Low Blood Pressure

moori

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi!!
I am low carb now for 2 month, although my HBa1C is way better then it used to be, my blood pressure is really bad.
Im dizzy every time i stand up!
Wonder if anyone has had similar experience...?
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi!!
I am low carb now for 2 month, although my HBa1C is way better then it used to be, my blood pressure is really bad.
Im dizzy every time i stand up!
Wonder if anyone has had similar experience...?
I don't know if the same is true for you, but when I started low carbing it also meant I was eating a lot less processed foods.... And as a result, a lot less salt too, as processed foods are laden with them. Also, there's quite a bit of salt in bread and such, which you're also missing now.

So maybe adding an extra pinch here and there'll help?
 
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Cocosilk

Well-Known Member
Messages
818
Type of diabetes
Gestational
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi!!
I am low carb now for 2 month, although my HBa1C is way better then it used to be, my blood pressure is really bad.
Im dizzy every time i stand up!
Wonder if anyone has had similar experience...?

I get dizzy too and assumed it was blood pressure. I worked out that I'm dehydrated too though because I'm breastfeeding and eating keto / low carb.
Look into electrolytes. More salt is one for sure and probably does help with low blood pressure but potassium and magnesium are the others. Potassium citrate has been recommended to me. I have yet to source some and have been drinking lemon juice, miso soup and taking electrolyte drinks in the meantime.
 

SimonCrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
317
Hi, great news about the improved glucose levels.
Do you take blood pressure tablets, and have you lost weight? Each Kg of weight is worth about 1 mmHg systolic BP so if you lose 10 Kg, your BP if on BP tablets may drop 10 mm Hg.
I guess that you have checked that you are not going hypo? Not an appropriate study, I know, but a study from Edinburgh looked at symptoms of hypo in elderly folk with T2DM on insulin, and they often reported being dizzy.
If it persists, I'd get checked out by GP to confirm BP level and any drop on standing (which can occur a few minutes after rising), and since you have T1DM, it might be worth considering Addison's disease.
best wishes
 

LooperCat

Expert
Messages
5,223
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Other
I had exactly the same after dropping carbs, and I regulate it by adding salt and measuring my BP every day or two. I have a half a teaspoon of lo-salt in a pint of water with some lemon juice first thing, and the same amount in my drinking bottle, depending on if my BP is higher or lower than I want it. Lo-salt gives potassium as well as sodium, both essential electrolytes along with magnesium, which I supplement in tablet form.
 
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Hooty

Well-Known Member
Messages
83
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I’ve also had this lightheadedness, especially on standing up. It was really noticeable on days when it’s been very warm. I’m on medication for high BP and have started checking my BP. The readings have sometimes been considerably lower than I have seen before, though sometimes more typical. I’ve only lost 2-3kg (but my BMI is now 19, I haven’t been intending to lose weight).
I hadn’t thought about electrolytes, perhaps something I need to look at. How does the lemon juice that people have mentioned help?
 
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Listlad

BANNED
Messages
3,971
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I’ve also had this lightheadedness, especially on standing up. It was really noticeable on days when it’s been very warm. I’m on medication for high BP and have started checking my BP. The readings have sometimes been considerably lower than I have seen before, though sometimes more typical. I’ve only lost 2-3kg (but my BMI is now 19, I haven’t been intending to lose weight).
I hadn’t thought about electrolytes, perhaps something I need to look at. How does the lemon juice that people have mentioned help?
I have halved my BP medication since February. My GP has left it in my hands now as I monitor my BP regularly. So the onus is on me to reduce it again when my BP drops even more.
 
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