My husband is 65 and in pretty good health. His blood pressure has been okay but occasionally was 130/90. Last week his pressure spiked to 210/150 and we went to the hospital. They addmited him and brought the pressure down. They did a cardiac cat scan, ultras sound of the heart, several ekg and blood tests. He was discharged and put on 25mg of metratroporal. The next day he went to his regular doctor and he put him on 50 mg. and did a kidney test. His blood pressure was fine for a few days and is now l40/95. He called the doctor and he said to take more medication. Does it take a while to regulate blood pressure? We are at a loss as to what is going on. This is our first experience with hypertension. Do you think all of the tests which came out fine, are enough? Are we missing any? Also, his stomach is upset today, does the medication do this? Should he have had a cat scan of the brain? Thank you very much.
2007-02-13 15:11:59 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Hello, this information isn't going to be exatly what you are looking for, but I just wanted to let you know that 90% of all HTN is primary and w/ primary HTN, there is NO KNOWN CAUSE. I'd like to answer your pharmacology drug, however, I have never heard of that one and was unable to find any information on it on the web. Please check the spelling and repost. I'm thinking you may have been referring to propranolol (Inderal) and I'd be happy to give you information on that. In this area, it is a common medication for HTN.
2007-02-13 15:39:11 · answer #1 · answered by MissyLPN 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry to hear he's having problems. Metoprolol is a good medication to treat blood pressure because it can treat hypertension in spite of its cause in most cases. It sounds like they've covered all the tests, except a morning cortisol level and a creatinine clearance test. I'm not sure which kidney test was done. Was it a blood test, a urine test, or did they check his renal arteries by ultrasound or another method? If they've done most of these then they're doing everything they can to find the cause. Yes, the medication might take a little time, and no it shouldn't make him nauseated. A brain CAT scan would be one of the last tests to run simply because the cause is less likely to be found there, and an MRI would probably be more helpful in that case. There is always the chance it's a pituitary adenoma (not cancerous), in which case a morning cortisol level would have clued them in on that problem. Try not to stress out. Increasing this medication in increments like this is common, especially when there is not a complete response to the lowest dose. Good luck. Regardless of the cause, treating it is the most important thing, and that includes diet and exercise. It sounds like you're pretty healthy already, so this shouldn't be an issue. : )
2007-02-13 23:52:13 · answer #2 · answered by sleeprn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check out this site:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/highbloodpressure.html
It does sometimes take time to find the right drug and the right dose of medication. Yes, medications can cause a stomach upset among other side effects.
Sometimes hypertension is caused by other underlying diseases: be sure your doctor eliminates causes such as listed in this link:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HQ01345
Call your doctor again and ask him the questions you pose here - don't feel that you are 'bothering' him/her - this is your husband's life. He/she works for you. If in doubt of this doctor, get a second or third opinion. Return to the hospital if you think he needs immediate medical attention.
Good luck!
2007-02-13 23:27:34 · answer #3 · answered by Santal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It often takes several days, and sometimes even several meds before BP is properly controlled. It sounds like your doc is doing the right thing. Just give it time and keep an eye on his numbers. If it goes up again call your doc....if concerned, or if he has any symptoms of headache, dizziness, vision problems, etc go to the ER.
I can't see where a CT scan would do any good, unless he's had symptoms of a stroke.
2007-02-13 23:23:07 · answer #4 · answered by CindySue 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You and your hubby should read the apple cider vinegar website. I used to have high b.p. until I started taking this wonderful drink. Just give it 3-4 weeks time. Also 6-8 glass of water/day to thin the blood. Kiss him for me! 2 tbls. in a glass of water 2 x day or as need. Cures depression that comes along with the medication.
2007-02-13 23:21:59 · answer #5 · answered by glenda576 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to this site it should help you http://www.bloodpressurenotice.com/
2007-02-13 23:30:03 · answer #6 · answered by tsh_tru2002 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋