Basics of Blood Pressure

So why is having a normal blood pressure important?

I like comparing your blood vessels to a water hose with thin walls. If you turn the water pressure up too high, you can bust a hole in the hose (vessel) as well as cause the sprayer (heart) on the end to break. So how do you read and understand what your numbers mean? Imagine you are turning the spigot up and down fairly quickly (60-100 times per minute). The higher number, or systolic pressure, is when your heart is pushing the blood forward through your vessels; this is the pressure your heart muscle is having to pump against. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, is what pressure is put on your vessels when your heart is filling up.

You heart is essentially a muscle; it's good to workout your muscle to keep it strong and healthy. But have you ever seen a bodybuilder that had done so much they couldn't even turn their neck? It's the same problem when your heart is constantly having to push against a higher pressure than normal. Eventually your heart can't move as well as it used to; it's just too big. That's when heart failure becomes a problem.

So what is normal blood pressure?

If you haven't been diagnosed already, it is less than 120/80 mm Hg. If you have, then it should be less than 140/90 or 130/80 depending or other conditions.

How do you take a good blood pressure?

If you don't have a machine at home:
     1) Head to the nearest pharmacy and locate the automated machine.
     2) Make sure you are relaxed and try not to talk while the machine is working.
     3) Pull your sleeve up so it doesn't end up inside the cuff.
     4) I usually recommend taking your blood pressure at least 2-3 times to make sure it is a good number.

There are many reasons for your numbers to be abnormally high, though.
     1) Machines are continually played with by children and can be miscalibrated.
     2) If you just ran a marathon, or feel like you have, you may have to sit for longer period of time.
     3) Your sleeve may be too tight on your arm or could have gotten in between you and the cuff.
     4) Your arm may be too big/small for the cuff. The automated machines are built for the "average" person.

Consequences of Hypertension

 

Most know it can affect your heart, but many do not know about the other consequences. The long-term effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure can affect everything from your brain (increased risk for stroke, headaches), eyes (glaucoma/loss of vision), lungs (fluid buildup from heart failure), kidneys (can cause kidney failure), and erectile dysfunction just to name a few.

 

 

So the take home message is to take care of those tickers! 

 

 

Tune in next week for a look into how to control your blood pressure - including non-drug therapies!





 

How to read a label

I thought I would start with something that is a very basic concept, but often not understood.
The first part of the label is the ingredient and class of medication it is from. The big things to know are:

1) Brand is therapeutically equivalent to the generic active ingredient +/- 10%. This means that you can feel safe using a store generic knowing that it will work like the brand name. The only differences may be the dyes and inactive ingredients in them.

2) There are very few types of medications available over-the-counter (compared to prescription medications) - allergy treatments, acid reducers, pain relievers, anti-diarrheals and laxatives, antifungals, itch relievers, cough medicine, eye treatments, and so on. Try to only treat the symptoms you have. For example, don't use Tylenol Cold and Flu if all you have is a cough. Go for something that either has a cough suppressant or expectorant - or a cough drop.

The uses just give you more information about the class of medication's uses; if you are unsure as to whether you have the right box in your hand, this is where you look. You do not need to have all the symptoms listed in order to use the drug.

Warnings are to be read before you buy the medication. This is especially important if you have a medical condition or take other medications.  If you are unsure about anything in this section, consult the pharmacist. They have a plethora of information and can help you decipher whether any warnings pertain to you.

Directions are important to read if you are getting a medication for a child or if you are deciding between medications. Children cannot have just any medication on the shelf. If next to your child's age it says consult your physician, it just means they may be able to use the medicine at a different dose. For example, on allergy medicine I have dispensed for children as young as a few months old. That being said, please ask your pediatrician first for a dose and whether the medicine is right for them. If you ask a pharmacist to give you a dosage that is not on the label, most will feel uncomfortable giving out that information; it's not that we don't know a dosage or that we don't want to help. We are worried about hurting a child without knowing the full picture of your child's history and to have that liability on our shoulders if something goes wrong.

The other part of reading the directions is if you are still deciding between medications. Some medicines must be taken more often than others. For example, if you have a cough that lasts all day and you don't want to be popping pills or cough drops all day, try a long acting medicine like Robitussin gel caps or Delsym cough medicine that lasts 12 hours. Or if your cough is sporadic or just at a certain time of day, try a shorter acting medication like menthol cough drops, throat sprays, or cough syrups.

The last part of the label just states how to store your medication and inactive ingredients. In general, you want to store the medication in a cool, dry place. Most importantly not in your bathroom medicine cabinet. The moisture from showers and baths will cause the medication to possibly break down faster than its shelf life. Inactive ingredients are important if you are allergic to certain dyes, for example, or if you have phenylketonuria (if you do, you will already know this).

All of this only applies to FDA approved drugs. Others may tell you some of this information, but cannot guarantee what is on the label. That isn't to say you cannot use non-FDA medications, but buyer beware.

I hope this post wasn't too long-winded and was helpful to you! Stay tuned for future posts!

To start with...

I decided after much agonizing about my first blog post to start with why I decided to start a blog in the first place. I love my profession and most of my job in the retail field. That is to say I love my coworkers and most of my thousands of patients I help every week. Just like most professions - there are a few bad apples.

Because my store is such a high volume store, I feel that I don't have the time to devote to my patients like I would like to. This blog is for me to fill that void in my career. I could start another blog devoted to the crazy antics that happen in a pharmacy, but I feel that there aren't enough blogs out there that really try to help the lay public understand their mediations and diseases. That is what I am passionate about. I love to talk about diabetes, hypertension, asthma, smoking cessation, etc. I hope to someday be able to get paid for my MTM services. Until that day comes, this is my way of helping people.

I hope that my first posting has piqued some interest to read what comes next!