Low blood pressure

[hopsalong]

How low is low enough to make you feel crap? And what (other than more fluid/ salt) can be done about it?

Mine is usually in the 90s over the 60s but have recently been feeling more dizzy than usual on standing up. Just did it and it's 88/55. GP has never been remotely concerned about 95/65 etc., but I can't help feeling that I would feel better if it were higher. My resting heart rate (not great anyway, normally about 70) is also higher (80ish) when it gets low and I worry this can't be good for long-term health.

Watching with interest, I have low bp and a low resting heart rate.
I worry if it's too low at times, as have dizzy spells regularly.
I make sure I take my time getting out of bed as have fainted of I don't.

Mine is normally in the 105/75 area but when it dips a bit too low it tends to be because I’m dehydrated.

70 is a good resting heart rate. Fluids will increase BP and coffee will increase it temporarily.

@hopsalong do you know why your BP falls to 85/55? Lately my bp has fallen (used to be around 115/70) but now is more like 100/55. With this I've noticed breathless, palpitations and dizziness. My HR is usually 70 but can go to 90 at times.
What worries me is I don't understand why my BP has changed/lowered Lately.
I do have low ferritin and Hb, but wasn't aware that could cause low bp

@Els82

No, my symptoms sounds very similar to yours, down to the anemia, but I don't understand it either. My blood pressure has always been on the lower side but in the healthy range of low (105-110/70ish). How old are you? I'm 46 and wondering if it's yet another delightful symptom of perimenopause.

@hopsalong I'm 42 so could be peri. I've been taking ferrous fumerate and my BP I noticed improved this week (105/65), but today it's back at 100/58, coinciding with light-headedness and breathlessness.

Do you get any palpitations at night? When I'm falling asleep I feel like my heart is slowing/jumping, which wakes me up. I'm so scared of heart issues and feeling so much HA now 😥

Mine has always been low. Doctor never cared. The one thing that has been a game changer for me was to drink more. I can tell if I have not with my numbers the next day.

@Andtheworldwentwhite mine has also always been low, but because its now lower than normal (from 110/65 to 100/55), its making me worry and think something is wrong.

Maybe @hopsalong is right and perimenopause could have something to do with this...

Doctors worry far more about high blood pressure than low. In fact people who have heart failure are given blood pressure lowering medication even if their BP is already low.

My general BP is usually around the 85/53 mark. In fact I had to have an iron infusion once and it shot up to 100/78 and I felt dreadful.

The best ways to deal are:

• drink more.
• reduce salt.
• don’t jump up out of bed/chairs etc, give yourself time.

Bear in mind, while there are drugs to reduce blood pressure, there aren’t drugs to increase it. That tells you all you need to know.

@HowMuchOfYourHeart thank you for your message. Can I ask why your BP is low? And do you get any symptoms as a result of this?

I have terrible HA therefore my mind always goes to heart failure, I wish it didn't.

@hopsalong can I ask how you're feeling? I'm still struggling with the low blood pressure which is fueling my HA!

@Els82 my blood pressure is still not great and I still feel dizzy and crap a lot of the time. Unfortunately I've now also picked up various other complaints and so it's rather on the back burner as I have various other tests (blood tests, a biopsy, a genetic test, a
CT scan).
I have been trying to add more salt to my diet which has helped a bit, and to keep up my fluid intake. How are things with you?

PS I should add that the main anxiety for me has also been anxiety about my heart. I had an echocardiogram and that was fine. My heart rate has been high recently at rest and the GP prescribed a low dose of a beta blocker, with the caution that it might make my blood pressure worse. Actually 10mg of propranolol doesn't change my blood pressure at all, but it has been very useful for reducing my heart rate (by about 10-15bpm) when I'm feeling anxious, and for reducing palpitations (which I was also getting). Had a day 3 FSH blood test too (though I understand these may not be reliable) and GP said hormones didn't obviously show perimenopause, though I assume that at my age I must be somewhere in the window of transition.

@hopsalong thank you for getting back to me and I'm sorry you're having other issues at the moment, I hope you're OK and able to get to the bottom of things.

Sorry to hear your BP is the same but at least you can be confident that it isn't your heart. My ECG was normal but haven't had an echo and I'm also feeling anxious about my heart.
I really thought low ferritin and iron night be the cause of my low bp and breathlessness but I've been on ferrous fumerate for 2.5 months now and I'm not feeling any better. My HR is like yours and I've taken propanolol 10mg for meetings/presentation. It helps my pounding heart too but GP hadn't prescribed it for daily use.