Q. I’m relieved to learn that I am not the only one who gets headaches from sex. Over a ten-year period I had SEVERE, pounding, headaches during three separate vacations (great times for making love), only during sex, close to climax.
When I reported it to my doctor, he told me I was confused. The third time I went to an emergency room, where I was told that my blood pressure was very high. They gave no possible reasons for the headache, which of course by that time was just a dull throb.
Then I recalled that during each of the three episodes, I had been taking over-the-counter cold medicines. I guess these drugs were raising my blood pressure, and then during sex, it went even higher.
A. Your hypothesis is plausible. Decongestants like those in cold and allergy remedies can raise blood pressure in some people. Many years ago, sex researchers Masters and Johnson documented that blood pressure zooms during orgasm. Perhaps this explains why your blood pressure was so high. Sudden severe headaches, whether during sex or at other times, require prompt, thorough medical evaluation.
Q. You answered a letter from a person whose doctor prescribed Prevacid for heartburn. The patient took the drug every day, even though she got heartburn only when she drank coffee. I think the physician overprescribed.
Drinking Arabica coffee would be better, as it is lower in acid. I find that hard ginger candy is very helpful against heartburn. You should tell people about handling heartburn without prescription drugs.
A. A surprising number of foods and medicines can aggravate heartburn. Prevention is always preferable to prescription medicines.
Some people may find Arabica coffee easier to tolerate, but others get heartburn from any kind of coffee, even decaf. Alcohol, fried foods, peppermint, chocolate, Valium (diazepam) and progesterone are just a few common triggers.
We have summarized many of these issues and ways to treat heartburn, both with and without drugs, in our Guide to Digestive Disorders. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. G-3, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Ginger has been used for digestive problems for centuries. Stimulating saliva by sucking on ginger candy should help ease indigestion.
Q. I recently read a story about a new drug called modafinil. It was developed to treat narcolepsy, a rare condition that makes people fall asleep unexpectedly and uncontrollably.
But the Air Force has been testing the drug to help pilots stay awake and alert for long periods of time. Is it true that modafinil does not have any side effects?
A. Modafinil (Provigil) is approved for treating daytime sleepiness due to narcolepsy. We would discourage the use of Provigil as a “go pill” by people who do not suffer from this sleep disorder.
In clinical trials, side effects such as headache, nervousness, nausea and depression troubled more patients on modafinil than on placebo. Insomnia, diarrhea, runny nose and sore throat are other possible reactions to this prescription drug.
Q. Is there anything you can apply to your skin before hiking to prevent poison ivy?
A. One FDA-approved pre-exposure preventive product is Ivy Block. Use it at least 15 minutes before starting.
