I have always been on the lower side where by blood pressure is concerned, however, lately I notice it is even lower than usual.
In the 80/50's or 70/40's with by heart rate being anywhere from 80's to 104. I feel sluggish.
I am concerned. How can I get it up some? Is this normal with lyme and co?
I am on Rifampin and Azithromycin.
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
You can try drinking 1/4tsp SEA SALT in a large glass of water when you get up in the morning. Sea salt is also antibacterial and antiparasitic and supports the adrenals. The adrenals need salt for support.
Gael
Posted by cottonbrain (Member # 13769) on :
i take salt tabs with a full glass of water 3-5 times a day. i get the salt tabs at Prohealth. much easier to take than the sea salt.
if you stay regular with the salt and water, your blood pressure will go up substantially -- at least it does for me
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
Mine is usually 90/60. I use lots of sea salt on my food and bring some in a baggy when I am out in case I get dizzy. My bp has not come up with doing this but it keeps me from feeling like I am going to pass out.
By the way, an article just came out with people who have low blood pressure and are taking zith. The zith makes the whole problem worse. You should speak to your doctor about that. I had to get off the zith.
prayerw, my bp is usually low. Some days I just feel like sitting in my jammies waiting for my heart to move up from my stomach. I've been tested for POTS and it was negative. My bp dropped, but it wasn't enough. My family has low bp and my gran who lived to be 99 years old had the bp of a teenager. With that said, the Bb infection can destroy the baroreceptors in the ear that are responsible for our bp. My naturopath said something about licorice tea to elevate bp.I usually wait for my bp to go up and some days are worse than others. I do have to take hydrocortisone since I do not have my own cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for the sodium levels in the blood. This happens in the kidneys. You might want to get your cortisol checked.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Many with lyme may have some readings for low blood pressure but they may not acutally HAVE low blood pressure - exactly.
POTS and NMH can cause it to dip under certain circumstances (even dozens of time a day) but it's also possible to have high readings at other times. And NMH and POTS can also occur in someone who had hypertension (high blood pressure).
It's a moving target to try to manage UNLESS you have an expert lyme literate doctor (LLMD or LL ND).
The problem could be hypotension (low) across the board . . . or mixed as with POTS or NMH. It is not the same for every person with lyme, although there seem to be common patterns of POTS and NMH.
More detail about POTS and NMH in this thread - and what can help.
Also, the warning about Azithromycin potentially causing QT rhymthm disturbances is really important. QT rhymth is also discussed here.
With any sort of low blood pressure, though, you may experience very real "exercise intolerance" so it's vital to honor what is going on if that is the case and not push or blame yourself too much.
The kinds of ADRENAL disruption that comes with lyme can also do havoc with blood pressure stability. Adrenal support is just as important as cardiac support.
First, or course, keep in communication with your LLMD - first and foremost.
You might ask if your LLMD knows any LL NDs nearby (a ND is a naturopathic physician).
There is a link in the set below that can help you find a LL ND as NDs are well educatated in this complex matter of adrenal and cardiac support - IF they are truly LL, though as lyme does seem to change so much for a body.
Sorry that I just don't have the energy to type out the who terms for the 3 sets of initials used. It requires my brain to think in ways I just can't right now - but it's all here:
EXERCISE INTOLERANCE is (partially) explained in the article: "when exercise doesn't work out" (and what we can do about that)
ADRENAL, MITOCHONDRIA & MYELIN SUPPORT -
Posted by atheana58 (Member # 33429) on :
My blood pressure has always been low.
Don't know why. Keebler- Thanks for great info. I think I have pots and NMH.
Two more tests on my list.
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
It also helps to know what your normal bp was before you got sick.
For me, mine was always low since being very young, Lyme just made that a lot worse.
Posted by marie (Member # 3980) on :
I also had low blood pressure when checked at doctor's visits when I was really sick. Blood pressure has been normal lately.
Posted by chootik (Member # 11221) on :
Maie,
What do you think got your blood pressure to normal?
I have low blood pressure and def. can't do much excercising, specially bending and running and other active stuff... sigh!
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
Besides increasing your sea salt, you might want to try licorice tea to normalize your BP. It raised mine about 20 points both diastolic and systolic after I took for a while. It also helped me to feel better physically.
There is something in licorice that nourishes your adrenals. I have gotten in the habit of having a pot of it every morning. Stash or Yogi make a very good licorice tea. I order in bulk through Amazon for the best prices.
Posted by chootik (Member # 11221) on :
Thank you so much dbpei..
I think I actually have a licorice tincture and will start using it.
Thanks!
Posted by BuffyFan (Member # 34679) on :
Definitely should have aldosterone and renin tested along with sodium and potassium.