Passing out/Dizziness
 

Hey ya'll, I was wondering if anyone had any insight on this. First let me start by saying I have been OP, getting more than enough water and get my salt in and my EVOO in as directed. Yesterday I got so dizzy that I passed out in the early evening and then again right before I went to bed. This morning I am still really dizzy and lightheaded. I added some more salt this morning (7 am) and am still really dizzy now. I just checked my BP and it is 93/58. I have hereditary high BP so this is BEYOND low for me. I am on my 13th week and have not experienced this before. Any insight would be great!

Thanks!

Have you been drinking extra water? It might be dehydration to some degree.

Too much water and not enough salt? I had to really up my salt sometimes because I was drinking too much salt.

ALSO, could you be pregnant? (sorry to stress you out but you can be extra fertile on this diet).

That's pretty low blood pressure. Also, when you go from sitting to standing, do it slowly and give your body time to adjust. When you stand up, BP will drop (head rush). I would increase your salt and maybe drink just enough water.

How is your potassium intake? You may try to take an extra one - the salt, water, and potassium are not something to be messed with. You should definitely talk with your doctor about this. If you are on any BP meds they will most likely need to be adjusted.

I drink at least 100oz of water a day. Sometimes more, but never less. I use my salt a few times through the day and use a good amount of it so I get the sodium in.

I was told 11 years ago that I could never get pregnant. I also just ended a cycle on the 16th, so I doubt I am pregnant (would be nice though, but don't think that is the case!!)

I am drinking some PowerAde Zero to see if that will help any.

Lizz, I will add another potassium today and see if that helps any. I am not currently on any medication for BP

Lots of IP babies on this diet...might be worth it to spend 10 bucks on a walmart brand stick...just to rule it out. I think over the year I spent 40 bucks on sticks...cause I would get concerned...and I was told I would have difficulty too.

Your hormones really level out and your body gets primed for a baby on this diet, you just never know.

Agree with most of the posters...breath deeply when standing up...might be worth checking out.

My BP is those levels now.

90/60 is normal for me...

I bet it is blood pressure related, and the salt/sodium stuff should help a lot I bet. Maybe try going for the packets that have the higher sodium content in them. I know chicken a la king is like 630mg

Yep, agree with everyone! I have naturally low blood pressure ( usually 90/60) so it is not dangerously low, but you do have to have enough salt in your diet and drink lost of H2O. Hope you are feeling less dizzy :)

try adding another potassium supplement in the morning. I would add even more salt - you need the salt to keep the water in the blood vessels

I love the idea's being written above, but the BEST idea (as Liz already stated) is to visit your family doctor and let them tell you what to do.

I also have been VERY light-headed, dizzy, and weak since I began this diet July 3rd...and I have a full physical with blood panels etc next week...so I am waiting for then. If I did not have that app't, I would have called my doc today.

So...go see your Doc! Better to make sure then to guess.
Hope you feel better soon!
Jake

are you on BP medicine? Is your sugar too low?

Thanks all for the responses. I did call my doctor and he is not in till Wednesday. He said that if I pass out again to go straight to the ER. He also wants me eating "normally" I told him I need to stick this out and if tomorrow it is still this bad perhaps I will add something into it. I told him that if it were this diet I would have experienced this long ago (like I'm the doctor, haha!!). DH wants me to follow his directions, but we all know I am boss!! I added a TON of salt to my dinner and hope that will help. If not I will try eating something the doc recommended. What worries me is my mother died when she was 36 of a massive heart attack. She was very healthy (so we all thought). Slim and active, but she had 100%, 99% and 95% blockage in her main arteries. So I don't want to take any chances. Another thing he told me I need to do is take a pregnancy test. I told him ya'll suggested that!!

UMC, no I am not on BP meds. I checked my sugar and it was normal. BP is still low as of right now, but will monitor.

Last yr when I did IP for 5 months, I was always tired and never got the "burst" of energy that many speak of, I think everyone is different. I, too had a complete physical, my vit D & thyroid were off. So, got that on track, all this to say, it is a very good idea to check it out wih your doctor.

I fainted a few weeks ago. I got out of bed, made it to my bedroom door, and fainted. My husband helped me up and while walking me to the bed, I fainted again. We went to the ER and they ran a bunch of blood tests on me, and the one that came back irregular was my thyroid. I take synthroid for hypothydroid, and had even been tested in May and it had been normal. My dr upped my dosage, and I will go back in about 4 weeks to see if it's the right dosage. I still get dizzy a lot when I get up, I just try to do it more slowly. My dr also told me to get more salt in my diet, though my potassium lvls were normal. Oh yeah, and I too have low blood pressure. Soo, I'm guessing it's my thyroid.

Yeah I was a freaking dizzy mess but that was week one and you're well beyond week ine. Take it easy, follow up with the doctor, maybe you should have an extra packet and see if that helps.

Another possibility is hypoglycemia. I and both of my (thin) sisters (even though I'm not biologically related, being adopted) have fainted from hypoglycemic episodes. My middle sister has it the worst of us. If she skips breakfast, she'll pass out by lunchtime.

She carries lifesavers or other hard candies in her purse for emergencies, and is careful not to miss meals.

Sugar really isn't the best solution though in the long-run. Because 30 to 45 minutes later, it will just happen again.

When my doctor recommended that I try low-carb, but warned me not to go too low (though admitting he didn't know what was too low) I was not only skeptical, I was a bit nervous.

Every time I have tried Atkins in the past, I have had these symptoms. Terrible headaches, dizziness, and even actually passing out. So I don't do Atkins induction level carbs (fewer than 20g daily). And it's not "Induction Flu" because the symptoms do not disappear after two weeks, they only get worse.

It's one of the things that is worrying me about trying Ideal Protein style weight loss in the long-term (I will be using alternatives, because I can't affford the IP products. Even the alternatives will be a stretch to the budget).

But the trial-run days I've had so far have gone well, but they've been sedentary days, and it's usually exercise or activity of some kind that pushes me into the unpleasant symptoms.

Wow, 90/60 is normal for you?? That's crazy! It would definitely be considered very low for most folks. Average is 120/80, a lot of doctors are now preferring closer to 110/80. I've told patients to call their MD when their BP is that low.

I know BP is not "my" problem...check it every day. Just checked and it is 121/78...everyone should have a home test unit...handy as heck! You get feeling faint, dizzy, etc you can sit, relax over a BIG glass of water and check your BP. If its good, you draw comfort from that. If its bad, you call the Doc! But that way at least you "know".
Just saying...
Jake

qsuzi: I know the standard answer here is drink more water, make sure to get your oil in, and take more salt...seems those are the general answers no matter what the question (haha!)... but still say a doc visit, and a physical, would be smart. Your body is telling you "something"...listen to it.
Good luck!
Jake

Very wise words!

If you are having dizziness/lightheadedness with position change, it is a blood pressure issue. More water and more salt, as well as taking an extra potassium/calcium supplement will help.

If you are lightheaded with exercise, it is most likely a blood pressure issue as well, as the blood flow goes to the working muscles to supply oxygen instead of other parts of the body...try doing an exercise where you sit, like rowing or biking.

Usually if you are having a heart attack, blood pressure rises, in order to provide more blood to the heart....if you are having a heart attack and blood pressure is low, then you are in cardiogenic shock and are REALLY, REALLY sick, like you can't function sick.

I am a nurse practitioner in a cardiology/syncope/arrhythmia practice and about 75% of my patients have issues with fainting or near fainting...we see this all the time, and we see it a lot with people who diet. Funny thing, high carbohydrate diets cause hypotension because of the insulin surge, so we counsel people to eat less carbs in the am and more protein to help counteract the symptoms.

Above all, your doctor has the last word...good luck!

Ya'll have been so awesome with your responses...thank you!!

I am feeling much better, not 100%, but the dizziness is not as severe and my BP went up to 107/71 which is much better! It has been steady for the last 12 hours at that. I have added more powerade zero, less water (stop after I get my 64oz in) and more salt. I don't know which one is the thing helping, but something is. The sad part is that I did not lose a single ounce this week. I still have two days till WI, but it shows that I am up 1/2 a lb. I guess that is better than being in the hospital!! I hope some of it is water retention from all the salt and that I will release it through today and tomorrow!!

Again, thanks ya'll!!

I've had issues feeling faint after rising and walking a few steps. Have had to actually sit back down quickly and wait a minute or so before getting up. My cardiologist put me on BP med several years ago when I had a stent inserted. With the consultation of my primary care doctor, I cut back to half as much, but still had problems so I've been completely off for a couple of weeks. It seems to be helping. At the time I started IP my BP was 142/85. It got as low as 92/66 about 6 months into the program. Lately it's been in the range of 125/75 which the IP nurse said is normal.

So I spoke too soon! Yesterday evening I fainted again and hit my head pretty bad. DH took me to the ER per the dr's instructions and now I have to phase out. The doctor doesn't know exactly why my BP is so low (it was 95/66 when admitted last night), especially since I have high BP. So to rule stuff out he wants me off the diet. I am going to phase off, but start with phase 3 instead of 2 and see if that helps any. I hate not knowing what is wrong, but I doubt it is IP as this is my 13th week, and this is the first I have had this problem. I am so upset about this because I don't want to stop IP. I am hoping they will find out what is wrong and I will be able to go back on IP quickly.

I am hoping for a quick diagnosis for you! Above all else, take care of your health - IP and the gang will still be here waiting for you! You have done great so far!! Stick to the Phasing off protocol and use what you've learned thus far into Phase 4 and maintenance while they figure out your BP problems. There is no reason why you can't maintain your success so far and come back better and stronger than ever!

I was wondering if you ever found the solution for your issue - I experience something similar and am trying to rule out a few things. Hope you are well and would love to know what happened here! Thanks!

I get this too, but since I've had issues with passing out in the past due to low blood sugar, I quickly react and lay down. You need to keep the blood from pooling in your feet. Make sure you're getting plenty of water - I increased my water intake to 150-160 oz (not including a 20 oz coffee and herbal tea every day), and that has helped me. I've also gotten a bit more generous with the salt and have pickles frequently - I have low blood pressure on top of low blood sugar...although, my blood sugar hasn't been below the 60's in years.

You might want to talk to your coach about having a 4th packet on days when you feel dizzy.

Hey Thirteen - I think you're exactly right. I noticed yesterday that I typically do not feel the dizziness after my dinner protein which is typically when I add in my daily salt. I went ahead and threw a little salt in with breakfast and lunch today and did not notice the dizziness as severe. I also doubled up on potassium yesterday and today which seems to have helped. Water is never a problem though - keeps me fuller through the day :D