I will be calling for a dr appointment in the morning, but was curious if anyone had had this happen.
My blood pressure at my high weight was always in the neighborhood of 115/75, but over the last few days I have been getting lightheaded when getting out of bed too quickly. I took my bp yesterday morning and it was 90/63, so low normal according to dr. Google. I was at the dentist with my son today and felt faint and needed to sit down... They brought me water and took my bp with a wrist monitor and the first time it errored, but 2nd time it was 71/40! I don't know how accurate the wrist ones are. 10 min later it was back to the 90s.
Any ideas? It may not be related to weight loss at all.
I totally agree with Larry. Don't drive if it's so low because you could collapse or pass out. I've had several episodes of low blood pressure mainly because mine is already low and I'm taking meds which make it lower. Increasing both fluid and salt intake helps. Increasing blood volume from drinking a lot of water is what gets me back on my feet. I am always drinking...
Last I checked, blood pressure goes up when you gain weight, and goes down when you lose weight. Though as Larry points out, it doesn't drop to extreme levels due to weight loss! Mine was low before I gained weight, went up to normal when I was heavier, and has now dropped down to low again. I'm going to ask my GP about referral to a blood pressure specialist, since my blood pressure really isn't behaving itself and it's not particularly safe for me to keep fainting.
I agree that with blood pressure like yours, you need to see a doctor. Be warned that many doctors don't take low blood pressure seriously and may just say in a patronising voice, "Well aren't you lucky, you're less likely to have a heart attack or stroke!" (Really not helpful when you're not remotely worried about that and *are* worried about hitting your head next time you collapse.) The dentist's reading should hopefully be enough to get them past that, I'd think, especially since it was taken by a medical professional.
It may also be worth getting a blood pressure monitor to use at home. Check with one of the big heart or blood pressure associations for recommendations, as there are good ones and bad ones out there. The ones which take a reading off your finger, for instance, are not recommended. I'm not sure about the wrist ones, but I've never seen a doctor or nurse use anything other than one which fastens around the upper arm.
Umm sorry Larry, I don't agree, I was on high BP medication for years, and recently got all the low BP symptoms you describe - so went to the docs because my pressure was 85/50 ish, and was told in no uncertain terms it was because I had lost a considerable amount of weight.
I am now totally off one of the meds I was on.
Could you anemic? This happened to me last year. I ended up in the hospital 2x in 1 month and finally needed a transfusion, but my low bp was definitely due to iron deficiency. Get a complete physical hun there are so many possible causes.
Hope you feel better soon.
Umm sorry Larry, I don't agree, I was on high BP medication for years, and recently got all the low BP symptoms you describe - so went to the docs because my pressure was 85/50 ish, and was told in no uncertain terms it was because I had lost a considerable amount of weight.
I am now totally off one of the meds I was on.
I'm confused. You're saying she shouldn't go see a Dr?
Doctors aren't perfect. That is why there is such a thing known as a "second opinion" which when it comes to any serious medical issue is always a good idea.
Umm sorry Larry, I don't agree, I was on high BP medication for years, and recently got all the low BP symptoms you describe - so went to the docs because my pressure was 85/50 ish, and was told in no uncertain terms it was because I had lost a considerable amount of weight.
I am now totally off one of the meds I was on.
Larry wasn't wrong... blood pressure doesn't get that low unless something is wrong and normal weight loss will not make a typical person's blood pressure that low. Yours got that low because you were on a medication that was now not necessary with losing weight, and thus, when you dropped that medication, your bp normalized. Naturally dropping super low is completely different than a medication taking you that low.
Larry didn't say weight loss doesn't lower blood pressure, of course it does, but he said doesn't lower it to an extremely low level.
Last edited by berryblondeboys; 10-18-2011 at 09:08 PM.
I have an appointment for Thursday and I imagine he will order bloodwork. I have a fantastic DO and he never blows me off. I am not on any meds currently so it's not a case of something needing adjustment. I have a bp monitor (the upper arm kind) and have been checking a few times a day. I upped my sodium intake today after doing some reading and have felt fine all day. I also took a multivitamin with iron - my mom suggested it might be anemia as well. So we will see what he says on Thursday and I will let you know the results!
Back from the doctor. He was very happy about my weight loss but didn't think it was related to blood pressure. He said the readings in the office from today (110/74) and prior visits are all in the same neighborhood and ya normal to have lower readings at home. His first thought was a middle ear issue but that looked fine, so now we wait on the bloodwork (Monday). It's very likely that due to reduced calories I am deficient in something. He's also checking thyroid and (non-fasting) blood sugar, but would have expected any issues with those to have been more of a problem at my heavier weight.
Wanted to give the final update. All of my bloodwork came back normal. My doctor told me he believes its related to my weight loss and recommended increasing fluids (i drink 80-100 oz a day now) and slowing down on the weight loss (he seemed surprised when I told him I was eating 1300 cals and said "oh is that all?"). He is a family doctor, not a nutritionist, so I am taking his advice with a grain of salt in this case.
I decided that first I would work on taking vitamins, and bumped my sodium cap from 1500 to 2300. The good news is that I haven't had a dizzy spell in 3 days or so! Take your vitamins, kids!!
Look like I'm late on this thread, lol. Glad you are getting everything under control. I have low BP when I am over weight, and getting down the a healthy weight has alway made it a bit lower. I am careful to stay well hydrated, and eat plenty of saltly stuff. Pretzels and stuff. I swear I never get thirsty, and I could easily (and have) gone all day and realized I've drank only a cup of coffee, or nothing at all. If I slack off on drinking, I'll notice feeling lighthead and other annoyances with in a day or two.
Good luck! You'll get used to how to manage it and you'll get to know when you need to have a glass of water or some salt.
Low blood pressure related to weight loss?
