Rejected from blood donation because of white coat syndrome

Hi guys. i have been on TRT for less than 1 year and recently my hematocrit was slightly elevated (51.2). I was told to donate blood or perform a Therapeutic Phlebotomy. My blood pressure is normal at home (ranging from 110-70 to 120-80) but i have white coat syndrome and my BP at the doctor office sometimes can be as high as 160/100 and pulse around 100. So long story short i went to donate blood this morning and of course i was very nervous that my BP would be high. Sure enough. 162/104 and 100 heart rate so i was not accepted to donate. I tried to explain to the lady that i have white coat syndrome to let me try to relax for a few minutes and measure again. She was all rude and didnt allow me to. Ok. Went back home and measure my BP (120/78 and heart rate at 74). So frustrating. What can i do in this situation? I am so frustrated.

Umm..you need to learn to breathe deeply through your belly. Do it in the car before walking in and also when you sit to get your blood pressure done. Tell the tech that you need time to relax. DO NOT TALK while you are having your BP measured. Also, if you are a big guy, ask for a large cuff.

This exercise can be done anywhere to reduce stress and increase mindfulness. Some studies show that if you do this at least 3 times per day you will be a happier person with less stress. Do it specially when you are stuck in traffic! I actually have set up three alerts on my phone daily to remind me to breathe this way.


Also, make sure you are following these suggestions:



WORST CASE SCENARIO: Take a beta blocker 2 hours before your visit.

I get this, too. I think it's a mild undiagnosed anxiety but I do have a minor heart condition, too. I can sometimes get in under the wire but the last time I was turned away I went back to my nurse practitioner and talked to her about the heart and this problem and I did have to do a little cardiac workup and see a cardiologist but did get a beta blocker and everything is fine for me now in this regard. I use 25mg/D of metoprolol.

Thanks guys. Nelson i have tried those techniques before and they dont work most of the time. My doctor back in the day put me on a blood pressure medication just to see if my reading would be lower at the office (it did not). I dont remember the name of the medication though. Another thing that worries me is that i am doing the TRT with Defy and they require an Annual physical. So probably my blood pressure will be quite high and i am afraid i will end up getting disqualified for TRT. Very frustrating because TRT simply changed my life.
I scheduled another blood donation for tomorrow. Any natural anti anxiety herb that you can think of that can do the tricky? I took magnesium and GABA this morning before trying to donate and no luck. I have heard of cava cava and motherwort. I will pay a visit for my regular doctor and see if he can prescribe me something.

Hi Vince do you take this everyday? Usually Was your BP normal at home?

Mine was a pulse problem, primarily, I'd go in and be running @ 95 or higher and I'd get tossed out with a pulse of 101. Pressure is a lesser problem for me, my condition is called Tachycardia, the beta blocker calms my pulse nicely.

My problem is anxiety which blood pressure medication doesnt seem to help (at least last time i tried it didnt). I will go to my primary care physician and explain the situation and lets see what he says. In the mean time i am taking kava kava, passion fruit extract, motherwort, gaba and magnesium starting today and will take another dose before trying to donate again. Wish me luck!

Your are not alone. I been rejected twice to donate blood but no way they would let me in with 170-100 etc.. measured at home 135-80. Every time my doc measure my BP it goes sky high. I am fed up of that my stress or anxiety controls my BP that much. After all my BP at home is ok and only when I am alone and calm I get the the correct readings.

It is not allowed to take any beta blockers if you donate blood at least where I live.

Tommy Wall said:

Your are not alone. I tried twice to donate blood but no way they would let me in with 170-100 etc.. measured at home 135-80. Every time my doc measure my BP it goes sky high. I am fed up of that my stress or anxiety controls my BP that much. After all my BP at home is ok.

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Very frustrating right? I am wondering if there is any medication that could be taken in these situations to lower BP. As i mentioned before my doctor even tried a blood pressure medication but it didnt work for me. I guess the anxiety spike in BP needs something like xanax. I will try this herbal combination. Lets see. Going tomorrow morning

Last time I took 1mg of Xanaz before and it didn´t help.

Does anybody know if for therapeutic Phlebotomy your BP needs to be under 180/100 as well?

Tommy Wall said:

Last time I took 1mg of Xanaz before and it didn´t help.

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Have you tried any BP medication?

Yes after reading a lot of good things on this forum I change my BP medication to Losartan. ( good for the wood). Before ACE and Calcium channel blocker. I am fine with Losartan.

Tommy Wall said:

Yes after reading a lot of good things on this forum I change my BP medication to Losartan. ( good for the wood). Before ACE and Calcium channel blocker. I am fine with Losartan.

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But still high when measuring at doc office right

Yes. I am happy that my hemo etc.. are under control by now or not higher than upper limits. However I only inject 2x50mg and 2x500iu HCG per week which is enough to get my testo within 800 range and its ok for me. Basically I just copied Nelson protocol to dial in and it works for me and I don´t think I need to donate blood because the levels seem to be more stabilized by now though on the upper side but stabilized.

Nothing decreases blood pressure and "stage fright' (or white coat syndrome) better than a beta blocker. Ask your doc for propanolol

Nelson Vergel said:

Nothing decreases blood pressure and "stage fright' (or white coat syndrome) better than a beta blocker. Ask your doc for propanolol

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Thanks Nelson!

HealthMan said:

Does anybody know if for therapeutic Phlebotomy your BP needs to be under 180/100 as well?

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I looked in to this but didnt get an answer at the time, I was wondering the same thing if blood is being disposed of could I bypass the health screening.

Vince Carter said:

I looked in to this but didnt get an answer at the time, I was wondering the same thing if blood is being disposed of could I bypass the health screening.

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I think you are not allowed because of safety concerns. I really hope tomorrow morning i can donate before i have time to try a beta blocker.

Nelson Vergel said:

Nothing decreases blood pressure and "stage fright' (or white coat syndrome) better than a beta blocker. Ask your doc for propanolol

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Nelson i found out the drug name i was prescribed a few year ago and didnt work: bystolic. Also a beta blocker. But i was taking the lowest dose possible. Hopefully propanolol works for me