High blood pressure but orthostatic hypotension
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Hello,
I have been taking blood pressure medication daily for over 15 years (amlodopine benazepril and diuretic). A few years ago, every couple of months my heart would start beating rapidly and I'd feel weak. It only lasted for a couple of minutes. My cardiologist prescribed magnesium and said it was nothing to worry about. He did several tests and had me wear a heart monitor overnight but did not find anything.
Recently, the rapid heartbeat issue seems to be happening more often and lasting longer. Yesterday I was at an outdoor event on a hot day and it happened again, this time I felt really dizzy. There was a doctor on site, she said it seemed to be dehydration. She measured my blood pressure while I was lying down and it was good, 120/80, then she measured it again when I stood up and it dropped to 93/60. She said this is called orthostatic hypotension and it was the likely cause of the rapid heartbeat and dizziness.
I did some internet research about orthostatic hypotension after going home and it seems to fit my symptoms. But some of the recommendations are the opposite of what my cardiologist has been telling me for years. For example, it said to drink more caffeine and put more salt on my food to increase the blood pressure. This is all pretty confusing, I usually have high blood pressure but sometimes it drops too low and causes rapid heartbeat and dizziness? What would the pressure to drop like that? Should I go back to my cardiologist or is there somewhere else I should try?
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