally seen last Friday 160/94 and was prescribed losartan 50mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg; separate pills.

I started my meds Monday because we were out of town this weekend. Tuesday I started palpitations. Tuesday night my resting heart rate was 160 and it took 30 min laying down to drop to 100. I called today to ask about the palpitations and they had me come in for further testing. BP was 110/60 pulse 120. EKG was fine so they ran labs. Electrolytes were perfect. They decided to stop the hydrochloride as it’s assumed the quick BP drop made my heart freak out and replenishing the volume will set it straight. My questions are as follows:

*important note- it is well documented that I have an allergy to sulfa drugs. I keep it on my chart every visit and discuss that I don’t remember it but believe it was a childhood rash reaction to an antibiotic containing sulfa. Apparently hydrochlorothiazide can be tolerated for sulfa allergies but I was to watch for rash just in case.

Reasons I think this is an allergic reaction to sulfa:

1. I was told it would take at least a week to see a decent lowering in both numbers. A drop of over 30 on both top and bottom seems extreme for 3 days.

2. Symptoms of a reaction are low BP and elevated heart rate. Check. Also rash (no). Face flushing (yep).

They did take me off hydrochlorothiazide (because they think the two meds together were just being TOO effective) and I’m to follow up in a month but I’m thinking I should follow up tomorrow because if I’m having a reaction will things be super out of whack when it’s out of my system?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation, because I'm feeling a bit anxious about temporarily stopping my medication.

I've been taking metoprolol for about 3 weeks. I was initially taking 100 mg daily, and a few days ago my doctor told me to reduce the dose to 50 mg. On the third day at the lower dose, I started experiencing episodes of tachycardia, so I went back to taking 100 mg.

Today, my cardiologist told me to stop taking metoprolol for 3 days before wearing a 24-hour Holter monitor. I understand that the goal is to record my heart rhythm without the medication's effects, but I'm worried about experiencing tachycardia or other symptoms while I'm off it.

Has anyone had to stop metoprolol temporarily before a Holter monitor? Did you experience an increase in heart rate, palpitations, or other symptoms? How did it go?

I'm not looking for medical advice to replace my cardiologist's instructions. I'd just like to hear about other people's experiences and know what to expect.

Thanks!

Ive been dealing with exceedingly high BP for years but worse the last month. I’m early 40’s.

I’ve been on 5mg Amlodipine for 2 years and at this point it’s not helping so I’m trying to pick the brain of my fellow high BP‘ers and ask what medications worked for you with the most minimal side effects? My mom has had hypertension her whole life so I do think genetics are strongly at play.

Also, bonus question. Has anyone ever tried supplementing potassium to help with their blood pressure?

​

I honestly never took it for a long time consistently. Without I'm usually in the 130s- to mid 140s over 80-90. On them it seemed the number ranges could be higher with.less consistency. Are they linked to potential kidney damage? I'd appreciate the overall feedback of anyone who has experience with it.