Learn About Medications That Treat Low Blood Pressure
Hypotension's low blood pressure. Ladies, it's talking about blood pressure that's often lower than 90/60! This happens for many reasons. Some causes are blood loss, dehydration, and anaphylaxis. You will also get it because of vitamin deficiencies too, like when you don't have enough iron, vitamin B12, or folate. Ladies, you're at high risk for this when you're a senior or have diabetes! Hypotension causes many issues, like fainting, when you don't get treatment. Heart and brain damage are concerns when you're pressure is very low!
Thankfully, there are some great options for hypotension treatment. Ladies, start with drinking more water! Not eating as much salt is very effective as a natural remedy too. Wear compression stockings for your blood pressure as well. Of course, many of you will need meds! Hypotension medication is very common. Ladies, you have to know about the common options for this first
Fludrocortisone
Fludrocortisone's a corticosteroid. Ladies, it's a very effective option for treating hypotension! This drug's also a good Addison's disease treatment. This med reduces how much salt you get rid of through your pee. That makes your blood pressure rise! However, ladies, this med's not suitable for everyone. You can't take this medicine when you have a fungal infection. You have to talk about preexisting health issues too. Ladies, tell your doctor about when you have a history of diabetes, stomach ulcers, or kidney disease. Talk to them about heart problems and glaucoma too. These conditions make this corticosteroid unsafe for you!
This prescription has side effects. The common ones, ladies, are easy bruising, stomach ulcers, and slow wound healing. You will retain salt and water more too! Be sure to talk to your doctor right away about serious side effects. These are seizures, blurry vision, swelling in your lower limbs, eye pain, and intense pain in your upper abdomen. Ladies, do it for signs of low potassium too! These are muscle weakness, fluttering in your chest, and leg cramps.
Midodrine
Midodrine's another great medication for low blood pressure. It helps treat orthostatic hypotension. Ladies, this is when your pressure drops a lot when you stand up! This medicine's an alpha-adrenergic agonist. It's going to stimulate your blood vessel nerve endings, ladies. This makes your vessels tighten and your blood pressure rise! That said, midodrine has side effects. Expect common ones like stomach pain, chills, frequent peeing, and skin tingling. The less common effects are things like insomnia, dry mouth, dizziness, leg cramps, and drowsiness.
Most of you will take this prescription 3 times daily. Ladies, you have to take each dose 3 hours apart, but always take the last one before 6 p.m! Don't take it before bed or a nap. You need to raise the head of your bed too. It's all because this medicine makes your blood pressure rise when you're lying down! Talk about your current medications with your doctor first too. Ladies, this one interacts with many others, including beta-blockers and alpha-blockers!
Droxidopa
Droxidopa is a good medicine for neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Ladies, this condition means your autonomic system can't control your blood pressure well anymore. It has a few different causes. A couple of them are Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy! You will take this one by mouth as a capsule. Your doctor will start you on a low dose and gradually increase it. This helps you avoid side effects! Ladies, you will take this medication 3 times daily a lot. Of course, you have to take your last dose at least 3 hours before you're going to bed. You're also limited to 2 weeks on this drug!
Side effects are common with this medicine. Ladies, the common ones to watch for are dizziness, nausea, and headaches! Tell your doctor about these when they're persistent or severe. Serious side effects mean you have to call your doctor right away. These effects include cloudy pee, bladder pain, painful peeing, and back pain! Monitor your blood pressure at home, and ladies, tell your doctor about the results! This helps them when they check it during your regular appointments. Keep the head of your bed raised. This helps because the medicine's going to increase your blood pressure when you're lying down!
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine's a medication for low blood pressure when it's life-threatening. Ladies, you get it in an IV in emergency rooms and the ICU! It's also a common option in CPR! This drug is common when you're hypotension is from hemodialysis. It also helps when you have sepsis. Of course, you have to review your medical history with your doctor. When you can, do it before you get this medication! This one is often unsuitable when you have a history of things like sulfite allergies, diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Coronary artery disease is another one!
Ladies, be ready for your doctor to track your vitals! Your respiration and blood pressure are the major ones. Of course, this medicine has risks! It damages your tissues when it leaks from your veins. You also have to tell your nurse or doctor about specific things right away. This includes effects like pain and irritation around the injection site. Ladies, tell them right away if you ever deal with cold skin or veins where they injected this medication!
Phenylephrine
Ladies, doctors give you phenylephrine when your blood pressure is low during surgery. This means you get it through an IV! Doctors have to watch you closely on this medication, which means regular blood tests! Ladies, watch for a depression under your skin where they injected this drug. It's a side effect called necrosis. Sadly, it's also permanent. Tell your doctor about other side effects, like redness, pain, and peeling skin around the injection site. Let them know right away when you see any blue-green or black discoloration here too!
This medicine has other side effects too! Examples are stomach pain, anxiety, and headaches. Ladies, other ones to watch for are nausea, less pee output, and excess fluid in your lungs. Tell your doctor right away about all of these! Let them know what your current meds are too. This injection interacts with many other medicines, such as procarbazine and linezolid!