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Suggest Treatment For High BP And Cholesterol
Question: my wife went from a food junky to having an aversion to food and the smell of food. She barely eats and has been loosing weight: 164 to 126 lbs. in 6 months.
She takes medicines for high blood pressure and cholesterol.
She takes medicines for high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
First I want to ask if the cholesterol medication was started in the past year. Because in some people it can cause nausea and resulting food aversion.
Reviewing her medications for contributing side effects is important at this point.
In addition to the CT (which is appropriate given the amount of weight lost), I recommend a thorough physical exam and blood tests.
Blood tests I recommend if there is weight loss:
CBC with differential: this can indicate if there is infection or inflammation going on.
Liver enzyme panel: elevated liver enzymes can indicate that the liver is unhappy due to a number of reasons
Chemistry panel: gives a general idea of electrolyte balance, etc. including renal function. Make sure to get one that included albumin (protein) levels as albumin can drop with inadequate food intake.
Thyroid panel (TSH and T4): thyroid abnormalities can cause weight loss.
Serum glucose: a fasting blood sugar or "A1C" to make sure there is no diabetes.
Depending on the physical exam, and on the tests above, other tests may be indicated.
Finally, depression can cause food avoidance too, so if you find that depression or anxiety has been present during this situation, that is something to look into also.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
First I want to ask if the cholesterol medication was started in the past year. Because in some people it can cause nausea and resulting food aversion.
Reviewing her medications for contributing side effects is important at this point.
In addition to the CT (which is appropriate given the amount of weight lost), I recommend a thorough physical exam and blood tests.
Blood tests I recommend if there is weight loss:
CBC with differential: this can indicate if there is infection or inflammation going on.
Liver enzyme panel: elevated liver enzymes can indicate that the liver is unhappy due to a number of reasons
Chemistry panel: gives a general idea of electrolyte balance, etc. including renal function. Make sure to get one that included albumin (protein) levels as albumin can drop with inadequate food intake.
Thyroid panel (TSH and T4): thyroid abnormalities can cause weight loss.
Serum glucose: a fasting blood sugar or "A1C" to make sure there is no diabetes.
Depending on the physical exam, and on the tests above, other tests may be indicated.
Finally, depression can cause food avoidance too, so if you find that depression or anxiety has been present during this situation, that is something to look into also.
I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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