My Teenager Has Fainted in the Morning.

I would go to the doctor for a simple blood test. It could be something as simple as low blood sugar or he could be inemic (sp?) which is just low iron from not eating enough veggies. I used to pass out occasioanaly as a teenager when I didn't eat right. Assuming he will be driving soon, why take a chance of it happening behind the wheel, or even in the shower, when it could be something simple. I'm concerned that you think they will run a bunch of tests and then find nothing. Just start with his regualr doctor for a blood test.

It's already been said, but I would definately bring your son in for a check up. If you have a good pediatrician he/she will not ignor these syptoms. My daughter also started passing out (although she has an underlying heart issue) but it turns out her heart rate was dropping so low it would cause the fainting. She required a pacemaker and has been fine ever since. This is the extreme and like I said she was born with a heart defect, but my point is, you just never know and it is truely better to be safe than sorry. Make sure the Dr knows this has happened MORE than once and gets you to see the correct specialists! Good luck.

Hi, HG. He could be having small seizures, or he could have a blood sugar problem. Is he trying to shower before breakfast? Try giving him breakfast before he does anything else. Make sure he does not load up on sugar at any time of the day because he will rebound into extreme low blood sugar and get these symptoms when his body consumes all the sugar rapidly, leaving him depleted and without any energy or strength.

He should also be tested for diabetes, especially if he's having fainting spells due to low blood sugar.

I hope that whatever it is is minor and easily cured.

Peace,

Syl

Get him to a doctor asap and have them check his B12. My youngest is 21 and was always feeling like she was going to faint and it was the B12. You can die if you don't have enough B12 and it's common these days for kids to have low B12.

Hi Heather,
I've had fainting problems for ages and finally had it diagnosed as NCS (neuro cardiogenic syncope). Not as scary as it sounds... you can Google it for some info. Basically it involves low blood pressure, but there are some easy things you can do to ameliorate the situation. You might want to have that looked at. Or, it could just be nothing more than a "teenage thing." Check it out to put your mind at rest. Best wishes!

My three girls have all fainted at one time or another and I have received different responses from the medical professional. My youngest is a very tall 5'9 15-year-old. She grew very rapidly. She fainted in the Atlanta Airport in customs after we had been in Honduras on a missions trip. They ran a battery of tests on her including a spinal, but never found anything. It was very stressful as I am more for no intervention. But since she had been in Honduras it opened up a Pandora's box.
She fainted another time in the kitchen. The ambulance came . . .(you think I would have recognized it, but I didn't). She shook violently for a couple of seconds, said she felt funny and went out. Thank God I was there to catch her but in my panic said call 911. They gave her an IV. Said it was really common for tall teens and sent her home.

Another daughter, was trying to increase her water intake but hadn't eaten much that day and her electrolytes got out of balance. She also was put on IV (which really does work as far as hydration goes if you can stand the hassle of the emergency room). She received a severe lecture from a very judgemental nurse who thought she had an eating disorder. She didn't.

The third child, very tall and extremely thin passed out when getting into the shower. I was not there as she is in college. But she said she just felt dizzy and passed out.

My own intuition and knowledge tells me that they should cut out sugar, and caffeine and eat several small high protein snacks during the day to regulate their blood pressure. But do you think they listen?

Anyway, it is very scary but seems to be somewhat normal. It is great that your son has the awareness to feel it coming on. I would probably also consider his mineral intake. Does he eat enough real raw fruits and veggies to give him adequate minerals? And salt. If he is an athlete, he may need to eat a little more salt. Be sure it is sea salt.

I would start with the pediatrician instead of the neurologist unless he is also having headaches. Then I would go to a chiropractor.

Heather,

I would encourage you to have your son checked out as soon as possible to find out why he's passing out. I've raised 4 children (2 boys) and never had that happen. Maybe it is due to growth, etc... but better to know for sure.

My husband (who is 50 but extremely fit and no other health problems) passed out at about 5AM one morning recently. I thought he had had a stroke as his speech was slurred when he was coming out of it. He said he felt cold and then hit the floor. He doesn't remember falling - just waking up to me yelling his name. He had a battery of tests done by a neurologist & cardiologist... turns out his heart rate drops VERY low at night and, when he first stands up (especially if he uses the bathroom - urinate or bowel movement), his blood pressure drops a lot and it can cause him to pass out. He was also slightly dehydrated at the time. He is now on a very low dose of blood pressure medicine and has to sit on the edge of the bed when he first wakes up for a couple of minutes to let his body adjust, & drink water throughout the day. He is a very healthy, extremely fit man and this was the first time he had any physical trouble. (A friend of mine said her relative passed out and got 70 stitches in his head. That's what I worried about as well - what he'd hit in falling as he's 6'2".) It definitely gives me peace of mind to know that he's been checked out by doctors and it's something manageable.
I will be praying for you and your son that you find out what is causing him to faint and that he will be safe.

I've always been a fainter. Check his glucose levels (blood sugar). He probably needs a snack before bed and something light before he gets out of bed (like when you're pregnant). He also may need more iron (anemia). I can imagine a growth spurt would drain your reserves so make sure he's eating right and several times a day (like 5).

I agree w/ everyone.
I have low blood pressure and I could see this happening to me...I faint easily; it's scary.

My 10 year old daughter has also experienced fainting spells. She has fainting 5 times since July 3, 2009. The drs. have run blood tests, she has had a brain wave test done, echo test, ekg, and x-ray of her heart. She has another upcoming appointment with a pediatric neurologist. The first couple times she fainted she knew she wasn't feeling "right" but the last several times she had no warning -the last time I was helping her with her hair and she was talking with me and all of a sudden the look on her face was like she forget something and then I was holding her. She says she saw different colors but there was nothing she could do to stop what was happening. I am also scared she is going to get hurt during one of these episodes before we can figure it out!

I get dizzy very often when I get up too fast. I fainted once in the morning - about an hour after waking. It turned out that my blood sugar was VERY low - it's called hypoglycemia. You probably know what that means - it's like the opposite of being diabetic. I was able to control mine through diet and don't have many problems with it now. Have his doctor do a blood glucose test. It'll take a couple of hours but will be well worth the results.

I see you wrote this awhile ago but will answer for others too so nobody freaks out when this happens. Take your child to the pediatrician -and again you can do that calmly. I'm going through this with my just turned 14 year old who just went through a tremendous growth spurt (is now around 6 feet tall) His pediatrician did all the testing on blood pressure, reflexes etc. and all tested OK...his prescription? Gatorade -not kidding -he needs to drink more and they said increase in fluids and specifically mentioned water and Gatorade. They also said my son should stretch and drink some water prior to getting up in the morning and that this stage lasts typically 6 months to a year. If the symptoms are very severe -fainting often -that still I was told doesn't mean it's something severe -but you probably would be refereed to a cardiologist and they sometimes even have to use medications in this stage in rare instances -but again that's not the norm. Your teen's ped would also tell you if they felt a trip to the neurologist was necessary- but again stay away from alarmists!! That includes people and doctors!! This again is a very common stage- and especially if your teen is going through a growth spurt. Yes check it out but stay calm. I run the Cherab Foundation http://www.cherabfoundation.org and in the scheme of things --this was an easy one. And in addition my son was thrilled to get a pass from his doc that allows him to drink Gatorade during school hours at his desk! L. Geng

I'm anemic and that happens to me. IT could be something as simple as that. I'm sure they'll do blood tests to find out!

it couldn't hurt to have it checked out....but I would start with his pediatrician, rather than a neurologist....it could be something else, such as a cardiac problem....(worsened by the hot shower, which can dilate the arteries and lower blood pressure), could be low blood sugar....(maybe he should try having a glass of orange juice when he first gets up)....could be lots of things. It is just impossible to tell without a good history and physical. Last year, my daughter who was 15 at the time, had dizzy spells which turned out to be psychological (her father had recently passed away, and her body was reacting to the stress)....but we had to have the doctor rule out other serious physical causes first.

Heather,

There are many reason as to why - just take him to his pedatrician to get checked out and see what steps he advises.

Kathy

If it were my child I would check out blood sugar levels too (i.e., in addition to other medical work-up).

My 16 yo brother has been having this problem and it turned out to be his heart. He grew so fast that his circulatory system couldn't keep up and his heart isn't pumping blood fast enough to keep him going so if he over exerts himself he passes out.

Please take him to see his doctor as soon as you can. Any of the reasons you mention could be correct, not eating right, rushing in the morning, etc., but to be on the safe side, because it happened twice, and not so far apart, could mean something to check out. Don't worry, just be cautious and make sure he's ok.

Hey,

I didn't see you wrote this, so I have several questions. Have you/him changed his diet? Has he increase water intake? Has he been tested for hypoglycemia? Thyroid tested? BP checked? What kind of activities does he do?

Please get him to his peditrician asap. You are right to worry, your his mom!

Good luck :)

Do take him to the doctor to find out if it is something serious. It could be something as simple as low blood sugar and him needing a snack before bed or keeping a mini fridge in his room so he can grab a juice box before getting up.
My close friend has seizures and this is how they started. The neurologist can give you more answers. Know what you're dealing with before you can treat it or prevent it.
The hitting of his head when he falls would scare me to bits. Good luck! I really hope it's something simple to explain and prevent!

My daughter just fainted on her 15th birthday last month. She had already showered, already tested her blood (normal 103 fasting). She said she felt ill and I told her to go to the bathroom (duh) and she just melted as she was walking to the bathroom. She broke her two front teeth on the top. This all occurred at 6:30 in the morning. I took her to the pediatrician at 9 and the endodontist at 11:30. Google Vasal Vagal syndrome. It's apparently quite common. You should seek advice from your pediatrician first. I believe a trip to the neurologist will be ruled out at the pediatrician's office.

My friend's 14 year old daughter just recently fainted and they took her to her pediatrician. The pediatrician did some lab work and found that she had problems with her blood sugar so she has to be on a special diet. SO, yes if I were you, I would have it checked out but I wouldn't start off with a nuerologist. Hope all gets better soon.

S.

I experienced that same situation when I was his age! Once I passed out and my head "bounced" off the italian tiled floor. Ouch. I got tested and besides being hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) I also discovered I had a military neck. I went to a chiropractor for headaches - after exhausting all medical options - and the Xrays revealed that I did not have enough curvature in my neck to properly support my head, therefore creating headaches. I hope his situation is not serious. good luck.

I fainted as a teen, and have fainted as an adult, and my last fainting episode was around May I'd say. I had the doctors check my brain, they hooked me up with cables and found nothing. I am not epileptic and no explanation was offered. Apparently, I have a problem with blood reaching my brain and the lack of oxygen causes me to pass out. I have hit my head on concrete and other hard surfaces numerous times, once I fainted on a woman's shopping cart and almost gave her a heart attack and apart from minimal scarring and bleeding, scaring people, and getting the paramedics out a few times, I suffered nothing major. It hurt like hell once I woke up but for the 5 minutes I was unconscious, I did not feel, see or hear anything. I do suffer from thyroid disorders but that's something that happened in the last 3 years, and I was not a teen back then. I usually faint whenever I see something that upsets/shocks me, such as roadkill or an animal devouring another, someone eating a bloody steak.. though I have felt faint in the middle of eating shellfish, which does not have blood. Whenever I feel weak and about to faint, as per my doctor's advice, I drop to the floor and lie there, arms to the side and legs stretched out straight, until I feel strong enough to get up. I usually start feeling weak and nauseous and will turn pale and clammy, so those are my warning signs. Regardless of where I am, I lie on the floor (even if it requires a long explanation to the people who look at me like I am a circus freak afterwards!) and after 10-15 minutes, I can get up and everything's back to normal. The last time I had to do this (May) I had to do it in a restaurant, so you can imagine the looks, the concern, and the (unwanted) attention I got, but it's better than having my head crack open or breaking my nose, though I usually fall backwards apart from that one time I fainted in Publix...

It could be so many things as you mentioned: lack of sleep, nutrition, hydration, and a social drama that affects most teens...Consult with your doctor about hormone imbalance, sinus congestion (inner ear) and also to consult with a trusted Shaman give me a shout, I'll send you his contact info. He'll get to the root cause and recommend an herbal remedy.

Hi, I would definately take him to a doctor and have him checked especially that it happen a second time. My daughter is 14 and just last week she got up from bed and felt light headed, and dizzy. She said she felt like she was spinning.. When she walked she wasn't walking straight at all. I had her rest alittle and lay down. After resting it went away. Thankfully it hasn't happened again. If it does I will definately take her to the doctor as well. It could be anything..Have the physician check your son's blood for diebetes, check is hearing.. his equalibrium could be off, could be is oxygen flow. I hope this helps give you some ideas to check into for him. I hope and will pray that all is well with your son. Take good care.
B. S.