Michelle is diagnosed hypertension, and shows signs of pre-diabetes.
Hypertension and diabetes
People with diabetes most of the time also have high blood pressure (hypertension). Together, this is very unhealthy. You run a much greater risk of cardiovascular disease and problems with your kidneys, for example. High blood pressure occurs twice as often for people with diabetes as for people without diabetes. Because of diabetes, the blood vessels can be less supple, causing the blood pressure to rise. In addition, changes in the insulin system also cause high blood pressure. And blood pressure increases with obesity, eating fat, salt, and little exercise.
Michelle is struggling with diabetes, and hypertension
Michelle (age three) has a genuine sweet tooth. She happily eats any treat her mother gives her. The last time they visited their family doctor, Michelle’s blood pressure was up in the 95th percentile for girls of her age. Today, the doctor checked her blood pressure again, and diagnosed hypertension, and also discovered signs of pre-diabetes. Michelle suffers from a common complication associated with high blood pressure, sleep apnea. “As parents, we are concerned about her health. She is not healthy at the moment. And on top of that, she often cries for nights on end, leaving us and her exhausted.”
The challenge
“We want Michelle to get better, but to get better, she has to take medicine. We have tried to give her the medications, but she refuses to take them because of the foul taste.” For adults, it is a very logical thought that when you are sick, medication can help. You are only too happy to swallow these when you know that the headache will go away afterward. Children, on the other hand, can strongly resist medication. They do not always know exactly what it does, it looks strange, and swallowing it feels strange. “We’ve tried all kinds of ways to get the medication into their daughter’s body, but each time Michelle outsmarts us. She has to start taking the medication if she wants to get her diabetes and high blood pressure under control.”
The solution
The pharmacist has the perfect solution for Michelle’s situation. He suggests making a compound of SyrSpend, offered by Fagron. SyrSpend® SF PH4 is sugar- and preservative-free, and has excellent taste-masking properties, as well as a sweet, neutral taste. Starting with a 1 mg/ml suspension, the dose can be adjusted over time as Michelle develops.
Michelle begins to take the medication, and her health improves day by day. Six months later, Michelle’s blood pressure has improved, and the doctor wants to try lowering the dose of atenolol. The signs of pre-diabetes that were initially present have diminished and almost disappeared. “We have also reduced the treats, and Michelle has become a lively young girl again. Because she is now sleeping better, we are also sleeping better.” The doctor hopes that Michelle will eventually be off the medication completely.
Compounding
- 1 mg/ml atenolol suspension with the Atenolol & SyrSpend® SF PH4 kit
