Low Blood Pressure

[dionnek]

I have always had extremely low blood pressure (one time it was 60/48 - the nurse took it 3 times and then the dr. took it again twice b/c didn't believe it!). It has never been over 94/70, even when I was pregnant. The nurses who take it always ask if the dr's have looked into it, but none of my dr's have ever been concerned about it. Just wondering if it might be due to the celiac (or the crohns maybe)?

[CarlaB]

Do you use salt? I didn't used to use it, but am sure to get enough now and my blood pressure went up. I don't know much about it, but I think that people are so concerned about high blood pressure, they forget that low blood pressure is a problem.

[KaitiUSA]

My mom and I both have low blood pressure. Never as low as you are saying though.

[dionnek]

I don't use a lot of salt, but use about average I think. Funny you mention that b/c one nurse told me I probably had a sodium deficiency (b/c of my dizzyness and passing out spells), and that I should drink more sports drinks and use more salt, but when I did that, I got horrible muscle cramps (sports drinks and bananas do that to me). Turns out the dizzyness and fainting was probably due to the lack of nutrition from celiac. (my guess, anyway).

[penguin]

Low blood pressure runs in my family. I have normal blood pressure, but my mom and grandfather are low. My mom has been hospitalized with a salt deficiency, and she hates to salt food, because it's all salty to her.

Curiouser and curiouser...

Eat more tomatoes

[CarlaB]

I have trouble with always being thirsty, water never seems to be enough, but sports drinks are not what I really want because they're so sugary. I put a little salt in my glass of water, not enough to be able to taste it, but enough to add some electrolytes to it ... seems to help me absorb the water better. I carry Propel in my car in case I get dehydrated because I go downhill fast when I do.

It took two docs and a nutritionist to convince me to use salt! It just seems so funny since most people get too much salt.

[shai76]

Allergies can cause low blood pressure. That's what causes anaphelectic shock. Blood pressure goes to low resulting in shock and even coma. I've seen mine go down to 60/40. Be careful and talk to your doctor about it.

[dlp252]

Yep, I have very low blood pressure. The last time I saw my GI, the nurse was trying to take it, and the machine it couldn't get a reading...she tried the right arm twice then the left. It finally worked...I think it was something like 86-ish over 60 or something. I eat TONS of salt, so lack of sodium isn't my problem, lol. I was having terrible dizzyness/light-headedness around the first of the year. I had surgery in January and stayed 1 night in the hospital...the nurses were so concerned about my BP they wouldn't let me sit up, I had to remain flat with my feet elevated (which didn't work really well for the catheter I had in, lol)...while I was talking to one nurse I had my hand kind of resting on my forehead...she actually took hold of it and layed it by my side, guess she thought it would affect the BP. While talking with my surgeon at the pre-op appt. I nearly passed out--my BP had dropped several points from the reading they took when I first when in. They gave me something to drink and had me rest for a while which seemed to stabilize it a bit.

Several health care professionals have told me to to make sure I don't get dehydrated...dehydration makes blood pressure lower. So I really try to drink my fluids. I also DO have allergies, but mine are all environmental...I don't have any true food allergies (lot of intolerances though I think).

[DingoGirl]

I've had really low blood pressure all my life, and felt like blacking out frequently. Wow, yours is really low....my lowest was about 84 over 48, I think. Since removing gluten, four months ago, my blood pressure is actually normal for the first time. I think it was 110 over 70-something the last couple times it was measured...

[tBar-251]

This is an old thread but I just have to add to it!

Just today, I bought the book "Dangerous Grains" by Braly & Hoggan, and have been obsessively reading it all evening.

In chapter three "Proactively Determining Your Risk," there's a checklist of medical history issues that could point to celiac/gluten sensitivity.

The first item on that checklist is "Low Blood Pressure."

I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that! This is the first confirmation, ever, of what I have long suspected, which is that my low BP is actually a symptom of a bigger problem, not something to be thrilled about.

Whenever I go in to the dr.'s, and they take my BP, they're usually all beyond belief with happiness at the sight of my numbers, something around the 90/54 range (can't remember exactly). I keep trying to tell them that low blood pressure isn't all that it's cracked up to be, but nobody listens because they are hyper-focused on high BP.

Hmm. Very interesting.......

[georgie]

Also check for Pituitary disorders. Have a Complete Blood Count done to show sodium / potassium levels. Check hormone levels. Check for Adrenal Insufficiency. Read as much as you can of Dr Hertoghe. HypoPituitary disorders are very difficuly to diagnose. Do google searches..research....

[dionnek]

Thanks for bumping this up. I do have hashimotos - is that different than Hypo Pituitary? I will do some research on that. I have been gluten-free for almost 1 1/2 years now, and my BP has gone up slightly (still in the 98/68 range), but I was pregnant for the past 9 months, so that could be one reason why it was "high" (according to my standards! LOL). Anyway, I will look into this pituitary stuff and ask my endo about it when I go back next. Thanks! (oh yeah, and I am trying to add salt to things)

[dlp252]

Mine has gone up slightly since I posted here. I've been doing a lot of things to support the adrenals, and we've also found out some things which could be causing the adrenals to be fatigued and are addressing those, so I think that has helped.

[Ursa Major]

Low blood pressure is a common adrenal problem, specifically, it can indicate low aldosterone. Some of your numbers are dangerously low, and if nurses/doctors are happy about those, that just indicates how very ignorant they are.

Normal BP is for the upper number to be in between 110 to 130, and the lower to be in between 70 and 90. Anything below 100 over 60 should be reason for great concern and needs to be looked into.

All of you should have your aldosterone levels checked. My blood pressure kept getting lower and lower (once 80 over 55 this past July), and has gone back up to sort of normal (usually around 110 to 120 over 65 to 70 or so) since I've started taking Fludrocortisone (a steroid that is an aldosterone replacement if your adrenal glands refuse to produce it).

[georgie]

Thanks for bumping this up. I do have hashimotos - is that different than Hypo Pituitary?

Some people start out with Hashimotos but end up with HypoPituitary. If you think getting Hashimotos dx is hard - then HypoPituitary is 10x worse! You need a Dr that thinks outside the square - and tests for all possibles - and then knows how to interpret a test result when it comes back as low normal. With HypoPituitary you start to see multiple hormone deficiencies, including thyroid and cortisol and others ( which can lead to low BP) . Imaging tests may be warranted. Often there is a history of a blow to the head. I know people that have taken 15 years to be dx as the hormones slowly fail and this can be confusing for the Dr. Good luck! I have my MRI next week ....

[mommyagain]

Normal BP is for the upper number to be in between 110 to 130, and the lower to be in between 70 and 90. Anything below 100 over 60 should be reason for great concern and needs to be looked into.

Wow, I never knew what "normal" was supposed to be. Mine has always been 80 or 90 over about 50. The nurses always end up taking it a couple of times to make sure they read it right... The only time anyone ever told me that it was dangerously low was one time when it was 80/48. But, when I told them that that was pretty close to normal for me, they were just like "oh, ok". Last week at the OB, it was 115/65 and I almost freaked. I was like, "that is way high for me". The nurse just gave me a weird look and said "it's fine".

[mama2]

Very interesting, I have too always had low BP.

[Ursa Major]

Georgie, I've never heard that a blow to the head can cause hypo-pituitary! I was hit by a car when I was 15 (severe concussion and fractured scull), and everything went downhill from there. Very interesting.

By the way, eating apples will lower blood pressure (people with low blood pressure shouldn't be eating them), and intake of omega 3 fatty acids (cod liver oil is best) will regulate blood pressure (unless you have other problems that cause your blood pressure to be abnormal that need addressing).

[georgie]

Georgie, I've never heard that a blow to the head can cause hypo-pituitary! I was hit by a car when I was 15 (severe concussion and fractured scull), and everything went downhill from there. Very interesting.

Absolutely ! And even more reason for you to be tested further and taken seriously. I have have had numerous horse falls but have had 2 very nasty falls from bolting horses - onto my head and cracking my helmet. I have been told that any severe jarring effect can damage the pituitary. The MRI I am having tomorrow is necessary to check for tumours but there are many causes of hypopitutiary and a damaged pituitary is one. I am helping a neighbour at the moment - she has been ill for 30 or so years .... on T4 meds for HypoThyroid but still very hypo. Just last month she casually mentioned she had a fractured skull in her youth. She fell off her bike, was found unconscious and rushed to hosp where the fracture was found. Now you say the same ! I am on a pituitary forum and its very common for people to take 10 - 30 years to be dx - as most Drs miss the early signs of hypopituitary ( the TSH for eg looks low normal), low BP is laughed at and told 'this is good', and often they only start to see a problem when the symptoms become life threatening ( for eg Addisons crisis ).

[hollyres]

I too, have always had very low BP, but it has gone up since I have been on diet...weird. Once it wouldn't even register.

[Sandi*]

This is so interesting...my BP has on the low side my whole life. Usually I get a reading around 95/65, those few times that my BP was in the normal range was when I was really nervous about the appointment which may have increased it. I have the same experience with nurses, though, they were always like "it's low, that's good". Yesterday I had a check-up and this was the first doctor who actually asked me if my low BP is normal for me; however, still didn't imply that it could be a problem.

I've been stuffing myself with gluten for the past two weeks for a biopsy. I've been very lightheaded, tired, and dizzy for the past week and a half. Hmmm, a connection? I'm seeing a GI doc next week to talk more about symptoms and actually schedule the biopsy, I'll make sure to mention the low BP to her.

The other thing that they found yesterday was trace amounts of blood in my urine, could that be related to celiac disease? I drink a lot during the day (mostly water and mint tea) so I don't think I'm dehydrated. I'm supposed to follow up with my regular doctor on this so I will do so in about two weeks (next week's my period and I heard that could interfere with the results).

[JillianLindsay]

My BP had always been low-normal (I'm a life-long athlete) and not an issue until I got sick in December. My BP would plummet and I'd have dizziness and fainting spells. Mine got as low as 90/50 once and it's normally 120/60. Since going gluten-free I've only had one dizzy spell after being glutened (or so I believe) and my BP has gone back up near to what's normal for me (usually ~110/60). At first they just thought I had the flu and syncope episodes (fainting due to low BP, common in some women) but after my health went way downhill they had to re-examine their differential!