Suggest Treatment For Dizziness After Blood Donation

Posted on Sat, 31 May 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 31 May 2014 Answered on

Fri, 20 Jun 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have to donate blood in a couple of hours, however my last experience with blood donation was not good as I became really dizzy towards the end of the process around 8 years back.

my general health is good .. just a bit nervous from my last experience.. what can I do to not feel the dizziness ?
can I have a coffee an hour before donating blood?

Answered by Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta (1 hour later)

Brief answer....avoid coffee before or after blood donation
Detailed answer...
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
Although drinking coffee before donation of blood doesn't have any dangerous effect on blood donation process but it can definitely affect and delay your recovery after the donation because caffeine dehydrates you while you need more fluids after the donation to increase the depleted volume.
In general people don't suffer any problem after donation but some people can feel dizzy.
It is better to take rehydrating solution( ORS ).You can take a bottle of electrolyte replacement beverage with you to drink it after the blood donation.
I hope it helps,however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar