Fainting, Feeling Dizzy, Blacking out?

Hey,
For quite a long time now, when I stand up, things have been going black for 7 or 8 seconds and sometimes I am shaking uncontrollably. This happens almost every time I stand up. In the past month and a half, I have fainted twice because of this. Should I go to a doctor? I am a young teen.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For syncope/fainting to occur, either the reticular activating system in the brain needs to lose its blood supply, or both hemispheres of the brain need to be deprived of blood, oxygen, or glucose.

So it can be due to fall in BP,hypoglycemia, dehydration and inadequate electrolytes in the body or due to deficiency of iron in the non serious causes. If you are low in iron contents then you may be having iron deficiency anemia. You can have iron rich foods like liver, lean red meats, beans like kidney, lima, navy, black, pinto, soy beans, and lentils, iron fortified whole grains, green vegetables like spinach, tofu, broccoli, swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, chicken, nuts, egg yolk and dry fruits. Also drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

You can also have iron supplements along with these foods.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.