Torii

Hi folks, stating up front that I'm booked to see my GP tomorrow after work and I'm not looking for medical advice here, just curious about people's experiences.

I was wondering what other people's encounters with alcohol abuse, blood pressure, and sobriety have been. For those who reversed their high blood pressure after quitting, do you recall how long it took to go back to a healthy range?

zoobadger

I detoxed initially in an in-patient rehab facility with an MD in residence. My BP was off the charts but with daily monitoring and meds it dropped to safe levels within a week or so.

I'm 57 years old, not overweight, and in in generally good health. I visit the doctor regularly and he's tweaked my meds a little since getting sober six months ago. It's crept back up a little and I have an appointment later this month. He actually reduced my meds the last time and will probably need to bump them back up.

ScottFromWI

I had a laundry list of health issues when I was still drinking - high BP/heart rate, High cholesterol, borderline pre-diabetic, etc. Most of thiose issues improved quite significantly after I quit drinking and got back to more "Normal" levels after a few months.

Having said that, there's a myriad of variables invovled, so listening to what your doctor has to say is the best place to start. Many of my health issues were related to my drinking - but also to other areas that I had been neglecting. For example, I did not exercise much at all and my diet was really poor along with my drinking - so it took time for me to change those things as well.

JTele

My blood pressure dropped into the normal range after quitting for about two months. Prior to that it was always in the borderline hypertension range. Of course, exercise helped immensely, too. It's pretty amazing how quickly the body adapts to sobriety once we've cut ourselves off from alcohol.

fini

oh, bp dropped within a week or so.

JJA2018

Mine was significantly high the first week after quitting. It had returned to completely normal - at least for a guy my size & age - after about 2 months. If your doc puts you on meds, it may be wise to invest in a blood pressure cuff so you can inform him of any BP lowering that will likely occur with time with sobriety.

tursiops999

I had high blood pressure, treated by meds for years. When I quit drinking, my blood pressure dropped --I'm not sure how quickly, but certainly within weeks. I also increased my exercise when I got sober, so that helped too. A few months into sobriety, I was able to stop taking bp medications (in consultation w/ my doctor of course). It's now completely normal.

FBL

MY bp was VERY high when I was drinking. Once I got sober, it was lower, but still too high. I have a family history of high bp, so it's not surprising. After about 5 years sober, I finally went to the doctor and I'm now on medication and all is well. If I can manage to lose some significant weight, I may be able to get off the meds, but that's another story.

JeffreyAK

I'm sure everyone is different, but in my case I was dangerously high as a drinker and on medication to keep it under control. After I quit, with regular monitoring I was normal within a week and off BP medications. It's been normal, low-normal even compared with most people my age, ever since, and every time I go to a dentist they're amazed how good my numbers are.

MindfulMan

While I was drinking, BP was dangerously high on several occasions, even to the point where they wanted to send me to the ER at doctor's visits. Granted I have White Coat Syndrome, but still. I was on two BP meds. While detoxing BP almost had me sent to the ER. 6 weeks after, BP normal on meds. 9 months after I'd lost 50 pounds and was exercising regularly, the doc had to cut my dose because I was TOO LOW. Now I take a baby dose and my numbers are on the low side.

Give it time, it should drop.

REM700

My BP was averaging 160/100, for quite a long time while drinking. I was monitoring it daily while discussing medication with my doctor. That was all around the time I decided to quit. It started dropping quickly after a week off the booze. At about 3 - 4 weeks it was regularly 115/75.

I spent 2 days in the hospital for a bloody nose that they couldn't stop, due to extremely high blood pressure. That was the turning point for me.

Luckily, I never had to take any BP medication.

SpankedbyLife

When I was drinking for 2 + years high blood pressure was my first warning sign before going into alcohol withdrawal after not drinking for less than 8 hours. It was almost 180/90 at times, when I first quit drinking it dropped to normal within a week, 110/70 or so for me.

MindfulMan

At 160/100 average (so sometimes higher) you should have been on medication!

Glad it's down!

matrac

Your blood pressure should come down once the acute withdrawal phase is over. There’s a medication often given during withdrawal that can help your BP and palpitations and sweating too. Hang in there. You’ll feel better soon!

Zebra1275

I was diagnosed with high blood pressure years ago, I'm sure drinking played a major role in that.

Medication brought my blood pressure down into the normal range when I was still drinking.

I've been sober almost 9 years and still take medication. BP is consistently about 115 over 75 so I'm happy with that. I don't know if I could get off medication and frankly would be a little worried to even try.

Torii

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. Getting healthier is a real driving point for my sobriety, as I have spent too long letting my body down. It's really motivating to hear your stories.

Pleased to report my bp is in the normal range today for the first time in a year.

Bad news is that my GP appointment identified some issue with my kidney, so hopefully I've not done anything irreparable. I'm hoping it's just because the blood test was taken back in September when I was still drinking heavily, and that when I retest it'll be ok.

REM700

All of my labs came back with red flags while actively drinking. I went back 2 months after I stopped and everything was in the normal range. Liver enzymes, creatine, CBC, etc.. Cholesterol took a little longer, but with proper diet and exercise, the cholesterol and triglycerides dropped back to normal.

Hopefully your retest will show how well the body heals when we're not poisoning it...

GG7

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum and decided to cut down on my drinking as I was drinking 1-1.5 bottles of diluted champagne daily (spritzers). I felt a tingling in my right hand 3 wks ago which scared me and prompted me to take my BP and it was 150/100. I went to the doctor but unfortunately I get very nervous and have the "white coat" syndrome and frankly even get nervous and anxious before taking it at home. The whole thing just has me all disappointed and upset. I will say, I also gained 20 pounds over the past several years and BP started going up with the weight gain too, so not sure it's all based on the alcohol but I know it contributes. Well the Dr's seem to think the right hand tingling is nerve damage or carpal tunnel since I work on a computer for many hours daily, and I fell and hurt the same hand years ago in the similar area. Since not drinking I have also been eating fruits, vegetables, and fish to eat clean, working out an hour of cardio at least 4 days a week on average. As of today my BP is 135/95 and another reading was 135/100 but I was nervous when I took it, as I always am when I take it. I also, would like to add that 2 weeks ago my numbers were looking better and they were 125/88, and at a few other readings even lower. I am concerned that the BP numbers got higher this week all of a sudden when they were going down. I was wondering could it be because i stopped cold turkey and now 3 wks later my BP is up? Makes me feel like I am trying so hard to do the right things (not drinking, exercising, eating clean), and they're still now lower. My Dr. wants me to come back in two weeks before she puts me on meds because I am doing well she said with the regimen, and I have lost 7 pounds so far. Anyone experience this fluctuation week after week with the BP during the first few weeks or month of going sober? I am reading how others saw a change in a week or two and feeling discouraged that mine is not where it should be after 3 wks. Thanks for anyones feedback

Dee74

I'm susceptible to white coat syndrome too - I ended up getting my own BP reader (cost me about $40 aus) I can keep a record that way taking readings at home and get a better appreciation of what a normal reading might be.

D

MelindaFlowers

June 2013: Depths of drinking. 31 years old. My blood pressure was 188/something. I don’t remember the lower number. The nurse and doctor were visibly alarmed. Told me to lie down and they’d try again in 15 minutes. My heart was beating rapidly. Same numbers 15 minutes later. They said they would give me a shot right then to bring it down. They were out though and talked about going across the street to get more at the hospital. They didn’t. I didn’t get a shot. Told them I didn’t need it. The nurse called it “stroke level” and said “some in your age should not have blood pressure like this. At this point though, my heart was beating rapidly everyday, all day. 10 minutes later I was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis as we looked over my blood work.

Quit then and there. For seven days. Drank another year.

I’ve been sober five and a half years. Blood pressure completely normal now (120’s). Blood work normal. Liver normal. I’m
typng this from a treadmill. 37 years old in good health.