Blood Pressure
 

I am on BP meds for the past 15 years, actively drinking for 30+ years with 2 yrs of sobriety through AA. Whenever I stop drinking for 3-4 days my blood pressure spikes; been to the ER several times. After receiving an Ativan injection and Clonidine meds BP goes back down. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Hi! My BP was high the last year or so of my 15 ish year drinking career. As I tried to quit myself I experienced dangerous bp spikes and panic attacks in the hours/day after trying not to drink. I went to the dr to get help to detox safely. I was at the dr at day 28 with normal bp. Added bonus - no more panic either.
Maybe speak with your dr about the concerns when stopping?

Blood Pressure
 

[thank you for your reply. Unfortunately my relationship with my new PCP is not very good. I doubt he is skilled in addiction problems as my last (retired) doctor had. I did not have this problem when I stopped cold turkey joining AA.
Hope there is help for me



QUOTE=Komplex;6806016]Hi! My BP was high the last year or so of my 15 ish year drinking career. As I tried to quit myself I experienced dangerous bp spikes and panic attacks in the hours/day after trying not to drink. I went to the dr to get help to detox safely. I was at the dr at day 28 with normal bp. Added bonus - no more panic either.
Maybe speak with your dr about the concerns when stopping?[/QUOTE]

Hi Heidi - yeah thats really a question for your Dr. If your current one is not a good fit, I really recommend you find one that is :)

I have very high blood pressure - it was symptomatic with me for years - had no idea - but it showed up in the ER a few years back after I had a bike accident.

my latest (very good) Dr freaked and put me on beta blockers.
All fine for me since.

I think its true to say most people here find their BP gets better after they quit drinking and look after themselves - exercise diet etc.

D

I am also on beta blocker.
My question - does/did these BP spikes happen to other people after they stopped drinking? Not immediately but 3-4 days later after most of the alcohol left my system.

Yes mine did. I am being treated for high BP anyway. But I have been to docs a few days after stopping before and it has been astronomical. Usually if it was after 5 days not drinking it would be back down to my usual, which was still on the high side.

Thank you MandyPandy; I am on day 4 today so I hope within a few more days BP will be in normal range. I exercise, my weight is in range and eat fairly healthy. I think my age might be another factor- 70+.

These would be pretty severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Having to get mainlined ativan would have been from the ER docs afraid you might start going into the seizures and the other so you didn't have a stroke.
That's great to hear you have 2 years clean! I would use your past experiences as a reminder to make sure you never have to go through it again. Alcohol "kindling" Is a real thing where over time the withdrawls get nothing but more and more severe.

Welcome, HeidiM, and excellent on 4 days!
I did have high blood pressure which spiked at the end of my drinking days, but after being sober for about 8 months it improved a lot. (I had to find another doctor who understood addiction and mental illness.) I don't have a car so I ride my bike everywhere and practice yoga and meditation and my health in general has gotten much better--during 26 months of sobriety I've lost 70 lbs and my bp last it was checked was 109/68. I'm 57 years old. Wishing you all the best on your sober journey. I'm glad you're here-SR has been a huge help in my getting and staying sober.

Welcome Heidi. You'll find lots of support, wisdom and fellowship here on SR. Please read through the threads and if you feel like it, post. SR has been a huge support to me. I'm sure you'll find the same for you.

BP spikes are common after stopping drinking:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058254

High BP may be result of alcohol consumption, but it can also be high due to other factors (hereditary, diet, lack of exercise, your weight).

Always best to consult with your doctor to get it under control.

[thanks you Verandita - QUOTE=Verdantia;6806322]Welcome, HeidiM, and excellent on 4 days!
I did have high blood pressure which spiked at the end of my drinking days, but after being sober for about 8 months it improved a lot. (I had to find another doctor who understood addiction and mental illness.) I don't have a car so I ride my bike everywhere and practice yoga and meditation and my health in general has gotten much better--during 26 months of sobriety I've lost 70 lbs and my bp last it was checked was 109/68. I'm 57 years old. Wishing you all the best on your sober journey. I'm glad you're here-SR has been a huge help in my getting and staying sober.[/QUOTE]

This Naked Mind
 

Has anyone read Annie Grace’s book? Like to hear your opinion.

Alcohol wreaked havoc on my BP. I've been on BP meds for probably 10 years. When I stopped drinking on Sunday, by Monday or Tuesday my BP would be 160/110. Horrible. I quit drinking entirely and it has held steady at 130/88 for 2 years.

Heidi - one of the reasons I stopped drinking was that my BP was getting out of control even while on medication. Another was that the medication I was taking was causing a photosensitivity issue that exacerbates skin cancers (basal and squamous cell type cancers, particularly on my face).

But the clincher for me were my high cholesterol readings, which I was looking at going on to a statin to bring down. Do some research on vascular (blood vessels) and the correlation to alcohol abuse. It's one of the culprits on contributing to clogging our arteries. I reached my point of "done" when my legs started feeling restless and like I had on tight socks. I have only been a heavy drinker in the past seven years but enough to scare the B-jez's out of me.

Alcohol = no bueno

Thanks for all your recommendations, encouragement and experience. Today - 4th day is not that bad, BUT it’s not evening yet. My worst cravings are between 4-6 pm.
My cholesterol is good, taking statins, HDL very good, triglycerides also in range.
Yesterday pm elevated BP will see how tonight progresses - just one hour at a time,

Hi,
I got a BP scare when my dentist refused to do a root canal--my BP was 165/110 that day. I saw a Dr. got on BP meds (3 of them) weeks ago. No booze for close to 70 days now. BP is normal now, had my root canal, and rotator cuff surgery yesterday --my BP was 112/63 yesterday morning. My BP spiked very very high when i stopped drinking. Hope my story helps.

Bp
 

Thanks for your reply and encouragement- going on day 5; it will be a stressful day, grandkids, dinner guests, etc. I hope for the best!

Whenever I stop drinking for 3-4 days my blood pressure spikes;

Any suggestions?

Pretty obvious to me, don't drink anymore and then you won't get the BP spikes during withdrawal.

I've had high blood pressure for ~ 25 years. Very high when it first was detected, my Dr. thought his BP gauge was faulty, it was that high. I'm sure the root cause was my heavy alcohol consumption.

Eventually we got it under control through medication. However, I kept drinking.

Now that I've been sober for several years, I still take medication, but my blood pressure is not an issue. It is always about 115 over 75 and for that I feel very blessed.

Blood Pressure
 

Zebra 1275 - the same things happen to me. However, I had spikes while I drank. Had not one spike while I was in AA for 2 yrs. Did I learn anything from that? No, I started gradually drinking again. So here I am on day #5 and hope for the best. I feel great upon completing a sober day and happy the next morning; I pray for a sober day today.