Low Blood Pressure

[lele19]

Hi all,

I've always had a relatively low blood pressure (often get readings like 105/58)
However, it really annoys me and I find it very disruptive and frustrating. I visited the GP last month because I got an at home reading of 92/53 and he said that was perfectly normal for a young slim female. I explained I was having palpitations and he said If I'm having symptoms with it then it needs investigating. But he did the BP in the office and because it was normal he said oh it's fine, you're healthy. I explained I wanted to raise it and he said eat more salt on food. I've visited several other GP's in the past regarding my low BP telling them I feel very faint and get palps and no one ever listens to me. This morning my reading at home was 89/51 and I was having a few palps and feeling a tad woozy and very tired. They seem to think that as long as it's not HIGH then it's fine - It's not fine :( I feel like crying. WHY WON'T THEY LISTEN TO ME. Eating more salt barely makes a difference.

[debs71]

Hi lele19,

I share your frustrations as I suffer from very low BP myself, and SUFFERING it is!!!

Like you, nobody is ever worried about it, and I am just told 'well your BP is low but that is ok'....no actually, it isn't.

I feel faint in queues all the time, I feel awful when getting out of bed in the morning, I passed out while on shift at work a few years ago (I luckily worked in A&E and my blood pressure when checked then was 70/40!!) and the list goes on....

That time I passed out, I was sent home and told to see my GP asap, and like you, they heard an irregular heartbeat, sent me for an ECG, and because that was fine, nothing more was said, and that is very frustrating.

All I am told is drink more water, add salt to your diet, blah, blah, blah. The other old chestnut is 'well, there isn't much that can be done with low BP'.....arrggh!

Just wanted u to know that you are definitely not alone with this problem. x

[lele19]

Thank you so much for replying Debs - that does make me feel better knowing I'm not alone, I'd very much started to feel like I was. I am going back to my GP on Monday and I will demand a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, including when I'm asleep. (If it's this low in the day I dread to think how low it goes when I'm asleep!) It's ruining my life :( x

[debs71]

No worries lele. :)

Yep, I don't blame you at all. I don't know why GP's never see an issue with hypotension.

They are on such a mission with their targets as regards managing and ideally reducing patients HIGH blood pressure, that those of us struggling with low BP just struggle on and get overlooked.

I mean ok....low BP is more preferable and healthier than high, but it can be just as debilitating, if not more so, especially when it comes to feeling faint and tired all of the time.

Yep, I have often wondered how low my own BP goes at night. We actually have a BP machine here (my parents both suffer from high BP and need regular checks) and I keep meaning to have a look.

Good luck with your GP! X :winks:

[damianjmcgrath]

You know your bodies better than anyone but if the doctor is happy with your BP, it's possible that the dizziness or faint feelings are down to something else. Perhaps anxiety brought on by thinking your BP is too low?

[blondeblondy]

My doctor told me that it is actually healthier to have a low BP! İt has side effects like feeling faint or sth but studies show that people with low bp live longer :) I have a really low bp as well everythime I check it with my family, they always surprise how low mine is.:)

[debs71]

You know your bodies better than anyone but if the doctor is happy with your BP, it's possible that the dizziness or faint feelings are down to something else. Perhaps anxiety brought on by thinking your BP is too low?

Umm sorry, but for me personally, no.

I know my problem is my BP. It is always very low, even before I suffered from anxiety. I feel faint when I am not at all anxious, when I am standing for a long time in a queue, etc. I certainly don't dwell on thinking about my BP being low, as I have plenty of bigger things to make me feel anxious!! :)

Doctors don't see an issue with it purely because it is low, and their focus is on treating high BP's, which have far more health and NHS spending implications, and the pros of a low reading outweigh the cons, that is all!:shrug:

But it still sucks.

[lele19]

Update: So I went to the GP's today and he said that if I'm getting symptoms when my blood pressure is low (which he confirmed that anything below 90/60 is essentially starving your organs of oxygen) then that is worrying and he's now referring me to a cardiologist. This worries me :( he mentioned there was a drug I could taken that the cardio might give me which will raise my blood pressure and didn't seem to have any natural remedies for me when I mentioned I already put salt on everything and stay well hydrated.

Not feeling brilliant after this news, but I go want to get it looked into. I'm taking my pressure every 15 minutes I'm so obsessed at the moment. Terrified it will go so low that I'll just pass out and die :(

[HopelessWorrier2011]

I've suffered low blood pressure for as long as I can remember, my heart often feels like it's skipping beats then regulates itself. Is this a symptom of yours too? x