Hypertension And PTSD
Hi All,
I was reading this thread and it got me to thinking: I wonder how many people have high blood pressure and PTSD and how related high BP is to the anxiety that goes with it. High BP is kind of a normal response to stress and I was reading that a lot of stress hormones get released (I believe cortisol is one) when your under constantly stressed so the body is always geared up to defend itself. So wouldn't it stand to reason that these things would happen to your body more frequently in people who have PTSD than in the normal (and I use that word loosely) population without PTS? My triggers ares medical settings and procedures, so when I go to the doctor's office my blood pressure is always higher than normal, at least until I get used to the place and how the people react. If I have my cholesteral or blood sugar checked at the office, they are always elevated but if I do it in another non-medical setting they are fine or low. I did some reading--when we are under stress, what does our body do? It dumps both these things into our blood stream to prepare for the flight or fight response. So when we do to the doctor, are we acurately assessed? I'm thinkin' no. My BP has been higher and lower despite my weight--the stress seems to be the major factor.
I did a little home work and saw that the drug clonidine (trade name Catapress) was a different type of blood pressure drug than what I had been on. It is also used for sleeplessness, hot flashes, anxiety, rage disorders and other things. I thought if I was going to be on drugs for BP then why not look at it from the anxiety angle--if the drug treats both then why not? I made my pitch and have been on it since late September and it works well for me across several problems. Nightmares, the BP and the hypervigilance have all toned down. How can I describe it? I feel "normal" enough not to startle when someone walks up on my office door. For me that's a lot and I'll take it. Without the chronic "high alert" state, I can relax and concentrate more on my work or what I am doing vs. always being in "scanning" mode.
A good poll might be who all has high blood pressure and when is it worse? E.g., during heavy-duty therapy, when you're in a situation which reminds you of the events, or triggering is chronic? It might be interesting to see what the correlation is.
Gina
Hi All,
I was reading this thread and it got me to thinking: I wonder how many people have high blood pressure and PTSD and how related high BP is to the anxiety that goes with it. High BP is kind of a normal response to stress and I was reading that a lot of stress hormones get released (I believe cortisol is one) when your under constantly stressed so the body is always geared up to defend itself. So wouldn't it stand to reason that these things would happen to your body more frequently in people who have PTSD than in the normal (and I use that word loosely) population without PTS? My triggers ares medical settings and procedures, so when I go to the doctor's office my blood pressure is always higher than normal, at least until I get used to the place and how the people react. If I have my cholesteral or blood sugar checked at the office, they are always elevated but if I do it in another non-medical setting they are fine or low. I did some reading--when we are under stress, what does our body do? It dumps both these things into our blood stream to prepare for the flight or fight response. So when we do to the doctor, are we acurately assessed? I'm thinkin' no. My BP has been higher and lower despite my weight--the stress seems to be the major factor.
I did a little home work and saw that the drug clonidine (trade name Catapress) was a different type of blood pressure drug than what I had been on. It is also used for sleeplessness, hot flashes, anxiety, rage disorders and other things. I thought if I was going to be on drugs for BP then why not look at it from the anxiety angle--if the drug treats both then why not? I made my pitch and have been on it since late September and it works well for me across several problems. Nightmares, the BP and the hypervigilance have all toned down. How can I describe it? I feel "normal" enough not to startle when someone walks up on my office door. For me that's a lot and I'll take it. Without the chronic "high alert" state, I can relax and concentrate more on my work or what I am doing vs. always being in "scanning" mode.
A good poll might be who all has high blood pressure and when is it worse? E.g., during heavy-duty therapy, when you're in a situation which reminds you of the events, or triggering is chronic? It might be interesting to see what the correlation is.
Gina
