If you have ever seen someone faint, you will know it can be a scary experience, especially as often it can happen out of the blue for no apparent reason, leading to a lot of anxiety for those around. So what is it that causes people to faint? Well there is actually a medical name for the condition and it is known as Vasovagal Syncope. It may seem like a fancy term, but if we break “Vasovagal Syncope” down, it makes a lot more sense to the average person. Vaso refers to blood vessels, Vagal to the nerve that contributes to heart rate and Syncope simply means to lose consciousness. So quite simply ‘Vasovagal Syncope’ means to faint because of a malfunction of the cardiovascular system.
Who Suffers From Vasovagal Syncope?
Vasovagal Syncope is the commonest cause of fainting in the world, and can happen to anyone. Most people who suffer from Vasovagal Syncope have a perfectly normal heart. That is not to say however that all faints in apparently healthy people should be attributed to VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE, and it is important that other causes are ruled out initially. Vasovagal Syncope is very common in younger people but can affect people of all ages.
What are the Symptoms of Vasovagal Syncope?
Although it seems that people faint for no reason, there are often specific triggers that cause vasovagal syncope. It may be as simple as standing for a long time in a hot environment, or the sight or sensation of a needle (taking or giving blood). It is also not uncommon for emotional stress to trigger Vasovagal Syncope, but there are also occasions where there still apparently seems to be no cause.
Often in vasovagal syncope, the sufferer will experience prodromal (warning) symptoms such as nausea (feeling sick), sweating, light-headedness or going pale. These symptoms correlate with increased vagal tone (increased signal in the vagus nerve supplying the heart), which acts to momentarily slow the heart and/or dilate (widen) the blood vessels in the body, leading to a reduction in blood flow to the brain (cerebral perfusion). This in turn leads to a loss of consciousness as the brain becomes starved of oxygen.
On suffering vasovagal syncope, the subject will then often fall to the floor. This then allows blood to reach the brain again as the effect of gravity is negated and results in a rapid regaining of consciousness. Rapid recovery is one of the hallmark features of Vasovagal Syncope can help distinguish it from some more sinister causes.
So What Should I Do If Someone Has Vasovagal Syncope?
The treatment is really simple and can be administered by anyone. Simply lie the patient down in a supine position (on their back) and elevate their legs. This helps to maximize blood flow to the brain and enhance recovery times. This treatment is assuming the cause is simple vasovagal syncope, and is not applicable if the person is having another problem such as a seizure.
Once the person is feeling better they should be taken for medical attention, especially if it is the first episode, to ensure that the cause was simply vasovagal syncope.
What Else Could Be Causing Fainting Episodes?
It is important to know that it is not always Vasovagal Syncope causing fainting. Possible other causes include cardiac arrhythmias like Afib with RVR or inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), seizures, strokes, heart valve disorders and several others. For those reasons, a doctor should always be consulted in the event of syncope as these conditions can be life-threatening if not treated.
Are Any Medical Treatments Available For Vasovagal Syncope?
In general the only treatment advised for people suffering from vasovagal syncope is to avoid triggering factors. This in itself is usually enough and people will as a result suffer from Vasovagal Syncope infrequently. In some cases however people may suffer from recurrent Vasovagal Syncope, and in this case further investigations may be required. Treatments such as pacemaker insertion are a possibility, but are not widely practiced.
The most important treatment for anyone suffering from vasovagal syncope is to be educated on his or her condition. This provides relief from anxiety and worries and allows them to prevent further episodes as well as deal with them better when they do occur
If You Enjoyed Reading This Article You Should Also Read
Sinus Arrhythmia – What is it?
The Widowmaker – The Mother of All Heart Attacks
Mitral Valve Regurgitation – The Leaky Heart
Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia – When The Heart Races Out Of Control
I can tell you about the attitude of doctors in central Texas about vasovagal syncope. In the ER, Cardiology, and most departments of some major hospitals here, many women patients in particular are treated like lepers, and the attitude of MOST doctors in many areas of this country is decidedly UGLY about women, in particular past middle age, who are treated like dirt by insensitive physicians. These scum bags and many of their nurses treat such vasovagal suffering women, and some men with constant episodes of fainting as some kind of hysterical basket cases, and dump them out of the ERs, and many physician offices with rude and cruel treatments that are primarily designed to humiliate and offer NO compassion at all.
I have observed this reported by a majority of women in particular. It’s a disgrace and outright malpractice, and high time these type physicians be driven out of practice. Such doctors do great harm and are a significant cause of death in many of these far more serious cases than they even have sense to know. That is called “MURDER”, and these doctors and nurses must be eliminated.
I had an episode in front of a neurologist while in hospital and was, fortunately, was treated well. I was “out” longer than a usual episode and CPR was administered. Tests were run and most were negative. I’m okay now and have an appointment with a neurologist for follow up. Very scary
episode. I’m a 67 years old female.
I was dribing and apparently was unaware i khanhad syncope. I went unconcioisly barreling into a tree according to witnesses. Vern Chesapeake, va
Yes as a 62 year old female I have had some incrediblle comments made to me after arriving at hospital by ambulance after being unable to raise my head without fainting reoccuring repeatedly. I have been asked why I think I have vasovagal, who diagnosed it, what year etc., with the insinuation being it has been something I dreamt up. I often wished I had something more common like asthma that my daughter has where they just started treating her without questioning whether it was real or not. I have had nurses ask me if I was faking it!! I had a psychiatrist come to talk to me on two occasions to find out why I didn’t think I could walk when I refused to get up when I was still recovering and dizzy, and had to prove to them by walking, and the two nurses had to get me back onto the bed just before I passed out. Once they called my son to pick me up, and my son who knows if I’m okay by looking at my face asked if I was up to going. The Dr argued with him that I was fine to go and only backed down when my son said if my mother faints again between me getting her out of the car and into my house I’ll be ringing for an ambulance and she’ll be coming straight back in here. 2 hours later I felt better and my son took my arm and as we walked out a nurse said sarcastically oh you can walk now. My biggest fear now is not having an episode so much as ending up in my local hospital emergency department.
Thank god I found this article and u all comments have helped me so much I thought I was the only who thought the er was like that but its apparently something that is common but I have been diagnosed with vasovagal syncope and I suppose to see a neurologist and ….because its rely sad when ur not well and people who are professional tell you make you feel as though your makeing it all up
Hi
Thanks for the great article site
Can you hAve vasovagel attack without fainting? My doctor said this is what she was sure I had thought I have never fainted. Heart rate feels funny, extreme tiredness, everything seems very bright. I have to set down or lay down until it passes. It started out of the blue in the early spring of 2006. The episodes have been far and in between. After telling my doctor about them for almost two years she finally said she believed it was vasovagel. This after she ordered an echocardiogram. Which was okay.
Yes, called near syncope episode
What is the difference between vasovagal syncope and cardioinhibitory syncope?
I always feel mine coming on also. A nurse told me after taking a tilt table test that it was VVS, and when I feel it coming on, I get down and get my feet over my head. It only takes a minute or two and then I go on doing what ever I was doing before. I’ve done it in grocery stores, church, etc. If others see me, I just tell them I’ll be up in a minute, and that I’m OK. It doesn’t bother me after it is over unless I do 4 or more in the same day, and then it wears me out. Maybe it you actually get your feet over your head instead of just lying down, you won’t be so tired.
I have been having these type of episodes for years numbness lightheaded dizzy and my family kinda shrugged it off until February 2018 I was in my kitchen eating about 12am some steak and potatoes all of a sudden I started not feeling right I put the utensils on the plate next thing I know I am on the ceramic tile floor head first tried to get up but feel out unconscious until 6:45am and no one knew when I came to couldn’t move my legs it took over a half hour the lump on my left side of my forehead was the size of a golf ball went to ER had ct severe concussion was admitted for 2 days test were run and I was diagnosed with having syncope and the episodes still continue
I was diagnosed with a vasovagal episode; but in addition to the sweating, paleness and other symptoms, I also had an immediate need, after regaining consciousness, to have a bowel movement. The movement was extremely soft (not quite diarrhea). Is this also common with vasovagal syncope?
I have been diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope, but my episodes seem more severe and I don’t actually pass out (faint). I also experience the immediate b.m. and it is similar to your description. I have to make it to the toilet, verses just lying down, so I would say yes the is symptom and the movement is as you described, which is why I responded, because I have uncontrollable No. 1 and No. 2 during my episodes.
Thank you both for bringing this up because I have had the same exact experience. I just had another episode last night so I’ve been researching what it could be and your descriptions match up exactly especially the b.m.
I have had the same episodes for some time now. My doctor recommended to stay away from alcohol and caffeine. It has helped me a lot. Whenever I have alcohol, a couple glasses of wine, the next day I get one of those episodes. When I stay away from alcohol and caffeine, and exercise, never had any of the vasovagal episodes.
It happened to me at 33 & 35- I wonder if it happens at that age or if it possibly could be genetic because the same thing happened to my twin-brother?
My doctor said my one glass of tea a day was too much drink water til my pee is clear. Well fine he ignored every single symptom I explained and guess who not only had an episode but fainted fell on my right side and broke my elbow and caused a large contusion to my left knee. Still all in my head my @$$.
So you’re saying that the bm is caused by he episode? I always thought mine started with having to have a bm. I get terrible cramps, then I start the sweating and getting clammy and pale. I never pass out, just get really close. I always lay down. Then I always have a bm.
I had my first vaso vagal attack at age 50 on December 24, 2016 in a restaurant and thought I was having a heart attack. I didn’t get an actual diagnosis until I went to a heart doctor 6 months later (Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction). When I pass gas I get anxiety surges and my syncope episodes come before or after peeing or a bowel movement. The time has been anywhere from midnight to 10:30am. Food and stress trigger it. I am 53 and also have hashimotos as well. I do not always pass out because I try and lay down or relax but I have persistent symptoms after a near or actual syncope event. I have heart flutters, brain fog and breathlessness which wakes me up out of a dead sleep. I urinate more and my bowels are almost like water. I am going to a syncope heart doctor and a neurolgist but read there is not much a doctor can do and avoiding triggers will help. I still work and eat well and practice yoga and garden. But its hard to give up traveling the world and resting more when I have no idea why this all started in the first place. Just remember you are not alone and it gives me some peace to know we can find forums like this which makes me feel better about my situation.
I have the same thing happen when I have a vasavagal episode Mary. Glad to know it is normal.
Exactly same symptoms, started having this year.
I started having vaso vagal before having a bowel movement suddenly in a restaurant in December 2016. I thought I was having a heart attack. Now that I know when my vaso vagal will occur I have to avoid triggers that speed up my bowels like certain foods, alcohol and caffeine, medications and supplements. It is a horrible feeling. Started at age 50 now 52 and just had a vaso episode before surgery because I had to take a muscle relaxer. I breathe slowly and calm myself down so my heart rate doesn’t go up to high. But my blood pressure dropped to 70/40. I am always happy when the doctors record it because it controls my life and I never know if I will be able to continue working or not..
My son has this diagnosis but his heart stops when he passes out. We have no known triggers. Help!
My 29 yr old son has no life because of extreme vasovagal syncope and his heart stops as well. I can run circles around him and I’m in my 50s. He goes grocery shopping with me and has to keep drinking water to keep the blood pressure up and usually has to take a rest break mid way through. Last week he was feeling weak at the store with me, squatted down so he was closer to the floor because he was feeling like passing out. He ended up laying on the floor until it passed; white as a sheet. My partner got the riding wheel chair out and helped him up when he could so he could go sit with my son in the vehicle and I finished the shopping. It is so sad.
CW, so sorry to hear this. The same happens to me and I’ve learned how to deal and prepare since being clinically dead in 2010. We’re all different, but here are some things that work for me:
Drinking plain water just makes more bathroom trips, I have to add salt to it, or try chicken broth with added salt. I salt the snot out of everything and still won’t typically get a reading on the blood pressure cuff. The wheelchair helps for store trips, though those are less and less. Family runs errands for me and I shop online.
POTS and/or orthostatic intolerance is another thing to look into if you haven’t already. It kind of goes along with the above.
I’m also non-diabetic hypoglycemic, which for me is a dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system (dysautonomia). Sometimes I need sugar for weakness, even if blood glucose reads fine. It takes about 10Tbsp of sugar, and I’m a different person, and my sugar didn’t change that much.
Ehlers Danlos Hypermobility is a connective tissue disorder I deal with; though that probably isn’t the case here.
According to research, they’re finding connections between all of these diagnoses. It’s an interesting thing.
It is a strange world to live in. I hate when people tell me what I need to do, because they haven’t lived it. I hope you don’t take this info that way, it’s just info. There’s a lot more info than this that I can supply, just let me know if you want any of it 🙂
I wish you the absolute best in finding the answers you are looking for. Every day is its own struggle. Just take it day by day.
Oh wow! I have Ehlers Danlos, Vasovagal Syncope, VSD congenital heatt defect and I am fairly sure they go hand in hand.
Because I have EDS my spine has deteriorated considerably & it can also affect the vagus nerve running down it. You might want to have it looked into if it continues to be that big of a problem. It all truly sucks!!
I do the same exact thing. I’m 32 and it’s actually getting worse
It happened to me at 33 & 35- I wonder if it happens at that age or if it possibly could be genetic because the same thing happened to my twin-brother?
now there is a link that it can run in family’s, 12 years ago they never heard of anything like that…so they thought I was nuts..It runs on my father’s side of the family which includes my grandmother, my father, his sister, and his brother, my sister, myself, and my cousin, but for some odd reason my grandmother and I deal w/ it the most…my other family members get it maybe 1-2 times a year…my grandmother and I can have it like 3-5 times a week..I had my first syncope episode when I was 16 and I at that time was only getting 1-2 a year, as I got older around 25 it started happening 1-2 times a month then by the time I was 30 it was happening at least once a week and now I’m 41 and it can be 3 – 5 times a week. I was put on disability after 12 years of working because of missing so much work and then I was considered a liability, and that was at the age of 32, I can no longer drive, my neurologist told me if I can go w/out passing out for 6 months then I can drive…which has never happened as of yet, and I doubt it will. When it happens to me I get very nauseous, sweat profusely, I hear static in my head, then it’s like tunnel vision and it all happens in a manner of seconds and then I pass out and come to seconds later, the longest I was ever out for was a minute according to my sister…and then I have to stay laying down for as much sometimes as 30 minutes because if I sit back up it will happen again and then afterwards all I want to do is sleep, I’m so tired, weak, and shaky, that is all I can really do is go to bed…from all the falls I had over the years I had to get staples in my head, and now I have pinched nerves in my back and neck, bulging disks in my back and neck also, arthritis throughout my back and neck, my neck curve is actually backwards, and I have a hairline crack in my lower back..if you look at anything on the internet about it..it says this isn’t a serious condition…but yea I think that anybody that suffers from it…it is serious….and also because of it happening so much I have high anxiety, panic attacks, and serious depression because I don’t want to go anywhere because of fear that it might happen and of course there are a lot of triggers for it like of course anxiety, stress, pain, standing to long, or getting to hot are all of mine…so there is like no way to stop that…my cardiologist he just told me to wear compression stockings and put me on a blood pressure med…which doesn’t help, and I’m on meds for my anxiety and depression, but that doesn’t seem to help either…I hope one day they can find a magic pill to make it go away for everybody that suffers w/ it…It’s definitely a horrible way to have to live your life!
I have had these attacks for many years but no doctor I went to could explain it. I lived in a large city with good doctors, however, got nothing from them. Finally, had one while visiting a small area with only a small hospital and the ER doctor told me what I had. Mine is always preceded by stomach cramps and lots of diarrhea before I pass out. Have had concussions, stitches from injury to head. It has given me panic attacks for fear I will have one away from home.
Im 36 and im in the same position
you son has what my girlfriends daughter had her heart stopped also called SVT we sent her to doctors there now she has gotten married and has 2 beautiful children
Just thought you might want investigate other possibilities
Glad I found these comments so I know I am not alone. This has been happening to me the last 4 months on and off. The episodes have become more frequent. I also do not actually faint. I too have a bm movement w/ nausea but feel better afterwards. I am in the middle of doing other tests, but my Primary Doc told me she thinks its vasovagal but I Do Not have major anxiety. I went to the ER last month and they diagnosed me with Vertigo, but I do not think so. Does anybody else get a 2 day headache after an episode? Thanks and be well.
I just recently had a episode and had a major headache for a few days after.
It’s not anxiety-although u become anxious as the incidents increase-never knowing when u will be flat on your back stinks!! My 16 year old daughter has had every test in book but no true cause. We think she may be having some episodes just as she wakes before she even moves which lead to severe dizziness, upset stomach and headache.. My confident athletic kid struggles every day
Did you ever find out an underlying cause? I’m the same…just started little more than 4 months ago. I’ve had 12 episodes of vasovagal pre-syncope. Still testing but no answers. Severe nausea & headache for hours to days after.
If you are having headaches after a Vasovagal episode I would suggest having a CT scan…especially if you are having headaches for days afterward. Just a precaution measure.
CT scans use a ton of radiation and are known to cause tumors after even one. Only it happens many years later. I would only consider one if it was an emergency. Because then you have to worry about what it just did to you. Headaches don’t normally require a CT scan and there are other symptoms to check first for a tumor. If you have a minor head injury you also don’t need one, though crooked ER doctors may try to get you to have one. It’s only for money and selfish reasons.
Having experienced vasovagal syncope myself, I have come to the conclusion that it provides an evolutionary benefit to the species as a whole by increasing the probability of death of the individual. If the individual doesn’t recognize any benefit they make to the species the brain invokes syncope so that the individual doesn’t compete with its other members for resources. The fact that it is a unique response of humans is because of our high social interdependence.
????? This is a depressing and disturbing theory that doesn’t have any evidence or even make sense. “If the individual doesn’t recognize any benefit they make to the species” our own brain kills us? Um, okay. So it’s up to the individuals perception of them self what happens physiologically in their body?
My husband is a heart patient and has been having these episodes. His doctors kept telling him that his heart was okay and that he must be depressed or have extreme anxiety. After 2 recently severe episodes he went to the ER where the correct diagnosis was made. His trigger is taking a hot shower. The standing and temperature are the cause. For a year and a half he was told it was all in his mind.
After having a tilt table test, where I did not pass out, the nurse told me two things. Take a warm shower, not a hot one; and if I feel it coming one, get down and get my feet up. I haven’t had one since, except when I was boxed it at a restaurant and couldn’t get down. All that was 8 years ago. I’ve gotten down dozens of times since, and it always goes away. I had to get down once during a shower, not easy or pleasant to do. I’m 65 now, and I keep wondering at what age people will call an ambulance even after I tell them I’ll be OK.
Typical. Sadly typical. Many doctors seem to function on emotions and vague broad assumptions.
I’ve been diagnosed with this, and wear compression socks daily, drink 2 liters of water, and take salt tabs and midodrine to raise my blood pressure. (It’s typically around 70/40.) Was diagnosed during a tilt table test because I thought I originally had POTS.
Hoping I can try something else, because I faint about 2-4 times per week.
I’ve had VVS for about 8 years now. I always feel mine coming on, get down, and get my feet over
my head. After about a minute, I get up and do whatever I was doing. After I passed a tilt table test, the nurse told me what to do (eat salt and when I feel it coming on, get down with feet up) I now have Menieres as well, and they say I should stay away from salt. Went to a Blair chiropracter for Menieres and my only symptom now is loss of hearing in one ear.
I had my first vasovagal episode this past weekend. I had awakened in the middle of the night to urinate. For some reason I had to push to get the urine stream going and all of a sudden I felt weak, queasy, dizzy, just not right. I got up to get back into bed and literally stumbled the whole way. By the time I got onto my bed I was drenched in sweat and I could feel myself starting to pass out, and everything was going dark. As I was alone in my house and knew nobody would find me until late the next day, I forced myself not to faint. I was laying in bed and I got the urge to vomit so I stumbled back into the bathroom and I fell beside the toilet. I knew if I had to vomit it would be on the floor because I did not have the strength to raise my head. I lay on the cold floor tiles for about 10 minutes and started to feel better. I made my way back into my bed thinking for sure that I was having a heart attack but I couldn’t speak to call 911, nor focus on my phone to dial it. Eventually I regained my self and fell asleep. I woke up a few hours later feeling absolutely fine and have been since. I work at a doctor’s office and asked the Nurse Practioner what it could have been and she immediately said it was almost surely a vasovagal episode triggered by the bearing down to urinate and my already low BP.
Yeap, it has happened to many several times! Exactly the same thing. Here is what my doctor told me to do: drink plenty of water/fluids, use salt, absolutely no caffeine, and no alcohol, no prolonged standing and avoid hot/humid places. When I do what my doctor told me to do, I never have these episodes. When I don’t follow his advice, I know that next day or in a few hours I am going to faint…sure enough, next day I have an episode!
Who is your doctor?
Dr , Laguna Hills
What is your doctors name?
I am 27 and suffering the same….it started when I was 22 idk what im doing to trigger it but I have hit my head couple times injuring my head from it ….I get sweaty light headed my stomach hurts …. then I wake up on the floor its scary when alone im trying to better my diet maybe it’ll go away and I don’t have to deal with it anymore sometimes I can be in public places and I feel light headed and feeling like im going to pass out so I have to sit down, its embarrassing cause idk how to explain myself from this diagnose it sucks !
i first suffered from this back in 2008 out of the blue, then nothing till 2015 when my dad was diagnosed with an incurable cancer he died within 2 months so it happend again 3 months after he passed. It has just been his 1 year anniversary and its happened again several times. Ive been told its because i dont eat breakfast when i wake up, also being told im overweight, and last year was put down to stress. Yet every test ive had comes back clear … healthy heart, tilt table test etc, head scan all fine. ive been one of thoes people who has always worried about life in general ftom being born, but the less i think about things and the less i stress the more these episodes happen.
My daughter was recently diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope, which was misdiagnosed for POTS for several years. She tried every medication, which was unsuccessful, but recently started having it really bad, to the point that the bottom number on her blood pressure was high 20’s, lost so much color she was turning grey and couldn’t move. When this happened, thankfully I heard her faint voice say “mom, help”. I went in the bathroom where she was slumped over and I immediately knew what was going on. I ran to grab the Himalayan salt, grabbed her hand to pour some in it and I told her to eat it immediately! She couldn’t lift her head, so I grabbed her head and held it up in order for her to get that salt down because that’s the ONLY thing that we’ve found that will bring the blood pressure back up the fastest. Her blood pressure is still too low, even on Fludrocortisone, which is one medication that they give for this. I’m not very fond of her being on this, but there’s only two medications and a salt tablet that they even have for Vasovagal Syncope! She had a tilt table test done last month, which after standing up for 11 minutes, she plum passed out cold! They ran her to the procedure room to start running catheters to the heart to check for malfunctions, which thankfully there weren’t any, but they normally wait two hours between the tests. This is a very scary thing, especially when a person can’t stand up without passing out cold! Don’t lose hope, but if your Dr isn’t treating this seriously, perhaps move on to the next Dr because this needs to be taken very seriously, depending on the severity of it. Our cardiologist is talking about a pacemaker, but my daughter will only be 19 in 11 days! Of course that’s a last resort, but we’ve not had much luck with anything else and it’s just getting worse. I do highly recommend people with Vasovagal Syncope get yourself Himalayan salt and eat a small amount 2-3 times per day to try to keep the blood pressure from bottoming out. We have it in several places in the house, in my car, both of our purses,etc. Best to do that because you never know when it’ll strike! She use to complain of her legs and feet hurting really bad when she was only about 7 or 8, so I think that was the beginning of this, but it’s taken a long time to find a good cardiologist who knows what he’s doing! Trust me, we’ve had some Dr’s that were just whacked, but that’s when you fire them and keep on looking for the right Dr. We had one tell us to give her 2 bottles of Gatorade a day and exercise more. Yeah, I know, what an idiot! Needless to say, he was fired immediately! This is a human life, so accept nothing but a good Dr who has your best interest in mind! I wish everyone the best.
Blessings and peace to all!
Fludrocostisone turned my daughter into an invalid for 2 months she could not move and became severely depressed. She’s taking midodrine and is doing better now. There are other meds for this condition.
Does she feel it coming on? I always do, and then I get on the floor, and get my feet over my head for about a minute or when I feel it getting better. I’ve had it for 10 years and it has always worked for me except when I got boxed it at a restaurant and couldn’t get down. I feel fine when I get up, but sometimes I will have 5 or 6 in one day, and that does wear me out even though I never pass out. I am going to try the Himalayan salt although now I have Menieres disease as well, and it says no limit salt.
Has she had an echo?
I had a pacemaker inserted at age 22 to treat vasovagal syncope. Had been fainting for most of my life, including fitting and incontinence. Had many tests, all coming back telling me nothing was wrong. Went to have my wisdom teeth out and was hooked up to a heart monitor when I had an episode. Heart stopped. I had a pacemaker put in within a couple of weeks and have only fainted once since. I’m now 42.
I was diagnosed in 2015. My fainting episodes started when I was 18 years old. First it would happen getting out of the shower. I’d pass out here or there or at least get dizzy. It got worse as I got older…I could be in a line standing and feel faint and knew that I had to sit down right away because I was sure to pass out. It would happen every couple months and I would pass out every single time I felt it coming. Finally, I changed my diet and started exercising regularly and it subsided for at least 5 years. After I got married my eating and exercise habits changed and it came back. It didn’t come back as strong though and I could feel faint and dizzy but sit down in time so that I didn’t fully pass out. A healthy diet and exercise has really helped out a ton! Wishing everyone the best!
If you do feel it coming on, don’t just sit down, get down and get your feet over you head. I’ve had it for over 8 years, and it always works for me. A nurse told me that at the tilt table test when they were trying to determine what was wrong. I’ve only passed out once since then, and that was because I got boxed in at a restaurant and couldn’t get down.
I have now taught my friends and family to immediately lift my legs up as high as possible when I am unconscious, which lessens the time I spend on the floor considerably. I have often woken up to see my adult son with my feet propped up on his shoulders out in public. Apart from always having to wear slacks I find this an ideal solution! I have managed not to faint all through a hot summer by wearing a tiny icepack when I am walking as well as drinking a cold glass of water with added salt just before I leave the house, and wetting my hair thoroughly.
A friend already has a pacemaker and she had a episode recently and was diagnosed with this. My question is. she is a drug addict. She said she had been clean 6 days. She had the flu as well. Could the flu have brought this on. I’m hoping she will stay clean as well. How dangerous is the drugs with a heart condition and this new diagnosis.
Is anyone suffering from vvs on disability? My life feels completely overtaken by this…. to the point of it becoming debilitating
I wondered the same thing it is so hard to work with this! And when they tell you to find a sit down job I would like to know what that intakes because I can’t do computer work or look down for long periods of time I end up on the floor. Then you are a liability and end up with no job!
I am
I think I need to check out your site more reguraley. Good
I just found out I have VVS two months ago, and everything that has happened completely makes sense to me now. I have always been prone to fainting, but the last episode I had back in march was pretty scary. Thank you for all of these tips, I wear the socks, and I drink a pile of gatorade. I work with horses so being out in the florida heat, and learning to maintain this beast has not been exactly fun nor easy , so reading these comments has helped me. Thank you all, it’s definitely a weird thing to have..
My daughter,age 40 has been having IBS with pain when her spells start. She is usually in the bathroom and knows when she might pass out. She lays down on the floor and still passes out. She occasionally is incontinent of urine and or bowel and sometimes vomits a little. She recently had a revel monitor implanted and they have caught a 8sec and 15 second stoppage of her heart so they put in a pacemaker today. We hope things will be better
Hi. I hope you can help me. My whole life i have had episodes, which i will give detailes on in later. These episodes only happen 2 to 5 times a year. Mostly only a few times a year. They happened more often with my pregnancys. There is never warning signs before they happen. It comes on suddenly and my whole life i cant find what triggers them. What happens is very suddenly i feel as if im going to faint i emediatly have to lie down or i know i will faint. I feel faint and i get very pale and flushed. I instantly feel very hot and sweaty and i have a strong urge to have a bowel movement. I often cant speak when others are freaking out trying to help me. And im often am super thirsty. I have been to Doctors since childhood and they often want me to do a gluecose test which always comes out normal but they never have looked further then that. This is effecting my life and not knowing when this will happen is hard. Ive had to lye down on a sidewalk by a very busy street once while walking home from the park with my children. But once ive lyed down it doesnt ever take long for me to start feeling better. Once im better i have no problems at all even the same day. I feel fine. My cousin who works in the er says she is worried (after she saw an episode) and was very concerned because my feeling to loose my bowels and how sudden and drastic this happens from normal to very sick. I need someone to please help because i truley feel that i may not come out of the episode one of these days. Thank you. Katrina F.
Have the exact same thing, my episodes started as teenager and only happened every 10 to 15 years. Had the worst one last year at the age of 71, ambulance, er, al the tests, mri, eeg echo, 30 day event monitor etc. Cardiologist says over reactive vagus nerve form decades of high intensity training but still have occasional hot flashes, euforia, blood pooling in legs and I must move, walk, run or pass out. After multiple doctors and hundreds of hours of reading I stopped low dose statin and blood pressure med which helped. Lots of water, 100 oz a day, no caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and limited sweets and not had vvs for 10 months. Also read and feel most vagel messages (symtoms) travel upstream meaning that and urinary/ bowel urge will trigger episode if not dealt with immediately. Standing at church, close quarters, chilled, pain will also make me flash, will not even consider airline travel at this point and must have plenty of water and food before leaving the house in the morning and then God all day.
It’s oddly reassuring to see that so many others have had this same condition. I’ve had mine for years, too, starting in my mid 30’s (I am 59 now). I only ever have an episode when I get up or am woken up from sleeping, OR when I am having blood drawn. I’d like to understand WHY the urge to have a bowel movement so often follows an episode, and why I lose bladder control (initially rarely, now almost every time) during. I have a hard time staying prone on the floor to stave off fainting, though I know I should, because I need to get to the bathroom so badly. So I lie there until I just can’t anymore but then often faint when I eventually try to get up. Does anyone have a solution for that?
Same issue with me , had 3 times this year now. What is suggested , no caffeine, take salt and lots of water. It may be because of constipation also.
I had my first vasovagal attack yesterday, in the middle of a crowded Accident & Emergency waiting room. I was leaving after being seen for an abdominal issue and so was taken back in and observed overnight. They think it may have been dehydration and the sight of blood, as I had just had a cannula removed and it started to bleed. Blood hasn’t been a problem before. I was thinking about the episode today at the shops and I started to get a bit dizzy. I think it was a bit of a panic attack due to worry about it happening again.
Re blood tests, recently someone taking my blood listened when I warned them I would faint afterwards and said they had the solution. I thought oh yeah another bit of advice to not look at the blood, or being told to take deep breathes again. BUT instread he had a syringe of saline ready and immediately after taking blood injected it into me. For the first time in ten years I didn’t faint, even though I had three blood tests over 3 hours although I was light headed by the last one. Since then I always ask for it but sadly have encountered resistance except in the emergency department after a bit of persuasion. I have since read that taking blood immediately lowers blood pressure. So much for it all being in the head!!
Hello, Seeking some advice: I started with Vasovagal episodes when I was pregnant about two years ago (was 37 at the time). The doctor said it should go away when I give birth. And it did for about 2 years. This month it has started again. My warning sign is that I feel extreme DeJavu, and then drift off into a daydream. When i come back to reality I am clammy with sweats and then am nauseous and shaky for like 2-6 hours. it is the worst feeling to feel so sick for so long. Any recommendations on what to do for the nausea? Thank you and good luck to all. This is the worst. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I feel the exact same way after an episode. Fatigue, shaky, severe nausea, bm etc. Sometimes on and off for up to 24 hrs after. It’s the worst!! Yesterday was my 12th episode since late February of this year. Vasovagal diagnosis finally after I had an episode in front of my dr. Currently undergoing all protocol testing…next is an MRI. I’ve passed all heart tests with flying colors. Just want answers 🙁
I find these articles much more simplistic than they ought to be. Also real info is scattered among guesses. For example, I don’t believe there is any proof that not worrying about Vasovagal Syncope reduces its incidence. At best you know what happened.
Thanks for sharing. one of my friend has been recently diagnosed with Vasovagal Syncope. I will inform her the medical treatments you mentioned
I have had symptoms for 25+ yrs and thought it was an allergy but its vasovagal syndrome. I start to feel ill after dense calirific foods ie steak or other rich food. Urgent vomit/diarhoea . Clammy n need to lie down. Feels like medical shock. Dread it. Unpredictable altho i seem to have when iut for meals 🙁
My wife may suffer from this but we aren’t sure.
Her first episode since she was a kid happened in her early 40’s.
She always feels nauseous briefly before passing out and get violently sick (vomits) to the point of dehydration after she wakes up. The vomiting never happened when she was a kid.
Her first adult episode I rushed her to the ER and while in the ER hooked up to monitors it was discovered her heart would stop while she was passed out.
That day was particularly bad because it happened several times in a couple hour period.
The doctors put in a pacemaker and now she won’t go completely out but can still get very sick.
Her cardiologist advised to eat more salt and drink plenty of water and she does exactly that. But every 12-16 months she will have a episode.
My question to those diagnosed with this condition is:
Do any of you get sick like she does? And if so, how do you prevent it?
What sucks is when it happens she has felt good that day.
I was told that you don’t normally have Vasovagal syncope and Meniere’s Disease is that true? I try to google both and nothing so far comes up. My both doctors does not care about each others and does not talk so depend on which one I see I am been told not water pill or take the water pill. My PCP does not do anything about what each doctors are telling me. I feel scared because I does not know what to do.
If you need a second opinion I would see a different doctor, I have vasovagal syncope and am dealing with it quite well, the doctor prescribed sodium chloride for me and I have to wear compression hosery- pantyhose (30-40 mmhg) which work out great. My wife has meniere’s disease which is totally different (water in the inner ear) she has a little dizziness but handles it fine. I wish you well
If I don’t get down with my feet up, I will throw up. Since it is a circulation thing, it makes sense to get down with feet up and it will stop. I always feel it coming on, even at night. In bed I just throw the covers off and get my legs straight up in the air. It subsides quickly, and then I put my feet down and go back to sleep. I’m always aware of my surroundings during the rest of the day, noticing where and how I could get my feet up. Embarressing sometimes, but better than throwing up.
I have like many others been misdiagnosed over the years with anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, nothing wrong with you, until finally I was told it was vasovagal syncope. After six or so years and increasing frequency a cardiologist ran more tests and said I had P.O.T.S as well as vasovagal. I take no medication as both fludrocortisone and beta blockers made me worse and they are all that are available in Australia. I was taking hydralyte daily as advised, in addition to lots of salty drinks and food, until my sugar levels increased, and I dropped the hydralyte as I became pre diabetic. This year, in my 60s, I found a video showing exercises to do on the bed, for people like us, and now that I am consistently exercising my legs I have peace of mind when I go out by myself that I won’t suddenly drop to the ground. It took months of only doing a few exercises at a time and adding a minute or so at a time to improve my tolerance to standing up and doing simple tasks is no longer punctuated by needing to lay down for a rest. I can now wander around the shopping centre for an hour or so, sitting down when I need a break, and drinking salt water as I go. Having been undiagnosed since I was a young child I have finally got to a point where although I am incredibly fatigued the day after I go out I am at least not stuck in the unit everyday. I encourage everybody to keep going until you find the solution which works for you and don’t let any medical persons lack of knowledge and their ignorant opinions discourage you from having the best life you can.
Being in my early 60s I have been in the position where vasovagal syncope was not widely known about when I was a child and I “fell asleep” during lunchtime and in the classroom and nothing was done about it.Over the years I have been misdiagnosed as having; anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, something you’ll grow out of, nothing wrong with you, until at 47 I was diagnosed with vasovagal after a tilt test. My Dr told me to drink lots of water and have a hydralyte tablet every morning. The fainting increased rapidly until on one of my trips to the emergency department a Dr said I needed to add salt to my water! I was trialled on fludrocortisone and later beta blockers which both made me suffer even worse low blood pressure and increased fainting. Nowadays I take no medication and my diagnosis has been revised after a recent stress test to having P.O.T.S in addition to vasovagal. I know all my triggers which include standing for too long, having bloods taken, being in the sun, overexertion, sitting upright, and I cope by avoiding them as much as possible or doing things to lessen the effect. This year I found a video online demonstrating exercises to do laying down on your bed and started off by doing a few minutes a couple of times a day. Over a few months I gradually increased the leg exercises to several times a day and I have increased the blood flow and can stand for longer when doing household tasks and no longer need to lay down halfway through doing tasks. I have lost my fear of not being able to make it back from the local shopping centre and haven’t had to be carted off to the hospital by ambulance this year, even though it has been another hot summer here in Australia. This has been the only time this hasn’t happened for years. I still need to sit for breaks and drink salty water when I’m out and about, and need to rest up the following day, but I am so glad to have found something that makes a difference after all these years. I wish I had been advised to do this years ago and not had to spend so many years with bad health. I have recently moved and once again had to explain to my Dr about vasovagal and P.O.T.S. I don’t think the Drs are trained enough in this area in Australia.
I can’t help but wonder if electromagnetic pollution from WiFi and smart meters could be causing this…….they say smart meters affect the heart…?? This seems to be happening more over the past several years than previously…….I’m 55 and my attacks are becoming more frequent…….scary stuff…
I have a very serious vagal nerve issue. When I go to vomit, I pass out. It started when I was in my early 20’s. Not that I get sick often, but the times I have since then, I have passed out every single time. This is a life or death issue. About 6 years ago, I had food poisoning and my spouse found me passed out on the bathroom floor in a pool of diarrhea and vomit and I was choking on my vomit. I almost died. I am absolutely petrified of getting sick when I’m home alone and have tried coming up with different scenarios to prevent this from happening again like lying on the bed with my head hanging off over a trash can. Has anyone else with vagal issues come across this and how have you dealt with it when home alone?
After reading these stories I feel I need to give my input. Sometime After having a cardiac ablation for SVT I started having symptoms, passed out at a restaurant after eating to much. 2nd time was 4 months later. I did tones of research & told my cardiologist that I think I know what I have & she ordered the nurse to take my BP laying down, sitting up & standing up. It dropped 30 points. She conformed I had Neuro-cardidogenic Syncopy a form of Dysautonomia. POTS also comes under this condition. Midodrine helps keep me from passing out but I still have a lot of other issues. IBS is common with some forms of Dysautonomia.
A Wonderful source of info is the book “The Dysautonomia Project” it is written for Dr’s as well as patients. The website Dysautonomiainternational.org is a great place to start (after reading the book) since Many Dr’s themselves don’t know about it show them the book. There is lots of info out there so I hope this helps
After reading these stories I feel I need to give my input. Sometime After having a cardiac ablation for SVT I started having symptoms, passed out at a restaurant after eating to much. 2nd time was 4 months later. I did tons of research & told my cardiologist that I think I know what I have & she ordered the nurse to take my BP laying down, sitting up & standing up. It dropped 30 points. She conformed I had Neuro-cardidogenic Syncopy a form of Dysautonomia. POTS also comes under this condition. Midodrine helps keep me from passing out but I still have a lot of other issues. IBS is common with some forms of Dysautonomia.
A Wonderful source of info is the book “The Dysautonomia Project” it is written for Dr’s as well as patients. The website Dysautonomiainternational.org is a great place to start (after reading the book) since Many Dr’s themselves don’t know about it show them the book. There is lots of info out there so I hope this helps
I am in my 40s and have started having vasovagal episodes this year, growing in frequency. I haven’t fainted from them, but I get a wave of lightheaded dizziness, often with some blurry vision that will stay a while, sometimes with a racing heart / warmth in chest. Many here have mentioned a need to bm directly afterwards. I don’t have that, but I do always have gas coming out of both ends right afterwards. I have a minor heart arrhythmia and my blood pressure is on the low end of the ‘normal’ range. The episodes seem to occur at all random times (sitting at desk, walking around, lying down), not triggered by thinking about anything stressful at the time (though anxiety jumps of course when they happen). I stopped all caffeine, alcohol, certain foods a few weeks ago but I am still having episodes. Doctors have checked and double-checked my heart and are putting me on a heart monitor, but don’t seem to have a plan yet beyond that. I am scared and looking for an explanation for what is causing this.