how to stabilize blood pressure

[gertie]

Is there a natural remedy to stabilize BP?   My BP drops usually in the am.  By the time I am alert enough to take my BP it's usually 90/45 or 50.  In the afternoon it's usually back to 120/70's.  It takes me a long time to feel normal again.  I worry if I take a med to raise BP it will get too high.  When I have it checked at doctors office it's always dangerously high (he says) & doc wants to give me a medication to lower it.   I feel it would be better if there was something to take when I feel the BP dropping.  I'm getting afraid to leave home for fear of fainting.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

[Pistol]

@gertie - what meds do you take and when do you take them? In some people it helps to change the times you take your meds - for example take your BB in the PM if your BP is low in the AM. Or - change to a different med or - in my case this was instrumental - change to the Extended Release version of a med rather than the two-or-three-times-day version.   

[gertie]

I don't take a BP med at all.  My internist only wants to give me something for high BP.  Since my BP is so erratic it seems dangerous to try to medicate.  I was hoping I could find something to take to raise it when my BP is very low & I have syncope.  Yesterday a.m. it was low  this a.m. it's high.  How do you take manage that?   Thanks for your reply.

[DizzyGirls]

Both my girls take florinef to raise their bp.  Lately, my oldest is having trouble with her bp just dropping.  It was actually 72/54 hr about 90 something last week.  Going to cardiologist this week.  Might ask your doctor for some florinef.  It's a lifesaver!

[Derek1987]

Mine is all over the place. 15 minutes ago it was like 150/89. Now I'm getting like 116/70 consistently. Heart rate is bouncing around too. And this is while laying down watching TV not moving. When it starts dropping I get worried of fainting. I hate this.

[MomtoGiuliana]

My BP is typically more stable if I am well-hydrated.  IV fluids 2 to 3 times per week helped me greatly, including erratic BP and HR, when I was in a very bad flare a year ago (when I am in a bad flare I have both high and low BP).  Otherwise, I try to just stay well hydrated with drinking a lot of fluids.  That said, with a severe situation, you may need more than fluids to address this.

[Lily]

Have you tried to bring your doctor a data table or graph of your blood pressure fluctuations?  Record several days worth at least so they know it is not temporary, and however many times per day you need to in order to show the full range of variability.

[yogini]

10 hours ago, MomtoGiuliana said:

My BP is typically more stable if I am well-hydrated.  IV fluids 2 to 3 times per week helped me greatly, including erratic BP and HR, when I was in a very bad flare a year ago (when I am in a bad flare I have both high and low BP).  Otherwise, I try to just stay well hydrated with drinking a lot of fluids.  That said, with a severe situation, you may need more than fluids to address this.

Totally agree with the above.  When I was sickest I drank a big cup of organic broth a couple of hours before bed, followed by lots of water.  That helped me stay hydrated overnight and be more functional in the am.   Another idea which is midodrine, a prescription medication which wears off in a couple of hours.  Or compression hose, which you could take off later in the day if your BP increases.

[p8d]

Fluids, salt, compression hose and fludricortisone if they don’t help enough.  I don’t feel well until my BP Is in the 130-140/80s sitting and that’s not too high at all.  My cardiologist just doesn’t want it >150/90 but is fine with 130/140s.  It drops immediately on upright but the goal is to have it high enough to not drop so as to cause symptoms. When my BP was consistently low in the mornings I would quickly drink 16-32 ounces of fluids in bed and then wait about 15-20 minutes and then get up and immediately put on compression stockings.  The stockings stayed on until bedtime.  I now have hypertension but BP is still a bit low and I am tachy in the mornings so I drink about 8 ounces before getting up.  My dys neuro told me to do this, it works very well for me.  This gastropressor reflex is a well known method of quickly increasing BP.

[Aud E]

On 5/28/2019 at 12:15 AM, Derek1987 said:

Mine is all over the place. 15 minutes ago it was like 150/89. Now I'm getting like 116/70 consistently. Heart rate is bouncing around too. And this is while laying down watching TV not moving. When it starts dropping I get worried of fainting. I hate this.

This was happening to me last fall. A lot of cardiologists now have this Zio patch heart monitor you wear for two weeks and then get a report from. It has an event button and you keep a log when you are having symptoms/press the event button. The amazing part is that it is the size of a sticker and you can wear it in the shower. No hefty pack to carry around. When they later needed me live monitored for three weeks, I did have to carry the pack around so you can't win them all.

The BP starts out low in morning. Strangely if I walk laps around the living room, I can get my BP up. If I lie down, BP is fine, if I sit, BP drops to 48 which is scaring me. I have been able to get it up to 110/ 65 at least using sodium chloride tablets bought online (what they give you in intravenous fluids I believe), compression socks up to knees. I also read today on Mayo that caffeine can help some elevate blood pressure if it does not worsen your tachycardia. They recommend getting a reading before and after. If you try salt tablets (it worked better than table salts for me), start with one and check BP, then check BP later before adding more. UPDATE: learned from cardiologist salt tabs can increase nausea. Also was told to lie down and elevate feet so blood is going to heart. Cardiologist also told me to hydrate when this happens and compression stockings help. Of course she added electrolytes but some of the ingredients in mine are contraindicated with my meds. 

Lastly, if you can find a cardiologist who has any experience with dysautonomia, it helps with not simply getting put on meds that worsen matters. I also gave up caffeine which helped tachycardia but has been horrible to adapt to energy wise.

Lastly, regardless of what your pharmacy or doctors warn about contraindications, I find it useful to google your prescriptions followed by PI which means prescribing information. It will either be published by the drug manufacturer or be posted by the FDA. It is typically the tiny folded piece of paper that comes glued to the outside of the prescription bottle which no one reads. Reading them line by line and looking up terms I didn't understand, I have found contraindications on my medications that neither doctors nor pharmacy seemed to know of or warn me against and requested meds that did not have those contraindications. It has been a lot of work but I am feeling on a better track at least. Not having respiratory distress while sleeping for example. Also there is a free website you can sign up for called Epocrates that will check interactions between your drugs to see whether any combo might be causing low blood pressure. Also calling one's pharmacist to see which med could be lowering blood pressure and talk to your doctor about a substitute for that med.

Good luck, I know it is scary and you really should see a cardiologist especially if you are feeling faint as you want to be sure your heart is getting enough blood.