Low blood pressure

[elkhunter]

Hello everyone, first time posting. I have permanent AF and when first diagnosed had low blood pressure 75/50 and was put on fludrocortisone 0.5. Blood pressure came back to normal and then spiked up too high so the cardiologist took me off of the medication. Now low blood pressure again and feeling so lethargic so Dr. Put me back on the medication. Wondering if it is normal to have low blood pressure with afib and if others experience this?

[BobD Volunteer]

Not for me. Mine goes up!

[jeanjeannie50]

I know that certain beta blocker type drugs, used to control AF, can make our BP drop down too low. Once when mine dropped low in hospital I was advised to drink water to bring it up and that's what I still do now. Just wondering if your drinking enough water and whether having more of it would help? Note that I don't mean any other drinks, but specifically water.

With having permanent AF I would look to your diet for the hope of feeling better, try to avoid any food or drink that contains artificial additives of any kind and have more plant based meals. They were a sure trigger for my AF, especially artificial sweeteners. Some people also say to avoid sugar and others claim that taking magnesium has really helped reduce their attacks.

Jean

[elkhunter in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you jeanjeannie for your comments and suggestions they are welcomed.

I have heard that sugars should be avoided if you have afib. I will try to avoid as much as possible. I’m guilty of not hydrating as much as I should and it sounds like that would help my low blood pressure problems. I was supplementing with magnesium but read that too much magnesium in your body could actually cause low blood pressure so I stopped taking it until we get my blood work back to see if all checks out. Thank you again for your information.

[Steve101 in reply to elkhunter]

I have persistent AF also. Given up alcohol, mr drink now is sparkling water (cheep 2 litre bottle) with a dash of lime cordial. Now into 10 weeks without alcohol, no longer miss it, broken the habit. My blood pressure is about 120 / 80 with low dose ramipril to keep blood pressure in check. I’m just a year older than you.

[Hidden]

There are so many things that can cause low blood pressure and Ive known people who run low and the docs never figure out why. Do you know what your left ventricular ejection fraction is? That measures the force of the blood being pumped out of your heart. Regardless of the cause, the only thing you can control is staying well hydrated and be careful you dont get dizzy and have an accident. Im sure they gave you the usual speeches about dont stand up too fast.

[KMRobbo]

CERTAINLY not saying you should not drink water to keep hydrated, but an interesting pont i came upon when i had a very temporary high blood pressure issue when i was i aflutter or just after i think, was that chronic dehydration causes high blood pressure not low as you would logically think! Paste the following into your browser for details.

As with a lot of things, the body is a lot more complicated than you think!

google.com/search?q=dehydra...

Also remember too much hydration can also be dangerous.

[Hidden]

Mine goes sky high ☹️

[Tojo2020]

Good comments. For me, dehydration can really lower BP. IIRC, my lowest was 55/35. Decided to lie down and take a nap. Most likely due to the combination of a diuretic and working outdoors in hot weather. So now I kind of plan ahead.

Best to you Elkhunter