Hypertension & High Blood Pressure Community

Exercise induced hypertension

You did not even mention your blood pressure. Why do you think that you have exercised induced hypertension?

What was your BP during the stress test?

What did the doctor say caused the high HR? Was it AFIB?

You need to ask questions and get details.

Beta blockers do lower the HR and specially limits the max heart rate and does limit maximum exercise capacity.

Some runners says that it helps to take the beta blocker at night or after their run.

Do you use a HR monitor?

You might need an adjustment in dosage.

PS

Have you talked to your doctor about your running?

Thanks for your response. My blood pressure went from 120 to 220 during the 10 minute stress test, hence the diagnosis. I had been really struggling to keep my heart rate under control during my runs.This is the reason that I went to the Dr. origionally.

I did run with a Polar monitor. i haven't lately since the heart rate is now artificially controlled and the cardiologist said that perceived exertion would be a more effective way to go.

My understanding (which is limited) is that there are hot spots in the electrical wiring of the heart that cause the spike while exercising. There is a procedure where they can try to burn these hot spots. For now, we are trying to adjust the dosage.

I had an updated ectocardiogram Monday and go back Wednesday for results. I welcome any suggestions for questions that I should ask as I never feel competent in this area.

I had a detailed reply with some info, but closed the wrong browser. Then my internet went down.

I will redo it tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

My understanding (which is limited) is that there are hot spots in the electrical wiring of the heart that cause the spike while exercising. There is a procedure where they can try to burn these hot spots. For now, we are trying to adjust the dosage.

It sounds like you might have AFIB (Atrial fibrillation). But there are other tachycardia's.

Ask your doctor for a specific diagnoses.

And electrophysiologist is a cardiologist that specializes in heart electrical problems. If you have an ablation is will be done by an electrophysiologist.

Here is a blog by an electrophysiologist who is also a cyclist and also has AFIB.

http://www.drjohnm.org/2012/02/an-important-message-from-the-heart-rhythm-society/

http://www.drjohnm.org/atrial-fib/

You might want to look around his blog for other info.

Here is another source.

http://www.stopafib.org/

And here is an forum of "athletes" (one one that wants to exercise) with heart problems.

http://www.cardiacathletes.com/

There are a number of runners with AFIB and/or on beta-blockers.

This subject comes up often.

Wow, these sound like amazing resources....just what I was looking for. Thank you so much!

This has more to do with blood pressure and my experience with beta blockers. I was sitting playing cards... no stress, but my friends said I had a really red face and they dragged out a blood pressure kit (I was 66 years old and not overweight) it was 225/90. I am usually 125/65. I called my doctor and was told to get to the ER immediately. Friends took me and a cardiologist was waiting. Two hours later after an IV, thyroid test, whatever... I was released. I had to wear a Holter monitor, had a follow-up stress test on the treadmill and an echo. On the treadmill, I lasted about two minutes when the BP was over 220 again. I was put on beta blockers. My diagnosis was stress induced hypertension. For the whole next week I could hardly stay awake, so I cut my dose in half. When I used the treadmill I couldn't get my BP over 85... I was a slug. I hated the feeling.

After visiting the cardiologist several times, I was finally taken off the beta blocker. I have now been on Omega 3 capsules for two years now and my BP is 114/64 this morning. My cardiologist said that the beta blockers can reset the heart, however, there is no real treatment for the condition other than the beta blockers. There is not much known about the condition.

It has been two years, I feel fine and have resumed my regular exercise. I am not an athlete. It was scary and there was no answers to why the spikes occurred while doing nothing but sitting. I can understand it happening under a stressful situation.

The drugs helped, the Omega 3 helped, my triglyceride level is lower as a side effect. If your heart rate is low, your metabolism is slowed which can account for the weight gain. I can appreciate your frustration.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I'm glad that things have worked out well for you. Unfortunately, other drug options don't sound like they help with exercise induced hypertension.

I was diagnosed with exercised induced hypertension just before I turned 50, after having experienced problems while exercising for a long time. I was winded, had a hard time with uphills, and got dizzy when I pushed myself. My doctor at the time didn't take me seriously. I eventually started experiencing tachycardia and a friend in the medical field made sure I did a stress test. They stopped my before peak exercise when my BP went into the 230s. I was told to stop exercising immediately because I could potentially die. We avoided beta blockers in the beginning due to the side effects, but regular BP medication didn't solve the problem. I had to stop exercising although the cardiologist agreed that I could run slowly if I wore a heart monitor at all times to make sure I didn't get my heart rate up too high. This wasn't a good solution as it took less effort to get my HR up as I was getting out of shape and eventually I could only walk.
I switched cardiologist and he suggested a new beta blocker on the market, Bystolic. It works very well for me and I can exercise as much as I want to. I'm a marathon runner and do a lot of my training running in the mountains. The main side effect with Bystolic is intolerance to cold weather, which is a problem living in a cold climate. I don't experience fatigue or sluggishness. My resting HR is low and it took some time to get used to it, but I'm very happy to be able to do whatever physical activities I want to.
When I was diagnosed, there was hardly any literature on the topic, but it seems to be a lot more awareness now. The biggest problem with exercised induced hypertension is that it isn't detected during routine examination.

Thanks for sharing your experience. The Bystolic is working well for me too. I'm not able to run as fast as I was and I have to switch to run/walk ratios for anything over about 10 miles....but at least I'm still able to run. It is interesting to hear that it effects your response to cold weather. It is just the opposite for me. I have a really hard time in the heat. Living in Florida and training for a fall marathon is therefore painful. I am still struggling to find good information. Any resources that you could point me to would be most appreciated. Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. The Bystolic has helped me as well. I can't run as fast as I did previously, and I need to switch to walk/run ratios for anything over a half marathon distance, but at least I'm still running. I have a really hard time with the heat...living in Florida is therefore a challenge...especially training for a fall marathon. I would love to hear about any good resources that you have found for info. Thanks so much!

You might want to join Cardiac Athletes.

It is for athletes and just those that want to be active and have heart conditions of all types.

I know that there are those with AFIB, but have not seen anyone mention exercise hypertension.

And Bystolic and other beta blockers are often discussed.

http://www.cardiacathletes.org.uk/forums/index.php

BTW, I wonder if exercise hypertension is a separate "disease" or rather a side effect of the irregular heart rate.

My last stress test I reached 212/100, but because of anxiety (and I was shaking from the cold room) my resting BP was 178/80. It is usually more like 125/75.

And my heart stayed in normal sinus rhythm and nothing was said about exercise hypertension.