Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with fainting

How does one conquer wooziness at the sight of blood?

tzikeh — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:38:06 -0800

Woozy, nauseated, room going dim. Is there a way to beat it? My friend C has always wanted to become a vet. She's never had problems with watching someone draw her own blood, and she's never had problems attending autopsies. But she's recently discovered that encountering blood from a living animal is making her feel faint and woozy, and she's determined to get over it because she doesn't want to give up her lifelong goal.

Has anyone here overcome this phenomena? I don't think one can call it a phobia--I'm not sure what name it has. Any help?

I wasn't sure if this should go under science, or pets, or what -- so I guess "culture" was my best option.

Pass on the smelling salts

barrakuda — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:14:36 -0800

Why do people faint? What are the physical/psychological causes of fainting? and also, can you faint on purpose? How?

Are there good avoidance or coping strategies for fainting at blood?

dmz — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:08:29 -0800

I faint all too easily at blood/gore. How do I avoid or at least cope better? I've got the whole vasovagal syncope thing in response to blood. I'll be watching a movie and see something particularly horrible and I'll have a couple seconds before I'm out. If I see it coming, I can get away and lie down/walk it off/etc, but the problem I'm increasingly facing is that I'm in situations - writing workshops, particularly - where someone will be reading along and drop some bloody scene in there and I'm charging out.

My problem is that I can make that clear going in, but no one seems to actually believe me, or they think the bar is way, way higher than it is. For instance, someone who writes goth horror will warn if there's extended gruesome torture, but a detailed description of a decapitation or two doesn't get them to think of warning me, and... you see where that's going.

On that front, I'm trying to be honest and specific about how bad it is, but what I'd really like to know is -- has anyone found good ways to not drop if a surprise is dropped on you ? Like in the middle of a movie where it's too far to the doors and there's nowhere to lay down?

Mitigation strategies? Anything?

Antideppressants & fatal heart arrhythmia??

mintchip — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:28:55 -0800

Link between antideppressants & fatal heart arrhythmia?? I have been taking a very small dose of Celexa for years. Every time I go off of it I start to feel depressed and very anxious.

I've also had some near-fainting spells where my pulse becomes irregular (usually it's extremely faint) and feel extremely weak and sometimes clammy.

I've had a stress test and a neurological exam and no cause could be traced. My doc has theorized that it could be vaso vagal syncope (a harmless condition that can cause fainting).

New reports say that Anna Nicole Smith's son died from an apparent arrythmia brought on by a combination of antidepressants, including Lexapro (a cousin to Celexa). This has really got me concerned because I've always worried in the back of my mind that what I've been experiencing is an arrhythmia. It's very scary to have these spells because I feel like I'm going to pass out. Young (>30) healthy people shouldn't be passing out regularly, should they?

I don't expect medical advice on here, but please, if any of you have had similar issues and/or you know about the risk of arrhythmia from celexa, and how dangerous it is likely to be, please let me know. I also sometime drink to excess when I'm taking this medication. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

How to make bloodwork painless?

Izzmeister — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:24:03 -0800

Getting Blood Drawn- Getting a Shot- Do you find it painful? any tricks? When you go to have blood drawn or when you get a shot of any sort, do you feel just a little "pinch" or major pain, white-and-going-to-faint style?

and are there any tricks you would suggest to make it less painful?

some obvious ones people use:

1) look away
2) drink water (if this helps is debateable- it makes the skin "wetter? -or it makes the blood thinner?)
3) eating or drinking something before, when possible?
4) putting ice on the area?

also, anything that would make it more painful? for example... drinking a coffee beforehand, would that somehow (and people not being aware) would make the blood drawing or prick more painful?

medically proven facts, granny tales, alternative medicine, shark cartilage remedies... :) let's hear them!

Faiting at the sight of blood -- runs in families?

greatgefilte — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 21:34:38 -0800

Any MeFites around who faint at the sight of blood? If so, are you aware of any close relatives who do the same? I was thinking about this the other day, and it struck me that fainting at the sight of blood is such a distinct phenomenon, one that starts from an early age (at least, according to the folks I've spoken to thus far), and thus, perhaps there's a genetic basis to it. It reminds me of ACHOO syndrome -- involuntary sneezing after coming into bright sunlight, which has shown to be heritable.

Not that I think I'm going to get any funding to study this, but I'm curious if the fainting reflex is heritable too, and what might be the physiological basis behind it.

Not-fainting?

ellanea — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:37:17 -0800

Fainting spells: health concern or potential parlor trick? [more on the floor]