Is it Safe to Take Medication to Raise Low Blood Pressure?

[rumki8]

[SOLVED] I have had low blood pressure

I have had low blood pressure which was normally 90-95 over 75-80. Now my question is, if its bad to have low blood pressure wouldn’t you think there would be a pill to safely raise it much like those who take BP meds to lower there high pressure. And if there is such a pill, why would my doctor not mention it if he seemed so worried about it?
Thanks for any answers that come my way and are helpful.

 

[jim mcnamara]

First off, we are not here to diagnose things or second guess your physician. You really should ask her/him why the worry. You should also consider getting a second opinion, if your doc is not giving all the information you need.

If you do not have dizziness and you have not been diagnosed with anything else, especially a heart problem, then you may[/color] have low-normal blood pressure. You may also have another problem.

True low blood pressure is more of condition than a chronic disease. In the absence of heart problems, patients in shock often have low blood pressure. "shock" boots help to increase BP when transporting a shocky patient to the hospital. Vaso-constrictor
drugs also increase BP.

We did blood pressure screening on the Navajo Reservation many years ago. Most of the healthy adults had blood pressure readings in your range. Stress, diet, and salt consumption all can have the effect of increasing blood pressure.

Ginseng has been shown to raise BP. BUT. Ask your doc first before doing anything.

 

[Moonbear]

Now my question is, if its bad to have low blood pressure wouldn’t you think there would be a pill to safely raise it much like those who take BP meds to lower there high pressure.

First, one should not assume there is a pill to cure everything. People expect this, but if we already had a pill for everything, there'd be no ongoing pharmaceutical research; and a pill isn't always needed when anything from lifestyle changes to physical intervention may be more appropriate.

As Jim pointed out, we do not diagnose anyone here, and we do not second-guess your physician; if you are uncomfortable with the amount of information/explanation your physician is providing, seek a second, or even third, opinion from another physician who can do a physical exam and get your complete medical history.

Low blood pressure can occur for many reasons, some pathological, some not. Very fit athletes can have low blood pressure, and this is perfectly normal and healthy for them (there has been some suggestion that the "normal" blood pressure of 120/80 may actually be high for some...I'd have to do some digging for a reference and to check if there is any consensus to that in recent years; I think I only had come across one report suggesting this a few years back). Low blood pressure can also occur due to things like blood loss and dehydration, which is dangerous. In those cases, medications are not the best approach, but replacement of lost fluid volume and patients are treated with IV fluids in a hospital setting. I'm just giving two extreme examples here, one of a normal physiological state, and one of a severely life-threatening, pathophysiological state, both of which include low blood pressure as a "symptom" so you can see why "low" blood pressure is not sufficient for any determination of health or disease, and why you need to address this with a physician who knows the rest of your history and other findings of a physical exam to determine if there is any reason to be concerned by your blood pressure.

 

[Astronuc]

One needs to talk one's physician or another who is familiar with the matter. One should never use an on-line resource for diagnosis.

My normal blood pressure is about 100-110/ 70, but its been as low as 85/60 even after riding a bicycle for some distance. My son also relatively low blood pressure, and once in while, he has had dizziness or fainting as a result of LBP. Our pediatrician suggested increasing salt intake.

I am not aware of a pill designed to increase blood pressure. Most people have a problem with high blood pressure, so many doctors may not be familiar with the issue of LBP.

 

[Evo]

For most of my life, normal blood pressure for me was around 90/60. My body temperature also averages around 97.2 - 97.4.

These things do vary for people and can still be within a normal range. If you are concerned, speak to a doctor.