I have a very serious case of 'white coat' hypertension. Under every day circumstances I run about 120/70. When I get around a doctor, it sky rockets. And for good reason - long story about some horrible situations that include an inexcusable misdiagnosis that killed my father and a prescription induced delirium that expedited my aunt's demise.
While in the Navy, I was prescribed a hypertensive medication, despite my BP registering normal when it was taken by a hospital corpsman, every single time, but exploding when the physician took it. They refused to accept the obvious. The result was me being put on a diuretic medication that caused me to lose in excess of 30 lbs and sent me into a state of medically induced anoxeria. I was being weighed and having my blood tested, every single week, to track my potassium levels, and my weight went down, every single weigh in. The Naval physicians refused to accept that the medication was the cause of my weight loss, and blamed me. I was ordered to continue to take the medication. At 5'7, I weighed in at 105 lbs. I decided to not re-enlist. When I got home, my family was beyond shocked at my appearance.
I stopped the medication, my weight returned to normal, and my BP continues at the same acceptable level, until I am around a physician. My 'sympathetic nerve response' also includes breaking into hives, during an exam. It's frustrating and I have zero control over this. It is hard to find a physician who understands.
There is no doubt in my mind that, had I re-enlisted and kept on taking that medication, I would have died. I later heard of a case of someone, under the same circumstances, who did end up dying.
I know there are some people who are alive, today, because of prescription drugs but my health improved, by leaps and bounds, when I stopped.
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