I always wondered the same thing and, since all my (5)brothers & sis were taking hbp meds and I wasn't, heart problems ran in my family,  gave me more reason to doubt my doctor's advice.  I think that if heart disease runs in your family or you have other high risk factors, you might ask your doc about the possibility of taking meds or other means to bring your bp  down a little.  I had hbp (ave. 140/90's) for around 10 years & ended up with  severe heart probs.  I'm not overweight, don't smoke, good cholesteral, female (age 50 when I had my first heart procedure, 4 years after mm diagnosis & sta/mca operations) but my father had heart problems in his 50's & I had very high stress.  After 2 bypass operations & many stents to help with blockages, I now take 2 hbp meds. & my ave. bp runs 120/70. I do experience some dizzyness & lightheaded feeling when I change elevations but I can live with that, knowing my heart doesn't have to work so hard.  You're young so you might not see heart probs. for a long time but it's so great that you're checking it out now.  I wish I had followed my inner voice!!  deb

Aloha Brad,

Yes, I've been told that high bp for a long period of time does affect your  .  Ironically, my neuro who I've been seeing post-op just recently changed my bp medication.  I was taking Adalat (Procardia) for many many years, and although my bp was very good with this medication, he wanted to change it to a newer, better medication that also provided better benefits regarding bloodflow to my brain.  Thus, Mar's continuous advice to seek a MM expert is very imporant!  

As you can see, everything comes in to play.   At first, I questioned "why are we fixing something that isn't broken?" since my old bp medication seemed to work just fine...but he provided me answers that showed why this new medication, Dynacirc, not only helped with bp, but also bloodflow in the brain area which as you know, is very important for us MMians.  

The only thing is..with all new bp meds, one usually goes through a "trial" period of where the doctor needs to find the proper dosage for you.  In the beginning, my bp was like 138/108....but now it's normally in the 117/70's... Please also know that my neuro and cardiologist did tell me that it is VERY important that I don't have hypotension (too low bp), just as Mar mentioned, especially when I sleep at night, for the fear that my newly operated vessels may collapse!  Once again, it is very important to see a doctor specializing in MM so they consider your "special" condition and needs versus a "normal" patient who does not have these extra concerns.

Just wonderin..anybody monitors their pressure at night? I do, and I had a reading of 99/66 the other night which scared me a little.

Take care, Brad...
Shan

p.s.  I was told that a little higher bp was better than a too low bp for me...just because of the blood flow...

Dynacirc: DynaCirc CR
This drug is a calcium channel blocker. Calcium is involved ...in blood vessel contraction. By blocking calcium, isradipine ...relaxes and widens the blood vessels. It is used to treat high ...blood pressure. ...

Here's a great drug information site I like..