Light headed when getting up? Low BP?

[lessthanhalf]

Basically sporadically when I get up from laying down on a couch or a bed I sometimes feel very light headed and dizzy and I need to sit back down for a second. Interestingly this never happens when I get out of bed first thing in the morning.

This is definitely a new phenomenon for me though I don't know if it is attributable to the reta itself or it's potentially my diet (more of an indirect cause)

Not something I have seen get much discussion and searching didn't seem to bring much up.

Was curious if any of the smart people here had any thoughts or if there are things I should be adding to my diet or doing a better job with to avoid it.

This is very clearly postural hypotension. Not sure why it does not happen in the morning, but I think BP is usually a bit higher in the morning. It is very common with weight loss.

I had high blood pressure before losing weight, but as I lost weight I started getting greyed out vision on standing with some dizzyness, and it has persisted for the past few years.

Losing weight will drop blood pressure, as you are going to carry less fluid in general, reta will drop blood pressure as a drug effect and weight loss itself drops blood pressure from the loss of back pressure on the veins in your legs and abdomen, where there is less fat pressing on the veins pushing blood upwards and resisting the effects of gravity.

Probably worth a basic medical opinion for advice mostly, but first get a blood pressure reading machine and test blood pressure lying sitting and standing so you can verify and monitor what is happening and it would be useful info to show a doctor.

The first thing to know if you feel there is any risk of falling is to get your head down quickly so you do not faint, for me just bending over a bit for a few seconds is enough . If blood pressure to your brain is too low for long enough, the vasovagal reflex will kick in and force you to get horizontal by making you faint, by dropping blood pressure suddenly as a way of restoring brain blood flow.( after you fall over )

Compression stockings can help, and making sure fluid and electrolyte intake is adequate. Getting up from lying down to sitting to standing in stages can help. And if on high blood pressure medication, it might need adjusting or stopping.

 

[Justatechdude]

I’ve gotten more light headedness after starting GLP1s. I am on a mix of TRZ and RETA right now and I think it’s lowered even further from Reta but didn’t track so no true proof. I just know that my current is 102/64 and yeah I get light headed once or twice a day.

 

[Jfrick11]

Forgot I have a whoop sitting in a drawer, i will throw that back on and see if it gives me any insights

For the record no history of low BP and not on any BP meds and I have "only" lost ~15lbs so not some kind of insane weight loss or drop that I would think would cause something like that.

For someone with no hx of low pressure, no BP meds, and only about 15 lbs of weight loss, I wouldn't immediately assume the weight loss itself is the culprit.

I'd probably think about it in this order:

Electrolytes/sodium.... especially since you're drinking lots of water but not supplementing electrolytes.

Calorie intake.... make sure you're not running too large a deficit and that you're getting enough protein and overall nutrition.

Orthostatic BP READINGS... easy to check at home with a BP cuff. Just Google "orthostatic blood pressure test" and follow the instructions.

Blood sugar swings ... CGMs have become relatively affordable, and you'd be able to see pretty quickly whether you're experiencing big highs or lows.

Labs.... things like anemia, iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, etc., if none of the above reveals anything.

Electrolytes are probably the easiest thing to try first. If you haven't already, I'd also do the math on what a healthy calorie deficit looks like for your size and activity level to make sure you're eating enough to support your body's needs. If the symptoms continue despite addressing those things, then I'd move on to BP measurements and blood glucose.... and ultimately, lab work.

 

[IMT11]

For someone with no hx of low pressure, no BP meds, and only about 15 lbs of weight loss, I wouldn't immediately assume the weight loss itself is the culprit.

I'd probably think about it in this order:

Electrolytes/sodium.... especially since you're drinking lots of water but not supplementing electrolytes.

Calorie intake.... make sure you're not running too large a deficit and that you're getting enough protein and overall nutrition.

Orthostatic BP READINGS... easy to check at home with a BP cuff. Just Google "orthostatic blood pressure test" and follow the instructions.

Blood sugar swings ... CGMs have become relatively affordable, and you'd be able to see pretty quickly whether you're experiencing big highs or lows.

Labs.... things like anemia, iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, etc., if none of the above reveals anything.

Electrolytes are probably the easiest thing to try first. If you haven't already, I'd also do the math on what a healthy calorie deficit looks like for your size and activity level to make sure you're eating enough to support your body's needs. If the symptoms continue despite addressing those things, then I'd move on to BP measurements and blood glucose.... and ultimately, lab work.

Appreciate the detailed response, I have tried electrolytes. I don't want to over-state the problem, this was something that was happening maybe 1-2x/week but obviously with starting new medication I am trying to be sensitive to any changes.

I think after some reflection there is a good chance it may be calorie related, I really struggled eating enough the first few weeks on reta. Have been eating more recently and so far so good (also could be the elctrolytes helping idk).

Will take the further advice if symptoms persist.

 

[agussie]

Yep, had to cut my Lisinopril dose in half

 

[Vbjeff13]

Basically sporadically when I get up from laying down on a couch or a bed I sometimes feel very light headed and dizzy and I need to sit back down for a second. Interestingly this never happens when I get out of bed first thing in the morning.

This is definitely a new phenomenon for me though I don't know if it is attributable to the reta itself or it's potentially my diet (more of an indirect cause)

Not something I have seen get much discussion and searching didn't seem to bring much up.

Was curious if any of the smart people here had any thoughts or if there are things I should be adding to my diet or doing a better job with to avoid it.

Are you sure it’s your BP? Like someone else said here, check you BP in the morning when you are laying down, then check when you stand up. Could be a sign but obviously go see the doc - cardiologist. This isn’t medical advice, just a tip!

I get the same thing with lightedness and dizziness and my heart starts racing which standing, but no change in BP. It’s potentially POTS but I’m going through the more extensive testing.

Depending on what it is, they’ll prescribe something - I used a beta blocker and it helped a bit, now moving on to something different.

Let us know when you identify what it is, folks may have more tips

 

[harradm]

Oof, i lost a ton of weight, was still on a high dose of losartan ( 75mg daily ) and started getting dizzy. It wasnt till i collapsed onto a table, bounced off a chair and ended up on the floor with people around. And i said? Why are we all on the floor???

That was three weeks ago, i can now bately sleep on my right side, pretty sure i cracked some ribs. Could have been a lot worse. Obviously i cut down losartan ( 25mg daily ) and talked to my dr.

You should talk to your dr. So you dont end up being me, and maybe even take a worse fall.

I was walking to the bathroom at 2:30 am, I guess I woke up as my forehead and nose simultaneously hit the floor. Broke my nose, lots of blood, etc. I had been experiencing the light headedness that others had described. I didn't think too much about it till the epic faceplant. Went to my doctor, we are working on it!

 

[neo6488]

So I went to my dr for this and they told me it was most likely dehydration. They said it was unlikely my BP was so low that was causing it. Since I started drinking more it's gone away. Start with that as it's the easiest and cheapest fix.

 

[Gr33dyOctopus]

I was walking to the bathroom at 2:30 am, I guess I woke up as my forehead and nose simultaneously hit the floor. Broke my nose, lots of blood, etc. I had been experiencing the light headedness that others had described. I didn't think too much about it till the epic faceplant. Went to my doctor, we are working on it!

Same!!! I have never passed out like that before, pretty crazy!

 

[BNLFL]

Yep, had to cut my Lisinopril dose in half

I'm on a low 10mg dose of that, and 50mg Metoprolol. Cardiologist has kept me on this since my 2 weeks in ICU and a week in a normal room 3.5 years. I had very bad double fungal and viral pneumonia that put me into AFIB and I had blood clots from laying so long. AFIB has never been back, and that's why he keeps me on it.

 

[Glenn]

I was on Lisinopril with high blood pressure when I was at 445lbs. Now I'm at 210lbs, quit the BP meds and occasionally get super dizzy with tunnel greyed out vision usually after getting up from lifting heavy at the gym. When it hits, I immediately drop to my knees and put my head down in case I pass out. For me, it's low blood pressure. I'm usually at 85/50 now. I need to see a doctor.

 

[Neurogroot]

Watching this post. I have had similar issues and some others that I suspect might be related to high insulin resistance, where my body is just pumping insulin despite low glucose. Actually didn’t see this thread, and made a different one not too long ago. Wish I saw this one.

 

[Airborne Daddy]

light headedness can be caused low blood pressure but more likely dehydration or low blood sugar. Your body is maybe not used to how few calories it's consuming and it make you feel a little light headed. Drink electrolytes but honestly if it's just a slight dizzyness I'd just endure and it will pass, I had this but it passed as my body adapted.

Agreed. But if he/she is on metformin or insulin the glp1s will take blood sugar further down.

 

[AxlBundy]

After one of my fainting episodes, I noticed my hip must have dang near dislocated. Felt nothing when it happened, but as I came to I realized that it’s a bit more dangerous than I thought. Had a hip replacement just a couple years ago so I’m a bit sensitive to that

 

[Meritocrat]

I suspect might be related to high insulin resistance, where my body is just pumping insulin despite low glucose.

Didn't we confirm this isn't insulin resistance but insulin hypersensitivity and glucose dysregulation? Insulin resistance is when high amounts of insulin does nothing to hyperglycemia, as in T2Diabetes. btw did you manage to get it fixed?

 

[lessthanhalf]

I was on Lisinopril with high blood pressure when I was at 445lbs. Now I'm at 210lbs, quit the BP meds and occasionally get super dizzy with tunnel greyed out vision usually after getting up from lifting heavy at the gym. When it hits, I immediately drop to my knees and put my head down in case I pass out. For me, it's low blood pressure. I'm usually at 85/50 now. I need to see a doctor.

Sounds similar to my experience having dropped from 145kg to 64kg, bp went from 140/95 to around 110/65 and no longer needed the blood pressure pills. And I get greyed out vision on standing that varies a bit but has not gone away since the weight was lost 3 years ago

I did a bit of research and all I could really find was it was super common after bariatric surgery, where there is typically large weight losses and it affected up to about half the patients. With that much weight loss the culprit is most likely the loss of back pressure in the gut and legs where there used to be fat pushing on the veins, now when you stand up all the veins are still there and the blood fills them up by gravity, reducing blood return to the heart , and dropping blood pressure to the brain. Some degree of autonomic dysfunction is also possible given the start weight.

BP of 85/50 is really quite low, thankfully you have not fallen over from it. But definitely worth getting an expert opinion, possibly from a cardiologist rather than a general doctor as with bp that low it actually might justify treatment to increase blood pressure, and given the start weight getting an expert opinion on cardiovascular pre existing damage that might have already happened and the need to prevent future damage is likely worthwhile.

 

[rkbleddyn]

Most def could be low BP. Tirz lowered my BP a lot very quickly. But that was good because it was high, which happens every time I get fat. I will have to watch though because as I go back to normal weight, it will lower more. If my BP gets too low, like under 100\65, I will get light headed and nearly pass out if I stand up quickly, so have to lower or get off the BP meds, which is all good. But you have to be careful with that.

 

[BlueDog55]

Dehydration will cause lightheadedness and dizziness. Just yesterday I was working hard in the yard very hot and humid. I started feeling light headed felt like I was about to pass out. I thought my BP was high when I checked It was 70/54 but my HR was 109 I had been sitting for 20+ min I called my Sis who is a nurse at the same time my wife asked Doctor Google and they both said dehydration causes that.

 

[Neurogroot]

Didn't we confirm this isn't insulin resistance but insulin hypersensitivity and glucose dysregulation? Insulin resistance is when high amounts of insulin does nothing to hyperglycemia, as in T2Diabetes. btw did you manage to get it fixed?

I posted this pretty much 20 minutes after I had put my thread in. At the moment, I tried to take everyone's advice a bit. Got a Continuous Glucose Monitor (still quite low more often than I'd like). Incorporating strength and muscle building exercises. Easing up just a smidge on the GLP dosage (walking it back to 8 mg, from 9). I suspect if I see any changes, it'll be a couple weeks.

Doctor seems disinterested. But to be fair, she's a resident doc who gets to leave for the real world in 5-6 weeks. My problems are not part of her senior spring mentality right now.

 

[BNLFL]

Dehydration will cause lightheadedness and dizziness. Just yesterday I was working hard in the yard very hot and humid. I started feeling light headed felt like I was about to pass out. I thought my BP was high when I checked It was 70/54 but my HR was 109 I had been sitting for 20+ min I called my Sis who is a nurse at the same time my wife asked Doctor Google and they both said dehydration causes that.

Same. I was out in the heat digging a hole for a concrete base for my flagpole. Had to sit down. Carrying and putting the conc in the hole, same thing. I talked to my paramedic/RN son, and mentioned electrolytes. Blood tests showed low sodium and something else that means dehydration.