decongestant....

[muleywannabe]

I learned a valuable lesson today...Do not take a decongestant the day of your FAA medical exam...

My BP went up, couldnt figure out why. Still within guidelines but definitely abnormal, so I asked why it would have done this. Then I explained to them that I have been fighting a cold the last couple of weeks and took musinex D the last couple days to help clear me up....They told me the decongestant will raise your BP, its a fact. Glad It wasnt over the threshold, but for the future, I wont do that again.

 

[NoHeat]

I didn't know that.

So I searched for info, and found this on a mayo clinic website:

Decongestants relieve nasal stuffiness by narrowing blood vessels and reducing swelling in the nose. This narrowing can affect other blood vessels as well, which can increase blood pressure.
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[Jeff Oslick]

As a general rule, you probably shouldn't go for the exam unless you are in condition to fly that day. Better to reschedule than to risk raising flags. Otherwise, the doc has to take your word for it than the congestion he observes is acute, not chronic.

 

[muleywannabe]

Definitely acute and not chronic, which is why he was okay. Glad i have 5 more years to think about it, haha.