When should i go to er for low blood pressure

Low blood pressure is a reading of less than 90/60mmHg. It does not always cause symptoms, but you may need treatment if it does.

Symptoms of low blood pressure

Get your blood pressure checked if you keep getting symptoms like:

  • lightheadedness or dizziness
  • feeling sick
  • blurred vision
  • generally feeling weak
  • confusion
  • fainting

This might mean your blood pressure is too low.

If you get symptoms when you stand up or suddenly change position, you may have postural hypotension.

How to check your blood pressure

You can check your blood pressure:

  • by asking if a pharmacist can do it
  • by asking a practice nurse or GP to do it
  • at home yourself using a home blood pressure monitor – Blood Pressure UK has information about choosing a blood pressure monitor

Low blood pressure is a measurement of less than 90/60mmHg.

Regular blood pressure check

If you're 40 to 74 years old, you should have your blood pressure checked at least once every 5 years as part of the NHS Health Check.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

  • you keep getting symptoms such as dizziness and fainting

Treatment for low blood pressure depends on the cause

If a cause can be found, a GP will be able to recommend treatment to ease your symptoms.

For example, they may suggest:

  • changing medicines or altering your dose, if this is the cause
  • wearing support stockings – this can improve circulation and increase blood pressure

Medicine to increase blood pressure is rarely needed because simple lifestyle measures or treating the underlying cause is usually effective.

How to ease low blood pressure symptoms yourself

Do

  • get up slowly from sitting to standing

  • take care when getting out of bed – move slowly from lying to sitting to standing

  • raise the head of your bed by about 15cm (6 inches) with bricks or heavy books

  • eat small, frequent meals – lying down or sitting still for a while after eating may also help

  • increase the amount of water you drink

Don’t

  • do not sit or stand for long periods

  • do not bend down or change posture suddenly

  • do not drink caffeinated drinks at night

  • do not drink too much alcohol

Causes of low blood pressure

Your blood pressure can vary depending on the time of day. It gradually increases throughout the day.

What you're doing and how you're feeling can also affect it.

There are many possible causes of low blood pressure. It may be low because you're fit and healthy, or you may have inherited it from your parents.

Some people develop low blood pressure as they get older.

It can also be caused by:

  • being pregnant
  • some medical conditions, such as diabetes
  • some medicines

Page last reviewed: 09 September 2020
Next review due: 09 September 2023

When to Go To Emergency Room for Blood Pressure

Most people who have high blood pressure will not experience any symptoms. However, as the blood pressure continues to rise, you may feel dizzy, weak, unwell, a headache, or lightheaded. In most cases, it is seldom necessary to make a visit to an ER such as Bellaire ER if you see a spike.

Your body is quite resilient in dealing with short term spikes. A good number of people believe that if the blood pressure reading is high on a routine check, they need to rush to the emergency room.  However, this has been refuted by numerous studies in recent years.

A recent study that focused on 60,000 patients with elevated blood pressure found that only about one percent required a visit to the ER. The rest could get treatment during a routine visit to the doctor and go back home by themselves. During the study, it was found that these patients were not under any added risk because of failure to visit the ER.

The study has received numerous accolades by medical practitioners. A spike in blood pressure can be quite alarming for most people with hypertension. The study found that if hypertension that does not have any symptoms can be safely handled in an outpatient setting

However, the researchers did note that elevated blood pressure can lead to organ damage. Thus, doctors should be concerned about extreme spikes in blood pressure, even for short periods. However, they still argued that sending a patient to the ER was not the best remedy for the problem.

The outcome of the study was that except for a minority of people; about one percent, the rest could go home and would experience similar heart problems rates as those who visited the ER. It was also interesting to note that the study found that patients who went home would have lower odds of hospital admission than those who visited the ER.

One major reason to seek treatment for hypertension outside the ER is that it can be cost effective. The research found that ER visits usually resulted in increased use of health resources with no better outcomes.

When it is necessary

The body is quite resilient. It can handle any temporary bouts of blood pressure spikes efficiently. A good analogy would be a car that you wanted to last for many years. If the car were left out in the rain all the time, it would rust. However, being rained on one day will not make it obsolete since it has been built to withstand the rain.

Thus, a visit to the ER is only justified if the spike lasts for too long. For instance, if after the routine visit the symptoms seem to get worse, you should consider a visit to the emergency room.

If you have symptoms similar to those of a heart attack, you should rush to an emergency room. Heart attack symptoms include sweating, short breath, nausea, vomiting, pressure, pain or a strange feeling in the back, jaw, neck, or upper belly or in one or both arms or shoulders.

Additionally, if you feel light-headed, fast, irregular heartbeats even when at rest, sudden weakness and a loss of focus in your vision, you should go to the ER. If possible, you should call for an ambulance as you may get an attack on your way to the hospital.

If you see the symptoms of a stroke and you have hypertension, you should make a visit to the hospital .these symptoms include sudden slurred speech or extreme stammering, trouble understanding simple statements, sudden onset of walking imbalance, a sudden change in vision, and severe back and belly pain.

If these symptoms appear, the blood pressure may not go down on its own. You will need to make a visit to the ER. Ensure that the person who attends to you get to hear about all the symptoms that you have. It will help him or her to determine if your case is urgent.

Another reason to go to the ER for blood pressure spikes is if you are frail. For instance, the elderly should always go to the hospital for sudden spikes. Besides that, if you are recovering from a stroke, a spike in blood pressure could be quite dangerous.

If you have an elderly person or someone with a serious ailment, their blood pressure needs to be often monitored. Any symptom that they have could be fatal if it is ignored.

When you experience anything out of the ordinary in terms of your blood pressure, you should always make a call to your doctor. He or she will help you to determine if the situation is serious. Besides that, you can go to the clinic at the place where you work.

The person at your workplace clinic has the equipment to make a diagnosis of whether an ER visit is needed. Additionally, he or she can help you with first aid in case of anything. If you suffer from hypertension, you should consider asking your doctor what lifestyle changes you can make. It can help to lower your risk of getting serious blood pressure spikes.

What blood pressure is too low emergency?

Generally, if the blood pressure reading is under 90/60 mm Hg, it is abnormally low and is referred to as hypotension. Some adults regularly have blood pressure in the hypotensive range but have no symptoms and do not require treatment.

How low should you let your blood pressure get before going to the hospital?

But if they can't see you soon enough, they may ask you to go to the ER to be safe. It's important to know that sometimes people with blood pressure readings lower than 180/120 mmHg should go to the ER as soon as possible to get treatment.

When should you call the emergency for low blood pressure?

If you have cold, clammy or pale skin, rapid or shallow breathing, weak or rapid pulse or confusion, you could be suffering from extreme hypotension, which could lead to death. Call 911 immediately if you suspect you are suffering from extreme hypotension.

How do they treat low blood pressure in hospital?

Severe hypotension caused by shock is a medical emergency..
Blood through a needle (IV).
Medicines to increase blood pressure and improve heart strength..
Other medicines, such as antibiotics..