I am concerned about my husband. He has high blood pressure and is on medication!
Question: But the last two weeks his blood pressure has been dropping very low and then rising again. He is also getting dizzy when he gets up. What should he do or what should we be looking for?
Answers: But the last two weeks his blood pressure has been dropping very low and then rising again. He is also getting dizzy when he gets up. What should he do or what should we be looking for?
Dizziness when rising from a seated position is not a serious symptom - it happens even in people with normal blood pressure. As long as prolonged dizziness or other symptoms of low blood pressure such as fatigue, blurred vision, nausea, etc. are not present, the blood pressure is not low enough to be a medical risk. It might be a good idea to schedule a check up with the doctor that prescribed the meds he is taking - maybe the dosage needs to be adjusted or maybe a different medication would work better.
Make sure you have a pressure monitor at home. They aren't that expensive. Problem with pressure is that it creeps up and you do not even know you have it. No real symptoms for what I can tell. I suffer from it and I am on medication. I take one pill every morning. Make sure he does not skip medication. Is very important he takes it every day. As far as the dizziness, make sure he takes his time in getting up. Get up real slowly and see if that helps. If not, contact his doctor and explain because it may be something else other than his pressure.
his medication might need adjusting.
if he has just started on it, it'll take a few weeks to stablise.
your blood pressure naturally is lower when you are sitting or lying down (gravity), so tell him to get up slowly and it'll stop the dizziness because it won't be such a sudden change. it sounds stupid but i have the same problem and standing slowly stops it happening.
Normal reaction until the medication reaches the correct level in his bloodstream. But go see your doctor again if it persists.
He might also try to use foods to help reduce/normalize his blood pressure. I have posted a link. Make sure he reviews his eating plan, including the foods on the link, with his doctor to make sure they are compatible with his meds.
As I have stated here many times, I am not a doctor, and don't play one on TV. I AM an EMS First responder with a history of heart trouble and blood pressure issues. I am on big-time dosages, 100 mg of Toprol in the morning, and again at bedtime. I would be interested in knowing the fluctuation in the readings, and whether this new symptom has just started in the last couple of weeks, etc. Dizziness when standing is not unusual when you're on BP medication. This could be an indication of needing to adjust dosage (they change mine every couple of years); this could also indicate something a little more sinister: carotid artery blockage. The carotid arteries are in the neck, on both sides, and carry blood to the brain; thus, if clogged, this impedes blood flow. The test for this is a simple, painless, ultrasound of the carotids, whereby the tech can move the sensor around the neck over the arteries and look at the blood flow. I've had mine checked several times and, thank God, they were fine.
Tilt table test or adjustment in the medication dosage.
He needs to go back to the doctor. His medication may have to be adjusted or changed.