People with CSS are highly sensitive to sensation, including increases of blood pressure. While blood pressure is considered the “silent killer” because people typically don’t notice when it rises or lowers, people with CSS often can. The first sign of high blood pressure is very strong throbbing. While some of this may be due to pain, lowering your blood pressure should remove most of it.

This will be a very noticeable change especially when trying to fall asleep since it will no longer keep you up at night. High and low blood pressure may also be noticeable by weakness in the legs, standing up and feeling a rush of lightheadedness, spinning, and/or feeling flushed, or generally feeling weak and lightheaded. Hydroclorothiazide worked for me, but it made my blood pressure go to low, so I only take it twice a week, not everyday. My blood pressure went from 145/100 to 136/80. This was enough to barely feel the throbbing anymore.