Alcohol and orthostatic hypotension

This can make blood pressure fall when you rise from sitting or lying down, causing dizziness, blurred or dimmed vision, weakness, unsteadiness, or fainting. Alcohol also impairs balance and reactions, so an episode may carry a greater risk of falling.

Standing shifts blood toward the legs and abdomen. The body normally responds by tightening blood vessels and adjusting the heartbeat to maintain blood flow to the brain. Orthostatic hypotension occurs when that response does not compensate adequately.

Alcohol may amplify the drop, especially when combined with heat, vomiting, diarrhoea, missed meals, or medicines that lower blood pressure. Orthostatic hypotension commonly presents with dizziness after standing, but dizziness can have many other causes and should be assessed in context.

If you feel faint, sit or lie down immediately and raise your legs if this is comfortable. Rise in stages: move from lying to sitting, pause, then stand while holding a stable support. Drink water unless a clinician has told you to restrict fluids, and avoid more alcohol.

Do not drive, climb, shower alone, or walk without support while unsteady. Never stop prescribed blood-pressure or heart medicines abruptly; ask the prescriber to review timing and doses if symptoms occur after drinking or standing.

Call emergency services if fainting occurs with chest pain, breathlessness, a racing or irregular heartbeat, severe headache, weakness on one side, difficulty speaking, a seizure, major injury, or failure to recover promptly.

Book a GP consultation for repeated near-fainting, any unexplained loss of consciousness, new symptoms after a medicine change, or dizziness that disrupts walking and daily activities. A clinician may compare blood pressure and pulse while lying and standing and review hydration, medicines, heart rhythm, and other possible contributors.

Describe the position change that brings on symptoms, whether you actually faint, how quickly you recover, and any palpitations, chest discomfort, bleeding, vomiting, or diarrhoea. List alcohol intake and every prescription, supplement, and non-prescription medicine. If you have safe access to a home monitor, bring recorded readings rather than changing treatment yourself.