FDA review process of drugs
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Dec 14 2009
Q: I have always been pre-hypertensive. At age 48 I agreed to go on some BP meds to appease my life insurance company in order to lower my premium: Lotrel 5-20. I had a stroke 4 months later. Why is it that it takes a Freedom of Information request to find out the real adverse side effects of these dangerous drugs?
A: If you have been following the news, you understand that studies showing positive outcomes are the ones that get reported. Negative results aren’t always presented by the manufacturer. The FDA review process determines if benefits of a drug seem to outweigh the risks. Serious side effects may not be publicly discovered until many people have been taking the drug for a long period of time. A recent example of this is the association of the arthritis drug Vioxx and heart disease. To learn more about the FDA review process click here.
Tags: adverse side effects, bp, dangerous drugs, FDA, freedom of information, freedom of information request, hypertensive, lotrel, Misc, side effect, Taking BP Meds, vioxx, vioxx and heart diseaseHigh BP even with multiple meds
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Feb 26 2009
Q: I have high blood pressure and my doctor has tried me on many different meds. I take vasotec twice a day, hctz 25 mg daily and a catapres patch once a week. My doctor recently added metoprolol 25 mg twice a day plus 8.75 mg of sular. The sular is causing severe swelling and taking lasix my BP is still way too high. What is the dose that I could take of metoprolol and not have to take the sular and lasix?
A: You have not provided enough information for me to make any dosage recommendations. Before starting another blood pressure drug, I would suggest you talk to your doctor about use of the RESPeRATE. It has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure without interacting with any blood pressure medication. Considering all the different classes of drugs you are currently taking, drug interaction is a big concern.
Don’t forget lifestyle impacts blood pressure. It is very important for difficult to control hypertensive people to exercise regularly, maintain a normal weight, and eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Tags: blood pressure drug, blood pressure medication, catapres, catapres patch, drug interaction, hctz, high blood pressure, hypertensive, lasix, lower blood pressure, metoprolol, RESPeRATE, Sular, Taking BP Meds, vasotecIs low bp dangerous?
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Apr 26 2007
Q: Is it true that if your blood pressure is too low it is more dangerous than when it is high?
A: Both extremes of blood pressure are dangerous. The difference is you usually develop symptoms with low blood pressure and seek treatment. High blood pressure is known as the silent killer because many people are not aware they are hypertensive until after a stroke or heart attack.
Tags: heart attack, hypertensive, low blood pressure, Low BP, silent killer, stroke
