Is the nurse in?

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by Tiramisu

I think we should start a thread for medical questions we want to ask Gayle!

1) When I'm lying down and turn from my left to right side, I get a spinning sensation for a couple seconds. Any ideas?

2) Are there any OTCs for ringing ears?

3) Do people ever get to stop taking BP meds?

You're the best, even if you don't answer these!

LOL! I won't always know the answers, and some questions may not have answers, but....

1) that sounds like fluid in your ears - a change of position causes momentary "spinning" sensation. It could be other things, but that is most likely. Can you take pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)? If so, it is the best OCT drug for getting fluid out of the ears.

2) I don't know of anything that gets rid of ringing in the ears. Unfortunately, it starts or gets worse as ears age. There are some medications that cause ringing of the ears, e.g., Aspirin. If you are taking lots of aspirin, stop, and see if the ringing gets better. Google your meds and look at the side effects - if ringing in the ears is one of them, ask your doc if you can change meds. Some BP meds do contribute to ringing of the ears.

3) Diana is correct - weight loss, exercise, and diet modification (less salt) can decrease blood pressure such that you no longer need to take your BP meds, or the dosage can be reduced. Again unfortunately, our blood pressure goes up as we age, because our blood vessels get stiffer so it takes more pressure to for the heart to pump the blood through the vessels, thus, our BP rises. So, the bottom line is that even though there are some things that can cause us to need less BP medication, as we get older our need increases, so it is rare that you can stop taking it.