low blood pressure, hypoglycemia--related to AS and or NLD?

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i'm self-diagnosed at this point (NLD), so often still obsessing about traits, etc. i just read a brief article about the use of cortisol (still experimental, i believe) in alleviating anxiety, etc. among those with AS.

cortisol has the effect of raising both BP and blood sugar. i've tended to have very low BP; also have lots of symptoms of hypoglycemia. (no health insurance, so no dx of hypoglycemia for sure.) but i do get really shaky and slightly disoriented if i skip a meal.

is that common for people with AS and/or NLD--the low bp and hypoglycemia, i mean?

also--maybe this is an entirely different topic--but i know many people on the spectrum really respond well to caffeine (in terms of lowered anxiety, improved sleep, etc.) is there anyone with the opposite effect? extreme sensitivity to caffeine?

I don't know about my blood pressure.
I'm hypoglycemic.
I don't really think it's related to ASDs, though.


As for caffeine, it has various effects on me... except when it doesn't effect me at all, that is.

I seem to remember there was a thread about blood pressure before. As I recall, low blood pressure wasn't uncommon, but I don't think it's directly linked to ASDs.

I'm not sure if I'm on the Spectrum or not, but I have low blood pressure, which got even lower when I was pregnant. My mother is the same, and my grandmother and aunt.

I'm pretty sure my husband is on the Spectrum and I don't know about his blood pressure, but he gets very shaky, agitated and angry if he doesn't eat regularly.

I'm diagnosed with Asperger's and NLD and I have a lot of trouble with hypoglycemia and low blood pressure. My father, who I am sure has AS and NLD (he's not diagnosed, but he's definitely an aspie) also has trouble with hypoglycemia, even more than I do.

I'm not sure if these traits are as common to autistics as, say, special interests are, but there may be a percentage of those of us on the spectrum that have trouble with low blood pressure and blood sugar.

My $0.02

~ Caterina

My blood pressure is on the low side of normal. After years of trouble I have figured out I have reactive hypoglycemia when the body release too much insulin too soon, especially after refined sugar. But it can happen even if I eat a high protein breakfast just not as quickly. I can be fine one minute and be dizzy, shaking and confused the next. I think the trick is to eat every two-three hours-small amounts of protein to keep the blood sugar level.

i have HIGH blood pressure and my dad (also on spectrum) also has HIGH blood pressure, we both get hypoglycemia though. I think it's more hereditary than an autistic trait. As far as caffiene we both had to go caffiene free because of high BP, my son is sensitive to caffiene more than me. But i mainly think it's genetic more than anything.

exhausted wrote

I'm not sure if it's common for people with AS or NLD. I guess that asking this would be the same as asking if heart disease was common - we don't know.

I have bouts of low blood pressure but it's not low all the time. It usually stays around 110/70 but at times it's dropped to 90/50 and slightly lower. My doctor thinks that I have symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as if I don't eat at least every 4 hours I get really shaky, tired and dizzy but it's never been confirmed by a blood test because at the times I experience the symptoms I can't take out my own blood and test it, or get to someone who can. My doctor says though that people can experience these symptoms without actually having low blood sugar levels, they might drop quickly but still be in the normal range.

Also, I don't really have any reaction to caffeine.

I have such low blood pressure that I faint on a fairly regular basis.

I don't know about either my blood sugar or pressure, but I get a LOT of head rushes, and I get really weak and shaky if I don't eat something about every 2 hours.