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Blood Pressure Problems

Gezzabelle

Gezzabelle

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,332
Location
West Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi everyone. I just thought to share this bit of information. I posted the other day that I had a ''funny turn'' where I ended up on the floor sweating profusely and my Blood Pressure had dropped dangerously low. I had no idea what caused it but after speaking to my GP it seems that eating extremely low carb when you are on medication for high blood pressure can cause the medication prescribed to work too efficiently and could result in an unexpected drop in blood pressure which is exactly what happened to me. I will have to up my carbs a bit to try and find a balance. It's a random bit of information but I thought anyone on meds for high BP might like to be aware of the possible complication of low carb eating and meds for high BP
 
Why up the carbs, when maybe your medication for high blood pressure could be reduced? When I was first diagnosed with type 2 I was on two blood pressure meds. Over the first year low carbing I dropped one and halved the dose of the other, all under the guidance of my GP
If I were you I would speak to your GP again and see if he could do what my GP helped me do.
 
I too am finding that reducing my blood sugar levels has lowered my blood pressure, but mine was always "normal or slightly low" any way so I've just had to get used used to getting up to standing a little more slowly. Mine seems to correct itself in just a few moments
 
Yes, it's well known that eating low car (for most people) normalises Blood Pressure so they find they can either reduce BP meds, or eventually come off them completely. I was on 2 BP meds (from coronary bypass) when I went low carb to get my T2D in remission. Had to come off them so as not to faint.

Low carb is great: giving T2D remission, weight loss and normal blood pressure for most.
 
My ‘funny turns’ were diagnosed as ‘postural hypotension’ in Jan. ‘24 with a tilt test table showing that on standing after 8 mins.my BP plummeted to 60/40, and my HR rises to compensate to 100+. I was on a number of hypertensive drugs, and the Falls consultant removed some but no one ever mentioned the possibility that low blood sugars/ low carbs might have contributed to the dizziness/ faints. I wear a Libre 2 and only occasionally noticed the sudden feeling of weakness/ dizziness is low BG, most are not.
 
I agree with what others have suggested. Rather than eat more carbs which could have a detrimental affect on your diabetes, why not make an appointment with your GP to discuss the possibility of altering your BP medication? I’m on medication for hypertension, plus medication for my diabetes and haven’t had any problems eating very low carb.
 
Thank you everyone for your input and experiences. I needed some kind of confirmation that it was something that could affect my BP and now I have it I can discuss it with the doctor. He is a stick in the mud kind who does not believe in the low carb way of bringing down BG levels so it helps if I have valid information to throw at him so he doesn't just brush me off with attitude and pills that I don't need. He won't be able to argue when he checks my HbA1c next time around as I am continuing with my low carb eating confident that it WILL do as I have told him and I WILL not be diabetic ...and the BP part will have to be discussed and sorted out as soon as possible. As long as I don't end up collapsed on the floor again I will take the lower BP rather than eating food that will defeat the object of trying to get my diabetes back into normal numbers. I have been pre diabetic since 2015 and will soon be that again
 
Gezzabelle said:
Hi everyone. I just thought to share this bit of information. I posted the other day that I had a ''funny turn'' where I ended up on the floor sweating profusely and my Blood Pressure had dropped dangerously low. I had no idea what caused it but after speaking to my GP it seems that eating extremely low carb when you are on medication for high blood pressure can cause the medication prescribed to work too efficiently and could result in an unexpected drop in blood pressure which is exactly what happened to me. I will have to up my carbs a bit to try and find a balance. It's a random bit of information but I thought anyone on meds for high BP might like to be aware of the possible complication of low carb eating and meds for high BP
Click to expand...
It's mostly not the carbs, by the way.... When you cut things like bread, potatoes and the like, well... There's usually quite a bit of salt that goes with those. So you've been eating less salt, which also drops your blood pressure some. Add in the meds, and you end up on the floor.

Take care of yourself, and yeah.. Maybe alter the dosage with your stick-in-the-mud, they might actually learn something useful. ;)
 
Gezzabelle said:
Thank you everyone for your input and experiences. I needed some kind of confirmation that it was something that could affect my BP and now I have it I can discuss it with the doctor. He is a stick in the mud kind who does not believe in the low carb way of bringing down BG levels so it helps if I have valid information to throw at him so he doesn't just brush me off with attitude and pills that I don't need. He won't be able to argue when he checks my HbA1c next time around as I am continuing with my low carb eating confident that it WILL do as I have told him and I WILL not be diabetic ...and the BP part will have to be discussed and sorted out as soon as possible. As long as I don't end up collapsed on the floor again I will take the lower BP rather than eating food that will defeat the object of trying to get my diabetes back into normal numbers. I have been pre diabetic since 2015 and will soon be that again
Click to expand...

On the low carb list there have been reports of people being told to keep taking tablets to lower blood pressure and then having falls - one was life changing. There are numerous reports of low carb bringing normal blood pressure. Dr Atkins wrote about it in no uncertain terns in the last century - it was a fact well documented 50 years ago!!

Edited by mods to remove over the top statement
 
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Resurgam said:
On the low carb list there have been reports of people being told to keep taking tablets to lower blood pressure and then having falls - one was life changing. There are numerous reports of low carb bringing normal blood pressure. Dr Atkins wrote about it in no uncertain terns in the last century - it was a fact well documented 50 years ago!!
Click to expand...
Wow! that is scary that the problem is known but not by the people you rely on to take care of you...the doctors!! My gp is dead set against the low carb way of eating. When I was diagnosed as pre diabetic in 2015 I found this forum and took on the low carb way of eating. Within 3 months I lost 2 and half stones in weight and my HbA1c was 6.3. My gp was amazed and asked how I achieved such a huge change. I showed him my diet sheets of everything I had eaten during that 3 months and he started to shake his head as he read them. He then looked at me and said you CANNOT eat like that!! No reason why given. I believe it was because people were starting to hear about the low carb way of eating and it seems gps just want to keep feeding us drugs we really don't need to please the pharmacutical companies

Quote edited by mods to remove mod edited remark
 
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JoKalsbeek said:
It's mostly not the carbs, by the way.... When you cut things like bread, potatoes and the like, well... There's usually quite a bit of salt that goes with those. So you've been eating less salt, which also drops your blood pressure some. Add in the meds, and you end up on the floor.

Take care of yourself, and yeah.. Maybe alter the dosage with your stick-in-the-mud, they might actually learn something useful. ;)
Click to expand...
While what @JoKalsbeek says is very partly true, several 'low carb' doctors say 'don't blame salt for what sugar did!' - meaning that a 'normal' high carb way of eating tends to increase both weight and blood pressure. But a low carb way of eating, even when adding extra salt (which I do), to replace that lost from bread etc., tends to reduce both weight and normalise Blood Pressure while it reduces blood glucose (a win, win, win situation).

Don't be too hard on your doctor, even Dr avid Unwin (@lowcarbgp himself) didn't predict how much low carb would reduce his Blood Pressure until he nearly fainted when getting up from his desk to greet a patient. Of course, he immediately recognised what was happening and was able to reduce, then eliminate his BP medicine.
 
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Gezzabelle said:
Wow! that is scary that the problem is known but not by the people you rely on to take care of you...the doctors!! My gp is dead set against the low carb way of eating. When I was diagnosed as pre diabetic in 2015 I found this forum and took on the low carb way of eating. Within 3 months I lost 2 and half stones in weight and my HbA1c was 6.3. My gp was amazed and asked how I achieved such a huge change. I showed him my diet sheets of everything I had eaten during that 3 months and he started to shake his head as he read them. He then looked at me and said you CANNOT eat like that!! No reason why given. I believe it was because people were starting to hear about the low carb way of eating and it seems gps just want to keep feeding us drugs we really don't need to please the pharmacutical companies
Click to expand...
Another one here who had to ditch blood pressure meds when shifted to low carb, mixed with intermittent fasting, seven years ago.My blood pressure plummeted at the same time as my blood sugars and excess fat also fell rapidly. I had a bp monitor to do home readings as had had high blood pressure for a few years and when saw the dive in numbers couple with dizziness and fainting I just stopped my meds. Then at my next review I took my newly normal to low bp numbers in and explained I'd needed to come off them as I wasn't safe with the meds. Mind you never saw a Dr only a diabetes specialist nurse. I'm not recommending you do this but I wasn't safe to carry on taking bp meds with impact on my body of my crazy low numbers on my monitor. Interestingly seven years on I maintain low blood pressure with no meds just diet.
 
ianf0ster said:
While what @JoKalsbeek says is very partly true, several 'low carb' doctors say 'don't blame salt for what sugar did!' - meaning that a 'normal' high carb way of eating tends to increase both weight and blood pressure. But a low carb way of eating, even when adding extra salt (which I do), to replace that lost from bread etc., tends to reduce both weight and normalise Blood Pressure while it reduces blood glucose (a win, win, win situation).

Don't be too hard on your doctor, even Dr avid Unwin (@lowcarbgp himself) didn't predict how much low carb would reduce his Blood Pressure until he nearly fainted when getting up from his desk to greet a patient. Of course, he immediately recognised what was happening and was able to reduce, the eliminate his BP medicine.
Click to expand...
I didn't think it was salt made a difference but it had to be considered. For now I am not going to take the BP tablets for a couple of days to see if it makes a difference. I will then do a 7 day reading twice a day as the gp requested and he can see for himself what it is. I will have blood tests on the 9th October to make sure the bp tablets he has put me on are not causing any problems but of course if my BP is still much lower than it should be then he must pick up on that and investigate why it is. If he doesn't then I will make him aware of it myself. Thank you for all the information :)
 
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