Patient was educated on management measures for orthostatic hypotension as follows:
- If the symptoms are secondary to volume depletion due to bleeding or vomiting or poor fluid intake, consider effective volume replacement measures, to cover for the volume deficit. Drink fluid liberally during prolonged periods of physical activity. Keeping hydrated helps prevent symptoms of low blood pressure.
- Lack of physical exercise and deconditioning of muscle leads to excessive pooling of blood in the large veins of lower extremities. Mild to moderate exercise, as endurance allows, can improve the muscle conditioning, prevent blood pooling, and promote better venous return to the heart, thus decreasing the chances for sudden drop in blood pressure.
- If orthostatic hypotension is severe and difficult to manage with general measures and lifestyle modifications, your physician could consider placing you on certain medications like fludrocortisone and midodrine, which help elevate blood pressure levels and prevent severe drop in blood pressure during change of position.
