severe headaches and hypertension

Hello, My sister is in the hospital and has been for 3 days. SHe went in with blood pressure of 212/139. SHe had severe headache. They have been doing nothing but giving her morphine for the pain and knocking her out. No tests other than normal bloodwork (cbc) her BP drops slightly when the morphine hits but then comes right back up within a matter of minutes. WE are worried that it could be caused be a neurological issue. Has anyone ever had these sysptoms or have any advice? Amything would be appreciated right now, we are worried sick about her. she is a 38 yr old female who has never had high blood pressure before this incident. It just came out of hte blue. she has no history of Migraine either. Thank you

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you for your question. Although without being able to examine her I can not offer her the specific advice on diagnosis and treatment that she needs, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about her health concern.

Although hypertension could be the reason of her severe headache but it is quite essential to rule out the possibility of migraine here. The mainstay of the migraine treatment is always to identify the triggering factors and to avoid them. Triggering factors could be different foods such as cheese, chocolate, alcohol and even few fruits. Other factors that may induce your migraine attack may be contraceptive pills, stress or depression, bright lights, loud noise and traveling. Few women experience headache more commonly during the time of their menstrual periods & at the time of hormonal imbalance. I would suggest careful record of events that have proceeded with the attack and avoid those factors. In addition, suggest her to rest in a dark & quiet room, meditate, have a balanced diet and avoid taking unnecessary drugs. Even then if she suffers continuous headache, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the further underlying disorders here that may be the main reasons of your migraine attacks (if she has) or hypertension and can provide her an appropriate treatment. Hope this information proves helpful to you.

Take Care & Regards!!!

[brandideann]

Thank you!