We have an extremely interesting situation here. The woman had high blood pressure and received the good beta-blocker metoprolol for this reason.
Then the gynecologist prescribed hormonal Angelique to this woman, and her blood pressure dropped. After that the woman threw metoprolol, because blood pressure and against the background of Angelica fell to 90 millimeters of mercury. Cool hormone, right? But I'm not sure about that. I explain.
Angelique is a combined preparation of estrogen and gestagen for hormone replacement therapy. But about the same drugs are used for hormonal contraception.
All these drugs can increase blood pressure and, regardless of pressure, can still cause thrombosis, strokes, heart attacks, thromboembolism. This is rare, but it does happen.
As part of specifically Angelica, there is a gestagen called drospirenone. It differs from other gestagens in that it can lower blood pressure. It would be very convenient for older women.
The trick is that this drospirenone is almost the same as verospiron. Therefore, it drives out water with sodium and retains potassium. Like myself as a medicine for pressure.
About 15 years ago, there was an idea that if women with slightly high blood pressure had a need for a hormonal drug, then drospirenone would be a good fit. Probably…
Combined hormonal drugs usually increase blood pressure. It is harmful. And even Angelique with his drospirenone can raise blood pressure. But sometimes it does.
So if Angelique lowered blood pressure, then should we be happy about it or not?
Let's figure out why lower blood pressure at all. We often do not feel its increase.
If blood pressure is not lowered, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases dramatically. You can die from this.
Sometimes people try to lose weight, limit salt, walk in the park, and this lowers their blood pressure. If you're lucky, that will be enough. But not everyone is so lucky. Usually you have to take pressure pills.
Pressure pills have been tested for several decades. Including the same metoprolol with which we started. These drugs are life-saving.
Now back to Angelica. Does he save lives? No. It improves the quality of life. Estrogen in its composition provokes thrombosis, heart attacks, strokes. Drospirenone in its composition provokes thrombosis more strongly than similar drugs.
So what is the benefit of drospirenone, which lowers blood pressure but increases the risk of thrombosis? It turns out that we were struggling with what we ran into.
In the case of our Angelique, an interesting thing happened. Angelique reduced his blood pressure so much that he had to give up metoprolol. This is good? In my opinion, this is bad.
Properly administered metoprolol protected against heart attack. But drospirenone from Angelica, even lowering blood pressure, only increases the risk of heart attack.
That is, Angelique is not used as a medicine to lower blood pressure. This is only a pleasant bonus for women who lower blood pressure with normal antihypertensive drugs. Well, or if women have only slightly increased blood pressure, and the cardiologist has not yet managed to prescribe any medications to them. And then the gynecologist hurried up and appointed Angelique on time.
And in the end (sorry for the pun), I explain the meaning of hormone replacement therapy. It improves well-being and fights dryness. But by increasing the risk of dying from stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism. If suddenly we are talking about life and death, then hormone replacement therapy is thrown into the trash without hesitation.
A completely opposite story occurs with conventional antihypertensive drugs. They almost always worsen well-being and quality of life. The comfort is declining. These are predictable side effects. But they have to be tolerated, because antihypertensive drugs protect against stroke with heart attack and prolong life. It is extremely rare to stop taking antihypertensive pills. and throw them in the trash.
So what should a woman do who has given up metoprolol in favor of Angelica? She needs to see a cardiologist and decide if such a replacement will kill her.
