Low blood pressure

[tigertummy]

Has anyone found low blood pressure to be one of their peri symptoms? If so what did you do to help?

Thanks in advance

Thanks please do, that would be really helpful to hear. Have been drinking a lot of water and increasing salt intake myself. I agree, eating large meals doesn’t seem to agree either. Just wish I didn’t feel so utterly exhausted!! 🙄

I spoke to the dr this morning. He said that my 24 hour blood pressure monitor results did show up as too low. He wasn't happy that I was having so many symptoms. He has referred me to a specialist. His suggestions until that appointment are compression stockings, drink water and eat salty foods. Nothing new there really other than at least they are taking it seriously now. Will update again when I know how long I have to wait to speak to a specialist.

@tigertummy I'm glad they will be looking into this for you? Did you see your results and how low does your bp go? Please keep us updated- at the moment my issues are very similar to yours

Average day time 98/66
Average night time 90/54

Lowest during the day 85/50
Lowest during the night 83/50

I've heard from the hospital and their next appointment is December... great

@tigertummy December?! Sorry you have to wait so long. I'm assuming they don't see this as something which urgently needs investigating?
I'm sure my daytime BP averages lower than yours , my bottom number struggles to get to 60, I will keep pushing my GP to look into this.

I don't get dizzy since taking iron tablets but the breathlessness (even at rest) continues and bothers me alot.

It's frustrating! I'm going to start ringing and hope I can get a cancellation.

Please do keep pushing your GP. See if they can get you the 24hr monitor. It helps to have as much evidence as possible

@tigertummy thank you, I will. Did your Dr give you any indication at all about what could be causing a fall in your BP?

@skelter83 what has your GP said about this and do you notice breathlessness when your BP is low? When my diastolic is lower than 60, this is the main symptom I notice.

Hi, thanks for the update. Not great on the wait for the appointment.

I think my BP is probably very slightly lower than yours. I struggle to get it over 90/60, it's usually around 87/58 I'd say, sometimes lower. Got my appointment this Thursday with my GP so will update the thread when I've seen him. I'm already drinking extra water, wearing compression socks as night and eating salty food but it's still the same. I definitely can get breathlessness sometimes, but I do have a permanently injured left vocal cord & laryngeal nerve after a partial thyroidectomy a year ago so it could be related to that. Tiredness, dizziness in the mornings on getting up is my main symptom, as well as being always cold.

@Catyln123 nope - at least he was honest and said he didn't have a clue. I asked if it could be hormones or thyroid and he said maybe.

@RainyDayClouds good luck at your appointment!! I definitely relate to the feeling cold and tired

So I saw the Dr this morning who was surprisingly helpful. He looked at my Fitbit heart rate reading where my HR shoots up over 40bpm every morning just for getting up, and he also looked at my blood pressure readings. He has booked me in firstly for an ECG & blood tests next week. If nothing is apparent there, it's then a 24 hour BP/HR monitor and a table tilt test. He thinks it might be POTS. (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) but he obviously needs to discount anything serious first.

The reason for this is I have hypermobility which they already suspect is hEDS (hypermobile Ehlers Danlos). My sister has recently been privately diagnosed with this and it is hereditary (a connective tissue disorder). We have almost identical symptoms. So he thinks I might have POTS which is often linked to this condition. The bloods are also testing for Addison's Disease which he thinks is unlikely. Bizarrely my late dog had this so hopefully it's not that. So if the ECG & bloods are clear, he'll do the 24 monitor and then the table tilt test at the surgery to confirm the POTS. There's not a blood test etc to diagnose it but my HR does shoot up when I go from laying to standing which is what they use for the diagnosis. However, if it is that, it's a case of self managing really, no quick fix as such. But generally it's not a dangerous condition, just debilitating at times. Hopefully it is that, rather than anything horrible.

@RainyDayClouds you are blessed to have a GP who actually knows something about EDS / Pots! The good news is that there are actually meds that can help - if you can find a specialist who a) agrees it exists(!) and b) is allowed to prescribe.... It may be worth doing some investigating in your local area to see if there is anyone you could request referral to - not all cardiologists are knowledgeable about this. Or ask your GP - if they are aware, they might know about the local set up.

@crisismode I know, I’ve heard there’s been problems with some referrals. I was amazed the GP firstly seemed so knowledgeable and secondly has been so helpful with both conditions as I’ve seen many have sadly not had that experience. He said they’re not fully understood conditions at the moment and in 10 years time it’ll probably be much better understood, diagnosed & treated. After a lifetime of being dismissed with various weird & debilitating symptoms it finally feels like I’m getting somewhere and being taken seriously. Luckily a physio at the local hospital first picked up on the hypermobile/hEds as he has it himself and recognised my symptoms. Also sister has literally just been diagnosed with hEDS too, and my Dad has always been ‘double jointed’ as they called it in his day. All of us have very low blood pressure. GP has again been very helpful in supporting & agreeing with this diagnosis from the physio.

I have this. Mine is vasovagal syncopy combined with low bp. My normal bp is about 90/40. Gps were useless, didn’t seem to care that I felt drunk most of the time and was fainting all over the place. I eventually saw a private cardiologist who, after various tests, prescribed midodrine which is absolutely brilliant. Removes all symptoms, zero side effects, apart from an occasionally tingly scalp and I can live a totally normal life.

@Mrspatmoresapprentice glad you got some help eventually. Terrible that you weren’t taken seriously by your GP but it seems common. Hopefully if my GP is as knowledgeable about this as he seems, he’ll know someone good to refer me to. I do have private medical through my husband’s job if needed.

It would be a good idea to do a 9am cortisol blood test. Low cortisol (Addison’s Disease) is one of the causes for symptomatic low blood pressure.

I've got this blood test booked next week at 9am. I'm hoping it's not that although I am very familiar with the condition as my late Basset Hound had Addison's Disease. Be a bit of a coincidence if I end up with the same blooming thing that the dog had! Hopefully not!

@RainyDayCloudsI’m glad you had a successful appointment. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it for you. My GP doesn’t think mine is POTS as my bp and hr don’t change drastically from sitting to standing.

@Mrspatmoresapprentice this is really reassuring to hear. Can I ask have you always had it or has it only appeared later in life?

@tigertummy I was first diagnosed in my early 20s but the symptoms were different. I was fine most of the time with occasional faints. I “grew out of it” and was fine for about 20 years. It came back in my early 40s (cardiologist thinks as a result of a horrendously stressful period) but it came back with a feeling of constantly being dizzy, like you’ve drunk too much. I literally couldn’t walk in a straight line, definitely couldn’t drive, it was awful. Meds have totally sorted it now though, along with a high salt intake and I am symptom free.
Have you had a tilt table test? That’s how they diagnose vasovagal syncopy. Ask for that and, if you faint during (I did. It’s bloody awful, don’t go by yourself!) ask for Midodrine. Most gps have never heard of it but a cardiologist should know.

What’s your bp?

Liquorice can increase bp.

My BP yesterday at midday (I was feeling pretty faint) was 82/55, tends to generally be in the eighties/fifties. Sometimes I manage to get it into nineties/sixties (technically normal range) but mostly eighties/fifties. I’ve found repeatedly bending over makes me feel very faint and dizzy. (I was picking up husband’s weeding to put into the gardening bin yesterday). Was totally wiped out after 5 minutes of doing that! So frustrating!

Did you see a doctor about this problem? Did you have this problem last time? Are you in perimenopause? I’ve the same since last year. Before all these crap, my blood pressure is normal. Now hardly over 100 for sys n dia.

Yes further up the thread I’ve explained what’s happening. I’m 54 & on HRT. Got an ECG & bloods, plus test for Addisons this week. Then going to have a 24 hr BP/HR monitor if they’re clear. Then a table tilt test. Have always had low BP but not this bad. Dr’s suspicion is POTS as HR shoots up when standing from lying/sitting and I have recently been diagnosed with hEDS which often links with POTS. POTS can sometimes flare up after surgery etc and I had a partial thyroidectomy last year, although my remaining half a thyroid is coping fine and tested normal so it’s not that.

@Mrspatmoresapprenticethanks so much! This is all really helpful. I used to have fainting episodes as a teenager and then like you I “grew out of them”. This is why I’m convinced it’s hormonal as I was fine until perimenopause hit.