Blood pressure hit 150 over 95 on this blast, what are you actually using to bring it back down?

[TEXMEX]

Had 155/98 at week 8 on test 800 and EQ 600. Donated blood, added telmisartan, cut sodium down hard. Three weeks later sitting at 128/82. The blood donation alone dropped it 10 points. Do not underestimate that one.

[Beantown Rick]

Telmisartan is the move. 40mg daily knocked my BP down fast. What people miss is you need to stay on it consistently, not just take it when the reading is high. Daily use is what stabilizes things. My cardiologist knows I use it and is fine with the protocol.

[Chi Guy]

BP management is non-negotiable if you are serious about longevity in this sport. I have been on telmisartan for 3 years now. Keeps everything in range even during heavy blasts. Get a doctor who understands performance athletes and get the script. Do not mess around with this one.

[FrankfurtFit]

The ambulatory monitor recommendation from BERLINER above is correct. Single readings are insufficient for clinical assessment. I had my GP prescribe a 24 hour monitor at year 2 of blast and cruise. Average daytime reading was 138/86 on a 750mg test blast - managed with telmisartan and cardio without needing dose reduction.

[NYCgains]

Cardio fixed my BP more than anything. Was hitting 148/92 mid blast. Added 4x weekly zone 2 cardio at 135bpm for 30 min. Six weeks later reading was 131/84. No meds. Just consistent low intensity work. People underestimate how much cardio moves that number.

[BERLINER]

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring over 24 hours is more reliable than single readings. I wore an ambulatory monitor during week 8 of a test 600 EQ 400 blast. Average daytime was 143/91, nighttime dipping pattern was preserved which is the important finding. Single readings in the gym after training are always elevated and meaningless.

[OhioStrong]

My BP at week 6 was 138/88. Not alarming but higher than my baseline of 118/74. Added zone 2 cardio 4x a week and started watching sodium. Down to 128/82 three weeks later. Did not need medication. Glad I caught it early.

[Davo]

Telmisartan sorted my BP on this blast. 40mg daily, within 2 weeks the reading came back down. Donated blood at week 6 as well which helped. Those two things together did more than anything else. Lifestyle stuff alone was not moving it fast enough once I added EQ to the test.

[HighAltitude]

BP monitoring is something I take seriously given the altitude factor. Living above 5000 feet already pushes hematocrit higher than sea level - adding EQ on top of that seems like asking for trouble. Sticking to test only for now and watching the numbers closely.

[ScouseLad]

blimey 150/95 is well high mate. hope u get it sorted. gonna check mine proper now - been using one of those wrist monitors which i heard aint accurate. gonna get a proper upper arm one

[SydneyFit]

BP crept up on me at week 8 without me noticing. Only caught it because I started tracking it after reading threads like this. Added cardio 4x a week and watched the sodium. Came back down within 3 weeks. Monitoring is the key thing - most guys only check when they feel symptoms.

[FLbodybuilder]

Mid blast on 600mg test plus 400mg EQ and my home cuff is reading 150 over 95 consistently. Sat down rested, same time of day, multiple readings. Not great. Cardio has dropped off the last 3 weeks while I've been hammering the gym and I think the combination is catching up with me.

Not ready to pull the dose if I can fix it with lifestyle and maybe an ARB. Hematocrit is also high so I'm donating this week which should help a bit on its own. Cardio going back in tomorrow, 4 sessions a week steady state, and dropping sodium right back.

What else are people actually using to get the number back into normal range without dropping the cycle? Telmisartan keeps coming up, anyone on it long term and does it actually leave the gains alone? And at what number do you genuinely call it and pull the dose, I don't want to push through something I shouldn't.

[GODZILLA]

Blood pressure threads always end in the same place, hematocrit and cardio first, then telmisartan if it wont come down. If you are at 150 over 95 sustained dont be a hero, drop the dose by 200mg and reassess in two weeks.

[Mick AU]

Telmisartan changed my life on cycle. 40mg a day, BP dropped from 148/92 down to 128/78 in about a week. Get it through a private GP, costs nothing, and unlike some of the older BP meds it doesn't blunt strength gains at all. Before that I was doing all the cardio and hydration stuff and still couldn't get it under control on 750 test. The hematocrit angle is the other one, donating dropped my reading another 5 points on its own. Worth doing both.

[CaliBro]

One reading at home doesn't tell you much, the white coat effect is real and so is the post workout spike. Take it seated, same time each morning before coffee, for a week and average them out. That's your actual baseline. If it's still 150 over 95 after a week of proper readings then you've got something to act on.

[BIGDADDY]

Take it seriously. Plenty of lads lost mates to this and convinced themselves the readings were nothing. Pull the dose back, sort the hematocrit, get the bloodwork done. No blast is worth a stroke at 45.

[Jock]

Telmisartan is the one that keeps coming up because it doesn't blunt strength the way some beta blockers can. Daily low dose, prescription only, you need a doctor monitoring. Worked for me at 40mg sitting around 130/85 on a 700mg test 400mg EQ run, was previously 155/95.

Before any med though, donate blood. Hematocrit drives a chunk of the pressure on EQ heavy stacks and a single donation can drop the reading 5 to 10 points on its own. Hydration and steady state cardio at zone 2 stack on top of that. If you're still at 150/95 after all of those then yeah you've got to look at pulling the dose back, no way around it long term.

[FLbodybuilder]

One thing before you start stacking meds, get a proper reading first. Sit rested 5 mins, same time of day, a few days running, then average it. A post workout or stressed one off at 150/95 is not your real baseline and plenty of guys panic over a single number. Once you have a true average the cheapest lever is hematocrit, if you are on EQ or high test the blood is thick. Donate and you often drop 5 to 10 points off the pressure before you even touch telmisartan.

[GODZILLA]

Good thread. Just to add for anyone reading, get your hematocrit checked before you assume its purely the dose. Donating blood brings a lot of guys numbers down on its own. And take the reading seated and rested across a few days rather than acting on one spike after training. If it stays high after all of that, get a doctor involved and sort it properly.

[Mick AU]

First thing I would check is your hematocrit. Test and EQ together thicken the blood and that alone drives the pressure up, a donation often knocks the reading down on its own. Then get steady state cardio in 4 or 5 times a week at 130 to 140 bpm, cut the sodium right back and sort your hydration, that lot moves the number more than people expect before you even think about meds. If you still want a tablet, telmisartan is the one the lads keep coming back to, clean profile and it does not blunt gains like some beta blockers, but that is a script and you want a doctor watching it. And do not panic off a single reading, take it seated and rested at the same time over a few days, a post workout spike is not your real baseline.

[CaliBro]

the thing that moved my numbers most was donating blood, dropped my hematocrit a few points and the pressure came down with it. eq and test together thicken the blood up more than people realise and that alone pushes the reading. before you reach for any meds get a proper cuff and take it seated and rested at the same time for a week, one reading after a workout or a coffee tells you nothing. if it still sits at 150 over 95 after donating, sorting your hydration and adding some zone 2 cardio then honestly the dose is too high for you right now. dropping test 200mg a week isnt failure, sustained pressure like that is what thickens the heart wall over the years.

[BIGDADDY]

Listen to the lads in here. Get your bloods done, donate if your hematocrit is up, and do the cardio. Your heart is not worth a couple of extra pounds on the bar. We want you around training for a long time yet.

[Jock]

First thing I would check is your hematocrit before reaching for anything else. Test and EQ both thicken the blood and a donation often drops the reading a few points on its own. After that it is the boring stuff that actually moves the number, steady state cardio 4 or 5 times a week at 130 to 140 bpm, cut the sodium right back and sort your hydration. Do not panic off one reading either, take it seated and rested at the same time over a few days, post workout spikes are not your real baseline. If it still sits at 150 over 95 after all that then telmisartan is the ARB most guys here run, but that needs a doctor, and if even that does not hold it the dose is just too high for you right now and dropping test 200mg is not a failure.

[FLbodybuilder]

Telmisartan is the one worth trying if you haven't already - 40mg daily and for most guys it's night and day compared to nothing. Doesn't blunt gains at all which is why the community keeps coming back to it over beta blockers. That said, donation and steady state cardio moved my reading more than any med did in the first two weeks, so worth running all three together rather than going one thing at a time and waiting to see.

[GODZILLA]

Good thread to have pinned. The hematocrit point is the one most members skip over too quickly - a blood donation can move resting blood pressure more than people expect, sometimes 10 points on its own. Worth doing before reaching for medication.

[Mick AU]

Getting hematocrit under control sorted the bulk of it for me. Donated at around week 8 on my last EQ run and dropped the resting BP almost 10 points in a fortnight. People focus on medication first and skip the basics. Steady state cardio 4 to 5 sessions a week at 130 to 140 bpm is not glamorous but it does more for blood pressure than most people give it credit for, especially when you stack it with cutting sodium back and actually hitting your water intake.

[CaliBro]

Before reaching for any meds get your hematocrit checked, high test and EQ thicken the blood and that alone pushes the reading up, a single donation dropping you 3 or 4 points often takes the pressure down on its own. Hydration is the other free lever, one bloke on here went from 53 to under 50 on water intake alone. If you have donated, sorted hydration and put zone 2 cardio in 4 or 5 times a week and it is still parked at 150 over 95 then the dose is too high for you right now, dropping 200 a week is the smart move not a failure.

[Jock]

One thing that gets missed in these threads is how much the hematocrit side drives the reading. Mine sat at 150 over 90 last blast, donated and dropped it 4 points and the pressure came back to 135 over 85 on its own without touching the dose. Get the donation in first, sort hydration and steady zone 2 cardio, then look at telmisartan if the number is still stubborn. If you have done all that and it is still parked at 150 over 95 then the dose is simply too high for your heart right now and pulling 200mg off the test is not a failure.

[BIGDADDY]

Good thread this. Get your hematocrit checked before anything else, a blood donation sorts more guys out than they expect. If the number stays up after that, pull the dose back, no blast is worth your heart.

[emperorcaliano]

Not going to repeat what has been said which I also used as product.
Another tools that you can add:
-proper water intake
-baby aspirine preworkout
-light cardio
-3-4g Omega 3

[FLbodybuilder]

Good additions, the omega 3 and steady cardio do more than people give them credit for. The one I would put at the top of that list is getting your hematocrit checked and donating if it has crept up, thick blood drives the pressure as much as the water does and a donation often drops the reading on its own. Aspirin helps a bit with the viscosity side but it will not touch a high hematocrit, that needs the donation. If it is still sitting at 150 over 95 after all that then telmisartan is the one most lads here end up on since it does not blunt gains the way the beta blockers can.

[GODZILLA]

Good discussion here. One thing worth adding, get your hematocrit checked alongside the BP readings. Thick blood from a high red cell count drives the pressure up, and a blood donation often brings both back into line. Take the readings seated and rested over a few days though, a single high number straight after training isnt your real baseline.

[Mick AU]

Before you reach for any meds get your hematocrit checked. High test and EQ thicken the blood and that on its own pushes the reading up, a donation often knocks it back a few points without doing anything else. And stop reading one number off the cuff straight after a session, take it seated and rested same time of day over 4 or 5 days and look at the average, that is your real baseline. If it is still parked at 150/95 after donating, sorting hydration and steady cardio, then telmisartan is the one most lads here run because it doesnt blunt gains, but get a doctor monitoring you on it.