BMI of 30.9, BP of 141/102 and resting pulse of 117...how bad are these numbers?

[Beezy]

(I wasn't sure where to post this since it concerns multiple issues, namely blood pressure, pulse rate, weight, depression, social anxiety, ADD and prescription medication so feel free to move this to another section if this isn't the right one.)
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I am a 20 year old male and I am 5 foot 7 and weigh 197 pounds. I just used a blood pressure machine at a pharmacy and the results were as follows:

Systolic Pressure: 141
Diabolic Pressure: 102
Pulse Rate: 117

Every health/fitness calculator I've put these numbers into online has given me pretty scary looking diagnoses...the 141 over 102 is listed as stage 2 hypertension and a resting pulse of 117 is off the charts on all the pulse rate stats I've seen.

Also it might be worth mentioning that, thanks to an anti-depressant I was put on about a year ago, my weight ballooned from 127 pounds in March of 2009 to 218 pounds in November 2009...so I gained about 91 pounds in approximately 8 months. I got off that medication last October and haven't been on anything since, which has presented its own set of problems but at least the weight gain stopped. From November 2009 (218 pounds) to now, February 2010, I've lost around 20 pounds and am currently at 197 like I said but it's still 60 or 70 pounds heavier than I should be and it still qualifies me as "obese" (30.9) on the BMI chart.

So, I'm a little worried about what these numbers could mean. In particular the fact that americanheart.org says I am 16.4 times more likely to have a stroke than a normal person is fairly daunting.

In addition I've been diagnosed with depression, social anxiety disorder and ADD since early 2008 (these problems were always present I just never saw a doctor about them until I was 18). The last prescription medicine I took for this (meant to address the first two and maybe help with the third) did not help in any respect and in fact made things far worse by nearly doubling my weight. I've been hopeful about the prospect of trying a stimulant/amphetamine such as Adderall to help me with my issues and get my life back on track but with my blood pressure and pulse numbers being what they are it seems (according to what I've read) that starting a medication like that would be suicide. But maybe I'm wrong...I haven't had a chance to talk to my doctor about this yet.

Now, in my defense, the circumstances at the pharmacy where I took the BP test could have easily made a difference for the worse.
The machine was right next to the pharmacy counter and there were 10 or 15 people in line directly beside the BP monitor. The machine read out loud the instructions in a very loud and obvious robot voice that carried throughout half the store and made it so the woman at the counter talking with a customer had to shout over the noise the machine was making because of me. The fact that I have social anxiety disorder made this already awkward situation significantly worse. Also, I had gotten very little sleep the night before and had drank a lot of coffee that morning so I was jittery when I took the test.
I'm not sure how much of a role these things played in the results of the test however.

Given all this information, how concerned should I be for my health? Also, what should I do (if anything) now?
Of course I'll tell all this to my doctor the next time I see him (9 days from now) but in the mean time I was hoping a health forum such as this one could provide me with some answers.

Thanks for your time

 

[gengidashiell]

I'll be honest.. those numbers are NOT good. The biggest worry is your BP reading. Heartrate can be elevated from being up and walking around. In fact take your heartrate upon waking up and that will give you a good guage of what it is normally.
The GOOD news is you have age on your side and the fact that you were able to lose 20 of the pounds so far. Also, it can be hard to get a good BP reading at those places, so I would recommend getting several different BP measurements at different times. You aren't classified with high blood pressure unless you get consistently high readings. Being up and moving around could have elevated it a bit. If you find your normal numbers are that high, then you know something needs to be done about it. If it drops and your normal is lower than that, it was probably a unique reading. Keep working on finding a stable drug and lowering your body fat. Chances are for most people, when they lose weight their BP evens outs to normal.

 

[HannahGoregasm(=]

I used another blood pressure machine at a different store and the numbers were pretty different...although im not sure if they're better or worse.

This time my blood pressure was listed as 146 over 76 and my pulse rate was listed as 94.

So that's 4 points higher for systolic and 26 points lower for diabolic...not really sure what to make of that.

I still think the pulse rate might be off because of the circumstances at the store with the machine so I'll try to test that myself at home to see if I get a different result.

 

[Stripes and Dots]

Just wanted to add:

_the coffee you drank for the original BP reading would definitely cause a spike in BP.

-Do you exercise? I would highly recommend it as exercise would assist with several of your issues: Most important, help with wt loss (probably the definitive issue in getting your pressure down.) Exercise in itself will greatly help with BP control and also should lower your resting pulse. As you know exercise improves mood and may help with anxiety issues.

-Since your pressure does seem to be on the high side, I would stay away from coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Also avoid processed food and added salt, as these are high sodium. Aim for at least 4 servings each of fruit and vegetables, as all are fairly high in potassium, which helps to lower BP. Plant foods are also high in fiber and water, which will keep you full and assist with wt loss.

Absolutely talk to your Dr. - So important to keep BP near normal, especially at such a young age. good luck.

Leea