Orthostatic Hypotension

[[An...]]

Have you ever experienced this when kneeling down or bending over and you stand upright too quickly?

Is this something to be overly concerned about in your opinion?

[[ne...]]

Ugh. I get a raging pressure when I get up in the morning and when I bend over. Pressure up my head and like a rush through my head/body. Is it OH? I'm not sure but I HATE the feeling. Most have more of a dizzy/lightheadedness so mine could be different. 

[[La...]]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:27 PM, [[A...] said:

Have you ever experienced this when kneeling down or bending over and you stand upright too quickly?

Is this something to be overly concerned about in your opinion?

It's best to get up slowly to allow your body to adjust to the change in blood pressure when you get up. It's not something to be overly concerned about unless you're fainting all the time or it's really interfering in your daily life. I've had low blood pressure throughout my life, so I know what it's like to faint. Not particularly fun. I learned from a young age to get up slowly.

[[Gl...]]

On 8/5/2023 at 6:41 AM, [[L...] said:

I've had low blood pressure throughout my life,

Same here.  Have you found anything that helps?  

[[An...]]

No, I have not found anything to help this except to get up slowly.  My BP is normal ATM. I was in Walmart today picking up a Rx for my mother. They had a BP machine near the pharmacy. I tested and was 123/65 IIRC. I think I would have tested higher but my anxiety has not been too bad today. When I am really anxious, my BP goes up.

 

Is yours still low even when you are in a wave with lots of anxiety?

[[An...]]

On 8/5/2023 at 8:41 AM, [[L...] said:

It's best to get up slowly to allow your body to adjust to the change in blood pressure when you get up. It's not something to be overly concerned about unless you're fainting all the time or it's really interfering in your daily life. I've had low blood pressure throughout my life, so I know what it's like to faint. Not particularly fun. I learned from a young age to get up slowly.

Thanks and true what you said Lapsis.👍

[[Gl...]]

16 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

No, I have not found anything to help this except to get up slowly.  My BP is normal ATM. I was in Walmart today picking up a Rx for my mother. They had a BP machine near the pharmacy. I tested and was 123/65 IIRC. I think I would have tested higher but my anxiety has not been too bad today. When I am really anxious, my BP goes up.

 

Is yours still low even when you are in a wave with lots of anxiety?

Maybe being in Walmart was just stimulating enough to bring you up to normal.

 

Yes, it's always low.  But it will go up to semi-low when I'm at the doctor, so he never sees when it's super low.  So it seems adrenaline does help it a little bit.

I hope we can find a cure someday. It would be great!  Water is supposed to help, but I guzzle.

[[Bl...]]

I always feel like I'm drugged....light headed. And weather can seriously impact this issue.

I have low blood pressure and have factored that in as the main culprit of feeling drugged. However, my understanding is that dehydration can be a factor in feeling light headed too. I have been really trying to get this drugged/light-headed feeling in control.

Drinking water/staying hydrated is high on my list. Also, I've been trying to maintain my electrolyte levels. Just wish this feeling of living in a fog would go away. I do believe that my system is not utilizing nutrients adequately, due to my system being thrown off track as a result of benzo/Z-drug use. Benzo recovery is so complicated.

 

[[Gl...]]

2 hours ago, [[B...] said:

Drinking water/staying hydrated is high on my list. Also, I've been trying to maintain my electrolyte levels. Just wish this feeling of living in a fog would go away. I do believe that my system is not utilizing nutrients adequately, due to my system being thrown off track as a result of benzo/Z-drug use. Benzo recovery is so complicated.

I can relate to everything you said.  Do you feel cold in warm weather and have poor circulation with the hypotension?   Did you have hypotension before benzos?  I did, but it's worse since Benzos. Do you have Raynaud's too?  

It's really hard to find any help for it.  "They" are usually only concerned with hypertension.  

[[An...]]

Glitter, how low are you? Give me an example of your top and bottom numbers.

[[Gl...]]

17 minutes ago, [[A...] said:

Glitter, how low are you? Give me an example of your top and bottom numbers.

A normal reading for me would be about 70/55 to 80/65, but it doesn't usually go much lower than that.   How low does yours go?

[[La...]]

Keep in mind that too much water without the balance of sodium can be problematic, since sodium is an essential electrolyte.

This info is from here:

https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/hyponatremia 

"Hyponatremia means that the sodium level in the blood is below normal. Your body needs sodium for fluid balance, blood pressure control, as well as the nerves and muscles. The normal blood sodium level is 135 to 145 milliequivalents/liter (mEq/L). Hyponatremia occurs when your blood sodium level goes below 135 mEq/L."

[[Gl...]]

 

Wow, they have an app for hyponatremia?  That's amazing.  Thanks for the link! 

You are so right about sodium and electrolytes. Thank you, @[La...] !  I drink an electrolyte formula every day, and I pour the salt on my food, but it may not be enough.  

I hadn't considered this recently, and I think you're on to something.  I'm grateful you said something.  Just now, I drank some salt water because of your post comment.  Thanks again! 

 

[[La...]]

I actually had hyponatremia years ago. A horrible experience. I had no idea what was wrong, and neither did the ER doctors until they did a blood test. My sodium level was at "critical" level by the time that happened. Then there was an in-hospital IV for a few days and a very careful increase in my sodium levels. Once I got out of the hospital, I had to do some serious reading about sodium and appropriate salt intakes. I also had to change the kind of magnesium I was taking, since the citrate form was giving me the runs. Again, I had no idea what was up. Magnesium glycinate is a bit easier on the gut, and I cut down the amounts I was taking.

All in all, it was a huge eye opener for me. Water is good, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. And sodium is absolutely essential for human life. All that "low sodium" hype (at the time -- early 2000s) was leading me down the wrong road. ;-)

[[Gl...]]

7 minutes ago, [[L...] said:

I actually had hyponatremia years ago. A horrible experience. I had no idea what was wrong, and neither did the ER doctors until they did a blood test. My sodium level was at "critical" level by the time that happened. Then there was an in-hospital IV for a few days and a very careful increase in my sodium levels.

holy smokes, what you went through was extreme. Sorry!  Thanks for sharing it.  It seems like I needed to hear it, and I'll keep my eyes open.

[[La...]]

Thanks for the kind words, Glitter. It's a pretty rare thing, I believe, and I actually felt rather stupid when I looked back on what had happened. I suspect I just hadn't paid close enough attention to the effect of the magnesium, over-drinking of water and under-use of salt. I was also exercising at an intense level, which further diluted my sodium levels. A perfect storm, really.

Anyway, do take care of yourself.

[[Bl...]]

On 07/08/2023 at 22:23, [[G...] said:

I can relate to everything you said.  Do you feel cold in warm weather and have poor circulation with the hypotension?   Did you have hypotension before benzos?  I did, but it's worse since Benzos. Do you have Raynaud's too?  

It's really hard to find any help for it.  "They" are usually only concerned with hypertension.  

I'm not sure if my blood pressure was low before I began taking Ambien/and or Ativan. I just know this symptom has been evident, since my reaction to these drugs. I haven't noticed my hands being cold in warm weather. And I've never been diagnosed with Raynaud's. I recently read the following comments that were posted in reference to an article on dehydration. I plan on buying some molasses.

• electrolytes & sodium deficiency. symptoms are vomiting, disorientation, no appetite, agitation, no muscle strength to function, heavy pressure on the heart to do daily bodily functions . a person is only supposed to have about 1.8 liters or little over that. learnt this fact the hard way. lucky caught what the problem was Just in time. condition called Hyponatremia. very serious & deadly. specially if diabetic & taking meds. people say to drink lots of water but it's supposed to be just about 2 liters unless you are putting the electrolytes & sodium back in the body. if not you are losing it all in the ur in e , sweat on hot days etc. moderation is key for everything.
•  
•  
• 

[[Bl...]]

The following link is to the article I referenced in my previous post. It is a very sad account that could have been prevented from what I understand. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12369573/Indiana-mom-35-dies-drinking-WATER-guzzling-equivalent-four-bottles-20-minutes.html

[[La...]]

Gatorade is mostly sugar --a whopping 36 grams of it. If the issue is low sodium, then a sugary, additive-laden drink will not help. Better to eat healthy food or, if one has diarrhea or vomiting, there are medically approved options, e.g. Gastrolyte.

[[Gl...]]

11 hours ago, [[B...] said:

The following link is to the article I referenced in my previous post. It is a very sad account that could have been prevented from what I understand. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12369573/Indiana-mom-35-dies-drinking-WATER-guzzling-equivalent-four-bottles-20-minutes.html

Thank you, Blue Rose. How sad. I remember a lady participating in a radio show water-drinking contest, and she died from hyponatremia.

[[Bl...]]

You're welcome Glitter.

[[La...]]

Yes, I saw this sad story too. Quite shocking, actually.

[[Gl...]]

On 09/08/2023 at 06:19, [[L...] said:

Gatorade is mostly sugar --a whopping 36 grams of it. If the issue is low sodium, then a sugary, additive-laden drink will not help. Better to eat healthy food or, if one has diarrhea or vomiting, there are medically approved options, e.g. Gastrolyte.

That's a crazy amount of sugar!  I don't think I've ever tried Gatorade because of that.

 

In case this would help anyone, I've been using this electrolyte mixture, and ever since, my leg cramps have disappeared.  I drink 3/4 teaspoon each day in water.

Electrolyte recipe

3 parts sugar

2 parts salt 

1/2 part Morton's lite salt

 

[[or...]]

Hi @[Gl...] Glad you found a good electrolyte, I just use Pink Salt, Pottasium, and a total of 1000 mg a day of Magnesium and got rid of 99% of my leg and foot cramping.  I still get it but very rare like every couple months maybe.  I can't have sugar because of T2 Diabetes, but I just put my bits the above into my daily drinking water every time I fill the bottle.

I posted on your Kava thread too, forgot the link to a video though, I'll go back and fix that

[[La...]]

1 hour ago, [[G...] said:

That's a crazy amount of sugar!  I don't think I've ever tried Gatorade because of that.

In case this would help anyone, I've been using this electrolyte mixture, and ever since, my leg cramps have disappeared.  I drink 3/4 teaspoon each day in water.

Electrolyte recipe

3 parts sugar

2 parts salt 

1/2 part Morton's lite salt

I assume that's all mixed into a certain amount of water, but it wasn't listed in the recipe. Can you please clarify? Thanks!