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What is considered stroke level high blood pressure?

Call 911 or emergency medical services if your blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or symptoms of stroke. Stroke symptoms include numbness or tingling, trouble speaking, or changes in vision.

mayoclinic.org - Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms? - Mayo Clinic

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What's a hypertensive crisis? If I notice a spike in my blood pressure, what should I do? Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D. A hypertensive crisis is a sudden, severe increase in blood pressure. The blood pressure reading is 180/120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater. A hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency. It can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening health problems. Severely high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and body organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. During a hypertensive crisis, the heart may not be able to pump blood effectively.

Hypertensive crises are grouped into two categories.

Urgent hypertensive crisis. Blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater. There are no signs of organ damage. Blood pressure is 180/120 or greater. There are no signs of organ damage. Emergency hypertensive crisis. Blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater. There is life-threatening damage to the body's organs.

Causes of a hypertensive crisis include:

Forgetting to take blood pressure medication

Suddenly stopping certain heart medications, such as beta blockers

Medication interactions

Tumor of the adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma)

Symptoms of a hypertensive crisis may include:

Anxiety

Blurred vision

Chest pain

Confusion

Nausea and vomiting

Not responding to stimulation (unresponsiveness)

Seizures

Severe headache

Shortness of breath

If you get a very high blood pressure reading at home and don't have any symptoms, relax for a few minutes. Then check your blood pressure again. If it's still very high, seek medical care. Call 911 or emergency medical services if your blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or symptoms of stroke. Stroke symptoms include numbness or tingling, trouble speaking, or changes in vision. Treatment for a hypertensive crisis may include a hospital stay to monitor for organ damage. Medications to lower blood pressure are given by mouth or IV.

With Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

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Can I skip a day of blood pressure medication?

You might face serious complications. If you don't take your blood pressure pills for your heart as prescribed, it could raise your chances of a heart attack, a stroke, kidney failure, or other complications. Even OTC drugs can be dangerous to skip.

webmd.com - Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Medication - WebMD

Missing a dose or two of your medications may not seem like a big deal. Americans fail to follow their doctor or pharmacist’s instructions about half the time. Sometimes the skipped doses cause no obvious problems. But many medications won’t work right if you don’t take them when and the way you’re supposed to. Problems It Can Cause Forgetting or skipping your meds can affect you in ways you might not expect. That’s especially true if you skip multiple doses. You may miss the best window of time. Some pain medicines for arthritis work best if you treat your symptoms before they start. Otherwise, your pain flare-ups may be harder to tamp down. If you have asthma, using your inhaler too late means you may not prevent irritated airways and the symptoms that follow. Your treatment might fail. If you don’t finish your antibiotics, your infection might last longer or even come back. Then you may need a longer drug course or more powerful antibiotics. Incomplete treatments also may make you resistant to antibiotics, so take all your prescribed pills even if you feel better.