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    Can MS affect blood pressure?

    I always had high blood pressure after having my kids. I used to be on 3 bp meds, highest dose. Spikes as high as 191/110. I worked my way down to 10mg of lisinopril with 12.5 diuretic. When I would go to the doctors my BP usually was 160/100, I would sit and it would go down to 130/85. This is NORMAL for me. At home it would be 125/85. Grocery store machines would show me at 150/98.

    After my last relapse I had to stop taking my BP meds because I almost fainted, it's now without meds 108/74. I NEVER had my lower number in the 70s.. never!!

    I went ot my doctor and he told me how great my BP is now. I said this is not normal at all, why the sudden drop. He doesn't seem concerned because it's normal, but it's not my normal. My nickname was Kat Von Hypertensive.

    Could MS have caused this somehow?
    Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

    #2
    My blood pressure has been going down as I havebeen losing weight. I have been trying to lose weight, and it is going slowly. Now, my blood pressure is getting lower and so goes my weight.
    Katje, how is the HSCT process going? Are you going to do the HSCT at Northwestern?

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Katje View Post
      I always had high blood pressure after having my kids.
      You didn't have high blood pressure until after you had your kids. That's what makes it abnormal. Even if it was your "usual" blood pressure it was so far from what's normal and healthy for an adult that it couldn't be considered "normal". It isn't normal for blood vessels to be able to stand up to that much pressure for a long time.

      You can plug in anything else that doesn't happen to anyone else and see that it isn't "normal". You could say that you throw up four times a day and that's normal for you but its not normal and not healthy for an adult human. So "normal for you" doesn't mean that it was good. If you were throwing up 4 times a day would you be concerned if you stopped because that wouldn't be normal? You might be suspicious now that your BP has come down but you also should have been suspicious when it first went up because that's what was abnormal.

      From everything I've read MS can cause changes in blood pressure but when it does it usually makes it swing high and low and unstable not just lower and truly "normal". It sounds like maybe you'll just have to watch your BP and see what happens.

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        #4
        My blood pressure spikes horribly with every flare.

        Otherwise it is high normal between months of flare time.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by MSer102 View Post
          You didn't have high blood pressure until after you had your kids. That's what makes it abnormal. Even if it was your "usual" blood pressure it was so far from what's normal and healthy for an adult that it couldn't be considered "normal". It isn't normal for blood vessels to be able to stand up to that much pressure for a long time.

          You can plug in anything else that doesn't happen to anyone else and see that it isn't "normal". You could say that you throw up four times a day and that's normal for you but its not normal and not healthy for an adult human. So "normal for you" doesn't mean that it was good. If you were throwing up 4 times a day would you be concerned if you stopped because that wouldn't be normal? You might be suspicious now that your BP has come down but you also should have been suspicious when it first went up because that's what was abnormal.

          From everything I've read MS can cause changes in blood pressure but when it does it usually makes it swing high and low and unstable not just lower and truly "normal". It sounds like maybe you'll just have to watch your BP and see what happens.

          Yes it is abnormal, however I had numerous tests on my heart and it's fine. They just told me it's the way I am wired, but my BP is labile. It can go from 120/85 to 160/100 within minutes.

          With that said, it's never been low my whole life.
          Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

          Comment


            #6
            MS can affect blood pressure...you might try googling hypotension and MS, or autonomic dysfunction and MS.

            You need to see a dr. because the only way you can really determine what your BP is doing is to have a 24 hour BP test. Our BP fluctuates so much, even from minute to minute...the 24 hour monitor gives them a more accurate picture. You wear a cuff, attached to a small recording device, and the bp is taken every 15 minutes during the day, and something like every hour at night.

            My BP is affected but I have spikes. It'll be normal for a good part of the time, then spikes to a high level systolic over 200, diastolic over 100. And it will keep up till I take certain medications to bring it down. There are side effects with the spike that alert me it's happening. I do have a lesion that they blame the BP spikes on.

            Have you changed any meds recently...there are a few medications we use for MS symptoms that can lower your BP as a side effect. The BP you list as low is a perfectly "normal" BP for most people.

            The danger with low BP is you can have orthostatic hyptension...which is a fancy way of saying your bp can go down when you stand up, and you have to be careful when that's happening because you don't want to pass out...I'm no doctor, but I think the BP you mentioned as low wouldn't be considered hypotension.

            Call your GP, he would be the one to help you explore the issue and address your concerns.

            Comment


              #7
              I am on no medication at all, except for advil for monthly cramps. The only change of meds I have done is t hat I stopped taking my blood pressure pills because I almost fainted. pills I have been taking for years and my doctors wanted to increase dosage because they felt it was not strong enough.

              My BP ignores this because he thinks its great I dont need meds anymore, even though this is sudden.


              I'll just have to watch it. I might call my neuro and ask what he thinks, bit since my bp is not in a danger zone it's unlikely anyone will pay attention to it. I did feel out of breath last week, but my ekg was normal.
              Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

              Comment


                #8
                Sorry for all you are going through and yes it can be confusing. I also get sudden peaks with hypertension..reacted to MANY hypertensive meds until they put me on a beta blocker.

                Maybe you need an evaluation from a cardiologist. Having a normal EKG does not mean you are not having other related issues in my view. They do a tilt table test to see if you either suddenly drop your BP or in my case it suddenly goes UP then drops back down causing all kinds of other problems, like increased heart rate.

                Keep a journal of your daily BP. Turns out for me, I was finally diagnosed with Dysautonomia. Beta blocker really helps and yes so does losing weight, reducing stressors.

                I too noticed I was getting out of breath when trying to walk as fast as others aside me. I never knew my walking had slowed so much LOL..

                So keep a journal of your numbers and get a good eval with follow ups from a cardiologist. Sometimes things do not show up on their tests..But to have this dysautonomia testing, it takes a specialist with an autonomic lab to test for it.

                Take your BP sitting, then wait a while, and stand up, take your BP again. See if your BP goes up (or down) more than 30 pts. That is what is called a "poor man's Tilt Table test"

                Good luck with all this, hopefully you'll get to the bottom of this. Let us know how you are doing.

                Warmly, Jan
                I believe in miracles~!
                2004 Benign MS 2008 NOT MS
                Finally DX: RR MS 02.24.10

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by JerryD View Post
                  My blood pressure has been going down as I havebeen losing weight. I have been trying to lose weight, and it is going slowly. Now, my blood pressure is getting lower and so goes my weight.
                  Katje, how is the HSCT process going? Are you going to do the HSCT at Northwestern?

                  I am going to Chicago. My brother in law is a transplant surgeon in Boston so they can do my procedure under professional courtesy. I am having my neuro here do some testing so I dont have to run out to Chicago for everything.
                  Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by JerryD View Post
                    My blood pressure has been going down as I havebeen losing weight. I have been trying to lose weight, and it is going slowly. Now, my blood pressure is getting lower and so goes my weight.
                    Katje, how is the HSCT process going? Are you going to do the HSCT at Northwestern?

                    Jerry I would email you, but it doesn't show. Do you know about the HSCT group on FB? Email me and I will send you the link.
                    Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Katje,

                      If you would like JerryD to email you, you'll need to put your email address in your profile. MSWorld does not make private messages available to members, and Guidelines #2 does not allow members to post or exchange personal information (i.e. e-mail address, phone number, or home address, etc.) in the main chat room or in the message boards. Your email address may be placed in your profile at your own risk.

                      ~ Faith
                      ~ Faith
                      MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
                      (now a Mimibug)

                      Symptoms began in JAN02
                      - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
                      - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
                      .

                      - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
                      - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        ok, someone already emailed me. I thought I did add it already. So thats odd, no idea how they got my email address.
                        Suspected MS 1985. dx 1994 still RRMS EDSS 1.0

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