Woman suspects drug causes fainting
DR. PETER GOTT
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Published: June 23, 2009
DEAR DR. GOTT: I am an 85-year-old woman. I never did smoke or drink. I get up at 7 a.m. and go to bed around 11 p.m. I try to keep up with my housework and some days don’t even lie down or nap.
I never had high blood pressure until age 80. Is this natural? My bottom number ranged between 100 and 120, so I was put on blood-pressure medicine. The first didn’t work, so I was switched to
Lotrel. That caused problems with my feet and hands turning bright red. I tried to stop the drug but no others worked, so I’m sort of stuck with it. Could the Lotrel cause a buildup of fluid in my hands and feet?
For the past four years, I have had blackouts that I’m told result from the edema, so I’m on a diuretic. Before passing out, I see water waving and get mixed up and forgetful. My doctor sent me to the hospital for a brain test and found there’s nothing wrong other than poor circulation. He has tested me for thyroid disorders and other things. He says my heart is strong.
DEAR READER: Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be present for many years without any outward symptoms and is common with aging. In part, this is because arteries harden and become less elastic, preventing them from expanding and contracting to adapt to changing blood flow. If you see a physician on a regular basis, it is likely your blood pressure has been monitored for many years and didn’t become a problem until six years ago.
There are a number of things a person can do at home to try to control the condition, such as limiting salt intake, reducing alcohol intake, avoiding stress and remaining active. When these and other steps fail, medicine is prescribed.
The Lotrel you have been prescribed is a calcium-channel blocker used to treat hypertension. Your physician was correct in considering other drugs before settling on the one he did.
Unfortunately, you experience at least one side effect, namely a skin rash that turns your hands and feet bright red. Other common effects include vomiting, excessive sweating, diarrhea, lightheadedness and fainting. This makes me wonder whether the medicine might have a bearing on or be the basis for your blackouts.
While I’m certain your doctor is aware of the possibility of syncope (fainting), I suggest you take any steps you can at home to lower your blood pressure and then return to your doctor for an in-depth discussion about a possible drug connection.
To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my health report "Hypertension.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelope and a check or money order for $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dr. Gott is a retired physician and author of "Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and "Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” available at most bookstores. Send questions for Gott in care of
United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor,
New York, NY 10016.
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