Daspydyr 

I'm in better shape that I have been in the past 15 years. Blood pressure seems good @128/80, I'm 56 y.o., 6'3" 220 pounds.

For the past month whenever I stand up after sitting for @ half an hour I get a head rush dizzy spell. It lasts for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds. I have to lean on something til it passes. Is it allergies, allergy meds or I am missing something. They bother me because they just wont go away.

ANYONE?

WPeabody 

Same thing has been happening to me lately, I'm thinking it is allergies because I also get headaches and irritated sinus, and watering eyes. Might be to do with the inner ear, not sure. Had vertigo spell the night before last, haven't had that happen in ages. Ugh.

cyclinfool

Don't come here for medical advice - go see your Doc.

You are most welcome to come here for most other topics but we really are not qualified to diagnose.
Don't mean to be crass - but need to get that point across.

Stay healthy!

Daspydyr 

But BF is cheaper than an HMO, no co-pays that I know of, expect maybe dropping dead I guess.

JanMM

Advice from an RN: Get this checked out with a healthcare provider. Could be orthostatic hypotension - B/P dropping when you stand up. The question would be why is this happening? And, is it an annoying nuisance or a sign of a problem?

horatio 

Cyclinfool is correct, and I'm not a physician OR offering a diagnosis, but your symptoms are consistent with orthostatic hypotension, due to a drop in blood pressure when standing (Google it). I have some knowledge of this because I work with dizzy patients. Please consult your physician for evaluation in light of the fact that the symptoms are persisting.

Daspydyr 

I've been playing with the idea of seeing a DR. We switched Medical Plans and I need to choose a new gatekeeper. Guess this is a good reason. Thanks for the push in the right direction.

ahsposo 

When I saw your title the smart ass in me wants to go to work but I told him to go back to bed and sleep it off.

Us proto-geezers should have a physician to call. Yes it is a good reason to find yourself a doctor.

Is your BP maintained by medication? If not you are a lucky one. If you are treating it it could be the culprit.

cranky old dude

I've always heeded dizzy spells as they tend to predict a sudden rush of the floor rising up to smack my head!

Go see a doc.

linuxelf

I've had this exact same issue for about 2 years. Once, it was bad enough that I lost consciousness for about 5 seconds. For me, it all started when I dropped 50 lbs and got closer to the weight I should be. I never had issues when I was heavy, but now that I'm in better shape, I get dizzy very often when I stand. It seems to be more severe after I've done some exercise. I've been to the doctor, and have had a series of tests run (stress test, 24hr EKG, tilt table, neurological tests, etc) and the general consensus is that there's some issue with the way my heart adjusts for me changing from a seated to a standing position. During this transition, gravity will cause blood to run to the feet, and the heart needs to pump more strongly to get adequate blood to the brain. This generally happens so quickly that you don't notice it, but for me there seems to be a delay of a few seconds that causes dizziness. Both the cardiologist and neurologist agree that it's nothing that I need to worry about unless the condition worsens, and I should continue to monitor it and just be really careful when standing. My advice, though, would be to check it out with your doctor. Just because this is what's going on with me doesn't mean it's the same for you.

gkk2001

Ditto..ditto ..ditto. linuxelf, sounds like you wrote my reply other than I have not consulted a doctor yet. I am a little hesitant to tell my doctor because I see no reason to do all their unneeded tests that they prescribe to cover their bases legally.
My light headedness is exactly the same, is happening now at a lighter body weight but there is no way I will regain weight just for this. I have learned to live with it by rising slower, I pause while rising from laying down and rise from a sitting position a little slower.

I read about orthosstatic hypotension and believe that is exactly what it is. Low blodd pressure is not that bad of a condition to have.

Daspydyr 

I guess that we have a fraternity going here. I have trimmed about 25 pounds since last July. Riding and low fat diet seems to be all I need to keep BP in control. The dizziness is frustrating, I never thought the change would confuse my body like this.

Thanks for the name of something to Google. Its amazing what you can research in no time.

The Weak Link

This is for general information and does not constitute medical advise.

Let's see, you live in Nevada and the symptoms are a month old.

How's the weather? Warm these days?

Nice out? Riding lots? Weight dropping a bit?

How's the fluid and electrolyte intake? Staying on top of it or just always catching up?

For similar symptoms I thought I might be anemic, but my counts are fine, so I concluded that I wasn't staying properly hydrated.

Then I charged myself a $25 co-pay.

DX-MAN

Did you default on your co-pay? Did you report yourself to the credit bureau? Hope not, they suck.

Hydration was one of two things I thought of, the other being the generous dilation of blood vessels in the lower limbs giving blood a chance to rush away from the head -- probably a good indication of why I'm not a doctor, either....

bkaapcke

It could be allergies or a small stroke, or anything in between. Go see the doctor. bk

HIPCHIP

Standing up rapidly can cause hypotension, as mentioned above, which will cause dizziness. You could also have an inner ear infection which is causing some vertigo. My father was once put on some anti-biotics and they damaged his inner ear, so now he has PERMANENT dizzy spells, so there are a ton of reasons that this could be caused. Dehydration, mal-nutrition, medicines, etc. and even a combination of all the items mentioned.

This is one of those things that you don't want to blow off, so go get checked out in some way or another. This is not something you want to let sit and hope it goes away. Imagine being on a nice long relaxing ride, and passing out in mid-ride!!!

Daspydyr 

The weather and hydration are possibly issues. Its been so windy for three months. Riding more and hate to drink while riding. Even I have caught myself on this. Not drinking enough. And in trying to lose the last 12 pounds I have been bad about eating and drinking properly after riding.

And I sure don't want to pass out mid ride. I stupidly took a tumble 10:30 last night. Ended up on a road that was being resurfaced, didn't realize it was 3 inches from pavement to concrete. Wrists and shoulder are complaining today.

stapfam

See the doc is my first suggestion but I had a similar problem that came on a few years ago. After several tests at the docs and hospital- they wanted to put me back on Beta Blockers. Didn't take their advise and it went away.

Daspydyr 

Maybe some pie therapy is in order.

ahsposo 

Peach cobbler is in season down south...

Daspydyr 

With Vanilla ice cream and some cinnamon.

donheff

Definitely see your doc. He or she will probably send you to a cardiologist for a checkup. If the findings are negative they will probably tell you that you have orthostatic hypotension (drop in blodd pressure on sudden movement). I have had it for years. I have to be careful when riding - particularly in warm weather. When it hits, you want to get prone with your legs above your head and it will clear up quickly. My niece the sports med doc tells me the standard drill is key: eat before riding, hydrate, keep up the electrolytes, eat periodically whilel riding and cool down with a lot of slow riding before dismounting. The other thing to watch for in us oldsters is meds. beta blockers are well know blood pressure droppers. Flomax can also be a culprit. I had to switch from Flomax to Avodart or I wouldn't be riding.

roadbuzz

+1 check w/the doc. Thyroid might be another possibility. Regardless, be careful standing up (go slow) under circumstances where you know it's likely to occur (after riding, etc.). It's annoying.

toddtone

My doc told me exactly the same thing. Not enough fluid intake resulting in what he called "low blood volume." I increased my fluid - water - intake and situation resolved.

Incidentally, I noticed the problem after I lost 30% of my body weight and was still really a bit obsessed with not gaining ANY weight back.

pennstater

+1 with hydration and electrolytes if it only comes on after heavy exertion. I sweat copiously and find if I am not careful about plenty of fluids (urine almost clear) and eating bananas or supplements I have the exact same light headed feeling when suddenly standing up. What has probably helped the most is a salty snack after riding. If you do not exert yourself for a couple of days does it subside? If it doesn't or if it persists even with fluids and electrolytes get a medical evaluation. Also, taking a deep breath and holding it while standing can decrease the light headed feeling.