EMAIL: HIVES...DUST MITES...LORATADINE

Your Name: Vazquez

Your Email: 

Subject: dust mites and hives

Message: Dr. Chambers I am a fan of your radio station on KFWB 980. I listen to you every saturday morning on my way to work. I know that you have given very good advise to many fortunate people that you have talked to. You seem like a very honest and proffessional dr. that will always try to give 110% realistic answers to people that seek your advicde. I have a 15 year old boy that constatly gets hives (realy big and stretched hives) when he was a small boy about 7 years old, we notece that he was alway scratching himself every where in the body. This was a concern to my wife and I so we took him to his pediatritian. The pediatritian send us to the hospital lab where he had some blood work done. They told my wife and I that the test could take about 2 or 3 days to get the results from the blood. When we were call about the second day, the nurse explained to us that my son Mark's blood test came back possitive for dust mites. She told us about the things that we can do at home to help out my son to ge releif and cofort and control the hives in case they came back. The nurse told us to clean my son's room at least twice a week with with a special vaccum cleaner she also mentioned to use a non scented detergent to wash his clothes and other tips that will help with the situation. The doctor prescribed my son a pill called Loratadine which is an antihstamine. My son has been on that pill for over 7 years. There has been some days where he gets dizzy , or has pain in his body, also he sometimes doesn't get good night rest. Previous to that pill we have tried many differnt over the counter medicines like ointments for rashes and liquid antihstamine but none of them work for him. The only one that is a little conforting to my son is the Loratadine. I'm very concern about any side effects and if it is also co-dependant. If he doesn't drink that pill the hives will get worst and all of his body will be filled with those terrible itchy hives and it will be hard for him to go through that painfull stage. For my wife and I, this will be a moment of desperation because there is a little or nothing we can do to help him. He sometimes askes me if he ever is going to live a day without hives, the only thing I can tell him to comfort him is that one day not so distant he will get his whish and he will be ok. His statement always brig tears to my eyes. I know there are worst cases than the one my son has. Please help us in any proffessional way that you can by giving us advise into what we can do to help him out. I understand that you are a very bussy person due to the volume of e-mails you personaly have to unswer and a busy scheduled that you have to follow every day

 

My family and I thank you in advance for your understanding and time. I hope to hear from you.

 

Best regard

The Vazquez Family

 

MY REPLY:

Marco,

Apologies for the delay in responding. Sorry to hear your son is suffering so much.  Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

  • Generally with chronic hives we never find a specific cause. 
  • The problem is your son’s body, his immune system, is over reacting to stuff around him.  Unfortunately we usually can’t figure out what stuff.
  • Important to check if any medicines he takes e.g. Advil, herbal supplements or vitamin supplements are making him flare up.  You’d know this by his hives worsening within an hour after taking the pills.  
  • Don’t forget soaps can also make him worse.  Best soap/shower gel is anything that’s hypoallergenic.  I like Aveeno – it’s inexpensive and you can find it in your local supermarket.
  • Also remember stress, anxiety can make hives worse.  Help him with his stress and you’ll help him with his hives.   
  • Loratadine, commonly sold as Claritin, is an excellent anti-histamine.  It is not addictive so your son will not become co-dependent.  It might be worthwhile trying other similar medicines to Loratadine like Zyrtec or Allegra to see if your son will respond better.
  • Unclear from your email why your son is not sleeping well at night.  It because of itch?  If it is, try one of the older anti-histamines like Atarax.  The most common side effect of this med is sleepiness so it’s good at night but bad for daytime use.
  • Singulair is a medicine sometimes used in chronic hives.  Your family doc would prescribe it.
  • There are specialized meds in chronic hives like Xolair but I wouldn’t advise this unless you see an allergist, that’s a doctor who specializes in allergies, first.      

Seems to me your son’s hives is really a problem for him and your family.  I think it’s quite reasonable to ask your family doctor for a referral to an allergist.  Hives would be her area of expertise.  She’ll help with the more specialized meds and maybe even arrange for special anti-allergy shots against dust mites   

Hope this helps. 

 

Sincerely, Dr. Joe

BLOOD PRESSURE

Catching up on emails this afternoon.  Will share a few with you.  

 

Your Name: Huma

Your Email:

Subject: Blood Pressure Medication

Message: I listen to you every Saturday morning on AM 980. I like your program very much. My husband is 56 years old and weighs 168lbs. He has had high blood pressure for the last 16 years, and the Dr started giving him Lotensin 20 milligrams once daily. 8 years ago the Dr. increased the dose to 40 milligrams, and his blood pressure is maintained at around 135/88 to 140/90. All his lipid profiles and other lab tests are normal. He does not have high cholesterol  and he has a family history of diabetes and hypertension, however he is not diabetic. Now, his primary physician wants to add Amlodipne Besylate 5 milligram tablets to his dose as well to get a more stable blood pressure. I wanted to know what is the ideal blood pressure he should be maintaining with the 40 milligrams of Lotensin, and if it is necessary to start taking the new medicine as well.  

Also i am interested in knowing what are the side effects of Amlodipne Besylate 5 milligram that i should be aware of.

I would really appreciate if you could help me out and answer some of my questions.

 

MY REPLY:

Huma,

Apologies for the delay in responding.  Here are my thoughts:

  • Best blood pressure is 140/90 or less.  People with diabetes, kidney problems or heart disease need to keep it even lower.  
  • It is extremely important for your husband to control his blood pressure.  This will prevent him from getting a stroke or kidney failure.
  • Annoyingly as we age it's common to need more medicine to control high blood pressure.  Adding in a second medicine is the best way to do this.  The combo of Lotensin and Amlodipine is excellent.  They act well together.  
  • The most common side effects of Amoldipine is edema (swelling) and constipation.  We do see some other problems with Amlodipine but only in people who are diabetic and have chronic kidney disease.  Thankfully your husband doesn't have these problems so no worries on this score. 

Hope this helps.  Thanks for listening.  Don't forget I'm on the radio every Saturday morning 6-8 AM.  Call me with any question or follow up question.  The number to call is 888 539 2980.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Joe

 

THE SHOW JULY 7 2012

We're live this Saturday 6-8 AM July 7th on KFWB News Talk 980...why health care is not like ice cream...why sweating is no sweat until it is...why skipping a meal means more French fries in your belly...why women are looking for an OTC libido fix...why a kiss is just a kiss, a smile is just a smile but a calorie is not just a calorie...why the equivalent of a home pregnancy test is big news for us all in the fight against AIDS even if you think there's no way in hell you'll ever get AIDS...doctor's coffee talk...AND as always your calls.


                                                     DR. CHAMBERS ON CALL 

                                    SATURDAYS 6-8 AM ON KFWB NEWS TALK 980

                                        THE NUMBER TO CALL IS 888 539 2980


HAPPY JULY FOURTH!!!

                                                         HAPPY JULY FOURTH!!!

Have a wonderful holiday.  I'll be live in the studio on Saturday as always fielding your questions.

                                                     DR. CHAMBERS ON CALL 

                                    SATURDAYS 6-8 AM ON KFWB NEWS TALK 980

                                        THE NUMBER TO CALL IS 888 539 2980



SHOW NOTES FROM JUNE 30 2012 - PART 2

Lot of confusion this week about what you need when you’re sick. Here’s what you don’t need. Health insurance.  Here’s what you need. Health care. Treatment. Help. 


PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS:

 

  • Children can no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting conditions like asthma, autism or diabetes. 
  • Adult children up to age 26 can stay on their parents insurance.  

High Risk Adults: 

 

  • Some 16 million of us can't buy health insurance because we're actually sick. How stupid is that? Now, you can buy coverage from high-risk pools until 2014. 
  • From 2014 on coverage cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions. P

 

 

THE SHOW JUNE 30 2012

Obamacare...the myths, the reality in simple everyday language...the man who needs an aspirin before he can enjoy porn...vaccinated mice don't smoke after sex!!!...as the old song goes..."A kiss is just a kiss, A smile is just a smile, A calorie is just a calorie"...OOPs!...true enough for kisses and smiles but not all calories are created equal...AND, roll drums, as always, the star of the show, your calls!

                                                   DR. CHAMBERS ON CALL 

                                    SATURDAYS 6-8 AM ON KFWB NEWS TALK 980

                                        THE NUMBER TO CALL IS 888 539 2980