Community ClicksQ: I have taken naproxen regularly for the past several years, having had knee replacement and shoulder surgery.
When I take naproxen, my blood pressure goes up from 115/70 to about 145/94.
I was told my blood pressure problem was unrelated to the drug, but when I quit taking naproxen, my blood pressure went back down to 115/70.
I can’t find anything about this and wonder what else I can do for pain.
A: A recent report from Denmark (Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, July 2010) involved reviewing the health records of more than 1 million people taking NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.), diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren, etc.), celecoxib (Celebrex) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, etc.).
The investigators found that, except for naproxen, “most NSAIDs are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.”
Although you discovered that naproxen raises your blood pressure, this medicine is the only one in the study that did not increase the risk for heart attack or stroke.
It is, however, associated with hypertension and gastrointestinal bleeding, so benefits and risks must be weighed carefully.
We are sending you our Guides to Alternatives for Arthritis and Blood Pressure Treatment so that you can find some less conventional ways to manage your pain without affecting your blood pressure.
For a copy, send $5 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. AB-62, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
They can be downloaded for $2 each from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: Whenever I take a Tums Dual Action tablet for heartburn, I can’t go to sleep. It keeps me awake all night.
I’ve tried taking half a tablet and taking it earlier, but it still keeps me awake.
Why could this be? Is it the famotidine?
I can take the regular Tums just fine.
A: Tums Dual Action contains calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide and famotidine. Famotidine is an acid reducer that doesn’t usually cause insomnia.
Nevertheless, this symptom has been reported (infrequently) as a side effect in some clinical trials.
You may be one of those rare individuals who are affected.
You might want to stick with regular Tums (calcium carbonate) or find a different way to treat your heartburn.
Q: Please tell your readers that taking moderate amounts of a magnesium supplement can alleviate depression.
I have personally had good results taking magnesium aspartate, oxide or citrate salts, at a dose of at least 400 mg of magnesium a day.
Last year, my girlfriend had a friend who was suffering from major depression and had to go on disability from her teaching job as a result.
She was under medical care, but still having a lot of difficulties.
After we gave her a big bottle of magnesium oxide tablets, she started to recover.
She’s doing much better now and is back to teaching and going out and doing things.
I can’t think of another treatment that is so cheap, simple and safe.
A: There is science to back you up. An epidemiological study found a link between low magnesium levels and symptoms of depression in Norway (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, January 2009).
An experiment in Mexico found that magnesium worked as well as the antidepressant drug imipramine to relieve depression in elderly people with type 2 diabetes (Magnesium Research, December 2008).
A review suggests that inadequate magnesium reduces the amount of the neurochemical serotonin in the brain (Medical Hypotheses, April 2010).
The authors believe that magnesium treatment might help many people with depression, including those like your acquaintance with treatment-resistant depression.
At too high a dose, magnesium causes diarrhea.
People with kidney disease must avoid supplements of this mineral.
Q: I am a mosquito magnet.
The only thing that eases the itch is to put my poor bitten legs under hot running water.
Tap water is hot enough.
After I have been out feeding the mosquitoes, I just come in and take a hot shower or an appendage bath and don’t have to suffer more.
A: We first discovered this home remedy for itchy bug bites and mild poison ivy in a dermatology textbook from 1961 (Dermatology: Diagnosis and Treatment).
The hot water (hot enough to be uncomfortable but not hot enough to burn) needs to be applied for just a few seconds to short-circuit the nerves that cause itching.
The effects can last for a few hours.
Q: I started taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day.
Six months later, I suddenly developed severe constipation.
Was the constipation caused by the large dose of vitamin D?
A: Vitamin D is a superstar among vitamins these days.
It has become clear that low vitamin D levels are common and that the consequences can be serious.
Too little vitamin D has been linked to a higher risk for conditions such as arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes and even heart disease and stroke (American Journal of Epidemiology, Oct. 15, 2009).
It’s no wonder that many people have decided to take more vitamin D.
Many experts agree that the RDA of 400 IU daily is too low.
But excess vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin, can be toxic.
Constipation is one possible symptom of too much vitamin D.
Other side effects may include digestive upset and weakness.
We are sending you our new Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency with many more details on determining if you are deficient, getting adequate vitamin D and avoiding toxicity.
For a copy, send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10) stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. D-23, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: I am a nurse, and one of my patients has a success story that may interest you.
His pre-surgical tests showed an HbA1c above 8, indicating that his blood sugar had been above normal for months.
He decided to start taking a cinnamon supplement.
When I saw him two months later, his HbA1c was 6.0. Wow!
He’s also been taking a teaspoon of yellow mustard, which contains vinegar and turmeric, after every meal.
It muddies the research, but it has been good for him.
A: Thanks so much for sharing this story. HbA1c is a blood test that reveals long-term blood-sugar control.
Keeping the level below 7 is considered desirable.
Not everyone benefits from cinnamon, but we have heard from readers that a supplement can be helpful.
There is even some research to support this approach (Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, May 2010).
Both vinegar and turmeric can help reduce the rise in blood sugar after eating, so we’re not surprised that mustard might be beneficial, too.
