Treatment of Fainting

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If you have a history of fainting, try to avoid sudden changes in posture. Get up from lying or sitting positions slowly and gradually, and avoid hot, stuffy environments that may make you more likely to faint. As soon as you feel faint, try if possible to lie down with your legs slightly raised above the level of the torso. This restores blood flow to the brain and helps to prevent a faint.

If you know that injections or common procedures such as blood tests make you feel faint, tell the doctor or nurse beforehand so that they can make sure you are lying down.

If you know someone is going to faint, or suspect that it is going to happen, help the person lie down, preferably with their head low and the legs raised. If it is not possible to lie down, sit the person feeling faint with their head between their knees. Gently but firmly push down on their head, while they push their head upwards. This encourages the blood to flow to the brain, which reduces the symptoms and helps the person to recover more quickly.

If, when a person faints, they do not regain consciousness within one or two minutes, put them into the recovery position. Lay them on their side with their chin up slightly so that they can breathe easily. Alert the emergency services and stay with the person until medical help arrives.

Most of the time, no further treatment is needed for fainting. However, if the person faints repeatedly or has other symptoms, possible treatment may include:

blood transfusions for anaemia;
treatment with fluids for dehydration;
drug treatment for arrythmia (irregular heartbeat). A pacemaker may be implanted to slow the heart in certain types of fast arrhythmias;
surgery: bypass surgery or angioplasty to treat coronary heart disease;
drug treatment to raise the blood pressure; or
stopping medication that may be causing low blood pressure.