Ear whooshing troublesome

March 30, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: First of all, I have been checked out by an ear, nose and throat doctor who says everything is okay. I’ve had a normal ultrasound on my carotid arteries and a CT of my aorta. My problem is that I have a pulsation in my right ear. I can hear my heart beat all the time with a “whooshing” sound with each beat. During the day it doesn’t bother me but when I’m trying to go to sleep, it’s awful. I’ve tried ear plugs, listening to white noise and elevating my pillows to no avail. It is interfering with my sleep! I don’t want to resort to sleeping pills but I’m afraid I’m going to have to. What could be causing this? It’s only gotten bad over the past six months. I didn’t notice it before.

I have two full-time jobs. I’m 61 and a grandmother of five. I love life, but there’s not enough time in each day! I’m 5’5” tall, about 160 pounds, not diabetic, but I do take [Read more...]

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Hypertension tough to control

March 10, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m having a terrible time controlling my blood pressure. I have been on many medications but none help. My systolic is in the 180 to 200 range most of the time and always very high when I get up in the morning.

My local doctor is at a loss as to what to do next. He sent me to a cardiologist and to a kidney specialist. (My heart and kidneys are fine). I also had a Doppler study on my kidneys and carotid artery and an ultrasound on my kidneys. Those results were good.

I’m a 68-year-old white female, retired. I walk 30 minutes every day and have been a diabetic for 20 years. I have glaucoma, [Read more...]

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17-year-old with high blood pressure can’t keep up

August 20, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 17-year-old son takes lisinopril for high blood pressure. Lately when he runs around 1 1/2 miles with his soccer team at practice, he has had a difficult time keeping up. He has been finishing about 25 feet behind the group and is usually out of breath. On one occasion he threw up. What makes this unusual is that he has run cross-country or track (a one- and two-mile run) for the last six years. He was the best runner on the soccer team. Does the lisinopril have any effect on his running?

DEAR READER: In teens up to the age of 18, hypertension is defined as a reading greater than the 95th percentile for their age, height and gender. Measurements between 90 percent and 95 percent of that expected range are considered to be borderline, and individuals will run a higher risk of developing high blood pressure as adults.
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Around-the-clock BP monitoring?

January 14, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My doctor has indicated that he wants a 24-hour blood-pressure reading on me. I just returned from my ophthalmologist’s office for a routine visit and asked him about this. I am uninformed but was surprised a specialist would not have heard of it, either. Can you fill in the blanks?

DEAR READER: The use of ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring (ABPM) for 24 hours has gained greater acceptance for several reasons. A situation known as white-coat hypertension occurs in up to 32 percent of patients, and this particular testing unit can monitor the condition. It can also delineate circadian variations in readings and pick up on drug-induced orthostatic hypotension and episodic primary hypertension. [Read more...]

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Meds make reader dizzy

August 25, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am constantly dizzy. I was taking 160 milligrams of Diovan for a long time, but my doctor changed me to 150 milligrams of Tekturna. Now I’m dizzy on that. My blood pressure is 118/66, so what causes the dizziness?

DEAR READER: There are a number of causes for dizziness, including vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere’s disease, inflammation of the inner ear, migraine headaches and as a result of using specific medications. Dizziness can also result from specific medications, low-blood-pressure readings (hypotension), Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders, nerve damage to the legs, inner-ear abnormalities and anxiety.
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Hypertensive happy off meds

August 11, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I find your articles informative and filled with common sense. I am a 69-year-old woman, 5 feet, 3 inches and 120 pounds. My blood pressure is high-normal. Otherwise, I am healthy.

My physician put me on lisinopril/HCTZ and a few months later added metoprolol XL. He later added amlodipine. Each was one tablet daily.

I began to have hot flashes and then felt cold. My stomach was upset, and I was very tired. So I started skipping the medicines and take none of them now. I walk a lot and feel much better. I realize high blood pressure is dangerous, but what about side effects, if that’s why I felt so bad? My blood pressure is about 160/75. I have a home blood-pressure cuff to monitor things.
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Finding alternatives to statins

August 10, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I would appreciate your advice. I am a 72-year-old Caucasian female with treated high blood pressure and high cholesterol (362)/triglycerides (403). Using a statin drug, I am able to get them down to 231 and 288, respectively. My problem is that I react poorly to statins. My legs have become weak, I have a nightmare of leg cramps, my muscles hurt, and I cope with nausea and gas. The cramps have spread to my hands and chest muscles.

I formerly was walking two miles a day; now I can barely walk a half-mile, and that is with stops. I have tried niacin and red yeast rice. I am currently taking omega-3 and flaxseed-oil capsules.
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Chronic yeast infection needs better care

July 6, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 70-year-old active woman who has had a yeast infection for almost five years. I have gone to several doctors and have been given prescriptions for all of the usual medicines for yeast infections, the latest being Premarin vaginal cream plus clobetasol propionate cream. All of these prescriptions have worked, but the infection always comes back within two months. The last time the infection was almost to the staph stage.

After my last infection, a biopsy was done. The report said: “Vulvar Biopsy: Ulceration with very severe active chronic inflammation and numerous plasma cells. A serology for spirochetes was negative.” The microscopic description said: [Read more...]

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Analyzing blood-pressure numbers

July 2, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My hypertension has been treated for many years with lisinopril 20 miligrams daily and amlodipine 5 milligrams daily. These medications seem to have little effect on my numbers. My systolic readings are in the range of 140 to 165, while my diastolic readings are in the 50s.

I recently came across an article on the topic of isolated systolic hypertension, in which a physician pointed out that this form of hypertension can lead to serious problems — stroke, heart disease, chronic kidney disease and dementia. The doctors and nurses who have taken my blood pressure have universally said that the diastolic reading was not a consideration; however, this report indicated that medications to control systolic hypertension should not be allowed to cause the diastolic pressure to go below 70 mmHg.
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A supplement for blood-pressure control?

April 28, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Have you heard of the supplement Ameal bp for maintaining blood pressure within the normal range? If so, can it work successfully?

DEAR READER: Ameal consists of two bioactive tripeptides — valyl prolyl proline (VPP) and isoleucyl prolyl proline (IPP) — that are extracted from milk proteins. The product is purported to block biochemical reactions in the body that can cause blood vessels to narrow and result in rising hypertension. It should be used in conjunction with proper diet and regular exercise.
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