PlushCare / Online Doctor / Primary Care / High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
In order to treat your hypertension, consult with one of our board-certified doctors online today to prescribe medications to bring your blood pressure down. Get a new prescription to treat hypertension or refill an existing prescription today.
Medication services available 24/7 for adults and kids (3+)
Top quality, board-certified doctors
No insurance needed
Same-day prescriptions available*
*Disclaimer: PlushCare medical staff cannot treat all cases of hypertension. Our physicians can conduct an initial evaluation of your symptoms, but may need to refer you to a specialist or for in-person treatment. If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less. Otherwise, new patient visits are $129 and follow-ups are only $69 for members.
Step 1
Book a same-day appointment from anywhere.
Step 2
Visit with a doctor on your smartphone or computer.
Step 3
We can send prescriptions to any local pharmacy.
Step 1
Book a same-day appointment from anywhere.
Step 2
Visit with a doctor on your smartphone or computer.
Step 3
We can send prescriptions to any local pharmacy.
How pricing works
To request treatment for high blood pressure and get a new or refill on your prescription, join our monthly membership and get discounted visits.
$14.99/month
First month free
Copay
For all visits
Often the same as an office visit. Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less!
$14.99/month
First month free
$129
Repeats only $69
Initial visits are $129 and follow-ups are only $69 for active members.
If we're unable to treat you, we'll provide a full refund.
Blood pressure is the force exerted by your flowing blood on the walls of your arteries, which are tubular structures that carry blood to the different parts of your body. This means that your blood pressure is determined by both the amount of blood your heart pumps through your body’s arteries as well as the amount of resistance to this blood flow.
When your arteries are healthy and dilated, the resistance to blood flow is low, and blood flows easily through your body. But when your arteries are too narrow or stiff, resistance to blood flow increases, and therefore your blood pressure rises. This causes your heart to work harder than normal to pump blood through the body. The extra work thickens the muscles of your heart and further hardens or damages artery walls. The condition can also cause damage to your other organs, especially the brain, eyes, and kidneys.
Most people with high blood pressure have primary hypertension, where no cause is known. However, about 1 in 20 people with hypertension have what is termed secondary hypertension. This means that your high blood pressure is caused by either another medical condition or from a medication you’re taking. Listed below are some of the causes of secondary hypertension.
As the kidneys become diseased, this may lead to excess fluid retention, which exerts more force on artery walls and results in hypertension.
Hypertension can result from problems with hormone producing glands such as the adrenal glands or thyroid gland.
This is a disorder where your body makes too much of the hormone cortisol. It is not well understood why Cushing’s causes hypertension, but there are various proposed mechanisms.
This is where one or both adrenal glands release too much aldosterone. This causes your kidneys to retain salt and water, resulting in hypertension.
This is a rare tumor of the adrenal gland that results in excessive production of hormones including epinephrine and norepinephrine. This can similarly cause hypertension.
Here, an overactive thyroid gland increases systolic blood pressure by increasing the rate and output of blood the heart pumps into the arteries.
In this condition, elevated levels of calcium in the blood can impact our blood vessels, kidney function, and central processes that regulate blood pressure. As a result, about 3 out of 4 people with hyperparathyroidism have hypertension.
This condition is where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Associated drops in oxygen levels may cause increases in blood pressure.
Some people may develop hypertension or have their existing high blood pressure worsened as a side-effect of various prescription or over-the-counter medications. These include pain relievers, birth control pills, antidepressants, and drugs used after organ transplants.
Over-the-counter drugs such as decongestants and certain herbal supplements, including ginseng, licorice and ephedra (ma-huang), as well as illegal drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, may also have the same effect.
Hypertension may exist prior to pregnancy or may develop as a result of pregnancy. Hypertension during pregnancy can be associated with dangerous complications like preeclampsia. Because of this, you should have your blood pressure monitored while you’re pregnant.
Your doctor will likely prescribe one or more of the following medications to treat high blood pressure:
These "water pills" work by helping your kidneys get rid of sodium and water through urination.
These act to help relax your blood vessels by blocking the formation of a natural chemical (angiotensin) that narrows blood vessels.
These work by helping to relax your blood vessels by blocking the action of angiotensin that narrows blood vessels.
If you are still not reaching your blood pressure goal with the above high blood pressure medicine, your doctor may prescribe other medications. These include alpha blockers, alpha-beta blockers, and beta blockers. They work by reducing the nerve impulses to your blood vessels and/or heart to prevent your blood vessels narrowing and your heart overworking. These include:
Your doctor may also consider aldosterone antagonists to prevent salt and fluid retention, or vasodilators which work directly on the muscles in the walls of your arteries, preventing the muscles from tightening and your arteries from narrowing.
It is important to visit your primary care doctor every year for your annual checkup, to diagnose any illnesses at their early stages, making them easier to treat. High blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer because it is overlooked. People with high blood pressure may have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, which is why it’s important to regularly visit your doctor.
There are several ways that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve blood pressure. To lower blood pressure and even prevent high blood pressure, you can incorporate lifestyle changes such as:
It’s important to keep in mind that when measuring your blood pressure, the reading can change depending on whether you recently exercised, had caffeine, or feel stressed. For this reason, it’s good to get a blood pressure reading daily and at the same time each day.
Since hypertension can lead to serious complications, early detection is important. This is why the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening all adults older than 18 years of age. Screening involves having your blood pressure checked, which is a simple procedure that you probably have had if you have ever been to a doctor.
When reporting a blood pressure, you will always see two numbers given. The first is the systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is pumping. The second number is your diastolic blood pressure, or the blood pressure when your heart is at rest between beats.
Hypertension is diagnosed when either or both of your systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers are consistently high. Regular blood pressure readings can help you and your doctor notice any changes. For instance, if you have elevated blood pressure at a checkup, your doctor may recommend that you come back in a few weeks for monitoring. This is to see if your blood pressure readings stay elevated or if they fall back to normal.
Nearly one in two people with high blood pressure do not have it controlled, which likely contributes to the high rates of cardiovascular disease in America. In order to treat your hypertension, our doctors may prescribe medications to bring your blood pressure down. It is important that you take any prescribed drugs regularly and do not stop taking them, even after your blood pressure comes down, without talking to your doctor.
Some common hypertension symptoms include:
However, for most people with hypertension, there are no obvious signs or symptoms. This is why hypertension can go undetected for years if people do not have their blood pressure checked. In fact, 17% of Americans with hypertension are undiagnosed.
Unfortunately, the first sign that you have high blood pressure may be when you are already having signs of cardiovascular disease or have suffered a heart attack or stroke. This is why hypertension is known in the medical world as “the silent killer.” Blood pressure tests are simple and quick to perform, so don’t delay in getting yourself checked.
Lying down and taking several deep breaths is a quick way to lower blood pressure. Taking a warm bath to relax can help as well.
There are several high blood pressure medicines that are extremely effective in treating high blood pressure. Taking high blood pressure medication in addition to incorporating healthy lifestyle changes, such as exercising and following a healthy diet, is the most successful approach.
The following are typical blood pressure ranges:
-Normal Blood Pressure: 120/80
-Prehypertension: 120-139 / 80-89
-High Blood Pressure Stage 1: 140-159 / 90-99
-High Blood Pressure Stage 2: 160-180 / 100-110
-Hypertensive Crisis: 180/110 or higher
Unfortunately, there is no cure for high blood pressure. However, through medication and lifestyle changes, it is possible to lower high blood pressure, making it more manageable.
You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. The only way to know if you suffer from hypertension is to consult a doctor. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, one of our board-certified physicians can help provide you with an appropriate high blood pressure treatment plan for your needs.
Without professional equipment, you will not be able to check your blood pressure from home. Your local pharmacy may have a digital blood pressure measurement machine. Additionally, at-home blood pressure monitors are available at affordable costs.
