Re: Very Labile Hypertension Sensitive to MSG and NSAIDS

From: Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD (andrew_at_heartmdphd.com)
Date: 11/15/04 

Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 13:27:27 -0500

bbesler wrote:
>
> For the past two years, I have been having chronic daily tension
> headaches and very labile hypertension. I have my own (Omron 705CP)
> auto inflation blood pressure measuring instrument, so I take my BP a
> few times a day. After two years of journaling the headaches, BP,
> stress, levels what food I have been eating etc, the following is
> evident. The headaches are not caused by the BP elevations. I am
> extremely sensitive to MSG and NSAIDS. When I eat Thai or Chinese
> food in cetain restaraunts, I will start getting a severe tension
> heacache and my BP will hit 170/100. Needless to say I completely
> avoid Thai and Chinese food now. I assume it is the MSG. Salty food
> does not do this to me. My resting BP is normally 130-135/80 on
> medication (2 x 80/12.5 mg Micardis HCT in morning, 300 mg labetalol
> q 5hr). Also I seem to be very sensitive to NSAIDS. Vioxx 50 mg,
> Bextra 20 mg, and 550mg naproxen sodium within a couple of hours will
> cause my BP to rise to 160+/100. This is an effect from taking one
> dose, when I had not had any for days before. Now I only use Norco
> 10/325 to control the headaches with Trileptal and occipital Botox
> injections as preventatives.
>
> I have been through the ringer, including testing to pheochromocytoma,
> coorcation of the aorta, renal hyptersion, Conn's syndrome done at the
> Cleveland Clinic and/or William Beaumont Hospital, both of which are
> top cardiology places. Three brain MRI's (two with contrast), a head
> and neck MRA, and two echos are all negative, except for a minor
> aortic valve leakage.
>
> Has anyone here every seen sensitivity to NSAIDS's or MSG like this?

Chronic pain such as headaches can make labile hypertension difficult to
manage. If NSAIDs and MSG exacebate your headaches, one would expect
these things would also exacerbate your blood pressure problems. And
indeed, that has been my experience in the care of patients like you.

Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

Andrew 

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/
**
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