Orthostatic hypotension remedies

Orthostatic hypotension is a blood pressure drop when moving upright. The useful remedy depends on why it is happening. Heat, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhoea, missed meals, prolonged standing, bed rest, and some medicines can make symptoms worse. A clinician may focus on correcting one of these factors rather than adding a medicine. Other health conditions can require a different plan. The aim is to reduce light-headedness and falls while keeping treatment appropriate for your heart, kidneys, and overall health.

Get up in stages and pause at the edge of the bed. Move the feet and tighten the leg muscles before standing. Drink regularly unless a clinician has given you a fluid restriction, eat consistently, and take breaks from hot environments or fixed standing. Compression garments or prescription medicines may help some people, but they should be selected with professional guidance. Keep a symptom diary that records posture, time, activity, food, drinks, and medicines. A GP consultation is useful when symptoms persist, recur, or lead to near-fainting.

Seek urgent help for fainting with exercise, chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, a new irregular heartbeat, serious injury, confusion, or persistent severe weakness. Prompt review is needed when episodes repeat, happen without warning, or occur with bleeding, ongoing vomiting, or inability to drink. Do not stop prescribed treatment or use salt loading, supplements, or compression devices without advice; an apparently simple remedy can be unsuitable for some medical conditions.

Which trigger is most likely in my case? Is my fluid intake appropriate? Would compression clothing be suitable? Could any medicine be contributing, and how should it be adjusted safely?