ramakentesh Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I recently attended a party for a friend who is moving overseas and with0out really thinking for once, i consumed a large amount of alcohol. This was pretty much the first time ive even touched alcohol in nine months.I awoke the next day with a bad hangover, but i recovered from this by that evening. But at around 11:30 it as if my body went into overload. My heart began to pound, my skin was cold and clammy to touch, my usual tremors were ten times worse - my whole body was shaking, I was anxious and out-of-it, double vision, pale, my usual standing dizziness was much worse and for the next day and a half i couldnt think straight and my sleep was very bad - light and full of dreams and my heart rate was too high - making it uncomfortable to lie down.Can anyone relate a similar experience? Im more confused than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Sawicki Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Alcohol dilates blood vessels and can cause dehydration, both of which can make POTS worse. See: http://www.dinet.org/what_to_avoid.htm for other things you might also want to avoid.Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLB Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 All I can tell you is, my reaction to alcohol is so severe that I haven't taken a drink in 5 years. I had a whiskey-based sauce on a meal about a year ago, and was sick for 2 days. I avoid it like the measles now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I try to avoid alcohol as well, which at my age is difficult at times.However, when I do attend social gatherings and/or go out with friends, I generally just try to keep my consumption to a minimum because, like you,I get enhanced symptoms for a day or two if I don't behave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnicornIsis Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I have the same problems with alcohol. Back at Christmas, I had 1! winecooler, just one!, and ended up going to the hospital because I lost consciousness and was having trouble breathing, plus all the other symptoms 10 times worse. This was before I was on medication too. Alcoholism runs on ALL sides of my family heavily, so I had always tried to say away from drinks, but I've alctually had less to drink since I turned 21 than the entire time before. I got my diagnosis the day after I turned 21, so my celebration consisted of riding in the car up to Johns-Hopkins and spending the night worried to death about what they were going to tell me. The two or three drinks I've had since I've been on meds did the same things, just not as bad, but I went so far as to have apple juice with the kids at the wedding I was the Maid of Honor for, when everyone else had champange for the toast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Mixed drinks with a higher alchohol content really seem to do me in--things like vodka and gin. I can drink just one and the sweats and tachy start right in. Wine, which is typically about 12 to 14% alcholol (some a little higher or lower) doesn't bother me unless I REALLY drink too much of it. I always have plenty of water too, which helps the body clear the alcholol out of your system efficiently.Everyone's a bit different. I have plenty of friends with ANS problems who can't have any alchohol whatsoever! Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 POTS and alcohol don't mix. I was still having an occasional drink during the first stages of POTs before I had a clue as to what was going on. After a drink or two my heart would start pounding, I would get dozens of PAC's and the fatigue the next day was awful. I stopped having drinks months before my doctors warned me to stop.I wouldn't dare have even a sip nowdays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 My heart pounds incredibly fast and it feels like there's fire running in my veins if I have even a sip of alcohol. I hope you're feeling better now and recovery from this episode didn't take too long! Did getting rehydrated help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted August 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 yeah im feeling much better, but it was a strange reaction - primarily because it came on a day after the actual event. I felt so spaced out and weird, and all my symptoms were really enhanced.Thanks for all your replies.During the event i did feel slightly more disorientated after one drink, but after another i felt great.On the way home apparently my body was trembling -although i dont remember this, and then the next night it all came on.I now know what to chiefly avoid.I was also wondering whether people get these tired moments every day where they can barely keep their head up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 YES! I do get episodes like that at work (unfortunately) where I feel like I'm reeling; I just get so tired! Only once in a while can I get away with putting my head down on my desk; a few minutes of shut eye helps quite a bit. If I can't do that, I get up and walk around a little or eat a snack--even yesterday I resorted to having a Coke, which I haven't had much of in recent months, but I gotta say, it made me feel great. Caffeine does help get blood pressure up, and yesterday, it didn't make my heart beat faster--at least that I could tell or that was uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus88 Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 I am so incredibly sensitive to caffeine that I have to be pretty desperate to resort to it. But when I do feel that nearly debilitating sleepiness/fatigue while I am at work, I will put about 2 or 3 swallows of coffee in a mug and fill it the rest of the way with hot water. If I'm not careful about the amount (even at that tiny dose) it can backfire with a wired feeling, trembling, etc. But I truly use caffeine ONLY medicinally, infrequently, and very carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 indeed! Id almost argue that caffiene brought my POTS on - well that and excessive exercise for a week before hand!But when i used to get the slight symptoms i got at the start i always just put it down to caffiene intolerance as it always made things worse for me - worse tremors, weaker body, but fidgety and could keep still.After i got full blown, i had a sip of weak tea and i was wired and anxious for hours. its a no go for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Yet another example of how one person's poison is another's magic bullet--I do well with one cup of coffee in the morning--it helps to stabilize my bp enough for me to function. I often have another caffeinated beverage around 2 to 3pm. Caffeine and other stimulants can be helpful for some people with autonomic problems (see the "what helps" section of DINET).Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 I have what I called a "tired spell" every day at about 4 or 5 p.m. I can barely function when this kicks in, and it lasts until 8 or 9. Then I get a burst of energy, which is unfortunate because by that time it's usually time for bed.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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