Low blood pressure/ dizzy spells

lauraemily84

Hi all - so I've reached my goal weight today but want to tone up loose fat if possible. I'm 5ft 4.5" and now 123 lbs which is healthy weight for my height. But I have started to notice I get dizzy spells when I'm out n about usually. I eat often I snack 3 times a day drink lots of water anyone have any advice? I haven't fainted it's more I can feel light headed or sort of loose my footings a bit and look like I trip

Packerjohn

Go see a doctor. Assuming you are eating a reasonable amount for maintenance you should not be feeling lightheaded.

Best of luck.

kgirlhart

I agree with @Packerfan23 . It could be low blood pressure. Is it possible that you are pregnant? I definitely think you should check with your doctor.

aquablue_1111

I think you should talk to your doctor too. I'm 5'3 and 116 lbs (lost 10 lbs the last 6 months). I'm also experiencing the same things as you. It happens to me if I've been laying down and watching TV or, sitting on the couch. There have been at least 2 occasions where my vision narrowed or got 'cloudy', if that makes sense and I really thought I was going to pass out. (It's funny but I don't get it when I'm at work.) I have low blood pressure and have always been on the bubble of being anemic but getting lightheaded more often is a new development for me. I have an appointment with my doc next week, just to make sure everything's fine.

GaleHawkins

lauraemily84 wrote: »

Hi all - so I've reached my goal weight today but want to tone up loose fat if possible. I'm 5ft 4.5" and now 123 lbs which is healthy weight for my height. But I have started to notice I get dizzy spells when I'm out n about usually. I eat often I snack 3 times a day drink lots of water anyone have any advice? I haven't fainted it's more I can feel light headed or sort of loose my footings a bit and look like I trip

I find myself having the same symptoms after a drop in weight from time to time. My BP was up as high as 135/88 and now it hangs around 110/70 but I am 65 and down 55 pounds over the past two years.

jenj1313

Does it happen with positional changes like moving from bending over to standing up, sitting to standing, turning around quickly? Do you have allergies or any other conditions that would cause you to get dizzy? This happens to me all the time and has since I was in high school. I'm pretty sure it's orthostatic hypotension because it happens mainly with position changes, especially with going from squatting to standing (which I do a lot at work), lying to standing, or bending to standing. It definitely gets worse when my sinuses are bugging me. I also have pretty low BP (as you mentioned).

BUT, there are lots of things that can cause dizziness and some of them are rather scary.I have talked to my doctor about this and have had blood work, etc and there's nothing fishy. Plus it hasn't changed at all in years.

I would recommend seeing your doctor to getting some help sorting this out. You wouldn't want to miss something legitimately wrong because you thought it was no bid deal.

Good luck!

kissesdahling

I myself almost faint every time I stand up (my docs know about it); my advice to you is to go to the doc just because there can be SO MANY reasons this is happening to you. And that's not to scare you--that's simply to urge you to please see your doc. The most common cause for this is low blood pressure, but you want to find out WHY your blood pressure is low. It could be as harmless as not eating enough salt (correctable with diet changes) to something like a med you take, underlying health problem etc. Just the wide variety of potential causes is enough to be a good reason to see your doc about this.

Also, if you have been on BP meds (or any other medicine that can lower your blood pressure), your blood pressure can dramatically lower with weight loss, so again, please see your doc!

mom23mangos

Agree with everyone here. If this is new, go see your Dr. I black out routinely when getting up from laying or sitting down, but I have very low BP and always have.

cb2bslim

Definitely go get checked out and have tests and bloodwork done. Dizziness is a scary thing and it can be caused by many many things so don't get discouraged on the amount of time it will take to get answers.

I had lost 35 lbs when I started with the symptoms of head rush/tingle and my eyesight would blacken out. This would only happen for a few seconds and only while I got up from playing with my son on the floor. Plus I dropped my sodium down to 1200-1500 because of the high blood pressure that runs in the family.

I had several tests done over a 3 month span: MRI, tilt table test, bloodwork, heart echo ultrasound, treadmill, glucose. A specialist had me do the first two and I had passed out on the tilt table test. (never before had I passed out or felt like I was going to pass out). This just shown my blood pressure dropping really low (it was a fasting test with no water). The doctor said to make sure I keep a salty snack with me to help retain water, drink water, and do calf stretches before getting out of bed.

My primary doc is the one that had me do a glucose test. It shows I have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). I saw a Endocrinologist to obtain a diet to follow and she said no, she thought it was postural hypotension which makes sense since I mainly have the symptoms while standing but strangely only in the warmer months. Same advice, drink water, salty snack, get up slow in stages, 2000 mg sodium/day.

In my case, my symptoms are kind of unanswered. But I feel it's postural hypotension. I still eat 3 meals and 3 snacks like I would if I had hypoglycemia, I just don't pair the foods perfectly. That is the way I ate throughout dieting, too. I'm terrible with water so that may be my problem in the warmer months. Also, My sodium is now 2000mg.

Also, if you feel you get tunnel vision and your hearing plugs up, sit your butt down just in case you do pass out. You'll be closer to the ground if it happens. I was kind of happy to pass out on the tilt table test since I got to experience the symptoms as they were happening. Good luck to you and go get some answers. (Sorry this was so long)

rigden1992c

I've been having similar symptoms for almost 2 years now, and I've also had almost every test under the sun - blood tests, several ECG's, wore a Holter monitor for a week etc.

I'm constantly exhausted and cold, get dizziness every time I stand, legs tremble and shake and have blacked out several times. I'm currently being tested for a disease that affects hormones as they still don't know what causes it.

Please, please persevere if you don't get answers. I've learnt the hard way that by leaving it your symptoms will get worse. Best of luck OP, hope you get some answers!

MelaniaTrump

Are you on one of those 3 shakes a day diets? If so, time to eat normal for a couple of weeks.

lauraemily84

Thank s for the replies

lauraemily84

Oh I typed a lot more but doesn't show up! Basically always had low bp and was told there's no treatment in past. Will go see gp tho. But does seem to be connected with loosing weight as I've had it in past x

jammer1963

lauraemily84 wrote: »

Hi all - so I've reached my goal weight today but want to tone up loose fat if possible. I'm 5ft 4.5" and now 123 lbs which is healthy weight for my height. But I have started to notice I get dizzy spells when I'm out n about usually. I eat often I snack 3 times a day drink lots of water anyone have any advice? I haven't fainted it's more I can feel light headed or sort of loose my footings a bit and look like I trip

How much weight did you lose? And did you lose it over a relatively long or short period of time? I only ask because I suffered like you do from dizzy spells. I attributed it to my losing weight and not eating enough. Now that my weight has stabilized, I don't have dizzy spells anymore.

As far as toning up, I recently joined Planet fitness and had a personal trainer set up a workout routine for me. I wanted to add lean muscle. Planet fitness did it for free! Best of luck to you

VeryKatie

Try eating more sodium in the meantime. Sometimes that can help.. or so I've heard. I'm no doctor.

capaul42

lauraemily84 wrote: »

Oh I typed a lot more but doesn't show up! Basically always had low bp and was told there's no treatment in past. Will go see gp tho. But does seem to be connected with loosing weight as I've had it in past x

Higher levels of sodium will help in the short term if you've always had low BP. There are meds now for it, so my Dr says. But I'm not big on meds as I'm one of those people that always seem to get the bad side effects for a medication lol. So I stick with the high sodium diet and keep my eyes on things.

ItsyBitsy246

Could be Benign Positional Vertigo, which is annoying but... benign. Unless you fall over and hit your head of course. I've had it off and on for years.

ElJefeChief

I got the same thing. Doctor told me I had some postural hypotension and that my blood pressure had gotten quite low - said it was a side effect of the fast weight loss plus being extremely fit.

He said stand up more slowly, and eat more salt.

artlover47

Yep! I had that problem when I was limiting my sodium. I changed my MFP macros to watch fiber instead and didn't worry about the salt since I have low BP. The dizziness and seeing spots went away! So I agree, do try increasing the sodium.

ncfitbit

I agree with others that recommend seeing a doctor. My daughter fainted while we were on vacation a few years ago. It was very scary and we ended up in the emergency room. I thought she had a seizure, but they ruled that out. Upon return to the US, she had many of the tests mentioned above. In the end, she was diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension and told to drink plenty of fluids and salty foods. The night before she fainted we had been on a plane for many hours and she hadn't had much to eat or drink because she didn't want to bother the people in the aisle. Now, we're very aware of situations like this and make sure she drinks enough regardless of where she is.

OneTwentyThree

Are you sure this is low blood pressure? It could be low blood sugar. See if having a snack makes the dizziness better if yes then most likely your sugar is running low, and maybe you need to be eating more. Check with your Dr.

helene4

Anemia? Are you getting enough iron?

When I tried to eat a vegetarian diet I started having dizzy spells. Added an iron supplement and the dizzy spells stopped. Bck to eating organic grassfed meat though.

OneTwentyThree

^ That is true, could be a vitamin deficiency also. But make sure you have your vitamins tested at the Drs before supplementing because some vitamins have a limit and having too much causes side effects.

lauraemily84

Thank you all for the replies, I had low serum ferritin after having my daughter two years ago and got treatment ( iron tablets) last year to March but still take one a day and I know my recent blood tests for that we're all fine. I do think it could be low sugar to as that day I wasn't eating as much but I have lost 11lb over 2 months so perhaps this is a big contributer. My low bp I've always been told is heathy and unless I'm fainting etc won't treat which I understand I do think sometimes my bp takes a dip which maybe wat happened x

JoeCWV

I also have low BP. Even when I was 70 pounds overweight it was low. If that is the issue then just be aware of it. I usually sit upright for a few moments before standing, and when I stand up I stand still for a moment before I start walking.

Sometimes after sitting in a recliner with my feet up I stand up and start walking to quickly and get light headed. I have to stop for a moment unti it's all good. Oh, yea another side benefit of low bp is you can enjoy all the salty stuff without worry.

Most importantly is to see your doctor to rule out other causes. If you naturally have low bp consider it a blessing and just adjust to it. Best of luck.

jswigart

I don't know how old you are, but I have problems with getting dizzy when I stand up fast. It started after I lost 100 pounds. My Dr. told me it was just due to my age. I'm 61. Like others have said, got see your Dr.

macchiatto

I agree with seeing a dr. I'm also a low BP'er and have vasovagal issues. I've fainted or started blacking out various times so my PCP referred me to a cardiologist. He ran a bunch of tests. Basically he reminds me that sodium is my friend (I need at least 3000mg/day) and to stay hydrated ... but you have to remember if you drink too much water without enough sodium that can cause problems, too. I also have to be careful not to stand up too fast, especially after exertion. But definitely see the dr to rule out other causes.

paradi3s

Your bp may be low. I was having dizzy and fainting spells for a long time, and my bp always stayed at 60/80, even going as low as 50/70 one time after an all-nighter. I'm also deficient in iron/vitamin B, so I take supplements to help it. This, along with drinking water and upping your sodium intake, has helped.

CaptainJoy

I can't tolerate Phenylpropanolamine. It's in most diet drinks and sugar-free foods. I tried Dexatrim in the late 1970's and it caused me to feel faint, light-headed, and dizzy. In the 1980's I had a bad reaction with severe migraines when I tried Diet Mountain Dew. I now look for the Phenylpropanolamine warnings on any sugar-free product and totally avoid Nutrisweet. Splenda is okay with me.

azulvioleta6

lauraemily84 wrote: »

Oh I typed a lot more but doesn't show up! Basically always had low bp and was told there's no treatment in past. Will go see gp tho. But does seem to be connected with loosing weight as I've had it in past x

Same here...try sipping on a low-cal Gatorade when things get bad. Add a couple of extra cups of water per day. I also drink diluted Gatorade when I know that I am going to be doing especially intense exercise--1/3 ice, 1/3 water and 1/3 low-cal Gatorade.

Gallowmere1984

Doctors are usually hesitant to treat low blood pressure, because with some exceptions, it's pretty easy to modify just through minor lifestyle changes. I jacked my sodium and potassium intakes through the roof (relatively speaking), and mine is all but dealt with. However, this does mean that I will likely be having to salt the living hell out of my food and water forever. Morton Lite salt is fantastic (about 45% sodium, 55% potassium).

Mine was already low when I was 265 lbs., and just went down even further as I dropped weight.

For reference, I now tend to run about 5000-6000 mg sodium, and about 3500-4500 mg potassium every day, at a bodyweight of 151-153.