What do doctors do for low blood pressure

Symptoms of low blood pressure

Get your blood pressure checked if you keep getting symptoms like:

• lightheadedness or dizziness
• feeling sick
• blurred vision
• generally feeling weak
• confusion
• fainting

This might mean your blood pressure is too low.

If you get symptoms when you stand up or suddenly change position, you may have postural hypotension.

How to check your blood pressure

You can check your blood pressure:

• by asking if a pharmacist can do it
• by asking a practice nurse or GP to do it
• at home yourself using a home blood pressure monitor – Blood Pressure UK has information about choosing a blood pressure monitor

Low blood pressure is a measurement of less than 90/60mmHg.

Regular blood pressure check

If you're 40 to 74 years old, you should have your blood pressure checked at least once every 5 years as part of the NHS Health Check.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

• you keep getting symptoms such as dizziness and fainting

Treatment for low blood pressure depends on the cause

If a cause can be found, a GP will be able to recommend treatment to ease your symptoms.

For example, they may suggest:

• changing medicines or altering your dose, if this is the cause
• wearing support stockings – this can improve circulation and increase blood pressure

Medicine to increase blood pressure is rarely needed because simple lifestyle measures or treating the underlying cause is usually effective.

How to ease low blood pressure symptoms yourself

Do

• get up slowly from sitting to standing

• take care when getting out of bed – move slowly from lying to sitting to standing

• eat small, frequent meals – lying down or sitting still for a while after eating may also help

• increase the amount of water you drink

Don’t

• do not sit or stand for long periods

• do not bend down or change posture suddenly

• do not drink caffeinated drinks at night

• do not drink too much alcohol

Causes of low blood pressure

Your blood pressure can vary depending on the time of day. It gradually increases throughout the day.

What you're doing and how you're feeling can also affect it.

There are many possible causes of low blood pressure. It may be low because you're fit and healthy, or you may have inherited it from your parents.

Low blood pressure (hypotension) is typically not a serious problem unless it causes symptoms and complications like fainting, dizziness, confusion, and shock. In many cases, simple adjustments to lifestyle, diet, and habits can treat low blood pressure successfully. Sometimes medication may be prescribed to raise the blood pressure to a normal range.

If your blood pressure suddenly drops due to a medical condition, such as bleeding, you will need urgent medical treatment,

Home Remedies and Lifestyle

If your blood pressure is on the low side, making certain changes to your lifestyle can help you raise your blood pressure to healthy levels.

These changes may include:

• Avoid sitting up or standing up quickly: Instead, do it slowly. You can also try moving your legs a bit before trying to sit or stand up to get the blood flowing.
• Avoid standing for long periods of time if possible: This is particularly important if you have neurally mediated hypotension.
• Avoid crossing your legs while sitting: In some cases, this can prevent blood from flowing up and away from your legs.
• Wear compression stockings: The stockings will apply pressure to your legs, helping blood move better. You should consult your doctor before you start to wear compression stockings as a form of treatment.

If you have postural hypotension, also described as orthostatic hypotension, your blood pressure can drop when you get up to sit from a lying position or stand from a lying or sitting position. Always remembering to make slow adjustments in your body position can help.

It's also important to be careful to avoid falls. Consider having a walker near your bed as you get used to those first steps in the morning.

Diet

Limiting your intake of certain foods, and increasing your intake of others, can help raise your blood pressure.

• Drink plenty of water.
• Drink fluids that contain electrolytes like potassium.
• Limit or cut off alcohol intake completely.
• Increase your salt intake. You should make sure to consult your healthcare professional about whether this would be right for you.

If you have postprandial hypotension, which is low blood pressure that occurs after eating, you can try eating smaller, low-carb, meal portions. This will prevent your digestive system from consuming a higher proportion of your blood flow.

At-Home Monitoring

If you can, buy a blood pressure reading machine, and ask a healthcare professional to teach you how to use it. This will help you keep track of your blood pressure daily, and discover what’s normal for you.

The results will help your doctor know whether your blood pressure is always low or if it drops at certain times (such as after taking medication, in response to body position changes, or after eating).

Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

Prescriptions

Several drugs are used to treat low blood pressure. The most commonly prescribed of them are fludrocortisone and midodrine.

• Fludrocortisone works by increasing sodium (salt) levels and blood volume in the body.
• Midodrine works by tightening blood vessels, which increases blood pressure. Midodrine is usually only used for people who have chronic orthostatic low blood pressure.

If you are experiencing severe hypotension that's linked to shock, may be given intravenously (injected into your veins) drugs like epinephrine and norepinephrine, which work by narrowing blood vessels,

If your low blood pressure is caused by an underlying medical condition, your doctor will treat your blood pressure as well as your medical condition. If it’s caused by any medication you are currently taking, your doctor may change the dosage of the medication or replace it with another one.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is considered low blood pressure?

  Blood pressure is typically considered low when it's below 90/60 mmHg.

• What causes low blood pressure?

  Low blood pressure can have many different causes, including:

  • Medications
  • Blood loss
  • Pregnancy
  • Endocrine conditions
  • Heart disease
  • Severe infections
  • Allergic reaction

• When is low blood pressure an emergency?

  Your body could go into shock if your blood isn't getting enough oxygen to your vital organs. Call 911 or get immediate emergency care if you have low blood pressure with any of the following:

  How do doctors cure low blood pressure?

  Treatment.

  Use more salt. Experts usually recommend limiting salt (sodium) because it can raise blood pressure, sometimes dramatically. ... .

  Drink more water. Fluids increase blood volume and help prevent dehydration, both of which are important in treating hypotension..

  Wear compression stockings. ... .

  Medications..

  How do doctors raise low blood pressure?

  To address low blood pressure, a doctor may adjust the dosage of an existing drug or recommend medications to increase blood pressure. Medications that they may prescribe include fludrocortisone and midodrine. Also, a person may benefit from: drinking more water throughout the day.

  What is a dangerously low blood pressure?

  What is hypotension? Hypotension is abnormally low blood pressure (lower than 90/60 mm Hg). If your blood pressure gets too low, it can cause dizziness, fainting or death. Low blood pressure is not a condition that is usually treated except if it occurs in the elderly or occurs suddenly.