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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
80 yrs old and taking a variety of blood pressure meds
Answered by
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80 yrs old and taking a variety of blood pressure meds
by Babycakes1, Aug 09, 2005 12:00AM
I am at my wits end. My mom is 80 yrs old and taking a variety of blood pressure meds. He Dr. recently put her on Actos which is supposed to help with controlling the possibility of diabetes (which, I guess, goes hand-in-hand with the whole high blood pressure thing). Shortly after she started taking the Actos, she ended up with a terrible sinus infection (or so it seemed) and she was treated with a variety of antibiotics, none of which seemed to help. The biggest issue with the sinus infection was that her ears became totally clogged up and the ENT told her that she had fluid accummulating. This was obvious....we needed to know what was causing it.
After doing some research, I discovered that one of the more common side effects of the new medication, Actos, was sinus infection, sore throat, etc. She asked her cardiologist, who was the Dr. who prescribed Actos, if she could go off of it to see if she would feel better. He agreed, reluctantly, and in a few weeks, she was feeling much better, able to hear again (hooray!), etc. She seemed to be pretty much back to normal and went to the cardiologist for her check-up and he said that he still detected a nasal sound to her voice and, therefore, thought that the Actos had nothing to do with the sinuses, congestion, lack of hearing, etc., and put her back on it. Within two to three weeks, she was right back where she started. ENT now wants to put tubes in her ears to relieve the pressure from the fluid build-up, but I think we need to figure out WHAT is causing the symptoms. I still think it has something to do with the medication and I would like to see her go off of it again.
If the symptoms clear up the way they did the last time, it would convince me that it's a reaction to the Actos. I also think an allergist might be in order. My mom is afraid to go off the medication because whe wants to follow the doctors orders. It just seems like no one is looking at the cause for all of the congestion in her head! Cardiologist and ENT alike seem to totally disregard the info about Actos that I pulled of the internet (from a number of different sources). Now it also seems like it's moving down into her chest. She tried to get a second opinion from a different ENT and he just didn't take her seriously - had "zero" bedside manner, and put her on 800 + mg. of amox. which, after 10 days, has done nothing. Does anyone have any ideas of how we might proceed to get to the bottom of this? Help!?!?!
After doing some research, I discovered that one of the more common side effects of the new medication, Actos, was sinus infection, sore throat, etc. She asked her cardiologist, who was the Dr. who prescribed Actos, if she could go off of it to see if she would feel better. He agreed, reluctantly, and in a few weeks, she was feeling much better, able to hear again (hooray!), etc. She seemed to be pretty much back to normal and went to the cardiologist for her check-up and he said that he still detected a nasal sound to her voice and, therefore, thought that the Actos had nothing to do with the sinuses, congestion, lack of hearing, etc., and put her back on it. Within two to three weeks, she was right back where she started. ENT now wants to put tubes in her ears to relieve the pressure from the fluid build-up, but I think we need to figure out WHAT is causing the symptoms. I still think it has something to do with the medication and I would like to see her go off of it again.
If the symptoms clear up the way they did the last time, it would convince me that it's a reaction to the Actos. I also think an allergist might be in order. My mom is afraid to go off the medication because whe wants to follow the doctors orders. It just seems like no one is looking at the cause for all of the congestion in her head! Cardiologist and ENT alike seem to totally disregard the info about Actos that I pulled of the internet (from a number of different sources). Now it also seems like it's moving down into her chest. She tried to get a second opinion from a different ENT and he just didn't take her seriously - had "zero" bedside manner, and put her on 800 + mg. of amox. which, after 10 days, has done nothing. Does anyone have any ideas of how we might proceed to get to the bottom of this? Help!?!?!
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Aug 16, 2005 12:00AM
, Aug 16, 2005 12:00AM
Any medicine may cause side effects. Some are unpredictable or not well described. In some of the studies of this medicine, sinusitis occurred almost as often in people taking placebo as those taking Actos® (pioglitazone). However it is possible that your mother has had an unusual reaction. The evidence you provided suggests this as a possibility. The recurrence when the Actos® (pioglitazone) was re-started does suggest a cause and effect relationship. The medicine should be stopped again. There are many anti-diabetic medicines that are not related to Actos® (pioglitazone). One of these should be substituted for the Actos® (pioglitazone).
