highly variable blood pressue in elder

Hello,

My mother is 87, and is on two medications for high blood pressure. She is an alcoholic who drinks three to four glasses of red wine a night. Lately, her blood pressure has been ranging from 120/50 to 140/90 and more. She is in Florida now and I'm in the northeast, so I can't be on hand to deal with this and my sister is dealing with it by cutting her pills in half, having her take none, etc. My mother was dizzy for about a week, but now apparently isn't. She does often feel very tired and lethargic, however.

Is this a risk factor for stroke? My mother had a minor stroke in '98 and still has some speech effects from that. I am trying to get my sister to take my mother to a doctor, but she doesn't believe our mother is at risk of anything, so long as she's not dizzy.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you.
knhNEK

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hi,
Thank you for writing on your mother's behalf.

The dizziness may be coming from several causes, including medication side effects, not having enough medication, effects of alcoholism on the nerves,  etc. It is difficult to pin anything down via this forum.All of those are risk factors for stroke.
I do think your mother should be seen by her doctor soon to have a good examination, and also review how her BP meds are being taken as well as her blood pressure log. The alcoholism is a big issue that should be addressed if it has not. I understand the added difficulties of addressing this at her age, but it is still very important.
Hope this helps,
take care.