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By Mayo Clinic staffNo special preparations are needed for a blood pressure test. You might want to wear a short-sleeved shirt to your appointment so that the nurse or technician doing your blood pressure test has easy access to your arm to perform the test. However, if the main reason for your doctor's appointment is to check for or monitor high blood pressure, you should use the toilet before your test to empty your bladder, and avoid eating, drinking caffeinated beverages and smoking for one hour before your test.
Because some medications — such as over-the-counter cold medicines, antidepressants, birth control pills and others — can affect your blood pressure, it's a good idea to take a list of medications and supplements you use to your doctor's appointment. Don't stop taking any prescription medications that you think may affect your blood pressure without your doctor's advice.
- Kaplan NM, et al. Overview of hypertension in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/ index. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- How high blood pressure is diagnosed. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/SymptomsDiagnosisMonitoringofHighBloodPressure/How-High-Blood-Pressure-isDiagnosed_UCM_301873_Article.jsp#.T4cd99Uktjs. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- Ogedegbe G, et al. Principles and techniques of blood pressure measurement. Cardiology Clinics. 2012;20:571.
- Kaplan NM, et al. Diet in the treatment and prevention of hypertension. http://www.uptodate.com/ index. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- Low blood pressure. American Heart Institute. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/AboutHighBloodPressure/Low-Blood-Pressure_UCM_301785_Article.jsp#.T4ckctUktjs. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- Screening for high blood pressure. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf07/hbp/hbprs.htm. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- How is high blood pressure diagnosed. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp/diagnosis.html. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- Lowering your blood pressure with DASH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf. Accessed April 10, 2012.
- Sheps SG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 13, 2012.
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