Re: Fluid retention and weight gain

November 25, 2010

Eat less and exercise more. Very simple in concept but difficult in practice. If u and your team read my Artticle u will note that atenolol will not lower Bp in PA. Tiped sad Send form miiPhone ;-)May your pressure be low!CE Grim MDSpecializing in DifficultHypertension

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I have

previously been getting up 4-5 times per night to pee. I was taking

methyldopa and labetalol. But after switching to different meds for my

blood pressure, I only have to get up maybe 1 time a night. However,

now I seem to be retaining fluid and have gained about 25lbs in the

past 4-5 months with no significant changes in eating habits, etc.

I have confirmed PA and am currently scheduled to have an AVS procedure

done to see if I am a candidate for surgery. So right now I can't take

spironolactone. I was previously taking Norvasc and atenolol, but have

been taking off the Norvasc in the hopes of stopping the fluid

retention and weight gain. I am currently taking atenolol, dyazide, and

clonidine, but still have same problem. It is very frustrating to keep

gaining weight no matter what I do. Is there anything I can do to stop

the fluid retention? I am afraid to DASH right now because I don't

want it to affect my AVS results.

November 25, 2010

As I am learning more about this and the effects, and my own misadventure with the American Healthcare system including multiple hospitalizations, endless clinic visits, and the failure to NEVER giving this a consideration in a healthy, athletic, NEVER smoked, 40 year-old male with critical hypertension which was resistant for 3 years to any and all medicines utilized (was on as many as 5 at once and no change in HTN that stayed typically 160/110-120), I marvel that it is not talked about.

PA is not talked about in medical schools. Myself being a good learner who had good grades and a strength being memory skills for me, this was a subject rarely, if ever, discussed. Indeed, I reviewed the JNC-7 (the high blood pressure "bible" according to the profession) and very little is actually there on PA. Only on a list of "other" causes is PA a consideration.

And in clinical practice this is not a common topic of CME, or other education sadly. Looking at professional guidelines for individual specialties, only endocrinology gives PA a tad more credence than any other, which would be understandable, but easily condoned since family practice, emergency medicine, cardiology, and others are likely the "gatekeepers" who treat HTN daily and as the first line to prescribe something for it and monitor it.

Endocrinology would not likely be in the top ten initially as a referral simply for high blood pressure issues, even uncontrolled on multiple meds unless, and only unless, an identifiable endocrine disorder is found.

More alarming is that it is now thought that possibly up to 15% of all resistant hypertension cases may be due to PA! Yet most doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants likely know very little about it. I know I didn't.

Got to get this education out there.

Bingham PA-C, MPAS, EMT-P

Hello, I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I have previously been getting up 4-5 times per night to pee. I was taking methyldopa and labetalol. But after switching to different meds for my blood pressure, I only have to get up maybe 1 time a night. However, now I seem to be retaining fluid and have gained about 25lbs in the past 4-5 months with no significant changes in eating habits, etc. I have confirmed PA and am currently scheduled to have an AVS procedure done to see if I am a candidate for surgery. So right now I can't take spironolactone. I was previously taking Norvasc and atenolol, but have been taking off the Norvasc in the hopes of stopping the fluid retention and weight gain. I am currently taking atenolol, dyazide, and clonidine, but still have same problem. It is very frustrating to keep gaining weight no matter what I do. Is there anything I can do to

stop the fluid retention? I am afraid to DASH right now because I don't want it to affect my AVS results.

November 25, 2010

Meant to say that "not knowing about PA is NOT easily condoned, even in the other medical specialties since those other specialties such as family practice, ER medicine, and cardiology are the first ones typically treating high blood pressure and diagnosing it

Hello, I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I have previously been getting up 4-5 times per night to pee. I was taking methyldopa and labetalol. But after switching to different meds for my blood pressure, I only have to get up maybe 1 time a night. However, now I seem to be retaining fluid and have gained about 25lbs in the past 4-5 months with no significant changes in eating habits, etc. I have confirmed PA and am currently scheduled to have an AVS procedure done to see if I am a candidate for surgery. So right now I can't take spironolactone. I was previously taking Norvasc and atenolol, but have been taking off the Norvasc in the hopes of stopping the fluid retention and weight gain. I am currently taking atenolol, dyazide, and clonidine, but still have same problem. It is very frustrating to keep gaining weight no matter what I do. Is there anything I can do to

stop the fluid retention? I am afraid to DASH right now because I don't want it to affect my AVS results.

November 26, 2010

So how do we get the education out there? Seems like all the ones that it is

there job to get the word out have dropped the ball.

My guess is drug companies have something to do with not getting the education

out there.

>

> Â

>

> Hello,

>

> I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I have

> previously been getting up 4-5 times per night to pee. I was taking

> methyldopa and labetalol. But after switching to different meds for my

> blood pressure, I only have to get up maybe 1 time a night. However,

> now I seem to be retaining fluid and have gained about 25lbs in the

> past 4-5 months with no significant changes in eating habits, etc.

>

> I have confirmed PA and am currently scheduled to have an AVS procedure

> done to see if I am a candidate for surgery. So right now I can't take

> spironolactone. I was previously taking Norvasc and atenolol, but have

> been taking off the Norvasc in the hopes of stopping the fluid

> retention and weight gain. I am currently taking atenolol, dyazide, and

> clonidine, but still have same problem. It is very frustrating to keep

> gaining weight no matter what I do. Is there anything I can do to stop

> the fluid retention? I am afraid to DASH right now because I don't

> want it to affect my AVS results.

>

November 26, 2010

One of the doctors I saw, a

graduate of Harvard Medical, upon hearing Dr. Grim's and my diagnosis

exclaimed, " I've never heard of that! "

Val

From:

hyperaldosteronism [mailto:hyperaldosteronism ] On

Behalf Of Bingham

Meant

to say that " not knowing about PA is NOT easily condoned, even in the

other medical specialties since those other specialties such as family

practice, ER medicine, and cardiology are the first ones typically treating

high blood pressure and diagnosing it

As

I am learning more about this and the effects, and my own misadventure with

the American Healthcare system including multiple

hospitalizations, endless clinic visits, and the failure to NEVER giving

this a consideration in a healthy, athletic, NEVER smoked, 40 year-old male

with critical hypertension which was resistant for 3 years to any and

all medicines utilized (was on as many as 5 at once and no change in HTN

that stayed typically 160/110-120), I marvel that it is not talked about.

PA is

not talked about in medical schools. Myself being a good

learner who had good grades and a strength being memory skills

for me, this was a subject rarely, if ever, discussed. Indeed, I reviewed

the JNC-7 (the high blood pressure " bible " according to the

profession) and very little is actually there on PA. Only

on a list of " other " causes is PA a consideration.

And

in clinical practice this is not a common topic of CME, or other education

sadly. Looking at professional guidelines for individual specialties, only

endocrinology gives PA a tad more credence than any other, which would be

understandable, but easily condoned since family practice, emergency

medicine, cardiology, and others are likely the " gatekeepers " who

treat HTN daily and as the first line to prescribe something for it

and monitor it.

Endocrinology

would not likely be in the top ten initially as a referral simply for high

blood pressure issues, even uncontrolled on multiple meds unless,

and only unless, an identifiable endocrine disorder is found.

More

alarming is that it is now thought that possibly up to 15% of all resistant

hypertension cases may be due to PA! Yet most doctors, nurse practitioners,

and physician assistants likely know very little about it. I know I didn't.

Got

to get this education out there.

Bingham PA-C, MPAS, EMT-P

November 26, 2010

I'm not sure I'm in exactly the same boat as you but I can empathize with the weight gain and futility of trying to lose it. My BP is pretty well controlled with Spiro 75 mg/day, Spiro/HCTZ 25/25 2x day and 100 MEQ of Potassium daily. The problem has been that the last 9 months I have gained 45 pounds and I stay swollen despite the diuretics. Every time I went to my Nephrologist she marveled at the amount of fluid I retained. I couldn't take more Spiro b/c when I tried my liver function was affected and I became over diuresed. I can literally gain 6 pounds in a day and lose only half that over night....it's an ongoing battle. I will be sure and update everyone after my adrenalectomy (DX R Adrenal Adenoma). My surgeon appt is December 2.

Subject: Fluid retention and weight gainTo: hyperaldosteronism Date: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 4:11 PM

Hello, I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I have previously been getting up 4-5 times per night to pee. I was taking methyldopa and labetalol. But after switching to different meds for my blood pressure, I only have to get up maybe 1 time a night. However, now I seem to be retaining fluid and have gained about 25lbs in the past 4-5 months with no significant changes in eating habits, etc. I have confirmed PA and am currently scheduled to have an AVS procedure done to see if I am a candidate for surgery. So right now I can't take spironolactone. I was previously taking Norvasc and atenolol, but have been taking off the Norvasc in the hopes of stopping the fluid retention and weight gain. I am currently taking atenolol, dyazide, and clonidine, but still have same problem. It is very frustrating to keep gaining weight no matter what I do. Is there anything I can do to

stop the fluid retention? I am afraid to DASH right now because I don't want it to affect my AVS results.

November 27, 2010

Thanks for your response. I thought I was the only one with this

issue. I had previously been losing weight and that stopped after

switching meds. I had a similar fluid gain at the end of my last

pregnancy. I would gain 3-4 lbs in 3 or 4 days with no changes in

eating habits. I am hoping I am a candidate for surgery. I will

find out after my AVS procedure ( I have this scheduled for Dec 8th).

I wish you good luck in your upcoming surgery and hope it helps you

to get rid of the excess fluid and weight.

>

> Subject: Fluid retention and weight gain

> To: hyperaldosteronism

> Date: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 4:11 PM