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Heart Disease  (Expert Forum)
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Chronic hypotension and Tachycardia
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Chronic hypotension and Tachycardia

by Christine__0__0, Jun 08, 1998 12:00AM
  I am female and am 44 years, have one son of 15. The hypotension started when i was pregnant.
  On Monday June 1st I had stomach pain and diarrea (diarrhea). The doctor who treaths me told me to take: 1- AMOX (Amoxicilina),2- Sueroral (Glucosa 20,0g; Cloruro sodico 3,5 g; bicarbonato sodico 2,5g; Cloruro potasico 1,5g) and mix that in one liter of water. After taking 3 days the Amox every 8 hours (total 6 pills taken), i develloped an
  allergy and was very swollen: face, body, hands. My wheight went up by 9,5 pounds in 3 days, this only eating diet youghourth. I am still swollen.
  My blood pressure is normaly very low, 80/65. Rarely it goes up to 105. Even so i have problems of Tachycardia without taking any medicine to higher the blood pressure.
  After what happened he prescribed me Alerlisin (Cetirizina diclorhidrato 10mg) to take one every 12 hours.
  Yesterday, (it was a normal warm day), around 5 pm i started to feel very unstable on my feet, what is very usual in me. It went to worse, i started feeling very nervous, unable to sit still. I have the impression of having tachycardia then.
  At once i felt the need to wed my face, did that, but still worse. I took a cold shower, not better, i think i also feel each time a pannic attack without
  knowing it when my blood pressure drops to low. I do realize the pannicking afterwoods.
  After the shower i put myself on the cold floor with my legs stretched on a chair. After a long while (1 hour) i started feeling little better. Using as much ice as i could onmy arms, face, etc.
  I feel nervous since last saterday, the day after i started taking the Alerlisin.
  It is hard to live with a chronic hypotension. It comes and goes. I only think of it when i start feeling real bad.
  I do not know if the nervousness and dizzyness when i go out or walk in the house, is because of the reaction to the peniciline or due to the hypotension or both.
  This because i have had it many times before what happened with the peniciline.
  BTW, i usually feel very unstable on my feet and do not have much equilibrium. I have the impression that my heart bounces hard when i have an attack of hypotension, yet i think it stays by an impression (?). Is there a cure for hypotension. I will be going to
  the seaside and would like to feel well to be able to live a normal life.
  As i often don't think of an opcoming hypotension attack, i only react to it when it is almost too late and have to find a place to refresh myself and lay down, what only
  helps very little. When others see me when i start feeling dizzy, they say that i become totally pale in my face.
  As i live in Spain, is it possible to have some more information on what specialist to go to and if there is a cure for it?
  Would it be of any help to take pils to higher the blood pressure? When i was pregnant, the doctor wrote a recepy for it, Efortil drops, but it did give me
  tachycardia from a few drops, so much i had to stop.
  There is another drug he did prescribe me then from which i did not have tachycardia:
  Bifort composed by:
  Clorhidrato de Teodrenalina 5 mg
  Clorhidrato de Cafedrina  100 mg
  I do really hope to find some help here to a problem that lasts already 16 years.
  BTW, i am normally not a coffie drinker, yet when i do drink coffie, feeling low blood pressure,
  it does not provoque tachycardia. Other times it does.
  Thanks in advance,
  Christine

by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Jun 08, 1998 12:00AM

Dear Christine, thank you for your question.  First of all, it appears clear that you have an allergic reaction to penicillin drugs so you should never take a penicillin-type drug again.  As for your hypotension,  it's hard to say what's causing it from the information that you give.  One possibility could be dysfunction of the adrenal glands.  Normally, the adrenals make steroids which regulate many functions of the body including salt and water intake and excretion.  When the adrenals fail, hypotension can result because salt cannot be retained by the kidneys to maintain an adequate blood volume.  This disorder is called Addison's Disease and is accompanied by other symptoms/signs including severe weakness, hyperpigmentation of the skin, weight loss, diarrhea, nausea, and lack of an appetite.  Another possibility could be dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system that regulates involuntary nervous system functions like regulating the blood pressure with sitting and standing.  With this disorder, patients become hypotensive when they stand up and often pass out.  Tachycardia results with hypotension because the heart is trying to compensate for a low blood pressure to maintain effective perfusion of the vital organs.  Tachycardia is thus a compensatory response and not the primary problem.  There are many other causes of hypotension and I think you should see a cardiologist in your area before embarking on any physical activity program and to help with solidifying a diagnosis for your symptoms.  The medications prescribed for your tachycardia are an adrenaline compound and a caffeine derivative.  Those medications are not available in the U.S. but may be appropriate - you would have to ask the doctor who prescribe those medications to you about that.  Good  luck with finding a diagnosis and treatment for your condition and remember to always avoid penicillin-type drugs in the future.





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