Weight loss causing low blood pressure

nanfarb
nanfarb Posts: 4
in Success Stories
Anyone else having trouble with going from high blood pressure to low blood pressure after losing weight?
I have lost 30 pounds so far and my blood pressure medicine is too much now. Just wandering what others
have encountered.

Replies

  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    It's one of the major benefits of better cardiovascular health from loosing weight and exercise. For some people, high blood pressure and even type 2 diabetes can significantly be reduced or eliminated all together.

    First, congratulations! Second, talk with your doctor about reducing your medication. Would not suggest trying that without doctor supervision.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    yes but i normally would have low blood pressure except for the year i was high because of weight..
    definitely talk to you doc. you might not even need the medication anymore
  • shunima
    shunima Posts: 13 Member
    Same here, 4 months of excercise, 12 KG down and the blood pressure is back to normal (120/75). I was borderline to medication and my doc told me two weeks ago I can forget about it and spend my money for something else. No pills for me... luckily.
  • dennisroc
    dennisroc Posts: 59 Member
    I have just hit the 40 llb lost mark though it says 33 on here.I had lost 7 lbs before starting MFP. Im a type 2 diabetic and was taking 4 shots of insulin per day along with high blood pressure meds. I still need to lose 25 lbs to reach my goal weight.
    My blood sugar has really been easy to control since i have been eating healthy. I was using 150 units of insulin and now i just take one shot at night and 3 Metformin pills throughout the day and have great readings.
    I find myself feeling a little light headed or dizzy and thought it was my sugar going too low but it was fine and i think since i lost the 40 lbs my blood pressure is lower and maybe i dont need the meds.I check my blood pressure when i feel light headed and it is usually low. I will give it a few more weeks and see what happens and then talk to the doc.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,795 Member
    This has happened to me as well. I had to argue with my doctor to get them to let me go without meds. They wanted to adjust because once you have had high blood pressure the danger is always there to have it again. That being said I agreed to monitor at home and do monthly checks with them and low and behold it never crept back up again. A major success in my book sothat is something to be proud of. On another note I know someone who weighs 95 pounds and has high blood pressure so definitely keep an eye on it as you never know when it might happen again for other reasons other than weight .
  • TundraTed
    TundraTed Posts: 254 Member
    Yes, my meds have been lowered 4 times by my Dr. now. I am on the lowest dose of one pill and still have a "light-headed" feeling a couple times a week. We are weening me off the meds slowly and cautiously to get things right where they need to be. Hypertension runs in my family so I may need to stay on the low dose.

    The bigger issue for me is that my resting pulse is now so low. My pulse usually sits in the low 50s. BP meds tend to lower the pulse, so it is a fine line to get my pulse decent, but keep the BP in line as well.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    You may actually need MORE sodium, but please talk to your doctor!
  • shaelataylor
    shaelataylor Posts: 224 Member
    i didnt have high blood pressure before, but i know a lot of people on here and in real life who have gone off of blood pressure meds or had to take a lower dose. talk to your doctor and congrats on improving your health!! :D
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    That's very common. I don't have high blood pressure by any means but at my current weight my blood pressure is higher than what it would be if I were thinner (about 130/85). Last time I lost some weight my blood pressure dropped back to my "usual pressure" (about 110/65) after only losing 15 lbs! I know that blood pressure meds are very strong and you need to be super careful about taking them when there is a fluctuation in your weight. I would recommend you go to the doctor ASAP to get your meds adjusted since it can cause some big problems if your pressure is too low. Who knows, maybe you'll even be able to go off them all together! :flowerforyou:
  • PattyfromToledo
    PattyfromToledo Posts: 74 Member
    sounds like you need to get in to see your Dr and have him tweak your meds... maybe you won't need them!! A win win there!
  • abbiepql
    abbiepql Posts: 45
    Weight loss and exercise both can lower your BP for sure. I was off my water pill after I lost fifty and other medication I am still on has been lowered. I hope to be off it by my next appointment, but like another poster said it will most likely be a slow process. When I was taken off the water pill I gained 6 pounds in fluid! So if that is the case and your meds are terminated, be sure to ask if that will happen or if they can be tapered down.
  • PattyfromToledo
    PattyfromToledo Posts: 74 Member
    Make sure you aren't depleating your body of sodium/potassium ... if you are exercising alot, drinking tons of water you may be low in those areas.... if you get lightheaded try eating something with salt and see if it helps.
  • jazziesaj11
    jazziesaj11 Posts: 351 Member
    I actually think this is funny, mine at 220lbs was "normal" 120/80, since losing weight it's gotten super low 100/70, I was a little freaked especially since I noticed I was a bit more light headed but my doc sais I was still in the normal range so. :ohwell: That's awesome though that yours has lowered! My mom is on meds for hers as well and is trying to lose weight, she also stopped smoking so I'm hoping that in a year shell be off of those meds. :D
  • bilzprincess
    bilzprincess Posts: 107 Member
    This has actively been one of my goals--get off the bp meds. So doc and I monitor it regularly at home and he has been reducing it over the last 30 lbs. (some lost on mfp, some prior to mfp).
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I was diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was 25 and at the high end of healthy BMI (170lbs).

    After my 2nd kid I lost weight with mainly diet (no exercise) and got down to 145. My blood pressure was still borderline and my doctors still wanted me on medication.

    Now I'm 160 (after having gained 45lbs with kid #3 and losing some then gaining some muscle) and work out regularly and intensely, including weight lifting. My blood pressure is good without medication.
  • RoybieOfTheRovers
    RoybieOfTheRovers Posts: 39 Member
    I've lost 32lbs and my blood pressure has dropped from 140/80 to 115/60. This is on medication. I have an apointment with the doc next week to see if I can come off the meds. The problem I have always had is that as soon as the doc takes a reading in the surgery I am right back to 150/100! I've been monitoring at home for the last three weeks so I can go there with some evidence.
  • Babyglass13
    Babyglass13 Posts: 27
    Congratulations! That is fantastic.

    Since joining MFP, I've had some scary episodes of near-fainting coupled with heart attack symptoms. After seeing a cardiologist, one simply test determined that I actually have a condition that requires me to increase my sodium intake. Had I not started this site, I wouldn't have found out about this condition. It is nothing life-threatening, but it could cause issues in certain situations. You may want to talk with your doc just to make sure everything is o.k. But for me, increased sodium and hydration, hydration, hydration, is what keeps my pressure in the safe range.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    When I was at 179lbs(5ft3), my blood pressure was sky high 210/109 and it came on suddenly, then well controlled with medications. 2 of them. Verapamil (maxed out at 360mg) and Lisinopril (i think 5mg)

    Now I'm down to 144 and I'm still taking the Verapamil. Just last week I quit the Lisinopril because I felt like I was going to pass out everytime I stood up. One day my bp was something like 89/56. So far I'm still having low bp symptoms but I'm waiting to see if it goes back up before I get my hopes up. I went off the Lisinopril about 10lbs ago and due to stress (my mom has alzheimers and my hubby is seriously ill), my bp went through the roof again and I had to go back on it. Hopefully with continuing my lifestyle, I'll be able to go off them for good. My Dr. however, said that some people just get high bp at my age, it's hereditary and diet/exercise/lowering sodium intake won't help. I'm going to keep trying anyway and if it doesn't go down when I'm at 125, I'll just be happy that I can afford the meds and I'll keep taking them.
  • Orient_Charm
    Orient_Charm Posts: 385 Member
    I redcuded my weight for my high BP........ I lost 36 lbs ( about 16.5 kg ) ........My PB was ( 150/91 ) avarage, and now it's ( 125/80 ) but in some case I have low diastolic ( I mean 110/80 ).
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
    I was on 3 different meds to control mine. My lower number is still higher than my physician would like but I am off all the medications!!! I was tired and lightheaded all the time when I was still on the last remaining one even though my bottom number was still in the 90's, so I quit taking it and feel great now.

    Good job on losing 30 and reducing your need for medication!!!
  • 1DayMarathonRnner
    1DayMarathonRnner Posts: 120 Member
    CONGRATS!
    Yes please talk to your doctor. I have always had borderline low blood pressure (so thankful for my mom). A few years ago I lost 80 pounds and began fainting. I went to my doctor who sent me to a cardiologist and neurologist. It was realized that I had lost so much weight that my heart wasn't used to it yet, and so it would drop suddenly (especially if I was going to sitting to standing). My body's way of dealing with the low blood pressure, was to faint. So please talk to your doctor!

    Congrats again!
  • finchase
    finchase Posts: 174
    This happened with me last summer. I was on a high blood pressure medication, and when I worked out--especially when I worked with a personal trainer who had me getting up and down, bending over a lot, I started to experience a great deal of dizziness. I'd take my blood pressure later in the evening (when it always seems to be lower than in the morning anyway), and I'd find it reading something like 91/37!

    When I discussed it with my doctor, he told me to cut my dosage in half by splitting the pill (I was already on the lowest dosage of that medication.) That helped a little, but within a couple of months, more weight loss led to more dizziness. So this time my doctor had me stop taking the medication but continue monitoring my BP. I'm happy to say that my blood pressure remains good and I haven't been on medication since October.

    So yes, definitely talk to your doctor. You're probably ready for a lower dosage or a change in medication.
  • nanfarb
    nanfarb Posts: 4
    Thanks everyone for answering me back!!! It's great to have you all to hear real life experiences. I did call my Dr. yesterday and he lowered my dosage and changed meds so hopefully this will do the trick. I hope to get off of the BP med completely after losing some more weight. Thanks again!!! :smile:

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