In this article we investigate the relationship between anxiety and hypertension drugs. The fear and association of hypertension is a concern for the general public and, as you will see, also in the world of medical hypertension. Suffice it to say that if you’re worried, this probably isn’t the best time to take your blood pressure. You’re more likely to get a distorted dimension. Fear can be understood as a state of anxiety and nervousness that affects individuals for various reasons. Alarm can also be described as a psychological and physiological state, which can be accompanied by cognitive, somatic, emotional and behavioral elements.
Statistics show that a significant number of people in America suffer from anxiety. This number reaches 40 million people. This corresponds to 18% of the American population.
We emphasize here that fear is independent of high blood pressure.
In the past, even before convincing studies were carried out, some medical experts believed that depression was also the cause of high blood pressure. However, studies such as those among the elderly in France have shown that anxiety, but not depression, is associated with high blood pressure.
The French study included up to 1,389 subjects between the ages of 59 and 71. The alarm was triggered by an increase in blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic, in both men and women.
The effect of the alarm on long-term high blood pressure has not yet been fully investigated. Some healthcare professionals believe that anxiety and high blood pressure from the combination go so far that they only cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. This may indicate a situation where the blood pressure rises at a time when the person is worried for some reason.
In particular, anxiety is also associated with White Coat Syndrome, which occurs when blood pressure rises when a person is worried about being in a hospital or doctor’s office to have their blood pressure measured. The effect of anxiety associated with hypertension is to some extent comparable to the effect of stress associated with hypertension. Researchers have found a link between stress and a temporary increase in blood pressure.
However, there is no certainty about the influence of stress on high blood pressure in the long term. That is why people who are worried, for whatever reason, are discouraged from taking their blood pressure. Measuring your blood pressure in this condition, for example with a blood pressure monitor at home, can lead to inaccurate measurements.
It is thought that women are more likely to experience anxiety when it comes to high blood pressure. Statistics show that women suffer from anxiety twice as often as men. Since anxiety is a temporary phenomenon in most people, there are people who suffer from anxiety as a mental health problem. This is a more permanent and long-term problem. It thus affects productivity and overall control over the daily lives of those concerned.
Although it can be said that anxiety-related hypertension is temporary, doctors generally agree that repeated or prolonged anxiety can cause the same damage to certain organs such as the heart and kidneys. It is thought that persistent anxiety can indirectly cause high blood pressure when certain organs are damaged for the first time. It causes what is called secondary hypertension. For example, heart disease can lead to high blood pressure, as can kidney disease.
Hypertension caused by kidney damage also includes reconstructive vascular hypertension. Kidney hypertension, as it is also called, is the result of a narrowing of the arteries that carry the blood to the kidneys. This narrowing of the arteries does not manifest itself, i.e. it is not felt as it is.
There is another angle, because the alarm can also cause high blood pressure. It is well known that disorders such as anxiety and stress reduce a person’s ability to adequately manage or control his or her life. This has a direct influence on how a person eats healthy or unhealthy food. Unhealthy nutrition has long been associated with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure.
We notice that through this indirect link fear and stress contribute to hypertension in humans, even when accompanied by overtime. People who are stressed or often anxious, for example, tend to eat unhealthy food. These may include a cholesterol-rich diet, foods high in sodium and sweet snacks, which can then lead to obesity, for example. Obesity is a serious risk factor for high blood pressure.
The relationship between obesity and hypertension is known, as is the relationship between salt and hypertension. Foods with high cholesterol tend to form plaque in the walls of the blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure. This links anxiety states that lead to bad food choices to high blood pressure.
People who are stressed and anxious tend to use tobacco and alcohol to “fight” their problems. Nicotine in cigarettes is known to damage nerve and blood vessels, which can lead to high blood pressure, just like ethanol in alcohol. It is no secret that smoking and alcohol consumption have long been recognized as risk factors for high blood pressure.
When investigating the relationship between fear and hypertension, it is important to note that this is especially true for people who often suffer from anxiety. To a lesser extent, this may apply to sporadic moments of anxiety, which occur naturally in almost everyone at any given moment or in everyday life. Sporadic moments of anxiety vary from the driving test to the farewell.
Medicinal products warning and high blood pressure
The side effects of some anti-hypertensive medicines can be a problem for people who already have high blood pressure and for people taking anti-hypertensive medicines. In this case, it is important that the patient goes to his or her doctor to switch to another drug therapy.
For those who already suffer from anxiety, but are not hypertensive, taking anti-anxiety medication will also reduce the risk of developing chronic high blood pressure due to organ damage, as mentioned above.
Anxiety states are treated with both pharmaceutical anti-hypertensives and simple lifestyle changes. In general, it is advisable to treat people with chronic anxiety by making lifestyle changes, such as frequent exercise and healthy eating habits.
Although some people prefer to do this, we believe that taking medications such as antidepressants as a side effect can actually cause an increase in blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic reports that anti-depressants such as venlafaxin (Effexor XR), monoamine oxidase inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants increase blood pressure in some patients. People taking these medications are advised to check their blood pressure regularly.
Some stronger drugs also lead to persistent dependence and behavioral dependence, which prepares the user for long-term high blood pressure.
We hope that we have sufficiently demonstrated the link between fear and hypertension and the available options described in the article above to help you make an informed decision.