I am having a really bad bout of sinusitis diagnosed by a sinus xray and the antibiotics aren't helping great yet, been on them a week. My question is could I safetly use a nasal spray or cold medicine without having them effect my BP. I have been on BP meds for around 6 months now and is decently controlled. Thanks.

Go to your local chain store (or look on the net) and read the labels

A majority of the OTC cold meds specifically say DO NOT take them if you are on BP meds, there are a few that are OK, if you have a good pharmacist he can tell you what you can take with your meds safely, they know more about med interactions than doctors anyway

if you are just a little plugged up, Vicks Vaporub works well, or a good old fashioned mustard rub, but wear a T-shirt you dont care about

My Grandma used to mix up some old Sicilian recipe that smelled like something that had sat on the kitchen counter too long & turned into a science project but it would open you up after 1 night with it on your chest, wish i knew what the recipe was

FWIW, I was taking pseudovent earlier this year. I thought it was interesting that my doctor prescribed this. In any case, I was unable to detect any change in my BP. I'm sure everyone has a different reaction. But, for me it had no effect.

Pal

There is one that I know of that can be taken, Corisidan HBP (Sorry, can't spell it, but you say it like CORE-A-SEEDIN). Also, I use the sprays when I have a cold and it doesn't effect my blood pressure (that's ME though - if you have a home monitor, check it periodically if you are using them)

Over-the-counter sprays or decongestant tabs like sudefed don't affect me either but it's usually because it's only for VERY short term use. (A few days max.)

Why not ask you doctor for a prescription for one of the steroid nasal sprays, like Nasocort? They're safe for BP. Or better yet, if you can "drop by" his/her office, the doctor probably would have samples to give you.

I know this is an old post, but can anyone explain to me what the side effects are of taking a decongestant if you're on high bp meds (I'm on 50 mg Cozzar)?

Thanks,
Kevin

Basically the side efffect is that the stimulatory effect of pseudoephedrine and other decongestants RAISE your BP.

I think that the better choice is to use a nasal spray rather than a systemic (pill) because then ALL the decongestant is right where you need it and you don't need a whole lot of it coursing through your blood stream to get to your nose.

For someone with a cold it's far less of a problem because nasal blocking from a cold lasts several days to a week. For people with allergies day in and day out there's a big dilemma.

If I take pseudoephedrine my BP goes up but it's not horrible...maybe 10 points systolic give or take a few.

So, can you take Nyquil while having a bad cold? That stuff does help especially when you can't sleep with congestion. Was your husband taking blood pressure meds while also taking Nyquil? This have always pondered this because usually I just suffer through colds and flus because I'm too afraid it's going to kill me if I'm taking bp meds. Although, if he didn't measure the amount he was taking maybe he did overdose a little. Yikes! He's more ballsy than I am!

Nermal

I've had the flu all week and have fought off the urge to take any decongestants. I used Benadryl liberally though...like 100 mg./day. It kept me sleeping.