The Nicotine Patch and High Blood Pressure

Last night while at Walmart, I decided to check my blood pressure. I have been dealing with slightly elevated blood pressure for about six months now, and keep a regular check on it as well as taking my meds. It's usually pretty good since starting the medication, so when I read 159/90, I was a little scared.

After walking around the store, trying to figure out what was going on, it hit me. I had just put a piece of the nicotine gum in before coming into the store, and I was wearing the patch. It made sense. Not completely sure that this was the cause, I looked it up when I got home on the Internet. My suspicions were correct.

This is what I found:

Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system. Whether you smoke a cigarette or absorb nicotine from a patch, your body responds by releasing a hormone called epinephrine (adrenaline). Its effects range from increased energy and awareness to high blood pressure, a rise in heart rate, and nervousness. High blood pressure with the use of a nicotine patch (or gum, inhaler, lozenge, or nasal spray) may mean you are taking too much nicotine.

Now, while reading previously about the gum and the patch, I had read that you may use the two together if need be, and this is what I do on occasion. I'm beginning to think that this isn't something that should be practiced on a regular basis. So, today, I've limited my use of the gum, but am still wearing the patch. The patch seems to serve my purposes better, and doing without the gum hasn't been too difficult. My goal is to be off them both before the end of the week.

If you'd like to read the entire article, you can do so here. It's just a short article, but worth the read, especially if you have a heart condition and are using the patch.