Low blood pressure (tekanan darah rendah) is a common condition that might happen to anyone, especially the elderly. It is defined as having a blood pressure that is lower than the normal range, which is 120/80 mmHg. It is also called hypotension. Hypotension can be defined as having a blood pressure reading of 90/60 mmHg and below. People with low blood pressure that is lower than 90/60 mm Hg are likely to experience symptoms such as dizziness, headache, blurring vision, lightheadedness, nausea, fatigue, nausea, clammy skin or depression.
There are several types of low blood pressure. It can be divided into four categories that include orthostatic hypotension, postprandial hypotension, neurally-mediated hypotension and also severe hypotension. All of these conditions can be caused by a lot of factors. This includes severe dehydration, severe bleeding, heart condition, bacterial infection such as septic shock, allergic reaction, heart diseases, pregnancy and also endocrine diseases such as hypoglycemia, adrenal insufficiency, parathyroid disease or hyperglycemia in certain cases.
It is important to find out the cause for a low blood pressure case as treatment will depend on the cause for low blood pressure. This will help the doctors a lot as they will be able to decide the suitable treatment. For example, a low blood pressure condition that is caused by dehydration can be treated by taking a lot of fluid. However, some serious cases need to be treated by using medications. There are two most common drugs that are used to treat low blood pressure.
The first one is called Fludrocortisone, a drug that increases the blood volume so that the blood pressure will also increase. The other one is known as Midodrine (Orvaten) that works by narrowing the blood vessel in order to increase the blood pressure. Both of these drugs can help treat the hypotension condition. However, other types of drugs might be needed in order to treat hypotension that is due to some specific causes. As for hypotension that is caused by septic shock, other stronger drugs might be needed because the patient’s blood pressure might be seriously low. This includes drugs such as dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, vasopressin analogs and also alpha-adrenoceptor agonists.
All the drugs in this world will always have their own side effects. The same goes for two of the most common drugs to treat low blood pressure, Fludrocortisone and Midodrine. For Fludrocortisone, the side effects might include nausea, bloatedness, stomach problems, dizziness, insomnia (trouble sleeping) and increased risk of infection. For Midodrine, some patients reported to have numbness, tingling sensation, itching, goosebumps and also chills. However, bear in mind that all these side effects are usually minimal and do not cause any problem with your lifestyle. However, if you think it does hamper your life, then it might be a good idea to visit your doctor and talk about it.
Low blood pressure can also be treated with home remedies. This includes drinking a lot of water, eating a healthy and balanced diet, eating smaller meals, avoiding or limiting alcohol drinking, eating more salt, wearing compression stockings and also treating any infections. Furthermore, you also need to take care of your health by going for a regular check-up in order to check for any heart, adrenal, thyroid or endocrine problems that can be a cause for low blood pressure. If you do have a low blood pressure condition, make sure you take care of your health by following your doctor’s recommendation and prescription. But, if you are deemed healthy, make sure you lead a healthy life and stay healthy.