Symptoms of low blood pressure arise due to the insufficient pumping of blood delivered to the other parts of the body. Because of the lack of blood supply, the organs cannot function properly, hence, causing an individual to feel tired or sick. The common symptoms of low blood pressure include dizziness or light headedness. One classic example is the dizziness felt when changing positions from lying down to abruptly standing upright. This occurs because when you’re lying down, the blood settles in the veins thereby causing low blood pressure. Suddenly standing up would worsen the low blood pressure making one feel dizzy and lightheaded; and sometimes one could even faint. This condition is medically termed as orthostatic hypotension.
Symptoms of low blood pressure are easy to remedy, however, there are cases of low blood pressure that are caused by more serious underlying health conditions that pose great risks to one’s health.
Signs and Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure
• The most common symptoms of low blood pressure are dizziness and sudden tiredness or feeling of fatigue. This is mainly because there is not enough blood supply provided by the system for the proper functioning of the body which leads us to feel week and dizzy.
• In some cases, experiencing sudden black outs and fainting also ensues. This happens when the circulation does not supply enough oxygen and blood to the brain.
• Some people would feel restless and depressed and would want to just lie around all day.
• The individual with low blood pressure may have shallow and fast breathing.
• The skin of the person with low blood pressure is described to be pale and could suddenly feel cold and clammy.
Causes of Low Blood Pressure
There are lots of factors that can cause the symptoms of low blood pressure.
• Dehydration – Dehydration due to loose bowel movements, exercise, vomiting, and excessive sweating may cause important electrolytes that help pump out blood be depleted, thus resulting to symptoms of low blood pressure. This could worsen if the person does not replace the electrolytes purged from the body by drinking fluids.
• Bleeding – Bleeding from a trauma, injury or even surgery, whether internal or external, can lead to low blood pressure.
• Inflamed Organs – If there is an inflamed organ inside the body, it directs the blood to concentrate on the inflamed tissues, resulting to poor delivery or unequal amounts of blood supply circulated throughout the body.
• Heart Disease – The heart is the organ mainly responsible for the pumping of blood to be distributed to the different body parts. Diseases of the heart such as myocarditis, which weakens the heart, could result to poor blood circulation throughout the body causing the person to experience symptoms of low blood pressure. Pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, bradycardia (slow heart rate), tachycardia (abnormal fast heart rate), and other heart diseases may cause a person to experience symptoms of low blood pressure due to insufficient supply of blood throughout the entire system.
• Medications – there are certain medications that could cause low blood pressure.
o Antihypertensives – These are the medications taken by persons who have high blood pressure. Some of these medications include calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, ACE Inhibitors, alpha blockers and digoxin. These drugs work to slow down the heart rate or the pumping of blood in the system. It is very important that the individual consult his/her doctor or pharmacist with regards to the proper dosage and time as to how much and when to take the drug in order to prevent episodes of symptoms of low blood pressure.
o Diuretics – Diuretics, likewise, are drugs used to manage high blood pressure and their objective is to decrease the pressure exerted by the blood by allowing the individual to reduce bodily fluids through constant urination. This is one of the reasons why these types of medications are termed as “water pills”. An example of a diuretic is the most commonly used Furosemide (Lasix).
o Other medications – Antidepressants could also cause one’s blood pressure to drop. So do the medications used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Also, drugs to treat erectile dysfunction as well as narcotic could lower down one’s blood pressure.
Treatment of the Symptoms of Low Blood Pressure
Managing the symptoms of low blood pressure depends on the underlying cause that brought about low blood pressure in the first place.
• If dehydration is the cause for an individual to suffer the symptoms of low blood pressure, then replenishing the lost fluid is the solution. If excessive fluid was lost or if the individual suffered from severe diarrhea and vomiting make sure to replace the electrolytes lost by drinking water with oral rehydration salts. Or if the electrolyte loss had been so severe that the level in blood is too low, it may be replaced by administering the electrolytes intravenously in an emergency room or the hospital.
• For bleeding, if there’s too much blood loss, blood transfusion may be the appropriate step to be taken. This is, of course, best be discussed with the doctor.
• If the underlying cause is due to other conditions such as an inflamed organ or a heart disease, consult your doctor so that he/she can prescribe the appropriate treatment regimen for the disease.
• If the cause can be traced to the usage of certain medications, inform your doctor about this. The doctor can either prescribe an alternate medicine or he/she could lower down the dose of your medication.
• If you are not certain of the underlying cause of low blood pressure, the best thing to do is seek professional medical help so the doctor can conduct necessary diagnostic procedures to determine the exact cause of your low blood pressure.
Symptoms of low blood pressure may be caused by minor factors. But keep in mind that low blood pressure could also be due to a more serious underlying disease that could put your life in peril. So while it’s still early, take action in order to make the proper diagnosis and address the problem aptly.
