How high should my blood pressure be before i start considering medication?

High blood pressure: Mild elevations in blood pressure can often be corrected with diet and exercise. However any elevation can be harmful and decision to defer medical therapy should be done on individual basis with your physician . In general systolic blood pressure above 160 mandates drug therapy along with exercise and diet.

140/90: There are three stages of hypertension. Pre-hypertension, stage i, and stage ii medication is not started until stage i. Stage i represents a systolic blood pressure (top number) greater than 140 or diastolic (bottom number) greater than 90. Remember you need three seperate readings at the same time of day, before starting treatment.