I need to know if anybody on this board knows if very low blood pressure can cause extreme anxiety. I am doing much, much better, but my blood pressure is still, on occasion, "bottoming out". Like the other day it suddenly, out of the blue, plunged to 81/41. I hadn't had readings like that in quite a while. I've been feeling better, more energy, etc. then that happened and I had the most horrific anxiety along with it. Brent said that when it was constantly low I'd had severe anxiety along with it, and he thought that since I hadn't had that happen in a while I just maybe forgot what it feels like. I can always tell when it bottoms out. That back of my neck feels funny, I get really weak, unusually tired and VERY, VERY anxious, to the point of a panic attack. I have GAD and panic disorder anyway, but I would really like to know if there is a connection between these "plunges" that I'm having and severe anxiety. Because I'm getting pretty scared. I also do NOT know why I continue to have the plunges. But looking back on my life, I"ve always done that, but don't remember the severe anxiety except for one time.
Any answers would be GREATLY appreciated.
Hope all of you are doing well.

Mellie

Hi Mellie,

I'm certainly no expert on low blood pressure, as I've had more experience trying to keep my BP from getting up in the hypertensive range. I can tell you, though, on those few occasions that my BP has gone way down, that instead of anxiety, I felt exactly the opposite. I'd be so relaxed and downright lethargic that all I wanted to do was go take a nap. I did have a couple of days a few months ago where my pressure got down in the range of 99/58. I have no idea what caused it; my normal pressure is much higher. Even when my systolic gets down in the 105-115 range, I tend to be lethargic and far from anxious. That's just my experience, though. It will be interesting to see what others have experienced.

Uff-Da,

Thanks for replying. When this all began with my bp, I was just like you. And I slept all the time. I don't know why, all of a sudden, everytime it bottoms out, I get severely anxious. Unless it's because my Dr. has told me that if it goes too low I could have a stroke, maybe that's scaring me, I don't know. But something's going on, and I don't like it and it ALWAYS happens when my BP drops suddenly. VERY, VERY scary, but it's been lower than this before. I do know that I am sick and tired of it and am really not seeing my pressure rise much, even without the all those powerful meds I was taking. I'm still on too much Toprol XL though, that I do know. I have read on the internet that low blood pressure can cause extreme anxiety, but I just can't figure out why it didn't in the beginning.

Melanie

I'm on medication for high blood pressure but once in a while my pressure drops down very low.... 95 x 60. I told my doctor about it and he said not to worry, as long it does not go below 90 and stays there. He said I have, what they call a "labile" blood pressure. Usually when my pressure gets that low, I check it again a few hours later and it is usually up again. Anyway, I was told it is a lot better the pressure is a little too low than too high.

I have extremely low blood pressure and I can litterally feel when it start's to go up. My blood pressure was 84/46 the last time I was at the doctor but believe or not has been lower than that before.well to answer your question about anxiety attacks, I do get them if I'm really stressed but most of all when I consume alot of caffeine.

Thanks you guys for all your replies. I guess I have finally figured out that there is no correlation between those low numbers and severe anxiety. I just think that the feeling that goes along with low, low numbers scares me into the anxiety. My pressure has been as low as 50/32, and I lived through that, so I'm just not going to worry about it anymore. I know what to do when it drops that low anyway, so I'll start doing it. Blood pressure is staying in the range of 90's over 40's, and I can live with that. It's when that systolic number goes to the 80's or 70's that I get really scared.

I have been under a lot of stress lately due to abuse from my husband's family and the death of my ex-fiancee.

Anyway, thanks for your help. I hope you all continue to do well here, and have a very Merry Christmas.

Mellie