I have been having dizzy spells recently when standing or moving to quickly. I’ve always had low blood pressure but Thursday I was really lightheaded and groggy all day. My daughter who is an RN took my pressure which was 112/58 (this is a normal blood pressure for me). She then had me stand up and took my pressure again and it was 94/48 (I was also really lightheaded at the time). Her suggestion was to increase my sodium and water intake. Luckily, I track my food intake and could see that my sodium was low the previous two days. I increased that and felt better yesterday. Yesterday my sodium was good and today the dizzy spells are back.
Anyone else have issues with dropping pressure when standing? Or low blood pressure in general?
My sodium intake yesterday was 2750mg, my potassium is always good since i eat one or two bananas a day, i drink a minimum of 8 cups of water a day, and my food intake is usually around 1400 cals (I’m calorie counting so everything is recorded for the last 8 months). I take Arthrotec 75 and Tecta twice a day and a multivitamin.
I have been slightly dizzy and lightheaded lately as well. When I saw my rheumatologist yesterday, my blood pressure (sitting down) was 90/50. I think that is a record low for me. Thank you for the information. I think I will work on improving my sodium, water and potassium intake. I hope you feel better soon, Roni.
I have always had low, low blood pressure. 94/48 is about norm for me, mine can dip down into the 80's as well. With certain medications, it can drop to no blood pressure at all and I have to be revived. However, it doesn't cause me dizziness - perhaps because I am used to it? I do have dizziness, but not revolving around my bp. My doctors have been confounded by it since my teenage years. As an adult, they end up using the child cuff to measure my pressure most of the time and the nurse will generally express shock when reading my pressure. I have to explain to them that it is typical and normal for me so panic does not ensue. I DO have an extremely rapid heart rate. This turned out to be a rare heart arrhythmia related to auto-immune disease - perhaps also related to the low, low bp? I'm not sure.
As for having the difference when you stand up and sit down? I heard something a while back about a tilt table test that was being done in aid to diagnosing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This is likely outdated news.
Also - the meds you listed above are ALL that you take? Certain pain pills, Plaquenil etc... can potentially lower blood pressure when sitting/standing/lying down.
Your doctor may be able to help you figure this out especially since it is making you dizzy!
Thanks for the info! I think the drop when I stand is what is causing the dizziness (the sudden change from one to the other). Apparently your bp normally goes up when you stand and quickly returns to normal. I have low platelets so wonder if that may be the culprit. There is some information on postural hypotension online but very little on how to fix it. Those are the only meds I’m on currently but I am 8 months into waiting to get into the rheumy to have a DMARD added to the mix. I also recently developed a heart murmur and wonder if that could be related? I go for an ECG on Monday so am sure they’ll figure out if anything is off. I also have a congenital defect (right aortic arch) but I don’t believe that causes any issues.
I used to have dizzy spells all of the time prior to my diagnosis, with no known cause. My blood pressure would also change with every position I made, and I would feel lightheaded. However, I have been pre-hypertensive since my diagnosis, as Lupus has caused me to gain some weight.
I have always had low blood pressure, even as a kid, couldn't stand up too fast. I keep a small picnic salt shaker in my purse and on my bedside table, the kind you buy in the spice aisle that are disposable. It seems to raise my BP quick enough, and if it doesn't, I think of something that makes me really angry, and that raises it. I have had days of semi-consciousness from it, when I didn't know what was causing it. It does raise when I'm in pain (too much though). Feels like our bodies are aliens that don't function well in this environment. lol. Your doctor's idea was going to be my second suggestion, to also keep hydrated. Your sodium intake is ok to watch, but I think a fast taste of salt raises it more quickly.
So it sounds like it’s not uncommon for low pressure and autoimmune issues to go hand in hand. i’ll continue to keep my sodium levels up. Thanks for the tips ladies. =)
Thanks for this discussion. I remember one time I was at my GP for my annual pap, and the nurse commenting on my bp. She said usually most women are nervous about it, and she said I was calm as can be. I didn't really think anything about it. After I had pneumonia, I was at a town festival and the hospital had a booth doing bp, sugar and cholesterol checks. And My bp was really low, I didn't know that it is common for us.
I've always suffered with low blood pressure and your lowest rate when you stood and it was checked is usually me.....and you will het those feelings and i have passed out with it.
Potassium i have to becareful with becauseto much affects my kidneys bad and puts them in bad pain...they're told me you can't be treated by tablets like those with high blood pressure, so i have to grin abd bare with it but it's classed here as dangerous as those with high.
I’m surprised by the number of you that have it! Everyone I know worries about it being too high. Mine generally runs in the high 90’s low 100’s over the high 50’s. And is generally lower on my other side (left). Strangely I also don’t have a detectable pulse on my left side (that usually really baffles the nurses!). I’ve always assumed those issues were related to the right aortic arch (the difference from one side to the other). I know that my aorta also branches into my legs a lot lower than normal (nice surprise for my ob/gyn when he went in through my belly button to do a tubiligation). Those are considered congenital defects though although they weren’t discovered until I was an adult.
They should be investigating more really on you and since i found out about the Lupus 6 operations i've had and the last one my blood pressure was low down by theatre and the next thing they're putting a drip into me, so why i was being operated on they was putting fluid into my body to feed my organs through the blood pressure as i went freezing...because apparentley it can lack your organs of fluid also and this is why we go giddy and feel faint.
I'd push it to be looked at furthur with the points you've stated. xxx
Roni said:
I'm surprised by the number of you that have it! Everyone I know worries about it being too high. Mine generally runs in the high 90's low 100's over the high 50's. And is generally lower on my other side (left). Strangely I also don't have a detectable pulse on my left side (that usually really baffles the nurses!). I've always assumed those issues were related to the right aortic arch (the difference from one side to the other). I know that my aorta also branches into my legs a lot lower than normal (nice surprise for my ob/gyn when he went in through my belly button to do a tubiligation). Those are considered congenital defects though although they weren't discovered until I was an adult.
I am currently having a cardiac work up done due to the heart murmur. I have an ECG tomorrow. Luckily our hospital is a cardiac center for the Atlantic provinces and I’m going to the head guy so I’m sure if there is something to be found he will find it. I’ll discuss the blood pressure issues with him when I see him.
Definitely discuss the low blood pressure...my eldest sister was born with an heart murmur and nothing was ever done for her because they reckon you can't cure it but there's definitely something causing your troubles and fingers crossed here for you they can deal with your situation.
& all my love to you. xxx Roni said:
I am currently having a cardiac work up done due to the heart murmur. I have an ECG tomorrow. Luckily our hospital is a cardiac center for the Atlantic provinces and I'm going to the head guy so I'm sure if there is something to be found he will find it. I'll discuss the blood pressure issues with him when I see him.
I'm guessing that you've experienced this as well? I have to be especially careful of any medications that have "could lower bp" as a side effect Anywhere on the list. It rules out lots of the medications and for some the docs put me in the hospital for one to two nights to observe me on the med and make sure I can tolerate it. Depends how important it is. Weird huh?
Draginfli//Ang
Sheila W. said:
Ang, you're the only other person I've heard of who has had to be revived a number of times!
Sheila
Draginfli said:
Roni,
" it can drop to no blood pressure at all and I have to be revived.
I sure struggle with prescriptions due to the lowe Bp thing and other reactions.
Wow, it wouled be nice to have a Dr. care that much! I'm in Canada where the care is dangerously negligent, especiallly for those on disability or over 75 with a lot of health problems. They just hope you die so it will save the gov't some money. I have really bad reactions to meds, but i have to try them and deal with the side effects on my own. Doctors can only do one thing, and that's give you a pill, so I have not gone to the Dr. for years except to get my natural tyrptophan and pain meds refilled. Every time I do mention anything, it's ignored. I passed out in the Dr. office. A nurse took my BP, it was 60 over something. An ambulance should have been called, but they just let me sit there until I felt better and then I drove home. I was so mad, that my B.P. did go up I'm sure. So now those are my 2 remedies. Think of something that makes me mad and shake a bit of salt into my mouth.
Draginfli said:
Hi Sheila -
I'm guessing that you've experienced this as well? I have to be especially careful of any medications that have "could lower bp" as a side effect Anywhere on the list.
I’m also in Canada and really surprised by your assessment of the medical care here. That hasn’t been my experience at all and I’m really sorry that your doctor treated you that way. Perhaps you need to find a new family doctor? A good doctor would never ignore symptoms and make you feel rushed through. There are bad apples in every profession though.
We do have long wait times for some specialists here (8 months wait so far for the rheumy) but that is due to a lack of rheumatologists in our area. We only have 2 and one is semi-retired. We have several of most other specialists though. My ob/gyn called one day after my referal to book and the head cardiologist called within two weeks to book my tests. Our care is also triaged (even in a referral setting) so if I was in really bad shape with the arthritis when reffered I move to the top of the list. This determination is made by your family doctor (numbered 1-3 based on severity of symptoms). If the ER refers you, you also get in much faster. So I’m not knocking the wait times, I’m waiting on the semi-retired rheumy because I prefer her to the other one and was warned by my family doctor that the wait times where a lot longer for her.
As it turns out it wasn’t an ECG they had me booked for, it was an Echo. So probably an hour of them taking pictures from every angle. She said the doctor will have the report within two weeks. Hopefully it’s all good! =)