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Hello. This is Hypertension Prevention Tuesdays! Today, we’ll talk about Allegra and blood pressure.
What is Allegra?
Allegra is an antihistamine that is popular for use with seasonal allergies. The antihistamine works against the naturally occurring histamine response in your body when you are exposed something your body perceives as an allergen. Allegra appears to have a good response toward preventing sneezing, runny nose, itching and watery eyes that are the hallmarks of seasonal allergies.
As with any other medication, Allegra may also be used by your physician in an off-label capacity. In other words, your doctor may determine that using this particular anti-histamine may help another condition from which you currently suffer. The use of the antihistamine Allegra and blood pressure effects can be a concern for people who already have difficulty controlling their blood pressure and suffer from hypertension.
Be Careful With Allegra D
The real issue isn’’t with Allegra, but rather Allegra –D. Allegra has the medication fexofenadine, which is the antihistamine to decrease the effects of histamine in the body. However, some people also suffer from nasal congestion and want relief from that as well. To address this, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturers of Allegra, designed a medication that also contained a decongestant. That decongestant is pseudoephedrine.
Pseudoephedrine works by restricting blood vessels, which decreases the amount of congestion in the nose. Unfortunately the medication is not specific to the vessels in the nose alone and restricts many blood vessels. This can lead to one of two problems. In people who have borderline hypertension, it can raise their blood pressure to high levels. With continued use this can cause cardiac and peripheral vascular problems.
In others, the pseudoephedrine will counteract the effects of the antihypertensive medications that the patient is already taking, such as with Aldomet. In these cases patients who are taking this drug to control high blood pressure will be left without control or protection against the dangerous effects. Not only is protection gone but the pseudoephedrine can also cause a rise in blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, or are taking medications to control your blood pressure, you should be concerned about the connection between Allegra and your blood pressure. Long term exposure to high blood pressure, or hypertension, will put extra workload on your kidneys, heart and cardiovascular system. This extra stress and strain can lead to kidney failure, heart disease, congestive heart failure or stroke.
Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure
Doctors can’’t always point to a reason behind hypertension, but they do know what factors place a person at higher risk for developing the symptoms. Many of these factors are reversible and when patients take care of the risk factors, the high blood pressure is reduced or controlled more easily with milder medications. These factors include smoking, obesity, poor diet, little rest and lack of exercise.
Before you agree to take Allegra make sure your healthcare provider knows your medical history, the medications you currently take, – including vitamins and over the counter medications, – and your symptoms. Do not take Allegra if you have had an allergic reaction, have kidney, heart or liver disease, are pregnant or are breast feeding.
While the connection between Allegra D and blood pressure is fairly clear, there are people who don’’t have risk factors who can take this medication to help alleviate their seasonal allergy reactions. For them, this medication is a life saver. For others who have heart disease or hypertension, this medication can cause some serious health risks.
If you would like to receive a free resource sheet to support your quest for better heart health, click the button below to receive your gift.
I’m excited to talk about this topic today because not only do I truly believe that you have the power to reverse heart disease and lower high blood pressure to improve your health, but the science also agrees! You can adopt healthy lifestyle practices that improve your health and enrich your life, which can in turn improve the lives of those close to you. You have the power to break the cycle of these chronic diseases so that you can leave a legacy of health to your loved ones.
As you may already know, I use lifestyle medicine as the first line of treatment, before medications, to treat lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Lifestyle-related chronic diseases include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and some cancers, just to name a few. Lifestyle practices, such as eating a whole-food plant-based diet and regular physical activity, can help you improve blood pressure and reverse heart disease. In certain cases, these approaches may even outperform pharmaceutical therapy. But I always tell my patients that conventional medications may be appropriate at this time to prevent catastrophic illness, but over time, you can work to make the necessary lifestyle changes to possibly reduce and/or eliminate medications. Please remember to always consult your physician for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any decisions whatsoever.
Is Dietary Supplementation Right For You?
There is a common saying, “You can’t outrun a bad diet.” This is especially true when it comes to heart health. Diet is sooooo very important… Did you know that your diet could be the key to a healthy heart? It’s true – what you eat (and don’t eat) can have a big impact on your cardiovascular health. So, if you’re looking to keep your heart in tip-top shape, make sure you pay attention to what you put on your plate.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to eat a healthy diet in this day and age. It is very important to note that we are not eating the same foods we ate years ago because the soils have been depleted of critical nutrients through current industrial farming practices. And because the soil is not as good as it used to be, the food supply (grown from the depleted soil) is not as good as it used to be. For example, you are not getting the same levels of magnesium as you would have gotten 30 or even 50 years ago.
Second, much of the food has been genetically altered, which can impact the inherent and unique nutritional composition that each food possess. For example, ancient einkorn wheat has less gluten, more protein, more Vitamin A, and more beta carotene, than modern genetically modified wheat.
Third, the toxic load in the environment today is much higher than 100 years ago. We can see this with global warming, toxic landfills, polluted oceans and waterways, etc. Toxicity levels interfere with nutrient assimilation and absorption not just into the foods, but into our bodies as well.
For some people, vitamin and mineral supplements offer important health benefits. Supplements are designed to fight deficiencies found in our diet and complement the food we eat regularly. Supplements are basically “helping hands” to our daily food.
If you need extra help in getting the nutrients you need, and/or are unable to eat better, the supplements in my Healthy Heart Bundle may provide the extra boost you need.
These are my favorite Heart Health Supplements to use! This Healthy Heart Bundle will ensure you have the intake of the important vitamins, minerals, and probiotics to decrease inflammation and boost your innate wellness day and night. Taken together, it’s a solid plan for increasing your body’s natural resiliency while you lose weight and improve your heart health, naturally.
For best results make sure you use my heart health supplements with dietary changes including a whole food plant-based diet, regular exercise (at least 2-3x per week), regular sleep (8 hours per night), and intermittent fasting (at least 1-3x per week).
Tools to Improve Heart Health
Blood Pressure Monitoring
It’s very important to monitor your blood pressure. I often recommend an automatic upper arm blood pressure cuff, but a wrist blood pressure monitor is also acceptable.
Weight Monitoring
Since weight management is very important in blood pressure control, I recommend that you be mindful of your weight and its fluctuations, and that you monitor your weight AT LEAST on a weekly basis. I recommend a scale that includes a body composition monitor.
Taking Charge Of Your Heart Health
Heart health is a big topic. It’s in the news, on our minds, and for good reason; heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. But what if there was something you could do proactively to help protect your heart from future problems? Enter the CardiaX test—a revolutionary new way to take charge of your heart health!
What is CardiaX?
CardiaX is a comprehensive genetic testing panel that looks at mutations associated with common cardiovascular risks. It can be used to determine if there are any genetic factors at play in your heart health, and it can also identify potential areas of risk that may require further action. With this knowledge, you can make informed choices about your health today with the aim of improving long-term heart health outcomes.
Who Might Benefit from CardiaX?
If you have been diagnosed with or are at risk for atherosclerosis, abnormal cholesterol production, hypertension, stroke risk, and risk for heart attack then you may benefit from this test. Additionally, anyone who wants to know more about their genetic predispositions for common cardiovascular risks may also want to consider taking this test as well.
What Can I Do With My Results?
Your results will give you an indication of whether or not there are any potential genetic markers playing a role in your risk for developing certain conditions related to heart health. From there, you can work with your healthcare provider to develop a plan that takes into account these findings and helps you develop strategies for managing them going forward. In addition to lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise modification, selecting medications that are tailored specifically to your genetics could be beneficial as well.
In A Nutshell…
The CardiaX test is an exciting new way to take charge of your heart health by learning more about how genetics might be playing a role in certain cardiovascular risks. With this knowledge in hand, patients can make decisions informed by their own unique genetic profile that will help reduce their overall risk for developing certain conditions associated with heart disease. This type of proactive approach is key when it comes to protecting ourselves against this all-too-common affliction—so don’t wait another minute! Take control of your future and get started with the CardiaX test today!
Remember, healthy lifestyle behaviors–like eating a whole-foods plant-based diet that is low in sodium, being physically active, and stress management are the best ways to prevent and control high blood pressure. Please talk with your doctor about any complementary health approaches, including supplements, you use.
Dr. Nicolle Martin
Dr. Nicolle is double board-certified in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. As one of the nation’s most acclaimed primary care and public health physicians, she is a nationally recognized author, speaker, researcher, consultant and media personality. She is the Founder and Chief Medical Advisor of DrNicolleMD.com, where she discusses actionable ideas and real-world strategies to help people take control of their health using integrative therapies and lifestyle change.
Dr. Nicolle also shares her knowledge via her popular social media accounts “Maximize Health” to help people pursue a healthier life. Her motto is simple: Minimize Medications, Maximize Health. With her credentials and warm “bedside manner,” it’s no wonder that the doctor is renowned as “America’s Favorite Family Physician.”
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Last updated on January 3rd, 2022 at 12:00 pm
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