I like my doctors but they like to “do things.”
Sometimes you need to be your own advocate. Especially if you’ve educated yourself on the costs/benefits of those decisions. The choice is yours 
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My dad has high blood pressure and a few things that helped him were:
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Light daily exercise for an hour
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Quitting smoking, it just raises your heart rate. If you smoke throughout the day your HR will always be up. (he mainly eats edibles now)
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Change in diet (less red meat, saturated fat, etc.)
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Drink more water, 1G per day for guys (give or take)
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Meditation, not everyone is into this but it’s basically just 20 - 30min of controlled breathing in a quiet environment. Nothing weird and it helps calm you mind and body.
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If your doctor thinks that is bad, I wonder about her.
Mine was 130’s to 140’s over 90’s to 100’s. I was on bp meds for almost 30 years. Changed diet, lost weight, started back smoking weed. I had to go in for scan. My bp was 120 / 70. No meds involved.
Good luck with everything. Do not let it stress you more.
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I even cut back on my coffee intake…I only drink coffee on wknd. now…and I drink tea the rest of the week…
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Depends on your age also, but might be that most older people now carry a few extra pounds. That and salt are two things you can reduce and it has a lowering effect on your blood pressure. I have to lose some weight put on during covid, I hope to be starting soon (yes I know, famous last words but I managed a few years ago). My doctor is not too concerned about my blood pressure as my pain medication causes it to be high. So lesser of evils, high blood pressure in exchange for lower pain. Hope to drop it below 120, would be real happy in lower teens.
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My resting blood pressure is outrageous. I’m on the dual pill in one Lisinopril and the other half is a water pill that I can not spell or pronounce. It brought me down to 120/80. I went vegan and quit smoking cigs. I was vegan for 3 years. Non of the lifestyle changes did anything. They keep telling me my kidneys are fine and the hooked me up to a 7 lead EKG and told me my heart is strong as a bulls. I asked them what’s causing this and they literally shrugged their shoulders and said “shitty genes?”
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You not the only one, I too have gained weight…I broke up with my girlfriend last year July and I went on a drinking binge, ate a lot of processed foods(salty) I don’t use salt when I cook…
I too quit in 2000 though…the only thing I smoke is pot and only when I’m boozing…I try and only drink twice a week, it’s my only outlet…One thing I notice is when I’m partying my blood pressure is below normal…maybe I should just party all the time…
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Hate this. Happens to me too. Put a cuff on me and I start to have a mini panic attack and low and behold, i test super high.
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My doctor has me sit for ten-fifteen minutes before he comes to see me to read my pressure.
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i/2 cup plain 2% yogurt 2x day
Walk a lot. No longer drink and watch my sodium. Quit cigs 6 years now.
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I’ve got my physical in a couple weeks. I’m dreading it.
I used to bicycle to work every day, and worked out a couple times a week. Been vegetarian for about 10 years. My BP and resting heart rate used to be amazing for a 50 yr old.
Since Covid I’ve gained weight, stopped exercising, been eating terrible… and my BP feels sky high all the time. 
I’ve been working to turn it around last few weeks, cause I really don’t want to be on meds. But it’s so much harder the older you get
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I used to cycle in the summer to work but am now retired. Just the last two years the old body is feeling old. I do have a bit of a problem working off the weight, a knee that is limiting my cycling (forget running). My pain problem has my skin burning if I sweat for any length of time. I need to take a cold shower right afterward to alleviate it a bit. Over time it becomes a constant pain from waking to trying to go to sleep. I am hoping to increase my CBD intake which should reduce the pain level.
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Those numbers are fine…I would be looking for a new doctor if they prescribed for those numbers. How low does she want it to go? Seriously, those numbers are not an issue.
On amlodpine 5mg myself, fwiw
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From the new up to date studies I have seen, sodium only increases BP for 20 to 30 minutes after consumption and that excess sodium is removed from the blood by your kidneys and excreted and BP will return to pre consumption level.
The evidence that has driven a low sodium diet for low BP is floored as they only tested to see if it increased BP not for how long and if it would return to a previous consumption level.
A low sodium diet is now being shown to cause insulin resistance and diabetes. The new recommended salt intake is now 2 to 3 times what was previously recommendedto prevent insulin resistance.
Most doctors I have had, do not know how to take BP readings properly, or have the time and setting to do it properly.
You are not supposed to eat or drink for a minimum of 30 minutes before testing. Have an empty bladder and sit or lie down in a quiet darkened room with no noise or stimulation for at least 30 minutes prior to testing.
She is just trying to make more money from you with the extra drugs. Your BP would naturally go up in a stressful situation like a colonoscopy procedures, so I would have disregarded that reading completely.
I have white coat syndrome and did have borderline high BP most of my life, until I took heavy duty Nsaids for my neck injury. It went up to 270 over 160. I have constantly battled with doctors over my BP and them wanting to put me on drugs. The biggest problem with high BP is the damage it does to the kidneys in combination with insulin as they both driven by carbohydrates and refined sugars.
5 years of BP meds use ended last year for me, 4 weeks after starting my low carb diet and intermittent fasting. It dropped so much, so quickly, my doc could not understand how I did it lol.
It’s now between 95 to 105 over 60 to 75 and will go a bit lower when on my long fasts.
BP increases is caused by inflammation from insulin which is created by carb intake, so reducing refined carbs causes a reduction in inflammation in all your blood vessels and organs thus reducing BP.
Body fat increases BP because for every pound of fat you carry your body creates an extra 2 miles of tiny blood vessels to supply it with blood. So your heart has to pump your blood a lot further the more body fat you have, increasing your blood pressure.
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I totally agree, this same doctor has a friend of mine taking 23 different meds a day.
They definitely never told me that.
I too have that…thank you very much, this comment and is very much appreciated and informative.
I have a doctor’s appointment before Easter and I’ve already made up my mind and I’m gonna tell him that’s it, I’m done with this shit and no more different meds. I will continue to take the Lisinopril 40mg though. I firmly believe taking all these different meds does more harm than good. I always read all the side effects of any medication…Btw, I have a months worth of Amlodipine and haven’t taken it since it was prescribed on St. Patrick’s day…there’s 6 more refills waiting for me but I’m not going to take it…
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Hey @PhilCuisine how high was your bp? Mine was 170/130.
They originally kept raising the amount of Lisinopril I was taking and it seemed like every 10mg dropped my BP by maybe 5 points. So they prescribed me 10mg Lisinopril with 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide. That dropped me 50 points in one little pill back down to 120/80.
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167/96…it was a way way higher when I went for a colonoscopy…that’s when the doctors from colonoscopy ratted me out to my PCP…
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