High Blood Pressure

Can blood pressure cause me to have joint and muscle pains?

I’m on medication and my BP control is good at the moment but I seem to be getting stiff and painful joints all the time at present.

Will high blood pressure on it’s own cause me to develop pains in the joints - or is it my blood pressure meds that’s doing it?

I asked my doctor and he said that he didn’t think there was a connection but when I read the leaflets in the medication package two of them do say that joint pains or muscle pains can arise.

What should i do?

Chocolate and blood pressure …… mmmm

How much chocolate should I eat if I want it to lower my blood pressure? And is it a special kind of chocolate that I need or is it just the normal sort I can buy anywhere.

I need to be careful because I have borderline diabetes but if I balance the other bits I’m sure I can add some into my daily diet.

I find some of this food and blood pressure stuff a bit confusing really.

On one level it would seem that a daily diet consisting of chocolate, tomatoes and red wine could see me live forever …. hey ….. might try that actually

I just read an article about how taking the blood pressure reading round the ankle is a good way to predict my risk of stroke or heart attack.

Can I do this ankle blood pressure test with my own home blood pressure monitor?

What readings should I look out for?

I have a history in my family of heart attack - my father and my uncle both had one - so am always looking for things I can do to protect myself.

Is there a special knack to getting ankle blood pressure readings or do I just experiment a bit and figure it out for myself?

Thanks

Has anyone else felt drowsy on beta blockers.

I have been taking atenolol for my blood pressure problem for about six months. At first I felt fine but now I’m tired and drowsy most days with cold cold hands and feet. Is this due to the beta blocker tablets?

I looked at the leaflet that came in the packet and it mentions lethargy so I suppose it is connected but what do others think?

Has anyone else had side effects from attenolol?

Mary Smith - Newcastle

I get so angry sometimes that my wife says I will have a stroke or a heart attack if I dont calm down.

Is this true?

Can being angry all the time trigger off a heart attack.

I checked my blood pressure on a home monitor one day when I felt stressed and angry and it was really high … like 190 / 110

This gave me  a big scare but I had eaten salty food too that day so it could have just been due to that.

How strong is the link between anger and heart attack or stroke?

And what can I do to help things?

I read in the papers today - world kidney day - that not looking after your blood pressure can damage the kidneys.

How does this work?

Why does high blood pressure harm your kidneys. My friend developed kidney problems due to taking blood pressure treatment tablets - so which is worse, taking blood pressure treatment or simply having high blood pressure.

I know that diabetic people get kidney disease but is it really true that just because I have high blood pressure I should worry about kidney problems too?

Getting confused by all of this ….

Bob

Beetroot and blood pressure

Can eating too much beetroot be bad for your blood pressure levels? Is there a beetroot - blood pressure connection?

My great aunt eats beetroot every single day of her life and has recently been found to have high blood pressure. I am certain that the two are connected but dont know if there is any research about this.

Has anyone else found this connection?

I’m looking for a natural way to lower blood pressure and I read in a magazine that magnesium supplements in the diet can lower blood pressure levels.

Is this true?

How much magnesium should I take to get benefit? Will magnesium interfere with any other medication that I am already taking?

Can I buy magnesium supplements online or do I just get them from a local pharmacy?

Thanks
Marjory

My blood pressure monitor seems to be reading high all the time. What should I do?

I dont know if the monitor is not working properly or if my blood pressure levels have really gone up too high. I feel well so I dont think it’s the latter.

How can I get my blood pressure monitor checked to see if it is giving correct readings?

I want to buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home but I’m not sure which one to choose as my best option?

Are all the companies that make blood pressure monitors the same or are some better than others.

Omron monitors look good but seem to be a bit more expensive than some others. Also not sure whether to go with a wrist or an upper arm monitor.

Can anyone give me good advice or point me towards a useful resource

Many thanks

Graham C Jones