shanny1261
06-11-2003, 03:16 AM
Hi.. My 15 yr old daughter was to the doctor today and they took her BP and it was 130/104 in her right arm and it was 124/80 in the left.. I have been taking her to the doctor for headaches for the last 6 months.. he put her on allegra D for her congestion and also on nortripyline 10mg for her headaches and now today this happened with her BP and now he wants to put her on toprol XL 25mg.. he thinks the BP is the cause of the headaches i have been reading the side effects of this drug and plus i am not sure we shouldnt monitor the BP for a while and see if it was just a fluke thing.. she is just a little petite thing 5'4" weighs 107lbs There is a history of high BP in the family I have it grandmother too ..I guess i am just a worried mom and dont know if maybe i shouldnt take her to a specialist what kind of specialist too. just worried she is on to many meds and that the doctor is just throwing pills at her to try and get rid of the headaches.. so any feedback would be greatly appreciated... thanks shanny
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Moxie75
06-11-2003, 07:46 AM
I don't know if it makes a difference but I know the doctor always takes my BP in the left arm and all the BP monitors say take it in your left arm for accurate readings. I would think that more tham one try on taking your daughter's BP would be more likely to diagnose if she has high BP or not. Only one try would not be enough for me to put my daughter on meds.
I have a 15 yr old too so I know how worried you must be but make sure you get several readings first. My daughter sometimes gets headaches from her allergies but she is on claritan and my partner at work takes allegra and she always has a headache..keep us posted..Lisa
I have a 15 yr old too so I know how worried you must be but make sure you get several readings first. My daughter sometimes gets headaches from her allergies but she is on claritan and my partner at work takes allegra and she always has a headache..keep us posted..Lisa
Tamsin
06-11-2003, 11:41 AM
Hi!
Sounds like one of those "vicious cycles". I believe both meds your daughter is taking contain ingredients which can raise BP. Can you talk to your doctor or allergist to see if there is something she else she can take for her allergies?
Sounds like one of those "vicious cycles". I believe both meds your daughter is taking contain ingredients which can raise BP. Can you talk to your doctor or allergist to see if there is something she else she can take for her allergies?
stellakitty
06-11-2003, 12:52 PM
Shanny...
I think docs are too eager to throw pills at kids, my daughter is now 14, they've been tossing us meds for the past two years. I have hypertension, your daughter needs at least a week, better two, before she starts any type of meds for b.p.
As for the allergies my girls do a saline nasal was everyday, followed with flonase and allegra, they are headache free.
I think docs are too eager to throw pills at kids, my daughter is now 14, they've been tossing us meds for the past two years. I have hypertension, your daughter needs at least a week, better two, before she starts any type of meds for b.p.
As for the allergies my girls do a saline nasal was everyday, followed with flonase and allegra, they are headache free.
Elias Fernandez
06-11-2003, 01:33 PM
I would tell him that he should know that the alleregy drug raises BP and that you need to test at home over a period of at least 30 days (taken at roughly the same time) BEFORE you would consider Torpel XL. I STILL would not take it as it did some VERY bad stuff to me.
Gop buy a BP readed that goes over the arm and read her BP at home for 30 days and see what it looks like but if it is below 145/95 I would not bother with any drugs.
Also if it is high enough for this period of time I would also consider taking her off the alergy medication (if possible and then after a week without meds retest) if this is not possible may just switch to a diffrent allergey med. and the retest as above.
I have found MANY over the counter as well as perscribed meds increase BP.
Hope this helps Elias
Gop buy a BP readed that goes over the arm and read her BP at home for 30 days and see what it looks like but if it is below 145/95 I would not bother with any drugs.
Also if it is high enough for this period of time I would also consider taking her off the alergy medication (if possible and then after a week without meds retest) if this is not possible may just switch to a diffrent allergey med. and the retest as above.
I have found MANY over the counter as well as perscribed meds increase BP.
Hope this helps Elias
zuzu8
06-11-2003, 01:52 PM
I have recently read some data from 9 studies involving 70,000 children in the U.S and U.K.which concluded that to avoid over-diagnosis of hypertension, and because the incidence of essential/ primary (no known cause) hypertension in childhood is less than 5%, at LEAST 3 (count'em ladies and gentlemen..THREE) abnormal readings, obtained on separate occasions, should be obtained before considering a diagnosis of "hypertension" in a child or adolescent. Also, many physicians say that "white coat" hypertension is VERY common in adolescents, and not to be discounted.
They ALSO recommend an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). In this procedure, your daughter would wear a blood pressure cuff that takes BP at regular intervals for 24 hours.
And what's puzzling to me, unless your doctor has run extensive tests, is that overall, MOST childhood hypertension is secondary; that is, caused by another underlying disorder, which in many cases may be kidney/renal disease. (Don't panic...this is not something that is necessarily permanent and is almost always treatable, thereby literally curing the high blood pressure. )
Therefore,before popping BP pills, it is your doctor's responsibility to make SURE that your daughter does not have a secondary cause of hypertension. She should have a renal scan. Also thorough thyroid studies.
Perhaps you should ask her doctor about this. Maybe even get a referral to a cardiologist .
Of course all this is moot if her doctor has already ruled out secondary causes.
zuzu xxx
They ALSO recommend an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). In this procedure, your daughter would wear a blood pressure cuff that takes BP at regular intervals for 24 hours.
And what's puzzling to me, unless your doctor has run extensive tests, is that overall, MOST childhood hypertension is secondary; that is, caused by another underlying disorder, which in many cases may be kidney/renal disease. (Don't panic...this is not something that is necessarily permanent and is almost always treatable, thereby literally curing the high blood pressure. )
Therefore,before popping BP pills, it is your doctor's responsibility to make SURE that your daughter does not have a secondary cause of hypertension. She should have a renal scan. Also thorough thyroid studies.
Perhaps you should ask her doctor about this. Maybe even get a referral to a cardiologist .
Of course all this is moot if her doctor has already ruled out secondary causes.
zuzu xxx
zuzu8
06-11-2003, 07:29 PM
HI Shanny.... I have a P.S.........
I think Tamsin and Elias may have really nailed something when they both mentioned that the drugs your daughter has been taking can raise blood pressure.
I researched them:
ALLEGRA:
Sympathomimetic amines (of which ALLEGRA is one) should be used judiciously and sparingly in patients with hypertension. (Now...did the Allegra cause her elevated BP or does she have slightly elevated BP and the Allegra is exacerbating it?)
NORTRIPTYLINE:
SIDE EFFECTS:
If you experience any of the following serious side effects contact your doctor immediately:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, face, or tongue; or hives);
· seizures;
· a fast or irregular heartbeat;
· heart attack;
·HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (blurred vision, severe HEADACHE);
He gives her Nortriptyline for headache and one of the side effects is headache AND high blood pressure!!!!!
Is this a chicken or egg thing maybe? She's on these drugs that can raise her BP, so now doc discovers elevated BP readings and is ready to put her on Toprol?
OR she may have a kidney/renal/thyroid issue in which case these can cause secondary HBP and she shouldn't be taking either Allegra or nortriptyline, until secondary causes are ruled out.
I don't like the sound of how her doctor is approaching this.
Please ask all these questions....Your daughter may be a totally healthy young woman simply with allergies and normal tension headache and is being over-medicated and this is possibly making matters worse.
Love, zuzu xxxx
PPS...The one thing that I disagree with Elias about is that 145/95 in an adult is considered high BP (normal is 120/80)... and it should be even less in a teenager.
[This message has been edited by zuzu8 (edited 06-11-2003).]
I think Tamsin and Elias may have really nailed something when they both mentioned that the drugs your daughter has been taking can raise blood pressure.
I researched them:
ALLEGRA:
Sympathomimetic amines (of which ALLEGRA is one) should be used judiciously and sparingly in patients with hypertension. (Now...did the Allegra cause her elevated BP or does she have slightly elevated BP and the Allegra is exacerbating it?)
NORTRIPTYLINE:
SIDE EFFECTS:
If you experience any of the following serious side effects contact your doctor immediately:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, face, or tongue; or hives);
· seizures;
· a fast or irregular heartbeat;
· heart attack;
·HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (blurred vision, severe HEADACHE);
He gives her Nortriptyline for headache and one of the side effects is headache AND high blood pressure!!!!!
Is this a chicken or egg thing maybe? She's on these drugs that can raise her BP, so now doc discovers elevated BP readings and is ready to put her on Toprol?
OR she may have a kidney/renal/thyroid issue in which case these can cause secondary HBP and she shouldn't be taking either Allegra or nortriptyline, until secondary causes are ruled out.
I don't like the sound of how her doctor is approaching this.
Please ask all these questions....Your daughter may be a totally healthy young woman simply with allergies and normal tension headache and is being over-medicated and this is possibly making matters worse.
Love, zuzu xxxx
PPS...The one thing that I disagree with Elias about is that 145/95 in an adult is considered high BP (normal is 120/80)... and it should be even less in a teenager.
[This message has been edited by zuzu8 (edited 06-11-2003).]
sunbird_owner
06-11-2003, 09:54 PM
Shanny,
Viscous cycle is exactly correct. Have you been to a
health food sore for the allergies. I know Nature's Sunshine carries something equavalent to Allegra and there are no side effects.
My wife controls all of her allergies through herbal means.
Jay
Viscous cycle is exactly correct. Have you been to a
health food sore for the allergies. I know Nature's Sunshine carries something equavalent to Allegra and there are no side effects.
My wife controls all of her allergies through herbal means.
Jay