The Patient's Voice

Views expressed in The Patient's Voice are not necessarily those of the Dysautonomia Information Network or its members.

POTS and Anxiety
by Olivia M.

I saw a cardiologist who told me that my heart rate variations were a result of "subconscious anxiety". Many years later I saw another cardiologist who performed a tilt table exam, which revealed POTS.

I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder first, and this diagnosis, lodged forever within my medical records, has haunted me for the last ten years. While subsequently diagnosed with constitutional POTS, it is my experience that most doctors are unwilling to let go of the idea that anxiety is somehow responsible for the majority of my POTS symptoms. Even if they believe I have POTS as well, doctors consistently point to anxiety as the cause of my lightheadedness, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, etc. The same can be said of family and friends.

I will not be alone in having been told my symptoms were primarily psychological in nature. The stigma of psychiatric disorder is overwhelming. As the majority of POTS sufferers are women, and young women at that, we are probably misdiagnosed quite frequently. Once saddled with a psychiatric diagnosis, future medical visits can be challenging. My own internist thought I had Munchausen's syndrome (making up symptoms to get attention from a doctor) until test results confirmed I was actually suffering from thyroiditis, in addition to POTS.

While my situation is extreme, I doubt it is at all unusual. Please inform readers of your site to follow their gut! Anxiety disorder can co-exist with POTS, but it certainly does not cause the symptoms.

Olivia M.

Questions
by Lisa lisa@epioneer.com

I was hoping to ask others this question on the patients voice..... I developed POTS after an intense Epstein Barr infection. Have any of you experienced this also?

My husband and I are hoping to have children sometime soon. Have any of you conceived and delivered with POTS? What was your experience like?

I am in need of a POTS doctor in or near Kentucky, any suggestions? What type of doctor do you all see?

Thanks for your help!

The Patient's Voice is an area for patients to express themselves and write about experiences relating to dysautonomia - both positive and negative. It is a place to share medical experiences, suggestions, short stories and poetry, etc.

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