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Low Blood Pressure


Tessa

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Hi all

Sorry for not posting much these days, but I am not feeling well.

My blood pressure is going lower and lower.

27/03/07 90-50

02/04/07 85-45

05/04/07 80-40

14/04/07 70-40

Today, before lunch I have been feeling lightheaded, dizzy, tired... I had lunch and after it, I had to sleep for 2 hours in order to feel slightly better, but I have been up and down for the rest of the day.

I am drinking plenty of fluids and adding salt to my diet, but it does not seem to be effective.

I wonder if it is healthy to keep such a low bp. Having 70-40 today and feeling so lightheaded...

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thank you for your answers,

Take care,

Love

Tessa

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Hi Tessa,

I was told that anything below 90/60- with symptoms- requires attention. You certainly qualify. Have you see your doctor recently? I definately would. Keep us posted on your progress.

Julie

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Tessa,

Can you do leg strengthening exercises? That is the best. If you are unable:

I would try laying with my legs elevated for 45 minutes, while I do this I squeeze the muscles in my

legs and butt and move my feet back and forth. Dr Low at Mayo, recommended that I do this twice

a day.

Dawn

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Tessa,

I'd advise you to contact your doctor and let them know your symptoms and blood pressure readings. They know you best and can hopefully advise. So many of us put up with extreme symptoms that it can be difficult to know when to call the doctor but I think this is one of those times when you need to be evaluated.

I was just wondering about your Bisoprolol dose - have you ever been on lower doses? Did they work? I wouldn't advise changing your dose unless you discuss with your doctor first. My cardiologist started me out on 1.25mg once daily, it was then increased to 1.25mg twice daily. When my symptoms got worse recently he wanted to increase my beta blocker but was reluctant to go above my current tiny dose. He said that at low doses you get the vasoconstrictive benefits of the bisoprolol but at higher doses it actually causes low BP (beta blockers are used for treating high BP after all). Sometimes your body changes how it reacts to medication that you may have been on for a long time.

I see that you have had trouble getting meds compounded / not available. Where abouts are you living? I'm in the UK and Midodrine isn't licenced over here but my cardiologist gets it via the hospital pharmacy from Germany for me.

I hope you doc can advise and that you improve a bit soon,

Flop

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Thank you all for your answers and suggestions.

Julie, I saw the Cardiologist last Tuesday, but although I did tell him that I had a low bp I did not give him the readings.

I am having my period now, but even though it can affect the bp, it has been lowering all these weeks.

My husband and me have decided going to the Cardiologist on Tuesday, when he is available. I will show him all the bp readings and tell him how I am feeling.

Dawn, I do not feel able to exercise, I feel too weak and unwell after trying.

Lthomas521, I totally agree with you about the blood volume. I have never measured it. Do you think they will know how to do this If I ask for it? How should I ask? The last time I suggested it to my Cardiologist he answered that it was impossible to have a low blood volume, and that probably I was going to have a vasovagal syncope during the blood test. When I mentioned that I kept feeling extremely unwell for the rest of the day, lightheaded, dizzy, chest pain, breathing problems, headache, nauseas, etc. he said that he had no idea why, adding that my body could be more receptive to the blood test.

:o

I am living in Spain. Unfortunately POTS is unknown here and specialists have no idea about it. Therefore, they think that Vasovagal and POTS are the same and that they have the same treatment and symptoms. I gave him a brochure about POTS + some reports of Dr. Grubb (together with a translation), but I do not know if he bothered and read them.

Furtheremore, Florinef, Midodrine and Salt tablets are not sold in Spain.

I am adding salt myself to my diet. But I do not measure it... And I am not using any pressure stockings.

Flop, I will contact with the Cardiologist on Tuesday and tell him the symptoms and readings. You are right, most part of the day I have all the symptoms, and it is very difficult to know when to call the doctor. In fact, on our last visit, we asked him what to do if the readings were extremely low, if we should contact him. His suggestion was to increase salt intake and fluids whenever the bp was too low. :lol: I wonder now, from your worries and suggestions if he was talking about a low pressure but not about an extremely low one...

It is in fact confusing.

Would you go to the ER? :)

With regard to the Bisoprolol dose, I have never been on a lower dose, because we started with the one I have. I have no idea how it would be with a lower one, but one day I forgot one of the doses, and I woke up the following morning extremely tired and with my hr increased...

We once suggested the Cardiologist to lower the dose in order to check if it was still effective on a lower basis, but he refused. Even though, I will tell him again.

Because we have been unable to get the meds compounded here, we have been thinking to suggest the Licorice root to the Cardiologist. (Similar to Florinef). I will tell him about your doctor asking for Midodrine via the hospital pharmacy... Thanks for telling me. :)

Thank you for all for your help,

Love,

Tessa

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I'm going to echo those before me--see your doctor as soon as you can. Those readings are really low, and if you're weak and dizzy, you need help from your doctor to bring your bp up a bit.

Nina

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Hi Tessa,

I agree with others about seeing Dr. so glad you will be going Tuesday, meanwhile you might try getting your husband to try some deep tissuse massage on your legs. I do this for my daughter when she has big bp drops seems to stop her passing out too. It is a bit of a fine art you might want to look up some massage techniques or speak to a good massuse.

hope you get things sorted out soon.

Anna

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Thank you, Nina. I will.

I have an app. with my GP on Tuesday morning before the app. with the Cardiologist. Knowing him I am sure he will refuse me leaving without being sure I am feeling better.

I am working from Monday to Friday for about 7 hours a day. Thanks God I work while I am sitting at a desk with a computer and talking to people. I would not be able to work If I had to be standing, but sometimes I have to walk out for a while and I am afraid of passing out...

Love,

Tessa

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Hi Tessa,

I agree with others about seeing Dr. so glad you will be going Tuesday, meanwhile you might try getting your husband to try some deep tissuse massage on your legs. I do this for my daughter when she has big bp drops seems to stop her passing out too. It is a bit of a fine art you might want to look up some massage techniques or speak to a good massuse.

hope you get things sorted out soon.

Anna

Hi, Anna

I have never been told about the massages. Will tell my husband about it.

Thanks for the info.

:)

Love,

Tessa

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Your cardiologist said that it is impossible to have low blood volume? He's totally wrong. It's actually common in people with POTS and chronic fatigue syndrome. That's why we take the Florinef or licorice. I have patiently explained until I was blue in the face (okay, I was already blue in the face to start with) about blood volume issues to several doctors. If the cardiologist is incapable of learning, go to a nephrologist. They know about blood volume.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...l=pubmed_docsum

http://www.ncf-net.org/library/Bell-StreetenJCFS1998.htm

http://www.daxor.com/

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Tessa,

I didn't realise that salt tablets weren't available in Spain. I take slow sodium but other people report that they have more benefit from salt addedd to their food rather than tablets.

It might be useful for you to have a 24 hour urine sodium level measured. There was some research done by Prof Hainsworth in the UK which suggested that POTS patients with a 24 hour urinary sodium level of less than 170 mmol/24hr would benefit from salt loading. If you got your urine levels checked it might be a pointer as to whether you are putting enough salt on your food. (it is the whole 24 hour sodium you need not a spot urine sodium concentration).

Midodrine isn't licenced or made in the UK but the hospital pharmacy get it specially delivered from Germany (on a named patient basis).

If you can't see your doctor until Tuesday you need to ask yourself if you are well enough to go to work on Monday - only you know how you are feeling.

Take care,

Flop

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Hi Tessa,

In terms of the stockings, in the US you can buy them without a prescription, even as strong as 30-40 strength. I couldn't function without them. They make a huge difference for me and have the advantage of not being a drug. I know that in France you can buy them in a pharmacy, I don't know about Spain. They can be a little annoying, but at least to me it's totally worth it.

There are lots of posts here about them. I wear waist-high, with open-toe so that my feet don't get too hot. The open-toe are not too bad to put on, as you can slide them on easily if you put a plastic baggy on your foot first (which you then pull off).

My doc here said he always recommends stockings before trying more meds.

Hope you feel better soon.

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