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  I am a 25-year old female who has had several fainting episodes over the past few months.  Each time, I had been asleep for a few hours and got up quickly.  A visit to my family doctor revealed nothing...all tests came back normal.  I finally realized that with every episode, I had taken an herbal appetite suppressant that morning.  After doing some research, I learned certain ingredients in these pills can cause irregular heart beats.  (I would get palpatations when taking these pills.)  Do you think this is a possible cause for fainting??  I feel fine just before fainting and soon after I come to.  I'd appreciate any information you could share with me.  Thank you.

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear Jennifer, thank you for your question.  I doubt that palpitations alone could cause you to faint.  I suspect that your fainting spells are related to you standing up quickly from a recumbent position.   Possibly, the herbal pills caused you to have a condition known as orthostatic hypotension where the blood pressure can suddenly fall when you stand up.   The sudden decrease in BP can cause you to faint when you stand up.  My suggestion to you is to stop taking the herbal pills and see what happens.  If the fainting continues, then you should see a physician for further evaluation.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart
Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.