“How to manage high blood pressure after being laid off?”

Try to stay calm if at all possible. Try to work out a plan to address your situation. If you have lost your insurance, check with the local public health authorities regarding other options for obtaining coverage. These are very difficult times for many working people who cannot just pick up and work from home and who have fixed expenses that must be paid. Make sure you are taking advantage of whatever help the government is offering. You have been contributing to society and society has a debt to you. See if you can find groups that are working to address in a constructive way the problems in this society that this pandemic has revealed. This will help with whatever anger you are feeling about this.



Try to restrict the salt in your diet. That is the least expensive way to control your blood pressure from a strictly medical point of view. If you can combine that with a generally healthy plant based diet that will help you lose weight if you need to, that too will help keep your pressure down. Exercise every day even if it is just going out for a walk and don't forget to wear your mask and maintain social distance.

If your state has prescription help, make sure you take advantage of it and make sure your doctor is treating your hypertension with generic medications.



Good luck and stay safe.

I am sorry to hear that you were laid off. Stress related to being laid off can definitely increase your blood pressure (BP).Good blood pressure control is considered if BP is no higher than 120/80 mmHg.If your blood pressure is persistently elevated you may need to be in BP medications if risk factor modifications are not sufficient in controlling hypertension, such as low salt diet (no added salt and avoiding salty foods), maintaining ideal body weight, if a person is overweight or obese, daily exercise (refrain from heavy lifting), control of diabetes, cholesterol control, treatment of possible obstructive sleep apnea, abstinence from tobacco use or any illicit drug use, etc. Meditation and relaxation techniques are helpful.Some medications including over-the-counter medications can contribute to high blood pressure as well. However, it would be important that you see your PCP to check the basic blood work up/urine analysis, assessment of other possible causes of high blood pressure (hormonal/metabolic or related to vascular/organ abnormalities) and kidney function.While undergoing work up for hypertension, your doctor may decide to put you on medication in order to prevent possible negative effects of high blood pressure such as  heart failure, irregular heart rhythm, heart attack/chest pain, stroke, headaches, kidney insufficiency/failure, aortic rupture, and many other potential problems. Keeping track of your daily BP’s and presenting it to your PCP, would be helpful.
I hope that you will find this information helpful. I also hope that you will be able to find a job very soon.  

Best of luck! 

Dr B.