blood pressure and pregnancy.. medication and no medication… personal opinions or stories?
Okay so I’m 26 weeks pregnant when I went for my 20 week check up, I was 21 weeks and my blood pressure was high. This is my second pregnancy, with my first pregnancy 3.5 years ago I had twins and had blood pressure problems that later ended up with me being delivered due to pre-E but my blood pressure issue also started early on with them also. I was NEVER offered medication for blood pressure instead i was told to lay on my side if it went down all was okay if not then i was put on modified bed rest..
This pregnancy I have a different dr, my old drs sold their practice and this is the dr that took it over. When i went for my 21 week appointment, like i said my BP was high, she didnt retake it or anything and wrote me a script for blood pressure medication. I went home researched the medication and decided not to take it, i didnt feel that based on one reading of high blood pressure i needed to take it, i took my bp every few days at the store and it was normal most the time, i had a few high reading but on average it was really good.I then went last week and she asked if i was taking my medication, i told her no and she was really upset and said she wanted me to go to another dr so that it is documented that im refusing treatment.. I was actually offended by her actions and the fact that she didnt want to listen to me, I’m not completely opposed to medication if it is needed, i just didnt feel that based on ONE high reading i needed medication, i told her I would rather try some diet changes and other things first, and she responded that at my age that will not work at all. I’m 25.. why would it not work? I just find it odd that she never retook it to double check, instead wanted to give me medication without first talking about alternatives.. Like I said I will take it if i have to, im just not sure if i do.. After i had my twins i was put on medication cause my BP would not go down and my heart rate was way to high.. the medication made me feel so horrible i was always about to faint.. I just cant imagine feeling that way being pregnant taking care of 2 three year olds..
Anyways, that got really long.. Have any of you taken blood pressure medication when pregnant? Did your dr try other things first? what is your view on this?
Please dont respond with "dr knows best" I’m sorry I do not feel that is always the case so please do not waste your time..
Also I am going to a MFM dr, who was the dr i also seen when i was pregnant with my twins, he is going to review my blood pressure issue and I also have a kidney problem (brought on by pregnancy) that was debilitating my last pregnancy and it is coming back.. they could be linked, which my current dr even told me but didnt say that until after she was mad about me not filling the prescription.
my BP when she gave me the script was 137/86 then my last appointment when she got mad it was 140/90.. however like i said i have been taking it and it has not been high like that.
Also my kidney issue has nothing to due with high blood pressure.. but could cause high blood pressure..
Thanks everyone for the input.. glad to see I was not totally out of line
Tagged with: appointment • bed rest • blood pressure medication • blood pressure problems • bp • diet changes • drs • few days • heart rate • high blood pressure • medication • second pregnancy • twins
Filed under: blood pressure treatment
I would def switch doctors. My doctor diagnosed me with pregnancy induced high blood pressure, after taking my pressure on two different visits, about 4 days apart from each other. Each time him and two other nurses tested it, probably like 2 times each and all had the same results. He then put my in the hospital and tested my protein in a 24 hour test, which is fine. Well my blood pressure has been high, so I have been on bed rest since week 28 and now am in the hospital and will be delivering at 37 weeks. i am 36 weeks today. My doctor never offered me medication, which I was happy about because I am the type of person who is cautious about taking one tylenol, unless I feel like I am dying. Basically I think your doctor was way out of line to get mad at you and its good thing she is refusing service to you. Checking it one time on one visit is not a valid reason for prescription.
i think you should switch dr.’s if possible it sounds like this one just wants to write prescriptions and not listen to you and Your concerns
I know how you feel, my OB seems to write a prescription every time i hiccup, and normally I refuse, BUT I had high blood pressure starting at my 15th week (abnormally high 150/110). So my doc automatically wrote a prescription for Methyldopa, 500mg which i take 2x a day. So far my baby boy is very healthy and my bp is normal. I think you should keep monitoring you bp for sure and if you absolutely need the meds for your own health take them. I do agree tho that one high bp reading shouldn’t call for a prescription she should have atleast checked it twice while you were there. Hope this helps Congrats on your baby!
You do not mention how high that one reading was. High BP will cause kidney problems as well and likely further aggravate your current kidney problems.
I’ve never heard of them writing a script over one reading though. Usually, they will have you come in several times over the next week or so to test it many times.
If you feel that your BP was high due to white coat syndrome (it raises just thinking about getting it tested) or if it was due to stress, then I’d ask for a 24 hour monitor. It’s cheap. Basically, the hospital puts a cuff on your arm and monitors (from home) you for 24 hours (so about 24 readings). The computer then generates your average BP based on those readings. This will either prove your bp is low, or not.
Perhaps your other doctor can do this for you. 140/90 is considered borderline high, so be sure that your BP is always lower than those numbers.
We were also told that diet does not help. It does to a degree, but obviously, you cannot diet too much while pregnant. Avoid ALL salt. Eat bananas and raisins which are high in potassium. Potassium is known to lower BP. Dark chocolate is also known to lower it in small doses. Walking will also help!
However, if your BP is much higher than 140/90, then you may just need some medicine to keep it low. Keep that in mind. I’d definitely consider going to another doctor, but you should definitely monitor your bp as it sounds like it may be cause for concern, especially given the fact that you have kidney problems.