3 replies to this topic

[shplongl]

I was at work today when I started feeling sick to my stomach. I got sent home. Began experiencing a strange pressure in my head, and a general weirdness.

Panicked a bit, began running around town looking for a BP monitor, just a hunch. Eventually got to a store that had one of the automated machined and checked it.

It registered 91/122. Is normally 70/120 I was calm at this point and had been doing breathing exercises the whole time so I assume it must have been higher previously.

Somehow my medication interacted, it has to be, that and my lifestyle.

I take 300mg Wellbutrin XL, Lexapro 10mg, Abilify 2.5mg, occasionally gabapentin and most recently added 200mg modafinil.

I drank and good amount of coffee prior to work, plus I am a smoker (desperately trying to quit).

Threw in 20mg of propranolol before work, as an experiment, so this may be the wild card.

Figures I combined to many stimulants, but I have not been checking my BP with this new combo.

What should I remove from this cocktail? (Besides smoking)

-Thanks

[Tom_]

First you should monitor your BP for a week, once daily - mix up the times. Chances are it was you feeling ill combined with a panic attack. 122/91 isn't enough to even interest a doctor. I walk around with a BP of 135/70-95 without ever experiencing symptoms and typically people don't experience any symptoms until they reach stage 2 hypertension and are there for a while. Sudden onset like this is entirely consistent with panic. Furthermore you are not at any health risk with a bp below 150/100 in the medium to long term.

Life style advice is the place to start. Cut out the bad cholesterol as much as possible - buy some of that butter, carry on trying to quite smoking, maybe get some exercise and eat some more fish and veg.

You are on a reasonable wack of meds, may I ask why? You could likely drop one or more meds out of the plan and increase the dosage of a few to compensate. Complex polypharmacy is rarely the way to go. Its only in exceptional cases people should be on four meds (excluding PRNs). Normally I don't like to see people on more than two although 3 are required often enough I don't make a value judgement about the psychiatrist :L

[shplongl]

Thank you very much for your reply. I will not worry about it then, and carry on checking my BP routinely from now on. Likely stimulant induced panic attack :P

Definitely am on a good amount of medication, but I must say this is the best cocktail I have been on in many years! It is primarily to treat OCD, depression and attention problems. The OCD is the most controlled it has ever been which I have the abilify to thank, basically in remission. Depression waxes and wanes but is helped by the abilify and recently wellbutrin. Focus as of late is great as I have started modafinil. Gabapentin is for anxiety or otherwise sleep, it helps in a subtle way. I have been on the lexapro for ages, if I were to get off one med that would be it, but I always have such a tough time getting off SSRI's I need to plan it out.

Have actually cut out supplements as of late as I go entirely overboard with them, which I suspect is my obsessive nature.
Just vitamin D, multi vitamin, occasionally theanine and magnesium. Never did notice much from CILTEP or racetams.

[nowayout]

Yeah, that bp reading isn't anything to be concerned about.