Anxiety and Low Blood Pressure

Hello,

I hope you have a clue as to whats going on.  I have been under a extreme amount of stress for the last couple of months, with illness of two elderly family members, and not knowing what was going to happen.  (It required both of them to be placed in a nursing home).  I normally have a blood pressure reading around 110/70-75.  During this time I needed to find long term care for both of them.  I was frantic trying to find suitable long term care.  I found the care they needed and they are both comfortable in a great nursing home.

One day during this time I wasn't feeling quite right and I took my blood pressure and it was 180/88.  I have never even come close to a blood pressure that high.  The next day it was down to 135/75.

  Yesterday was the first day I was able to relax without all the anxiety and stress of the last month.  I was extremely tired and felt a little lightheaded.  I took my blood pressure and it was only 90/50 pulse was 60.  It stayed around the same all day.  Today it is a little better 115/58, but I still feel lightheaded, but not a tired.  Although now I feel anxious that all the stress did some harm to me.  I do have a history of anxiety, since menopause, especially when something is going on which I don't know what the outcome is going to be.  Once everything is taken care of , I am pretty much OK.   I also lost about 10 pounds during this time.   I am female and 55 years old.

Is the low blood pressure something  I should be going to the doctor for, or is it just a reaction to all the stress I have been under and I'm just exhausted and need to relax for a few days.  Thanks

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

It sounds to me that you are correct in your diagnosis and remedy of just waiting  a few days, but a call to your doctor who knows you much better would be a prudent thing to do.