Blood Pressure Question

[daisy]

I have noticed lately that when my bp is low, the bottom number is getting REALLY low. For example, last night, my bp was 88/48 and I felt lousy. Not to the point of fainting but the top of my head kept tingling and I was very lightheaded and had alot of pressure in my head.

The bottom number is also low frequently when the top number isn't so bad. It will drop in the low 50s/high 40s when my top number is like 100 or so.

I know that "normal" bp for that bottom number is around 70 so I don't think the 40s can be good

Does anyone else experience this? I know my Dr. is always concerned about that top number but I'm interested in info on that bottom number dropping

and why it does and when to worry. I think when it is low, it is why I often feel so bad even if the top number is stable.

Any thoughts?

[kayjay]

Hi Daisy, I just wanted to let you know that my bp is all over the map as well. It has been 84/42 or 112/50 recently but it does not stay that low. When I talked my Dr. about the "feeling crappy" part she said that the swings can make you feel poorly. There is a tendency to feel tired when you bp is so low but she did not think it was dangerous. She was more worried about it getting high (which is does) and not comming down when I lie down. My top number will also stay above or around 100 but my bottom number will swing down 30 -40 points very quickly. It makes you feel like dirt and I would talk to your dr about it if you are on any meds. I ended up cutting my beta blocker in half to not make it worse , but you should be pretty safe. high blood pressure is worse for your body. I also notice that my resting heart rate is sometimes in the 50's then it is in the 120's but my blood pressure is ok. If you feel "in danger" for more then a few hours I would definitly call you dr. I was told to go to the er only if things did nto settle down with rest- hope you feel better soon. I know all of this stuff stinks! Kay jay

[potsgirl]

My BP is usually on the low side, so I also have readings like yours. 'Normal' BP is 120/80, but many docs now think that a little lower is better. There usually is a 40-point difference between your systolic and diastolic (bottom) numbers, so your 88/48 makes sense, but of course makes you feel awful. If you get a narrowing of points between your upper/lower BP numbers, it can make you feel even worse, ie: 88/75. I have those numbers frequently.

The 88 is your pressure in pumping blood out from your heart, and the 48 is the pressure of letting blood back into your heart, filling it so it can pump the blood out again to the rest of your body. Being in the 40s is very low, and the 50s can also make you feel pretty poorly. Do you see a cardio regularly? Have you ever had an echocardiogram? This might be a good test for you to have.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Jana