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What is the treatment for high blood pressure and anxiety?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Isaac Gana

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Hemalatha

Published At February 9, 2020
Reviewed AtApril 16, 2024

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I am a 37-year-old police officer who has been in the job for over 19 years, I have seen tons of tragedy in my career. I have always been a hypochondriac and ultra-sensitive to any irregular heartbeats or heart-related issues. I grew up around a family who always helped each other out and was cared for by my grandmother (mom and dad always worked). The older family members have all since passed away but I think growing up with them and my job has done me more harm than good. I now constantly question every single thing I feel going on with my body. I am 5'6" and weigh 170 lbs. I do not typically work out since we have a ton of animals at my house so I am doing an activity with them daily, I would not call it a workout but it is me moving around. I am currently on several medications since I have high blood pressure and anxiety. I take Lisinopril, Inderal, Hydrochlorothiazide, Asprin, fish oil, and Nexium. A few years ago I had one brief episode of A-Fib, they believed it was holiday heart syndrome, my rhythm reset itself and never had that issue again. So with that being said, lately I have been feeling down and out about my health, I bring a laundry basket from my basement up to my second-story bedroom and I am out of breath. I constantly think about having a heart attack, I am so worried that it makes me sick to my stomach and also my anxiety starts to give me symptoms. I have been so worked upon certain occasions that I actually went to the ER and they said nothing was wrong. I do not know what to do to stop thinking about this and worrying it is going to happen to me. My family does have hearth issues but all lived well past their 80's. I had an episode a few months ago where I started to get really nauseous and felt like my heart was skipping a beat when I felt it skipping a beat is when I felt the overwhelming nauseous feeling. I went to my cardiologist and he gave me a monitor to wear, he did notice that I had an extra heartbeat from time to time and said it was completely normal, I told him I can feel this each time and it gives me extreme anxiety, I am afraid it is just going to stop beating. I had a stress test was done about 5 months ago and all normal. Another one of my big fears is that my arteries are clogged or getting clogged, I wish there was a non-evasive way to test this so that I can ease my mind, that is what I need a way to ease my mind that everything is working as it should and no issues. I know it may sound weird but I just need peace of mind. I don't know what to do at this point, I do not want to have a heart attack and I want to stop thinking about it all the time. What can I do? How do I know that when I feel these extra heartbeats it is normal? I have never had an abnormal EKG besides when I had the 1 round of A-Fib. This is most likely why I have high blood pressure and anxiety. Is there any hope for me getting over this fear, I do not want to be the 37-year-old that has a heart attack.

Answered by Dr. Isaac Gana

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I appreciate your detailed write up. It made it easy for me to understand what the problem might be. I really do understand your situation. Having to constantly live with fear of having a heart attack can weigh you down. But I assure you everything is fine. The extra heart beats you feel are called palpitations. They are harmless and do not pose any harm. Stress, caffeine, smoking, sleeplessness are often the cause. - The EKG, stress test, lipid profile tests are enough to tell us if you have a chance of heart attack to some extent. You are fine since these results are normal you should avoid from fear of a heart attack. Most likely the cause of your high blood pressure is because you are overweight. At 37, high blood pressure is quite common amongst overweight people. I advise you start a proper workout for atleast 3 times a day for 30 minutes to an hour. This will help your palpitations and will bring down your weight. Get sufficient sleep, avoid smoking or caffeine and diet. These will reduce the rate at you get palpitations. Avoid worry, it kills faster than any disease. Your test results are enough to prove that you do not suffer from heart disease.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Isaac Gana
Dr. Isaac Gana

Cardiology

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