CPAP and blood pressure

[Bons]

I was at the doctor's for my annual physical right before starting CPAP and my blood pressure was fine. I had it taken yesterday at the sleep doc and then this morning at the dentist, and both times it was well into the high blood pressure range. Is there any connection between pap therapy and blood pressure that I should be aware of?

[lbw]

Actually my blood pressure dropped to normal soon as I began CPAP. May be the increase is due to stress. Are you feeling anxious still with the CPAP? That will increase your blood pressure

[Breathe Jimbo]

You may have "white coat hypertension." If your BP seems unusually high at first, it can help to take it again after you have chatted with the nurse or doctor and relaxed a little, letting them know and having a laugh about the "white coat" phenomenon.

I'm hoping CPAP will lower my BP, but after one week I have not seen much improvement. I'm probably still too anxious about the diagnosis of severe sleep apnea and related issues. This is going to take some time.

[Bons]

I've never had white coat syndrome before, and I'd taken a hefty dose of ativan before the dentist visit so I wasn't feeling any stress there, so I don't know what's going on.

[Muse-Inc]

Just for reference, my BP at diagnosis of OSA was 215/110 (usual for me had been 70s/60s like the rest of my family)...stokeland for sure. I was put on a diuretic for a month with not enough reduction. Then, put on lisinopril & I immediately started coughing like I trying to cough up my lungs. After a month, cardiologist (had to visit one to verify I hadn't damanaged my heart), switched me to Cozaar, an angiotension receptor blocker which it turns out is one of the best class of drugs for the oxygen-deprivation induced hypertension we hoseheads develop when untreated. It took months before I could reduce the dosage of Cozaar, then a few more months to halve it again and then down to smallest dose cut in half, and then no Cozaar. After 18 months, my BP started averaging 128/65-70 and now I do have whitecoat syndrome

Unfortunately, while having lost a nice chuck of weight, I am still quite fat, so continue the diuretic as I must sleep propped up to prevent the fluid that normally accumulates in the lower body during the day from moving into my upper body when I lie down resulting in compromised breathing.

Good article on the effects of ARBs: http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

[dave21]

As others have mentioned the BP can be just because you're at the hospital/sleep doctors/doctors and you've been waiting for a while, your nerves and tension build up and so does your blood pressure.

Likewise if you're been drinking a lot of caffeine that day or drinks with caffeine in them, this can elevate your BP. Likewise stress, worry or other tension can cause high BP.

I wouldn't worry unless it's continuously at high BP. Just monitor it and ensure it goes down.

Thanks
Dave

[Bons]

My internist put me on quinapril. I'd been on it for mild hypertension for a year or two, but went off it last year because my blood pressure had come down a lot when I left a stressful job and lost twenty pounds from the stress (no diet changes). Perhaps it has nothing to do with OSA and more to do with heredity Both parents have hypertension and my mother had her first heart attack in her late 50's.

[auntlala]

my BP was creeping up just before i was officially diagnosed with OSA. when we discovered the OSA it was just before she had decided that if next reading was no better we were going medication route. had been on cpap for about 2 weeks when i saw her again, had lost 20 pounds and given up cigarettes - went in and BP was highest it had ever been. Doc came into room and asked how i was doing and told her i was mad as heck - with all the pluses i had even higher BP - she told me it would not go down that fast and to wait till next follow up to see where we were - and have been better each time.

[torontoCPAPguy]

You need to get yourself a pulse oximeter (recording) like the Contec CMS-50E which comes with graphing software and monitor your SpO2 every night. The unit fits on your finger and hold it on with a small piece of blue masking tape to keep it from slipping off during the night.

I am willing to wager that your SpO2 is dipping regularly below 90%, especially during REM sleep. This is a guaranteed cause of high blood pressure as the heart has to pump harder in order to get the oxygen to all the vital organs and extremities.

My guess. By the way, what does the winner of this contest get?