How Do I Treat Rectal Bleeding
In most cases, rectal bleeding can be treated by caring for the cause of the bleeding. Rectal bleeding is often a part of a bigger issue that needs to be taken care of. Once that condition has been treated, the bleeding usually stops. Treatment options can vary depending on the condition. Conditions like anal fissures can go away on their own over time or be treated with ointments. Hemorrhoids are another common cause of rectal bleeding that can be treated by either resolving any constipation issues, changing your diet and water intake, or possibly having surgery.
One more severe cause of rectal bleeding can be cancer. If this is the case, your healthcare provider will develop a treatment plan to treat the cancer, often removing any tumors.
Opiates And Blood Pressure: Do They Raise Or Lower It
When it comes to opiates and opioids, these drugs have an opposite effect on the body. These drugs are sedatives that generally relax the body. The danger is not that blood pressure and heart rate will go through the roof, causing a heart attack or stroke. If you take too much of an opiate, such as heroin, the greater risk is that your breathing will slow and even stop, leading to respiratory depression.
Do opioids raise blood pressure ever, or do they only lower blood pressure? While opioids are generally relaxing and sedating, when a person stops taking them, they will typically go into a withdrawal state that will likely involve elevated blood pressure and elevated heart rate. So, in a sense, opioids do raise blood pressure, as a side effect of withdrawing the opioid drug.
Is Bright Red Blood In My Stool Worse Than Darker Blood
The longer the blood is in your digestive tract, the darker it will typically look. This is because there are digestive chemicals in your body that naturally break down everything that moves through your digestive tract. The blood gets darker the longer its in contact with these chemicals. If your bleeding is higher up in the digestive tract, it might appear darker in the toilet. If you see bright red blood, that can mean its lower in your digestive tract or is moving through your body very quickly. While there are many benign causes of bright red bleeding, there are fewer benign causes of darker blood for this reason, dark blood may be more concerning, and warrants workup by your healthcare provider.
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How Can I Prevent Constipation
Use the same home-based methods you used to treat constipation to prevent it from becoming a chronic problem:
- Eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber. Good sources of fiber are fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Fiber and water help the colon pass stool. Most of the fiber in fruits is found in the skins, such as in apples. Fruits with seeds you can eat, like strawberries, have the most fiber. Bran is a great source of fiber. Eat bran cereal or add bran cereal to other foods, like soup and yogurt. People with constipation should eat between 18 and 30 grams of fiber every day.
- Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee and soft drinks, can dehydrate you. You may need to stop drinking these products until your bowel habits return to normal.
- Exercise regularly.
- Treat mild constipation with a dietary supplement like magnesium.
- Move your bowels when you feel the urge. Do not wait.
Drink Plenty Of Fluids
Water plays a large part in keeping your body healthy. It is essential for keeping fecal matter flowing through the intestines. Although most people have heard that you should drink six to eight glasses of water a day, you might not need to consume that much. Four to six cups of water per day are generally enough for healthy people, according to Harvard Health.
Some medications cause you to retain water, and some health conditions require you to limit your fluid intake. If you are taking medications that cause constipation, you should talk to your doctor about how much water you should be drinking.
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How Anxiety Can Cause Low Blood Pressure
- Many people associate stress with high blood pressure, but it can also cause low blood pressure.
- The low blood pressure itself is typically not considered serious.
- Hyperventilation is one of several links between anxiety and low blood pressure.
- Its important to control anxiety over blood pressure some people find that their blood pressure changes give them anxiety, creating a cycle.
- It is healthy to get your blood pressure checked, but it is also important to decrease anxiety.
Can Opiates Cause High Blood Pressure
Many drugs do cause high blood pressure. Cocaine, amphetamine, and meth are some well known drugs that can raise blood pressure and put a strain on the heart. MDMA, also known as Molly or Ecstasy, is a stimulant as well, often causing serious heart-related problems for people who take it and go to all-night dance parties. There are also many designer drugs on the streets that can dangerously raise blood pressure.
While these drugs are not as deadly to healthy, young people, they are much more dangerous to older drug users. When someone who used one of these stimulants during their youth has a relapse and returns to their old drug use habits, they may be in for a surprise when they try to get high and get crushing chest pain instead.
There are also many other drugs that can raise blood pressure. Hallucinogenic drugs, such as psilocybin, peyote, and LSD are known to raise blood pressure and heart rate. While the cardiovascular effect may not be as dramatic as with a stimulant, it is still important to consider the possibility that a person with an underlying heart condition could have a problem with one of these drugs.
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Are There Any Foods That Can Change The Color Of My Stool In A Similar Way To Rectal Bleeding
There are certain foods that can make your poop an unusual color. You can have green, yellow and even black stool. This can happen for a variety of reasons having too much bile during digestion, having a medical condition like inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease, being on antibiotics, or even just eating foods with strong color pigments.
Often, blood can make your stool look very dark and almost black. Foods like black licorice, beets, dark berries and red gelatin can all make your poop look very dark. This can easily be confused for blood in your stool. If you notice very dark poop during a bowel movement, think back to what you ate recently. Theres a chance that what you ate could be the cause for the usually dark stool.
Constipation And The Heart: What Is The Connection
Some of the causes of constipation can also be harmful for the heart. For example, constipation is sometimes linked with high blood sugar levels, which also causes heart problems. Also, just like a high intake of dietary fiber improves constipation, it also improves the health of the heart by reducing the risk of a heart attack. So if your constipation is caused by a lack of fiber, your heart could be suffering as well.
Many scientific studies have been performed to establish the role of dietary fiber in human health. All of them have found that a high fiber intake reduces the levels of cholesterol and helps with hypertension and obesity. High cholesterol, hypertension and obesity are all strongly linked to constipation as well.
The recommended daily intake of dietary fiber is between 25 and 35 grams per day. Sadly, the average American only gets about 15 grams. Adequate intake of water soluble fiber can reduce the risk of diabetes, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, polyps and constipation and it is one of the best ways to prevent colon cancer.
There is another link between constipation and the heart. Many experts claim that a healthy colon is absolutely essential for good overall health. Periodic colon cleanses may eliminate waste matter that accumulated for years in the colon and they restore the colons ability to absorb all the important nutrients.
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What To Do For Low Blood Pressure And Adrenal Fatigue
If you have low blood pressure and suspect you may have adrenal fatigue, consider having an adrenal saliva test. This test measures how much cortisol, an important adrenal hormone, your body makes, and whether your cortisol level follows healthy daily patterns.
Although people with high blood pressure are told to avoid salt, those with low blood pressure may actually benefit by adding sea salt to their food.
Also, certain nutritional compounds have been shown to support adrenal function and thus healthy blood pressure. Because adrenal fatigue is always secondary to another problem, its important to find out what is taxing the adrenal system and address that as well. Eating a diet that prevents your blood sugar from dropping too low and causing symptoms of hypoglycemia is another important key. Strategies include eating a good breakfast, ditching sweets, starchy foods and sweetened drinks, eating regularly enough to sustain blood sugar, and making sure never to skip meals.
How Long Will I Need To Take Laxatives For
If you’ve had constipation for a short time, your pharmacist will usually advise you to stop taking the laxative once your stools are soft and easily passed.
However, if your constipation is caused by an underlying medical condition or a medicine you’re taking, your GP may advise you to take laxatives for much longer, possibly many months or even years.
If you’ve been taking laxatives for some time, you may have to gradually reduce your dose, rather than coming off them straight away. If you have been prescribed a combination of laxatives, you’ll normally have to reduce the dosage of each laxative, one at a time, before you can stop taking them. This can take several months.
Your GP will advise you about when it’s best to stop taking long-term laxatives.
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Monthly Injections And Twice Yearly Implants Are Also Available
Brixadi is a new injectable buprenorphine that will be coming out soon. It can be used weekly or monthly. Another advantage over Sublocade is that it does not have to be refrigerated. It also is available in more strengths than Sublocade.
The company that makes Brixadi also developed a six-month buprenorphine implant named Probuphine. Doctors must get a special certification from the company to demonstrate that they are competent to surgically place the implant in the patientâs arm and then remove it six months later.
As you can see, buprenorphine allows for much greater flexibility compared to going to a daily methadone clinic. Patients who take buprenorphine, most often known by the common brand name, Suboxone, function well in life, most often without any issues with side effects.
Hashimotos Low Thyroid And Low Blood Pressure
Hashimotos is an autoimmune thyroid disease that causes low thyroid symptoms. Functional medicine addresses thyroid function, immune health, and inflammation and autoimmune attacks on the thyroid. Managing these factors is an additional way to support adrenal fatigue and low blood pressure.
For more advice on addressing low thyroid function, adrenal function, and blood pressure, contact my office.
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Responding To Low Blood Pressure
Everyone’s blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day. At any moment, it may be lower or higher than recommended based on what a person has eaten, how much water they have ingested, whether they are sitting or standing, or even how they cross their legs.
That low or high blood pressure alone is usually not a concern unless a person has a heart problem, as the body is expected to go through these different fluctuations.
Feeling Faint When You Stand Up
A common type of low blood pressure is a orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure when you go from sitting to standing that causes lightheadedness. For the person with orthostatic hypotension, standing up causes blood to pool in the legs. This slows the flow of blood back to the heart and decreases the amount of blood pumped from the heart. Medical professionals diagnose orthostatic hypotension when the top number falls by 20 and the bottom number falls by 10 upon standing.
Although lightheadedness is not cause for alarm, if standing up causes you to faint you should seek medical attention. Orthostatic hypotension also increases the risk of falling for elderly people. Orthostatic hypotension is common among people with low blood pressure and hypoglycemia, although people with high blood pressure can also have orthostatic hypotension.
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If You Notice A Sudden Decline In Blood Pressure
A single lower-than-normal reading is not cause for alarm, unless you are experiencing any other symptoms or problems. If you experience any dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea or other symptoms, its a good idea to consult with your healthcare provider. To help with your diagnosis, keep a record of your symptoms and activities at the time they occurred.
Is low blood pressure related to low heart rate? Find out.
Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.
Last Reviewed: Oct 31, 2016
When Should I Call My Doctor
- Constipation is a new problem for you.
- You see blood in your stool.
- You are losing weight unintentionally.
- You have severe pain with bowel movements.
- Your constipation has lasted more than three weeks.
- You have symptoms of outlet dysfunction constipation.
Remember, talk openly and honestly with your doctor about your bowel movements and any questions or concerns you may have. Pooping is something we all should be doing. Constipation may be a temporary situation, a long-term problem or a sign of a more serious condition. Be safe. See your doctor, especially if youve noticed a change in your bowel pattern or if your life is being ruled by your bowels.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/07/2019.
References
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Can Straining Too Hard For A Bowel Movement Cause Rectal Bleeding
Straining too hard during a bowel movement can cause rectal bleeding. This is often related to constipation. When you strain, you can cause conditions like hemorrhoids or anal fissures. Very hard stool can actually cause the skin around your anus to tear, causing you to see blood. Treating constipation can help prevent this from happening.
Alternative Treatments For Constipation
Some people benefit from additional strategies to relieve constipation including:
- Bowel training involves developing a habit of moving your bowels at the same time each day. Eating a meal stimulates your colon to move. Thats why you shouldnt skip meals when youre constipated. It also provides a good tool to use to train your bowels. Try training your bowels to move within 15 to 45 minutes after breakfast or dinner.
- therapy retrains the muscles that control bowel movements. You work with a biofeedback therapist to identify these muscles and learn how to relax them to ease stool passage.
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Low Blood Pressure And Hashimotos Hypothyroidism
Hashimotos is an autoimmune thyroid disease that causes hypothyroid symptoms. Proper management requires not only supporting thyroid function, but also balancing the immune system to tame the autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland. Doing this may be one strategy to address adrenal fatigue and low blood pressure.
For more advice on supporting healthy thyroid function, adrenal function, and blood pressure, contact my office.
How Does Rectal Bleeding Appear
You might see or experience rectal bleeding in a few different ways, including:
- Seeing blood on your toilet paper when you wipe.
- Seeing blood in the bowl of the toilet when you are using the bathroom the water in the bowl might look like its been dyed red.
- Noticing dark red, black or tarry poop while you are having a bowel movement.
Rectal bleeding can be bright red or darker in color. You can also have rectal bleeding without being able to see it. This can happen when you have very small amounts of blood in your stool called occult bleeding.
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Effects Of Constipation On The Heart
Constipation is a problem that causes discomfort and frustration, but not many people know that its effects can, in some cases, go far beyond a mild or moderate nuisance. In fact, straining and forcing due to constipation have a negative impact on many parts of the body, including the heart.
What Are The Symptoms Of Constipation
Symptoms of constipation include:
- You have fewer than three bowel movements a week.
- Your stools are dry, hard and/or lumpy.
- Your stools are difficult or painful to pass.
- You have a stomach ache or cramps.
- You feel bloated and nauseous.
- You feel that you havent completely emptied your bowels after a movement.
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Hyperventilation And Low Blood Pressure
Hyperventilation occurs when a persons breathing pattern changes in a way that reduces his or her CO2 levels. The most common reason this occurs is when the rate of increases , which often happens during periods of intense anxiety. It may also occur when people recognize their breathing rate increases, and try to slow the breathing through taking in deeper breaths. The body has a way of regulating the levels of oxygen and CO2 that is needed, so when a person attempts to control their breathing rate, it not uncommon to take in too much air.
Without enough carbon dioxide, the body has to work harder to function properly. Blood needs to move more quickly, and blood vessels dilate as a result. This dilation causes a drop in blood pressure but still may show up in a blood pressure reading.