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Been dealing with either allergy or head cold this past week taking Sudafed Cold & Sinus (12-hour, non-drowsy type) and Afrin Extra Moisturizing 12 Hour Pump Mist to combat the effects. Over the weekend wife and I rode 100-miles (avg 20 mph) then while out and about later in the runing errands, sat down at a health screening booth and had the machine take our blood pressure. Wife who had the head cold a week earlier had normal blood pressure but mine - normally 120/80 - came back at 139/66 and the lady who did the test then handed me a slip of paper with a description of pre-hypertensive. The paper also offered tips to help combat the condition such as loosing weight and exercising more - well duh - but I am 6', 173 (targeting 165 lbs.) with alternating hitting the gym/pool or riding the bike on the stationary trainer before work 4-days a week in addition 180-220 high tempo road miles on weekends, should I be worried or is it just the cold/OTC medications?
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I'm no doctor. But I would not be concerned about a single blood pressure reading that was 139/66. OTC cold medications can have an effect on BP as well as cycling for 100 miles prior to the reading. Quite obviously you are highly fit, so the higher than normal BP is probably more your bodies reaction to the meds. If the diastolic (second number) were in the 90's or 100's you should have more to be concerned about.
Bernie
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"Slowbern has always made astute observations."-Casey 03/10/2009
2013-2014 Detroit Lions---13-3 until proved otherwise.
Cold meds can elevate BP (esp pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in the SUdafed preps).
But slowbern's right - don't sweat a single reading, the moreso one taken from a machine rather than a well-calibrated BP cuff - and the lower diastolic is good. The nurse was right, however, about the fact that isolated systolic (the upper number) hypertension is often a precursor of essential hypertension.
Assuming you see your doc on a regular basis, consistent readings in his/her office will be much more useful.
I suffer from mild hypertension and take meds for it. The other day my I was in to see my doc for a sinus infection and the pseudafed (sp?) I had been taking had raised my BP. He gave me a lower dose prescription. It may raise it but to echo the other comments dont get concerned with one reading.
What's mild hypertension?
My BP is regularly 130-140 over 72
The pre-printed sheet that I got back from the screener stated that pre-hypertensive was 121 to 139 and that hypertensive was > 140.
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i was 145/90. All better now :)