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Dysautonomia, POTs, Tachycardia, High Blood Pressure, Asthma, Severe Allergies and Medications Query


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Hello, I'm completely new--both to the diagnosis of dysautonomia with tachycardia, and to this forum.  I take labetalol and it really helps control my heart rate and POTs issues.  I also have resting high blood pressure--around 200/150, for which the labetalol helps as well.  However, I've (in the last few years) developed severe allergies and asthma.  I also take Arnuity Ellipta (a lung steroid) and Xopenex (like albuterol--but with fewer racing heart symptoms).  I have heard of Mast Cell and may have that--but have not had the tests yet.  

I recently started a new job that is awesome--its sit down, office, customer service work--but sometimes we get people who come in who have smoke on their clothing (like from smoking cigarettes)--this will set off a chain reaction in my lungs that is made worse by my beta blocker.  It doesn't matter how much Xopenex I take, it's still bad.  The only time that my lungs got really fixed was the time I took a Claritin pill, it was about a year ago--BUT the Claritin woke me in the middle of the night with tachycardia and high blood pressure (I can feel the pressure in my chest when it happens.)  I really need to take another Claritin because I can't function at work, and-- (NO--it was NOT Claritin D, I'm not stupid, I know my meds because my body reacts weirdly to medications, and I know Claritin D can cause cardiopulmonary issues).   T

hough I need another Claritin I'm afraid to take one.  I called my cardiologist (where I live it's 4 AM, and Sunday, so they have a doctor on call, a different one than my doc--who specializes in Dysautonomia).  This doctor said he would recommend Claritin, but that in his experience with dysautonomic patients all bets are off.  He said that our bodies react strangely to medications some times.  So I don't know whether or not to take this medication.  He said I could "try it" again, and if it gave me the same symptoms to stop using it--but this really depresses me.  

I'm scared I'm going to have to quit my job, or that there will be no medication I can take to help with all my body is doing against me.   :(   Does anyone else have dysautonomia, severe allergies, and also high blood pressure?  If so, have you had similar problems with medications?  If you have, how did you figure out what to take, and what do you take?  I would like help from folks with this disease--and help from folks with this disease, who also have medical experience/licensure/degree is a plus too.  Thank you in advance for all your help.  I swear I hate having a "unique" body.  I hate it.

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I'm sorry you are having such a rough time! I have had severe persistent asthma pretty much my whole life and it is no fun.

Many beta blockers interfere with bronchodilators, like albuterol or xopenex. Some can also cause bronchoconstriction on their own, which is why they are generally not recommended for asthma patients. You might want to ask your doctor if there is another beta blocker you can try. It might just be a lot of trial and error with finding what will work with your body and your conditions.

I tried taking a beta blocker for my migraines about 10 years ago and had a very similar problem to yours. It basically turned my albuterol to nothing! My blood pressure runs relatively normal, so I don't know too much about that. Hopefully you can get this all figured out soon!

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So sorry you're going through this. I don't have exactly the same issues, however I do get sensory overload from lights and smells, and when I worked in retail I would go home every day with a migraine. One thing that helped me get through the day was bringing along peppermint essential oil. I kept a small bottle in my pocket so I could take a whiff to get rid of awful lingering perfume smells, or put a bit on my temples for instant headache relief. Sorry I don't have more to add. I know it's stressful trying to manage your health on top of work. Hang in there!

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You can ask your employer for accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act.  I don't know what would help with the smokers and your asthma, but if there is a reasonable accommodation they could make, and you ask (probably with doctors documentation), then they have to do it.  It's worth considering. 

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