I found out about the prostate drug's effect on blood pressure. Sometimes, I'd feel dizzy & weak. When it got really bad & I almost passed out on the stairs, I went to the ER. They admitted me for three days. I never got any information from any doctor there, even after I told them what I was taking. They took my BP many times while I was lying down & it was always a little low One smart nurse took my BP while I was standing. 70/50 - way too low to stay conscious. They prescribed a drug that raises it but I still had no explanation about the cause. When I got home, I researched the two prostate drugs the doctor gave me on my own & found that they were the cause; they are "Alpha Blockers."
When you stand, your BP has to go up to get enough blood to your brain against gravity.
These drugs can prevent the necessary rise in BP & your heart will beat much faster in an attempt to compensate. I cut out the nighttime drug & reduced the AM drug to every 2-3 days. I rarely have the problem since.
I'm thinking, "If I found the cause in less than one minute on the internet, why couldn't a bunch of doctors find it??"
When I saw the urologist for a Rx refill, I told him about the problem, expecting him to say something like, "Yes, I should have told you to watch for that side effect." Instead, he just said, "Well, that usually happens right away." What BS. I told him how I eliminated one drug & reduced the dosage of the other drug. He said, "OK, good idea."
That's one hint about why many older people have falls.
Another cause I learned about when chatting with some of my elderly friends: As soon as their patient's blood sugar goes up a bit, their doctor immediately puts them on diabetes drugs to lower it. Blood sugar can go up as we age, along with everything else that starts to wear out & become less efficient. Lowering blood sugar in older people introduces the risk of lows, which are far more dangerous & often lead to falls.
