High blood pressure question

Hello everyone.

I recently was told by a doctor that I may have hypertension and I've got
a few questions about possible causes.

A little background. I am a 28-year-old male, presently attending a law
enforcement academy. I have 2 hours of physical exercise a day, including
running (several miles at a time), calesthenics, etc. I eat three times a
day at an on-site cafeteria, and while the food served is not exactly
homemade, its not pre-packaged, freeze-dried either. I am not entirely
certain as to the salt content of the food served. Outside of the
cafeteria I eat a lot of apples, bananas, and nuts (lightly salted because
its all I can get at the local stores).

I take Claritin-D for allergies, and was told that this may contribute to
higher blood pressure. In addition, I drink a protein shake each morning,
consuming on average 125-150g of protein a day (I usually eat chicken,
cottage cheese, salads, pork, beef, and whatever other lean foods I can
get). I only mention this because my mother's doctor told her high
protein diets can elevate high blood pressure (my mother has been under
treatment for hypertension for several years).

Right now I am also taking 1600g of ibuprofin a day to treat shin splints,
along with the occassional Tylenol for the pain. I take a multivitamin a
day, along with 2000g of VitC, glucosamine, and minocycline (for acne). I
usually have four to five cups of coffee a day and I drink a lot of water
as well.

The stress of the academy is very significant and I am told that stress
can also be a factor leading to high blood pressure.

I have never had problems like this before, and I am trying to figure out
if my blood pressure is being elevated due to stress, diet, medications,
any combination of the three, or other factors entirely. High blood
pressure does run in my family, although everyone who has been diagnosed
with it has been in their early 50s first.

I am completely new to hypertension and am trying to get a better idea of
what could be causing it in my case, as well as what I can do to help
lower it.

Presently I am forgoing taking any medications or drinking coffee for a
few days. I am going to get my blood pressure checked again after a few
days to see if it drops. Hopefully then I can begin slowly pinpointing
exactly what is causing it.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
.

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