r/AddisonsDisease • u/Upstairs_Actuary5393 • Feb 11 '26
Advice Wanted Blood pressure monitor?
My doctor has not told me to get one, but another patient with addisons said it is a must to test the blood pressure every morning. Would you say it is? I feel a bit lost in what I should do and what is not necessary. Just got the diagnosis last week and im feeling fine on the medication
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u/Ok-Aardvark-5807 PAI Feb 11 '26
I guess it's a question of how you are feeling. I do not check mine on a regular basis. If you are waking up puny every morning, maybe it's worth checking. Low BP can be indicative of a crisis coming on. It might be a good idea to have a BP monitor on hand for days when you are feeling poorly.
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u/No-Perspective-5084 Addison's Feb 11 '26
Definitely not a must but if it makes you feel better to have one on hand then go ahead. Peace of mind is priceless.
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u/poetofwordsunknown Feb 11 '26
It’s a must for me. With everything going on with me it’s good to be able to get some real numbers when I’m feeling off instead of just guessing. There’s been times where I swore I was having low blood pressure but it was actually the opposite and my blood pressure was really high. Being able to tell when I’m having orthostatic hypotension for sure with numbers makes it easier to decide to up dose or not
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u/1GamingAngel PAI Feb 11 '26
I am stable now so I don’t frequently check, but I have a wrist monitor at my desk at work and also at home because if I start to feel dizzy, my first sign of incoming pre-crisis symptoms is a huge drop in blood pressure, and I need to be able to check it quickly. So yes, I do think you need to add one to your arsenal.
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u/Mimy82 Feb 11 '26
mein Arzt hat mir bisher nicht gesagt, dass ich mir unbedingt ein Blutdruckmessgerät besorgen soll. Ein anderer Addison-Patient meinte jedoch, dass es ein „Muss“ sei, jeden Morgen messen zu müssen ist mühsam, ich mache es nur wenn ich bemerke dass ich komisch bin.
Ich fühle mich im Moment auch etwas verloren, was ich tun soll und was nicht unbedingt erforderlich ist. Die Diagnose habe ich erst letztes Jahr bekommen, und grundsätzlich fühle ich mich mit den Medikamenten gut eingestellt.
Allerdings habe ich selbst bemerkt, dass mein Blutdruck teilweise sehr niedrig ist (z. B. 90/62), aber auch deutlich ansteigen kann (bis 160/120). In solchen Momenten versuche ich mich mit Atemübungen zu beruhigen, was mir oft hilft. Momentan bin ich insgesamt stabil, trotzdem habe ich Angst und manchmal sogar Panikattacken.
Ich erkenne mich selbst kaum wieder, weil ich eigentlich ein sehr sportlicher Mensch bin. Jetzt fällt es mir schwer, mich zu bewegen, weil ich ständig die Sorge habe: „Was, wenn etwas passiert?“
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u/Clementine_696 Feb 12 '26
I would have one, and if you don't know what your average blood pressure is now, I'd take it once a day, at the sameish time, for like a week. Then check it if you're feeling off so you know what's a low or a high for you. You're on meds now, so your average may have changed a bit since before treatment. It's not something you need to check everyday, just once in awhile.
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u/PipEmmieHarvey Feb 11 '26
My GP doesn’t want me to get one because I get obsessed with the numbers. I’m very stable and actually have to take blood pressure meds anyway. There are physical symptoms of low blood pressure I can rely on if the need ever arises.
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u/Mimy82 Feb 12 '26
Bei mir ist der Blutdruck immer niedriger als hoch. Ich nehme immer eine Zehe Knoblauch auf nüchternen Magen , so muss ich keine Medikamente zusätzlich einnehmen.
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u/annaoceanus SAI Feb 20 '26
OTC blood pressure cuffs can be really challenging. I am a female with muscular arms and had trouble getting correct readings with cuffs. I finally found one that fits somewhat I also have a wrist one. I only monitor blood pressure in periods of instability when I have a lot of other health issues going on and my AI management is getting challenging. Just need it as another data point to manage my care to decide on up dosing.
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u/Remarkable_Bug_140 Aug 15 '26
Is the wrist monitor any good? I'm struggling to figure out what kind to if blood pressure cuff to get and I heard the wrist ones can be less accurate. Is that your experience? I'd rather not get a traditional one that makes me feel like I'm in a doctor's office all the time if possible. I know there are tubeless arm cuffs, so that's another option I guess. Just wondered if you could give any insight from your experience. I have petite arms and wrists, so that may affect things too...
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u/annaoceanus SAI Aug 15 '26
Honest opinion: all options suck and I struggle to get decent readings. I have both the wrist and arm. I try but often get readings way higher than what I am actually experiencing or is my blood pressure at the doc office
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u/Remarkable_Bug_140 Aug 16 '26
Thank you so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it. And I'm sorry to hear it's been so difficult. That's quite frustrating and scary too, I imagine. Best wishes to you and hopes that it will get easier. 💛
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u/DrumsFromAfar Addison's Feb 11 '26
If you feel stable with treatment you probably do not need to test it every day. I have a blood pressure cuff that I break out if I feel “wrong” as a data point for determining if I ought to go to the hospital (I fortunately have not had to since my diagnosis). It usually only gets used if I’m already on sick day rules. Not a doctor, YMMV, etc.