![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dauphine on May 4, 2004, at 16:32:17
If anyone has the chemical knowledge to answer this question I am very curious. I am on 75 mg/day and it has increased my blood pressure to about 150/100. Before I started it was normal around 125/80. I have had blood pressure problems in the past for no reason -- I am young, fairly active and possibly underweight, but I do smoke about 2 cigarettes a day. I do not take any other medications except for birth control (progestin only pill). I read the PDR for Effexor and still do not understand what it is about it that increases blood pressure -- does anyone out there know?
Dauphine
Posted by King Vultan on May 4, 2004, at 17:02:29
In reply to Why does Effexor incease blood pressure??, posted by Dauphine on May 4, 2004, at 16:32:17
> If anyone has the chemical knowledge to answer this question I am very curious. I am on 75 mg/day and it has increased my blood pressure to about 150/100. Before I started it was normal around 125/80. I have had blood pressure problems in the past for no reason -- I am young, fairly active and possibly underweight, but I do smoke about 2 cigarettes a day. I do not take any other medications except for birth control (progestin only pill). I read the PDR for Effexor and still do not understand what it is about it that increases blood pressure -- does anyone out there know?
> Dauphine
It's likely because of Effexor's blockade of norepinephrine reuptake, the net effect of which is increasing norepinephrine transmission. This stimulates both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors, which will tend to increase blood pressure. Both alpha and beta blockers blockade those receptors and will help counteract the effect, but of the two types, beta blockers are a far superior antihypertensive. Of course, there are other antihypertensives available in other drug classes.Having such an effect on your BP at 75 mg/day seems a bit unusual, as Effexor's effects on norepinephrine are more pronounced at higher dosages. I thought you said two packs of cigarettes at first, but two individual cigarettes does not sound like a whole heck of a lot. You may have tendencies toward essential hypertension, which is high blood pressure for no good reason. My grandma, mother, and myself all had or have this inspite of being thin, non-smoking and in good physical condition.
Todd
Posted by Dauphine on May 5, 2004, at 12:33:35
In reply to Re: Why does Effexor incease blood pressure??, posted by King Vultan on May 4, 2004, at 17:02:29
Thanks Todd for giving me some information on this. It is quite possible that this increase in my BP is due to another essential hypertension flair up -- when I go through times of stress and depression as I have been going through in the last several months, it usually tends to increase. 75 mg is not a lot, so that's why I was so curious as to what might be going on. And yes, only 2 cigarettes a day, not 2 packs! Although last night was a bit of a blip -- I had about 7-8! I thought that the norepinephrine reuptake was only blocked at higher doses though.
Thanks,
Dauphine
Posted by partlycloudy on May 6, 2004, at 18:11:26
In reply to Why does Effexor incease blood pressure??, posted by Dauphine on May 4, 2004, at 16:32:17
All I can say it - everyone is different. I was doing really well on 150mg effexor and then my blood pressure went through the roof. (165 over 115) We cut back, added wellbutrin to the mix, and it ended up that we increased the effexor slightly to get the benefit. Now on 112.5mg of the long acting stuff. I bought a wrist cuff monitor (because there are no pharmacies close by where I could do this) so I can check the BP myself. It has been the best AD for me so far, so I am glad I could get the benefits of it eventually. So what if I cried my eyes out at work for 10 days????
When it was really high, I would feel my heart beat in my ears when I layed (lied? darn that word!!) down.
Posted by harryp on May 6, 2004, at 21:34:44
In reply to Re: Why does Effexor incease blood pressure?? » Dauphine, posted by partlycloudy on May 6, 2004, at 18:11:26
Hello!
Those are pretty high bp's. If Effexor is working for you and you don't want to change AD's, I'd suggest seeing an internist or (if possible) cardiologist about bp medication.
Generally, routinely having a systolic bp over 140 or diastolic over 90 warrants treatment to prevent long term organ damage, etc.
Posted by Dauphine on May 7, 2004, at 20:07:25
In reply to Re: Why does Effexor incease blood pressure?? » Dauphine, posted by partlycloudy on May 6, 2004, at 18:11:26
My doctor suggested that i get a home blood pressure machine, which i will be buying this weekend. he wants me to monitor it for 3-4 weeks taking 4-5 measurements a week so that we can see if this is a consistant thing. although this morning i had a very scary experience -- i felt like i was going to pass out for like an hour. very weak out of nowhere and clamy skin. it felt horrible! I think that since i've been on effexor, my appetite is low and i don't eat as much or as regularly. it felt like i just needed to eat, but couldn't stand up for fear that i would fall over. eventually i did eat and after a while felt just fine. i am still a little shaky over the experience though -- i thoughout i was having a heart attack or something! thanks for the posts.
Dauphine
Posted by harryp on May 7, 2004, at 22:36:02
In reply to Re: Why does Effexor incease blood pressure??, posted by Dauphine on May 7, 2004, at 20:07:25
That's an excellent idea. I've been happy with my Omron model, although I'm sure there are other very good ones.
To take an accurate bp, you should be sitting comfortably with your back supported and your arm supported at heart level. You should probably take three readings with a minute or two in between each one, since your first one is likely to be high due to anxiety.
I think you should take readings in the morning and later in the day, and record the time and date for each. If you take Effexor in the morning, I would take a reading before taking your dose, and then another one two hours later. (mention in your records when you take the Effexor)
This kind of info will be invaluable to both you and your doc.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.