I suffer from HBP and take meds.
It's my own fault, 5'2", 200+lbs, classic apple shape. Some days all I regret about my current weightloss drive is that I'm frightened I might not live to the end of it. No really.

I have recently moved house, so had to move doctor. Where I lived before, you could get exercise on prescription. Still had to pay for it but you went thru a kind of pre-processing before hand so that the gym would be sure to know any health conditions, and you wouldn't end up with a 20 year old twig giving you a one-size fits all programme that would kill you.
Can't get that here.

The doctor is happy that I join a gym.
I've done some research and found one locally where I can pay per visit, which will be good for me, so that I can at least make sure I'm going to stick with it before committing to a monthly/annual membership.

I Will arrange a pre-commitment visit and
I Will ask all the right questions and
I Do know that advice posted here is not medical advice but

Could anyone advise me on the sort of equipment/weights to avoid when you've got HBP? It would really help me to gauge the honesty/quality of the gym staff if I had some answers to measure theirs against.

Thanks.

I have HBP, but it's not out of control yet for me. I'd say use the cardio machines, but go SLOWLY. That would go for weight machines as well if you choose to use them, but you don't need to yet. Take your time on the cardio for now and build stamina. I personally like the elliptical a lot because it's low impact and it burns calories fast but I would suggest you use the treadmill slowly for awhile first because it is tough.

Or you could skip the gym and do yoga or something similar.

Did you ask your doctor?

I would say you should look into weights. Is your high blood pressure controlled? If you lift extremely heavy, I know you can raise your blood pressure temporarily but overall its a good thing to do. I would recommend talking to your doctor. Here is an article I found from the Mayo clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weightlifting/AN00637

Thanks for the replies. The doctor wasn't much help. I asked about prescription exercise. He said they don't do it. I said, it's not that I don't want to pay, it's that I want some degree of medical supervision and how can I be sure a regular gym will provide that. He said something along the lines of, it's a bit of a lottery isn't it?

He is supposed to have written me up for some physio, because I have leg issues at the moment. When (ever) they get in touch, I may ask their advice too. In the meantime, maybe I'll just keep walking.....