Re: High Blood Pressure Won't Come Down!

 Hv, wouldn't it be wise to make sure that the gentleman in question actually has high blood pressure, before supplementing with potassium?

Unless he is on potassium sparing diuretics there is no harm in taking some supplemental potassium at recommended doses.  The pills come in 99mg doses and it would take about 800+mg to cause heart arrhythmias.

And he is in kind of a bind.  Not passing would cause him to lose his license, and there was only one day to work with.  So for the moment the idea is to do what can be done to get past the blood pressure test.  Once past the test then he can worry about monitoring his blood pressure at home to see if long term therapy is needed.

Often the reading taken in a doctors office or similar stressful surroundings, is not a true indication of what the blood pressure is on average.

Situational high blood pressure is a well know problem.

Yes, it is commonly known as "white coat syndrome".  But again the goal is to do what can be done in the little time available to just make sure he passes.  If there were at least a couple of weeks to work with for him to monitor his blood pressure to make sure it is high and to give us time to try and figure why if it is then it would be a different story.  If he does not pass though then what?  Will they not license him until he goes on pharmaceutical drugs long term to prove his blood pressure can be kept down?  I worry more about that than short term use of potassium to help make sure he passes.

I was told some years ago that my blood pressure was too high, by a doctor, after taking a reading in his office, after I had a particularly stressful day. He wanted me to start on blood pressure tablets, but I declined, knowing that the reading was a false indication of my usual blood pressure. If I had taken the scriipt and the pills, I could have done a great deal of damage.

Yes, I posted an example of this a while back:

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1466200#i