MS vs. blood pressure

[euphoniaa]

(NOTE: This OLD thread from 2010 was bumped on January 20, 2013)
(And it was bumped again in June, 2013)

(I hope this comes out as a poll)

There are a couple of threads in the CCSVI forum pronouncing LOW blood pressure as a common symptom in MS patients for some reason. In my case, however, I've battled HIGH blood pressure for over 30 years, since it appeared in the last month of my pregnancy. Even with meds, it has never been completely under control and has even spiked up to 190s/100s a few times at doctors' offices.

http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-9618.html
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-9657.html

I've been monitoring my BP at home as I try additional drugs (2 right now), and it still often goes off the meter leading to an "error" message (twice this morning), and that happens only when it's over 150s/90s.

I've never really read anything about a relationship between MS & blood pressure, except a bit during the lisinopril reports: http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-7897.html
I asked my neuro if she thinks the inability to lower my BP is due to the brainstem lesion she found, but she doesn't think so.

So I was wondering...am I the only MS patient with high blood pressure?

Just curious, but I welcome any and all discussion about it in general. It's a slow forum day...I have a day off...I'm bored...

Stop in to visit.
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[euphoniaa]

Hooray! I think I just made my first poll! I AM allowed to vote too, right?

[tzootsi]

My wife, who has a mild case of MS, has high blood pressure. At one time it was 190/100. Since she's been on the MS Recovery Diet, and doing fish oil, vitamin D, etc, it is now around 145/85. Interestingly, she was dx'd with high blood pressure just about when her first MS symptoms started - tingling in the feet. Don't know if there is any connection to MS & blood pressure. Maybe it depends on where the CCSVI blockage is?

[euphoniaa]

Wow! My head was spinning trying to keep up with the enthusiastic responses to this topic!

But...what we HAVE found out from those who actually participated in this exercise (12 votes right now):

1. MS patients do NOT all share the same blood pressure status -- nor do they even share a predominant one, such as mostly hi or mostly lo.

2. Just as I expected...no one really gives a crap.

And that may be because BP is just not recognized as having anything to do with MS anyway. And I suspect, if more were to click on the little vote thingy (It's really easy to do after all, people. Humor me. ) that it would show we're similar to the rest of the population.

I hoped someone would also come up with general info because my computer is giving me fits when I try to research, but I did take the time to look up statistics at the American Heart Association, where they say:

One in three adults has high blood pressure.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter. ... ifier=4621

And our poll, as limited & unscientific as it is, so far shows 1/3 with HBP.

As for tzootsi's comment:

Don't know if there is any connection to MS & blood pressure. Maybe it depends on where the CCSVI blockage is?

As for CCSVI, I'm excited as all get out about the expected research it's bringing, but I fear that it will not be so quick & easy to fix as its most fervent proponents expect it to be. It sounds like the types of blockages are as varied as the disease presentation we've already found in MS patients: Every single one of us has a completely unique version of MS!

My prediction is that if CCSVI is proven to have a major connection to MS, though, the mere idea will turn the entire world of medicine upside down, and not just the MS world. I get chills when I think of its potential to jolt every research group right out of whatever rut they've been in and re-examine their own project from a new angle.

Even the issue of high blood pressure.

Wishing good health & good attitudes to all.

[euphoniaa]

I found this old thread of mine last night whilst searching for something else and considered bumping it due to the continued comments about CCSVI & low blood pressure. Am bumping it now due to a new member at TiMS wondering about MS and "vital signs such as pulse, respiration and blood pressure."

An update from me: I check my BP daily and it still fluctuates wildly, always on the high side, and spikes with most any new med or supplement - most recently when I tried once again to take calcium. My heart rate and respiration are normal.

[Anonymoose]

Oooo...that's interesting! Thanks for bumping this. Do you take BP meds? If so, which ones? I have normal BP but I'm taking clonidine. It's been helping with MS narliness and I've not had any symptoms of low blood pressure. Odd, isn't it?

[euphoniaa]

Do you take BP meds? If so, which ones?

Hi Anonymoose,
I've taken Tenormin (a beta blocker) for at least 25 - 30 years. Even though it has side effects, I knew high BP was nothing to ignore, and I've adapted to them. They've tried other BP meds in addition to Tenormin, but the side effects were unbearable, especially Lisinopril (ACE inhibitor), which practically disabled me with the dread "Lisinopril Cough." It's the one that they keep trying to push as a "safe, inexpensive" treatment for MS. I found the Lisinopril experience much worse than anything MS has done to me.

Benicar and Norvasc (a calcium channel blocker) were also bad experiences, but didn't compare with the Nightmare of Lisinopril. Tenormin, as a beta blocker, is likely the cause of my occasional Raynaud's.

I feel very fortunate that I take only 3 prescription meds (Tenormin, Vivelle (an estrogen patch), and Restasis eye drops. And I'm VERY cautious with vitamins and supplements, due to my temperamental body's tendency to hit me with extreme reactions when I try one. I know, because I've kept daily symptom charts for years.

P.S. When I bumped this thread today I saw that, after 3 full years languishing on the forum, forlorn and neglected, it had received a measly 18 official "poll votes." But it showed 1,652 "views." Hilarious.

[Anonymoose]

Thanks Euph! I think you have to log in to be able to vote so that might explain the high number of views and low number of votes. I lurked here for years before I joined. I bet a lot of people do the same.

I think lisinopril will only work short term for ms. The aldosterone will break through in a couple of months (if you make it that long without getting the cough) and it will fail. LCI699 should be out in or after 2016...it looks pretty good as far as I can tell. It prevents synthesis of aldosterone and cortisol but leaves you with extra precursors floating around that could cause vasoconstriction. Dunno how that will turn out.

JackD switched to clonidine before he went mia. I think it worked better for him than other bp meds as he seemed quite excited about it in his posts. The constant steady dose in a once a week patch is so easy and reassuring at the same time. If you are feeling like experimenting since your bp is still erratic, you could join me in my clonidine experiment.

I voted! I didn't even know we could do polls. Nice feature...if people actually vote.

[Riven]

Thank you for bumping this up. I am a nursing student who is here doing research for my project I selected MS for. This is one of the things I was wondering about, and it's nice to see some replies!

[blossom]

i voted but there is an inbetween for me kinda. i never had steady high blood pressure. in my 20's "when some get out on their own" and get to experiencing life's ups and downs i had trouble balancing bp. it was way up or way down. then the 30's to early 40's life was calmer bp was good. even after symptoms started bp styed good even thyough life as i knew it fell apart. but, when i thought nothing else much could surprise me-i had a few very bad betrayals that sent me in orbit emotionally. my bp went sky high. only med. somewhat controled had to keep switching. been about 6 yrs. now the meds., meditation, prayer and learning that presenting "the foul finger" when anything or anyone has entered my small but guarded world is keeping things level.

so for me, i do believe stress triggered mine and plays the biggest part. although now at this age and weight it probably has it's toll too.

[1eye]

Blood pressure as I understand it is found by listening as the cuff inflates and deflates, and noting the reading on the gauge at the exact moment when the sound tells the listener that the vein or artery (don't know which, expect it's artery) has stopped or started passing blood, having been smooshed closed and then re-opened by the cuff expanding and deflating.

I don't know what significance or relevance that measurement has with respect to "MS", neck veins, or CCSVI, compared to other means of measurement. Surely there will be some relationship between them but I wouldn't put any money on what.

The cuff and gauge are also called a plethysmograph, just to confuse things even further. For all I know, a strain-gauge is sometimes used for ordinary BP measurement too.

Clear as mud?

[HappyPoet]

A large downward change [e.g., 120/80 to 80/50] in my blood pressure is always a harbinger of a bad attack that will bring new symptoms and worsen old ones.

[lovebug]

Have any of you heard of `WHITE COAT HYPERTENSION` ? It can be a very real problem with people who take their BP continuously throughout the day! Perhaps this may actually be the underlying problem of having High Blood Pressure when in fact it may not exist. If you read up on this syndrome you become anxious over your next BP reading spiking the readings on the BP machine. Perhaps using the 24 hour BP Halter monitor to get a more accurate reading of your BP might be the better way of determining if in fact you have high or low BP or normal BP. Taking your BP can put you on a roller coaster ride. Just a thought.