Some blood pressure drugs can put patients at risk for swelling
Q: I am a pharmacist and had taken lisinopril for over 12 years before I had an angioedema attack. About 8 p.m., I started having allergic symptoms. By 10 p.m., my face was swelling, and I couldn’t talk.
I rushed to the nearest hospital emergency room and was diagnosed with angioedema. They started a steroid IV, and about midnight, I was on my way to recovery. I was discharged the next morning.
Despite my pharmacy education, I couldn’t imagine that such a delayed reaction (12 years!) could occur. This must be emphasized during patient counseling. A: Thank you for sharing your scary story. ACE inhibitors like lisinopril are the most frequently prescribed blood pressure drugs in the U.S.
Health professionals should always warn about angioedema (swelling of the mouth, lips and throat). It can also occur in the digestive tract and cause bloating, abdominal pain and obstruction. As you discovered, such complications can occur unexpectedly after years of treatment.
Q: I know that you appreciate home remedies for hiccups. I have one that “works every time.”
I retired from my position as high school librarian after 37 years. One time in the library, I was speaking to a colleague and got the hiccups. He said he knew how to get rid of them. I smiled, despite deep skepticism.
He proceeded to get a small glass of water and told me to put my arms out to the side (like an airplane). He held the paper cup for me and instructed me to begin to quickly take short sips of water until I felt the hiccups were gone. To my amazement, it worked.
Over the years, I used the same technique on students in the library who got the hiccups. They were just as skeptical as I had been. They were flabbergasted when they saw that the procedure worked. If I remember correctly, it has never failed in school or at home.
A: Thank you for sharing an unusual technique. Many of the hiccup remedies we have encountered over the years involve drinking water. Presumably some of the effort needed to drink from the wrong side of the glass or while a partner holds your ears closed stops the repeated involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. Another remedy, reaching up with the left arm while drinking water, might work in a similar way to your airplane technique.
Q: My first hearing aids, low-cost units, made a huge difference in my ability to hear. For the last four years, I have used higher-quality devices I get through Veterans Affairs. They have some nice features, but they aren’t useful in noisy places like restaurants or parties.
Recently, I bought a pair of over-the-counter hearing aids online. I can wear them at the beach or the park without worrying about losing them. Also, I can wear them when my ears are sore from wearing COVID-19 masks.
Are they great? No! Do they work? Yes! I suspect they are programmed to enhance vocal frequencies so they will be helpful for seniors. If you can’t afford thousands of dollars for a state-of-the-art pair, OTC aids are better than missing out on the conversation.
A: Hearing aids can make a big difference. A research letter in JAMA found that older people with hearing loss are more vulnerable to dementia (JAMA, Jan. 10, 2023). The authors report that using hearing aids reduces dementia risk.