BP up, temp down, headache

S

simon g

New member
Hi. My BP is almost always around 115/75. I never get headaches in life. I'm male, 52, pretty well fit, 6'3" at 205 lbs.

But that all suddenly changed a couple of weeks ago. I'd been feeling tired and had a slight headache. Then one day I felt chilly and my temp was 95 (usually it's normal at 98.6 or so). After a day or so of that, my temp went back to normal.

I decided to take my BP and it was 135/90. My resting heart rate is still at normal for me, at around 60.

I do sneeze once or twice per day, which is rare for me. I feel that my lungs have some mucous because I get shortwinded too easily from exercise. I feel general tiredness off and on, but at other times no tiredness at all.

My BP is still elevated. I took a beta blocker (60mg propranolol) to no effect. Yesterday, I tried a nitrate (isosorbide mononitrate aka IMDUR) and that quickly dropped my BP to 110/60. But today without any med my BP is back to ~ 130/90.

It's strange for my BP to have went up so suddenly. It's very rare for me to have a headache at all, much less going on two weeks now. I'm thinking it's likely an allergy or a persistent rhinovirus or adenovirus. But I'd expect histamine from an allergy, which would tend to lower rather than raise BP. OTOH, I wouldn't expect a headache from a virus cold.

And no, although anything is possible I don't think it's all from a brain tumor :)

Any experience or comments on a cold virus or an allergy causing these symptoms, especially the elevated BP and headache? Thanks.
 
Hi,

It sounds like you may be using BP meds here and there. I would suggest you get your BP under control first, by using the medication exactly as it is prescribed. The medication has to achieve a thereputic level in your bloodstream to work properly. It can take them weeks to reach those levels.

Blood pressure changes of that many points is often enough to cause headaches, and some of the other effects you mentioned. Sustained high blood pressure, left untreated can cause major organ damage. I think you are smart to get this figured out. I wish you the best...
 
Cold and allergy meds can drive up blood pressure...but don't explain a 2 week long headache...

although anti hyperintensives can cause headaches, too.

Headaches, a low body temperature, cold like symtoms, shortness of breath, fatigue, which all at one time or other come and go could be explained by a bug bite...

but of course, other things could explain those symptoms as well.
 
Persistant pain (as in a headache) can raise your BP, however, the reverse is true also. Why do you have BP meds around if you haven't had a BP problem? Just curious :-)
 
Are you taking your BP's throughout the day, during differant activities, and logging all this down? I use graph paper to do mine, and after a few days you should be able to see some sort of pattern.

This will be helpful for when you go to the doctor and get on the correct dosage and type of medication you need. Then stick to it...Keeping your BP under control is a lifelong project, and requires compliance.

Are the "beta blocker" and the nitrates prescribed to you?
 
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