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Hemorrhoid Remedy Raises Blood Pressure

Q. I used Preparation H for some hemorrhoid irritation in the morning before I saw my doctor for a normal checkup. I almost broke the blood pressure machine. They measured my blood pressure three times because it was so high.

I was trying to think what I might have done to account for this. Then I read the label on Preparation H and put 2 and 2 together.

I wonder how many people have landed in the emergency room because they couldn’t handle this stuff. It seems to me the warning should be clearer.

A. The label on Preparation H Ointment advises consumers to “ask a doctor before use if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, diabetes or difficulty in urination due to enlargement of the prostate gland.”

People may not realize that medication inserted into the rectum is likely to be absorbed into the blood stream and circulate throughout the body. Because Preparation H contains a vasoconstrictor called phenylephrine, it may raise blood pressure in susceptible people. You may also have experienced white coat hypertension brought on by stress in the doctor’s office.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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