I have a history of high blood pressure. When I was on Lithium a few years ago I also developed kidney problems but they resolved when I went off the Lithium. A couple of days ago I developed a very bad headache and was also dizzy and nauseated. I took my blood pressure and it was 168/118. I was concerned about hypertensive crisis so I went to the ER to get it checked out. They checked my kidney function and it indicated my kidneys were slightly stressed but not enough to worry about. Nothing else indicated a problem. I have a history of anorexia and have been struggling lately, and this also occurred after a week of heavy restriction.

They kind of patronizingly told me that it was my own fault because I was anxious, and I should calm down so that my blood pressure would go down. The whole time I was at the ER I was calm, quiet, sitting patiently, and compared to before I got there, not extremely anxious. It sucks that once anxiety is in your chart, every physical health problem is attributed to that.

They put me back on the medication I used to be on for hypertension, and it's been almost 48 hours. My blood pressure read 154/98 before bed last night, and 133/94 when I got up this morning so it's improving.

The headache will not go away though, and it's been a bit more than three days. The reason I'm thinking migraine even though I've never had one before is that it seems to fit the description: It started as neck tension/pain, and then moved up into the back of my head/base of skull, and then to the sides of my head, and then behind my eyes. There was also some sinus pressure/pain, and I had a weird episode of extreme irritation just before it started. Keeping the lights off seems to help, as I'm more sensitive to light/sound than usual. I've been nauseated since it began.

I see my GP on Friday but I really don't want this to get written off as anxiety again. Does anyone have experience with high blood pressure and headaches, or migraines?