Hi, my heart has felt a bit fast lately and I feel a bit odd, but I just checked my blood pressure and my monitor flashed amber and green to indicate low blood pressure! My pulse was 104. I have recently upped my T3 dose. Can T3 cause low blood pressure and faster pulse? I have never had a reading for low blood pressure before and I’m a bit worried.
Thank you in advance.
interesting. my dr justed lowered my T4 from 75mcg to 50mcg, left the T3 at 7.5 mcg. After a month, my pulse has become very low while the systolic press is HIGH! I think there is a balance for each person. Also, my fasting blood sugar is down to normal (was 112 sometimes) but my cholesterol is much higher! it is all tied together and finding the sweet spot for each person can take a while. I think my ideal dose is 50mcg T4 and 10 mcg T3. We'll see
Your adrenal glands and your vagus nerve control blood pressure so maybe this is just an adjustment. I find that when my BP goes low my heart rate goes up also. I don't think it's a worry, your heart is doing what it is supposed to. You aren't on a low salt diet, are you? Your adrenals need sodium.
Thanks Heloise, that is something I have been thinking about lately. I had to go on blood pressure (BP) meds recently (I held out for as long as I could) and I have graphed my progress. It is quite clear that as my systolic has gone down my heart rate (pulse) has gone up. High BP is high potential energy, fast heart rate is high kinetic energy, I hope I haven't simply traded potential for kinetic. A fast heart beat is just as destructive to the muscle as working against high resistance.
John Bergman seems to feel you should allow your blood pressure a certain amount of freedom as long as there is no more than a forty point difference between systolic and diastolic. Dr. Stoll who I followed for years said not to treat unless over 180. It's kind of scary but I trust both these men. Have we been conditioned or do those numbers add up for you?
Thanks Heloise. I was 165/65mm/Hg and 70bpm pulse. I was seeing the occasional 170/x 75 at the corner drug-store BP machine. My doc had been nagging me for a long time since I had a consistent 140/x. He put me on a low dose of Lisinopril which seems to be doing the job - except he didn't realize it reaches a peak after 7 hours and has a half life of 12 hours. I didn't know that either. 1hour after taking the pill I went for my appt. and he measured my BP, found it appearing to have little affect and told me to double the dose, an alarm bell went off in my head and decided I wasn't raising anything until I had researched Lisinopril. So I then took the pill (at the original dose) first thing in the morning, had my 2nd appointment in the mid afternoon and it measured normal (120/60). Nurse and doctor cheered and declared I was cured and was on the right dose.
Blimey, we have to do everything, don't we.
LOL, I think that's the message. I don't think 140 bp is bad at all but not sure why he said the 40 point difference mattered. My elderly MIL had a very low bottom number and her cardiologist told me he didn't care if that went to zero. She was about 90 years old.
I guess until you know WHY it is a little out of range it's being safe. Your weight might have something to do with it, too.
You probably already know this that the kidneys if not efficient need to have blood pass through more often. This is probably where the vagus nerve interprets the necessity of a raise in bp. You aren't over dosing on thyroid hormone by chance. Do you have enough magnesium in your system?
Good point about Magnesium. I ran out of Brazil nuts and have to order more, that's my supply of Selenium and Magnesium. When I start up again I will measure BP to see if it is correlated. I must read up on that Vargas nerve it sounds a very important factor. Thanks.
Oh, yes, I think it's the 7th or 10th cranial nerve and goes to almost every organ including heart and lungs. We have to get out of the fight or flight state. The vagus nerve is the rest and relax nerve, very, very important. People with eplilepsy have a stimulator to intervene if a seizure is coming on. Works like a pacemaker which I think is also a problem with the vagus nerve. I did make one post about it here last year. I would like to know even more about it.
I experience nausea (sometimes with vomiting) and light-headedness whenever I am subjected to pain. I was told this is a vaso-vagal response. (I tried to warn medical folks to refrain from hurting me so that I don't puke all over them, but some of them just don't listen--like the sonographer who energetically poked my cervix about a million times while performing a trans-vaginal ultrasound.)
verywellhealth.com/vasovaga...
I don't want to laugh because I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time but I think you are being humorous. Now that you mention it, one of the exercises to stimulate the vagus nerve is to gargle and gag because it runs behind the palate. Interestingly a Dr. Nemecek has designed a device to stimulate it inside the ear. I do think this is one of the nerves that are involved with inflammatory conditions.
Hi Heloise, thank you for your reply and advice. I'm not on a low salt diet, I have more salt because of my adrenals.x
Good Morning Heloise .Great to see your post . Always very informative and learning experiences . Thank You . This is very interesting to me what your saying . I'm on low dose NDT for my T3 with T4 combo . I too find that my B/P is more on the low side but I can sometimes have a bit of palpitations at night when I lay down to sleep . I do have Celtic Sea Salt for my adrenals . I used to have highish B/P and palpitations with T4 only .
Do you take your NDT at night? I have had that kick at night myself. I thought that perhaps the T3 was kicking in but who knows, maybe it's just the change in position. I have also posted that there is a lag in the r wave when hypo. And you are supposed to sleep on your left side. I usually sleep on my right at first. I don't know that much about the heart but when I followed Walt Stoll, some people asked about the seeming extra beats they felt and he would say it's actually a healthy heart that does that.
I suppose it could be the way the body is metabolizing thyroid hormone. Being on the right dose daily is probably not the same as if your body were making it.
Thank You so much Heloise for your kind response . Yes I dose with 1/8 grain NDT prior to going to sleep . It helps me with my sleep . I used to dose with 1/4 grain NDT I fell asleep but it would wake me up 3-4 AM and I would not be able to fall back to sleep . It signaled to me that my Cortisol levels must have been high and as far as that's concerned my day was ready to begin . Except as the day progressed I was getting tired early . Even with split NDT doses . Now that I lowered my NDT dose to 1/8 grain It made huge difference . Even if I wake up 3-4 AM I can now fall back to sleep .
Heloise you are very right when I change positions the palpitation that are very light but enough to notice for me will stop with changing positions . I mostly experience the light fluttering when I'm laying on my back and trying to do my deep breathing exercises . Thank you for your input .
I'm so glad you figured that out.....pretty brilliant. You could wear a heart monitor just to check things out but I really think it's more to do with the nervous system and not really the heart. What do you think of heartmath?
Your very kind Heloise . Having to experience my thyroid journey the last 25+years and not getting satisfactory answers and help from my Dr's/Endo and receiving dismal thyroid care . I thank My Heavenly Father for graduating me from the School Of Hard Knocks and surviving it . I learned to trust and to tune into my body because it will communicate . Our Master Planner created the BEST Ever Machinery called *Human*. Journaling symptoms I found to be fantastic and so very helpful . I still continue to journal it's very telling it's cellular symptoms . B/W is just a snapshot of the moment labs are drawn . I learned to trust myself over my Dr/Endo . My Dr/Endo are now open and allow me to be part of decision making with my dosing's and well-being . In fact my Endo asks me for my opinion at times . Now that's called progress . At first I was taken back but now I realize and respect my Endo for trying to learn from patients first hand experiences so that he can be a better Endo and treat other thyroid patients *optimally* . I respect that and it's to be respected and very admirable . It's far better than Dr/Endo who treat patients wrong and have the attitude of my way or the highway . We need more Dr's/Endo's that are open minded want to learn and respect patients . Think out of the *Box* and *Get It* and don't fold like cheap cameras to BIG PHARMA .
That is wonderful. I think doctors start out being empathetic but dealing with the public has it's hardships. He recognizes your talent for being in tune with your body with logic and integrity. You keep training him
I'm a terrible patient so I applaud your progress and relationship with your Endo.
Your very kind Heloise . With my thyroid journey there where highs and lows and medium rocky times . I just had no choice . But to be my own advocate . It took a long while to muster the strength and to prove over and over again that I know what I was talking about . Granted I did not know any technical medical terminologies nor did I study medical texts nor attend Medical Academia .I didn't sign up for it when I started my thyroid journey . My thyroid journey was not by choice . But who cares as long as one can express and explain what one feels at any point and time with certain thyroid doses . I believe we all go through a crash coarse of learning very fast about our thyroid journeys . But some of us are afraid or freeze talking to the Dr . Afraid to be made and feel inadequate . Rest assured only the patient knows *best* how they feel . Not the Dr . Labs are just a snapshot of the moment . Cellular symptoms are very telling . If the Dr sounds to the patient inapt in handling their thyroid journey move on . I felt bad moving on but each time was a better move to my in betterment . Lots of prayers didn't hurt either .
It takes two to tango . One needs a good listening and caring Dr who's interest is #1 the patient . And patient needs to do their part to be prepared with symptoms and questions for the Dr . And together make amicable decisions for the embitterment of the patient "Optimal* well-being .
Not unusual to have low BP & high pulse according to my doctor. Mine's so low that it's always taken twice by the nurse. I don't feel dizzy when standing up, have never fainted, so I was told not to worry about it.
If your resting pulse is above 90 BPM, and you are NOT majorly unfit; then I would consider that to be worthy of medical investigation.
If possible, get a device that gives an accurate readout or see a doctor and have them check your BP and pulse when sitting, lying, and standing.
Under replacement (too low T3 and T4) can cause low BP, but T3 alone is unlikely to be the cause.
Thank you anonymous45. Too much T3 would cause a higher pulse rate though, I think. Appreciate your advice.
T3 and High Blood Pressure
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Low Blood Pressure?
