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Chest pain - muscular or more serious?

Hi. I woke this morning with awful chest pain. Felt like it was a little hard to breath.

I know its not heart attack as there are no other heart attack symptoms and the pain has been there all day. Its kind of on the whole top of my chest from left to right. The middle of my back and shoulder blades too. Its worse when lying down and breathing deeply.

And now in the later part of the day I have a lot of wind like burping. The pains are still there from the morning. I have a BP machine at home as my husband has history of high BP. I checked it numerous times today and its perfect at around 118/78. So it cannot be heart related but its also not bad enough to feel like anything lung related.

Im usually really healthy. I have had an abscess in my nose recently which caused swelling and severe pain. I had 1 quick round of IV antibiotics and went home after and continued oral antibiotics at home. I finished the course but was feeling better the very next day anyway.

I started Duromine again this past Monday (used it for 2 months but was very broken up over about 4 months and got the last one recently) I just thought I would mention that. Other than that I am usually very healthy with no issues. This pain in chest and back is getting worse now though. Any ideas please?
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1081992 tn?1389903637
Briefly, the pathogenesis of the pain involves constriction of arteries in, and supplying, the lungs. I'd call the prescriber immediately and ask them for a diuretic, to hopefully drop the blood pressure quickly in the lungs - which might very possibly be much higher than what you measure in the arm. Prescription diuretics should be more powerful than natural ones like celery seed tea.

I'd also ask if it's okay and advisable to take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, to help prevent damage to the arteries via inflammation. (People with long term PH get fibrosis/scarring there.)

It's actually lucky that your pain was so severe right at the start. If it had been milder, therefore long lasting if you decided to tough it out, you could have suffered bad damage to those arteries.
Helpful - 0
1081992 tn?1389903637
Hi, Annie. The phentermine that you started taking shortly before the chest pain arrived is known to possibly cause Pulmonary Hypertension, and PH can cause chest pain. There might be more serious consequences down the line.

At a minimum, I would stop taking that immediately and see if you improve. Or you can call the prescriber and see what they say - unless you got it OTC. Are you aware of what happened with  "fen-phen" years ago?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I actually have found something interesting yet scary now (Dr google scaring me lol). I am currently taking prescribed Duromine for weight loss.  The main ingredient is Phentermine. After a search on its side effects (which i did not see previously when I read them) I have found that it can cause pulmonary hypertension (PPH).  Symptoms of which are:
Shortness of breath during routine activity
Fatigue
Chest pain
Racing heartbeat
Pain in upper right side of abdomen

I have taken this previously and this is the 3rd month (although the first 2 months i only took on and off and every 2nd day etc and now I am taking everyday)
I think I will give them a break as well for a bit just to be sure.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hey, we just cross posted. Good work researching on your part :)  Yep, whenever a symptom happens soon after starting a new drug, that new drug is the top suspect until proven otherwise.

A little later, I'll see if I can find out what the 'mechanism' of the pain is. That could help in understanding what is happening.
973741 tn?1342342773
I agree that it could be muscular and I also agree that you should get it checked out if it persists.  Chest pain isn't anything to mess around with.  How is it doing now?  Is it better?
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hi. It really comes and goes mostly right side but goes to the left every now and then. I am going to try a chiropractor to maybe put all the bones back in place after years of desk work. If that does not work, then I will seek help at the GP next. I have had moments of numbness in the same side arm that comes and goes so it also could be a trapped nerve somewhere amongst it all. I am pretty over worked so it could be stress and repetition of the right arm/shoulder at my desk I guess. And not to mention stress all around. I hate when you go to a GP and they immediately ask if you are feeling depressed. That is the main reason I don't go to GP's very often. Only when very necessary if I am very sickly which is about once in 2 years.
363281 tn?1643235611
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hello~It could be muscular related, but in all honesty, I really think you should see your GP or even go to the ER, sometimes women can have heart attacks without the symptoms that men have, they are called "Silent Heart Attacks" I don't want to scare you, but really,  as I said, you should see your GP or even the ER, when it comes to chest pains associated with back pain, prompt action should be taken.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you. I think you could be right about muscular. Yesterday I actually woke with the pain in the morning and it stayed with me all day. I was feeling much better when i awoke this morning but now that I am sitting at my desk working, my right side sort of under my breast in the front and my should blade on that side is hurting quite bad again. The strange thing is its a heavy feeling as well which makes me feel like its difficult to take a deep breath. Will see how it goes, but definitely leaning to muscular as you mentioned. Thank you for your comment.  :)
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