Dear DR. ROACH: I would like to know what kind of damage you should pay attention to as a result of a drink between 19 and 40 years, and at what age the drink is slow to a comparative drop. I used to have a lot of events three to four nights a week, and I regularly wore a pair of glasses. The data on alcohol-related cancers seems to be everywhere. I worry I can do little to stop the inevitable. – S.
ANSWER: The deaths in the United States attributed to excess alcohol are estimated at nearly 100,000 per year. Many are the result of car accidents or other accidents, but long-term alcohol use does increase the risk for some types of heart disease (especially heart failure), liver disease and cancers.
When looking at cancer in particular, women should be concerned about breast cancer, while both men and women should be concerned about cancer of the head and neck, as well as GI cancer (esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver and colon). Once the excess alcohol intake has stopped, the ongoing risk begins to decrease. Liver cancer, for example, is extremely rare unless cirrhosis occurs, and the progression of liver disease to cirrhosis is greatly delayed or halted by stopping excess alcohol.
There are good screening programs for breast cancer and colon cancer, and you need to follow the guidelines carefully. I would advise you to choose the most aggressive selection guidelines if there is no disagreement between experts. Regular dental visits will help identify any oral cancer early. Unfortunately, gastric and pancreatic cancer do not have well-validated screening programs.
If you stop drinking alcohol completely, your risk will decrease further.
Dear DR. ROACH: I am an 80 year old man in good health. I am taking medication for blood pressure and cholesterol (lisinopril, atenolol, spironolactone and rosuvastatin). My wife and I still enjoy sex, and I take 100 mg of sildenafil about an hour before we have sex. It apparently does not give me the results I want. Can I take a higher dose safely? – SW
ANSWER: There are various causes of erectile dysfunction, and sometimes no specific cause is found.
Medication can be a forgotten cause of erectile dysfunction. Of all the medications you take, spironolactone causes the most problems with sexual function. In addition to its effects as a diuretic – this is probably why you use it – it blocks androgen receptors and can cause breast development in men, breast pain in women, decreased libido in men and women and erectile dysfunction. men. It is worth discussing alternatives with your doctor. Atenolol, a beta blocker, is a less common cause.
The maximum dose of sildenafil (Viagra) is 100 milligrams. However, it is possible that an hour is not long enough for the medicine to have the highest effect. Take this medicine on an empty stomach and try to give it two or three hours to be fully absorbed. My experience is that it is a much more effective way to take the medication.
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Dr. Roach regrets that he cannot answer individual letters, but will include them in the column where possible. Readers can email questions to [email protected] or email 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.
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