My Support Forums - View Single Post - Bipolar check-in #70

Moose72 · Oct 18, 2022, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

Your examples are excellent ones. I have one example ( from many):

My blood pressure was always great, then I was prescribed an SSRI. I had been at a low weight, but gained some on the SSRI. At the same time my blood pressure increased. Both my pdoc and my GP told me that the cause of the bp increase was the weight gain. That was when I was about 30 years old; I still weighed only about 125lbs.

I remained on an SSRI over the years. My blood pressure continued to increase, so my GP told me I needed to lose weight. I told her that SSRI's cause a rise in bp. Oh, no, she said - it's because you need to lose weight. "Watch those portions!"

And so it went. Not a single doctor, regardless of specialty, ever attributed my high blood pressure to the SSRI's I was taking for nearly thirty years. I was only told to "eat less."

I felt so ashamed of the weight I had gained (from Seroquel!! ) that I stopped saying anything about my high blood pressure.

Over this summer when I was so sick I completely stopped the SSRI I was on (and I will never take one again). Within 3 days my blood pressure had dropped down to where it had been in my 20's. But my weight has not changed. Now, because of having stopped the SSRI, my blood pressure is fine. It is perfectly normal. Clearly, the SSRI's were casuing my bp to spike - it had nothing to do with my weight, my "portions," nor all that misinformation.

I am awaiting the opportunity to apprise both my GP and my med dude of the situation. If they dare to deny reality I will be insistent.

Congrats on stopping the SSRI. I'm on an SNRI but I don't think it's affecting my BP. But my BP has gone back to normal - maybe because I've been walking- however infrequently. Anyway I'm glad it worked for you to get off the anti depressant.