I’m getting an ADHD assessment soon and I’ve been sent a blood pressure monitor. I did a test just now and it came up 144/97 which is apparently high (stage 1 or 2 hypertension depending on the diagram you check).
I was caffeinated at the time so I’m gonna try tomorrow but I’m curious what my target mmHg should be for when I’m making changes to my health.
Side note but if I’m regularly getting to stage 2 hypertension to barely keep focus at work and crash shortly after then maybe that’s a good example of why unmedicated ADHD lowers your life expectancy
You need to be sure you are taking your blood pressure accurately, first:
And also read the directions on your monitor. I know we’ve all had our BP taken at the doctor’s office dozens of times so we all basically know how to do it, but there are small details in the positioning of the cuff that really matter.
That’s some really good advice. Thank you! Especially the conversation and arm support which were two things I definitely didnt follow (the former to help with how anxious I felt with a machine clenching the blood pipes in my arm shut 🤢)
Realistically I still expect it to be a little high, partly because I have a sedentary lifestyle beyond walking and cycling sometimes. The best thing Ive got going for me is a vegan diet which means I’ve avoided my previous life of endless pizza intake.
I would recommend using one of those machines they have at pharmacies for a more accurate result, and also make sure you’re doing it several times in a row. The number I get after 3 or 5 times is always much lower than the initial number.
144/97 is rather high. I’d try getting some readings when you’re in a more relaxed situation and not caffeinated. If your baseline is 130/90+ you should talk to your doctor about starting a blood pressure medication on top of any ADHD med.
I have no idea what the target BP is, I have a healthy low BP and my doc never brought that up. Speaking in generalities, “healthy” BP is 120/80. I usually run 100-120/60-70.
My Adderall prescription is 12.5 mg, 2x daily. I’ve monitored my BP before and after, it will typically raise each number by 2-5 points. I am a healthy, somewhat-fit late 30s male, and I drink a lot of water (at least a half gallon daily).
Depending on the person perscribing your medication they might just also want to put you on blood pressure meds if you measure too high. Just in case you’re worried about being rejected medication outright.
When I was initially getting assessed my psych said BP was “a little high” but not of concern, and my current psych has me do BP measurements when I’m on medication and I’m pretty consistently hitting just into the lower end of hypertension 1 while medicated but that apparently isn’t a concern for her. 🤷
Chronic fatigue is a symptom of high blood pressure.
My BP is worse than your and I’m on addy and also some beta blockers.
My advice is start taking daily walks and lower your sugar intake. These two things can lower BP within weeks.
There’s a lot of good advice in this thread! Here’s my input:
Get a lot of datapoints at different times of day and it’ll give you a much better idea of where you’re at. There isn’t a concrete target blood pressure for ADHD meds per-se but ideally your baseline should be less than what qualifies for hypertension. Note that the body takes some time to adjust to ADHD meds and blood pressure levels in the first week or so are going to be significantly higher than they will be after a couple weeks on the medication. In terms of potential lifestyle changes, on top of lowering caffeine intake making daily walks into a habit can do wonders for blood pressure.
