Low blood pressure problems

[tbirchf]

Does anyone have problems with low blood pressure? Lately my husband who was diagnosed in 2012 got so dizzy he could not sit up, and the doctor said it was low blood pressure (he's never had low blood pressure before). Doctor said to drink more water and eat frequently. His blood pressure is not much better after 2 days, still fluctuates between normal and low and he does not feel well. My husband also seems to be a little disoriented. Any advice or comments?

[wifeofparky]

orthostatic hypotension is common in PD. In addition to staying well hydrated, he should get up slowly and allow his pressure to stabilize before moving around. There are also new meds out to treat it if is severe.

Does he see a Movement Disorder Specialist? Discuss your concerns with him/her. I kept a log of my husband's readings and the time taken as well as what he was doing. I took it while he was lying down and again when he got up. The drop in pressure was often very dramatic.

[tbirchf in reply to wifeofparky]

Thank you!

[park_bear]

You do not say whether he has uniformly low blood pressure or a reduction in blood pressure upon standing (or sitting in his case) . You should let us know which one of these it is. The latter is known as orthostatic hypotension. This is a very important distinction - If it is orthostatic hypotension that can be caused by medication. In this case you should let us know which medications the is taking. In any case you should get a good blood pressure cuff. Such are available on Amazon or elsewhere. You will need this to measure the effect of your interventions.

If he is adequately hydrated drinking plain water will be an exercise in futility, since the kidneys rapidly excrete any excess in order to maintain proper electrolyte concentrations in the blood. Drinking saltwater can be effective, but before embarking on this you need the blood pressure cuff.

[tbirchf in reply to park_bear]

Yes we are using a blood pressure cuff. He takes his blood pressure several times a day and sometimes it's normal, sometimes low. The low blood pressure is not just when he stands. His dizziness seems to have gone away, so maybe that was caused by not drinking enough since now he makes sure to drink 8 oz several times a day. He still has episodes of low blood pressure (95/63) but it does not seem to make him dizzy.

[PWal]

I too suffer from orthostatic hypotension and frequently see BP readings as low as 76/46!! No wonder I get some wicked dizzy spells! I believe my low BP is partly down to PD but also partly down to the side effects of my meds - Madopar and Rasagiline. I also take Tamsulosin for enlarged prostate which further exacerbated the low BP issue!

[tbirchf in reply to PWal]

Thank you!

[gwendolinej]

One of my husband’s first symptoms was low blood pressure. It would drop when he stood up from 120/80 to 60/ 30. No meds at that stage. Previously he’d been on high blood pressure tablets. He was put on Florinef, which did help stablise his blood pressure, but after a period of time it caused bladder problems. We knew this because his blood pressure went up and he went off the Florinef and onto high blood pressure medication again. No bladder problem. His blood pressure has changed again and he’s back on Florinef!!

Bladder problem is back. All this over 7 years. So it certainly wasn’t meds at the beginning causing the low blood pressure.

[tbirchf in reply to gwendolinej]

Thank you!

[Coblrman]

Sinamet can cause your bp to drop also. As you increase the amount of sinemet the more it drops

[tbirchf]

Ok that's what the doc said also, but he hasn't increased the dosage for a few years. Blood pressure was normal this morning. I hope it's not dangerous for blood pressure to fluctuate from low to normal throughout the day because that seems to be the case. Thanks for your reply!

[Coblrman in reply to tbirchf]

also how much florinef does he take? how long? and has he had a bone density scan (very important with florinef)?

[tbirchf in reply to Coblrman]

Not taking Florinef and has not had a bone density scan. He has been back to normal since drinking more water all day. I guess it was dehydration causing the problems.

[Bowling55]

Yes my blood pressure is naturally low. Now with the Parkinson had low it's a problem. I have passed out many times. My doctor recommended to wear compression stockings I want to take a medication to raise my blood pressure. I don't want to wear the stockings or take the medication. I've been exercising on a rebounder to strengthen my calf muscles which they say is responsible for bringing the blood back to the heart. Also with the rebounding, I do squats also. I'm also taking Young Living Essential Oil Pine. Because it is supposed to help low blood pressure. Also Aroma life also from Young Living is supposed to balance the blood pressure whether is high or low blood pressure. I haven't received the aroma life yet so can't tell if it helps. I just started the pine about a week ago. I can tell you how it goes later.

[Bowling55 in reply to Bowling55]

I Should have checked my grammar. I do not want to take medications to lower my pressure

[Bowling55 in reply to Bowling55]

I just can't get it right I do not want to take medications to raise my blood pressure.