Do I Have Dysautonomia?

[wliz@rocketmail.com]

Hello everyone

I am new here. I have been struggling with health issues for many years now, which got a lot worse after I had a bad virus in my twenties (I am late thirties now). I have a slight case of hashimotos thyroiditis and I also have adrenal fatigue, I am taking meds for both, as well as for depression. For years I have had dizziness when I stand. When I was 16 I took a tricyclic antidepressant and I fainted the next a.m. -the doc told me I needed more salt and to drink more.

Now I am always groggy and exhausted in the mornings especially, and my brow/sinus area is often badly swollen. I have adult onset asthma (atypical). Sometimes I feel week and have a hard time exercising. These things are all worse during the second half of my period. My blood pressure and temp are often low. My pulse is around 70 bpm resting lately.

Over the years a few things have helped these problems. I gained relief from wellbutrin and strattera, both which have norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. At one point I took large doses of topical estriol which also really helped, but not as well during the second part of my period.

Over time I have developed raynaud's syndrome, where my toes turn blue and swell up in the winter. My hands and feet are always cold. I don't know if this is from the antidepressants or not. I also have issues with sweating and often wake up at night soaked in sweat.

I do believe I have POTs because of the dizziness. Do these symptoms sound like dysautonomia? Does anyone know what the connection is with thyroid and adrenal problems, if any?

Thanks for your time.

[MelissaCrystal]

Hello everyone

I am new here. I have been struggling with health issues for many years now, which got a lot worse after I had a bad virus in my twenties (I am late thirties now). I have a slight case of hashimotos thyroiditis and I also have adrenal fatigue, I am taking meds for both, as well as for depression. For years I have had dizziness when I stand. When I was 16 I took a tricyclic antidepressant and I fainted the next a.m. -the doc told me I needed more salt and to drink more.

Now I am always groggy and exhausted in the mornings especially, and my brow/sinus area is often badly swollen. I have adult onset asthma (atypical). Sometimes I feel week and have a hard time exercising. These things are all worse during the second half of my period. My blood pressure and temp are often low. My pulse is around 70 bpm resting lately.

Over the years a few things have helped these problems. I gained relief from wellbutrin and strattera, both which have norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. At one point I took large doses of topical estriol which also really helped, but not as well during the second part of my period.

Over time I have developed raynaud's syndrome, where my toes turn blue and swell up in the winter. My hands and feet are always cold. I don't know if this is from the antidepressants or not. I also have issues with sweating and often wake up at night soaked in sweat.

I do believe I have POTs because of the dizziness. Do these symptoms sound like dysautonomia? Does anyone know what the connection is with thyroid and adrenal problems, if any?

Thanks for your time.

POTS is probably one of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue, but it's so hard to tell what causes what and which disorder came first. Have you seen a doctor that can diagnose Dysautonomia? They may be able to help you with some treatments that go alongside your other meds to control the POTS symptoms.

[MightyMouse]

Only diagnostic testing by a doctor can say for certain. If you feel you may have dysautonomia, you might consider looking at our physician's list to see if there is a doc near you who knows about this group of disorders and can make an accurate diagnosis. Many of the symptoms of dysautonomia overlap with lots of other syndromes and illnesses, so it's really impossible to say if your constellation of symptoms meet the criteria.

[Poohbear]

I do believe I have POTs because of the dizziness. Do these symptoms sound like dysautonomia? Does anyone know what the connection is with thyroid and adrenal problems, if any?

Thanks for your time.

From what you've written here it doesn't sound like you have POTS.

Dizziness can be a symptom of POTS but you said your heart rate is 70 resting which is normal and good. You don't say what your heart rate goes to upon standing. POTS has several criteria to be diagnosed: (From one of the many Medical Journal Articles put out by Vanderbilt:

"Diagnostic Criteria: Criteria for the Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Heart rate increase > 30 beats per minute from supine to standing (within 5-30 min) this should occur in the Absence of orthostatic hypotension (a fall in blood pressure >20/10 mmHg).

Symptoms get worse with standing and better with recumbence

Symptoms lasting > 6 months

Standing plasma norepinephrine > 600 pg/ml (> 3.5 nM)

Absence of other overt cause of orthostatic symptoms or tachycardia (e.g. active bleeding, acute dehydration, medications, prolonged bed rest). The syndrome must occur in the absence of prolonged bed rest, medications that impair autonomic regulation (such as vasodilators, diuretics, antidepressants or anxiolytic agents), or any other chronic debilitating disorders that might cause tachycardia (such as dehydration, anemia or hyperthyroidism). The mere observation of orthostatic tachycardia is not, by itself, sufficient to make the diagnosis of POTS."

I have not read anything that indicates any connection between Hashimoto's and POTS; except perhaps that if the hypothyroidism is not treated it could make other symptoms worse. Adrenal problems can overlap but it's hard to tell---you would have to find out if the root cause of your problems is adrenal or some other root cause.

You may have symptoms of autonomic disturbance but that doesn't necessarily mean you have POTS or Orthostatic Intolerance--you might but then again the symptoms you describe fit many other problems and conditions as well.

If you feel like you haven't been evaluated thoroughly I would encourage you to seek out a specialist.

Good luck to you.

[ajw4790]

Welcome!

I will echo others in finding a specialist if you haven't already. Also, look through old posts on adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues by using the search feature on the bottom of the page. I don't have a lot of specific info on either, but I know they have been discussed before.

[wliz@rocketmail.com]

Thanks so much for your replies, all!

I tried to check my pulse upon standing today, but it was so hard to detect! I finally counted around 82, I think, so around 10 points higher than my supine pulse.

I am seeing an integrative med doctor about all of my other issues so I will bring it up to him. I did see that there was a specialist near me also, so when I switch insurance plans I am going to try and get an appt with her.

One last thing, One of my aunts has MVP, and another one has raynaud's as well, so I wonder if there is something weird with my genetic tendencies towards blood vessel regulation, etc.

Thanks again, everyone