Bystolic - Why is my blood pressure still so high?

It is not unusual to need more than one antihypertesive agent to bring blood pressure down and keep it there. Many times the reason for high blood pressure is not clear either. They usually check the heart with a 2D echocardiogram, and EKG, they also check the kidneys and do bloodwork. Many times all of this is perfectly normal. Bystolic is a beta blocker. Sometimes they need to add a diuretic to a beta blocker to help bring the B/P down to an acceptable level. Usually there are no symptoms to tell you your blood pressure is rising. Some people get a headache that is unique to high blood pressure but usually there are no symptoms. This is why hypertension or high blood pressure is known as the Silent Killer. You need to try to keep a log of your blood pressures to take back to your Dr. Try to get readings at several different times of day. You might want to invest in your own blood pressure monitor or you can use the ones at the store/pharmacies.

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The thing about having your own monitor is that you can check your B/P when you are home, at rest, not just while you are running around doing errands. Keep a log with several days pressures taken at different times. It is good to note the reading, the time of day and what you were doing. this will give your Dr a good, accurate picture of what is going on. I'm suspecting you will need a diuretic or "water pill" added to your Bystolic. You may also want to check your diet and reduce your sodium intake. the DASH diet was developed for people with high blood pressure. You can google DASH diet or check Web MD or Medline Plus for this information. It is important to keep blood pressure at a normal level to prevent organ damage especially to the heart and kidneys. You will need to be very careful since you have this history in your family. When you are watching your sodium intake be sure you check for "hidden" sources of salt like carbonated soft drinks, breakfast cereals, and of course the obvious sources like canned goods and frozen prepared foods and lunch meats. Choose fresh or frozen veggies rather than canned and get in a habit of checking nutrition labels on packages. Watch for serving sizes because many items are things that one normally eats the whole item but the label breaks it up into two servings so it may not look so bad on the label but if you are eating the whole item you may have to multiply to take in account the serving size. For instance a can of soft drink-the label may list it as 2 servings but most people drink the whole can so you would need to double the sodium amount listed. Look for forzen and prepared items that are low sodium varieties but still check the label. Some low sodium varieties may be low compared to the original formula but still contain a considerable amount of sodium. Be sure that you also get some exercise every day even if it is just a brisk walk. This will help your heart by providing an aerobic work out and will also help you blow off stress. High blood pressure can mean that you need to look at your lifestyle and make some changes. If you are overweight, even losing just 10% of your weight or 10 lbs can mean a lot. Some people find when they lose weight their B/P goes back to normal. You are young for high blood pressure but doing some things to make yourself healthy can go a long way. My youngest son was just diagnosed with high blood pressure and he is only 17. He doesnt have an ounce of extra fat on his body and all of his test were perfectly normal. High blood pressure is just a family legacy for us. I was diagnosed at age 32 and also had it during both pregnancies.