Finally Got My Catecholamine Test Back

[Birdlady]

Here are my results finally. I was wondering if anyone knows what the nondetectable levels of dopamine mean. Is it even significant at all? Thanks

Supine

Dopamine <20

Epinephrine <10

Norepinephrine 125

Tilt

Dopamine <20

Epinephrine 22

Norepinephrine 613

[TXPOTS]

Dana,

Norepinephrine is made from dopamine. You have high levels of NE, most notably when upright, so you must be producing enough dopamine to pump out the excessive amounts of NE. Hopefully, you will get some more answers from other posters. I am guessing the elevated NE is typical of H-POTS or at least a compensatory mechanism resulting in high levels of NE.

[Birdlady]

Yeah that's what I thought too (NE being made from dopamine), so I wasn't sure how that was possible. The interesting thing is don't have the hyperadrenergic form of POTS as my BP basically stays nearly the same when I stand up. I have to get a hold of my local EP to see if he has any input on these results.

TY for responding. You have no idea what I had to go through to these results today...LOL It's been an interesting day.

[issie]

Correct me if I'm wrong!!! I thought that the epiniphrene and noriepiniphrene were created in the adrenals. The seratonion and dopamine in the brain and digestive tract. I noticed that you are on cortisol for adrenal dysfunction. Didn't know that it could also be produced from dopamine. (Interesting) It seems to me, just thinking out loud, since you already know there is adrenal dysfunction. It appears that is still the case and your adrenals are overproducing noriepiniphrene. And I have read that if the production is over 600 it is considered the hyperadrenal type of POTS. If you have the hyper type of POTS, I found out from experience, dopamine replacement --- makes you a whole lot worse. So why then is the dopamine low, if you have hyper? Doesn't add up does it? Thinking out loud again. Keep us posted.

[Birdlady]

Yeah I was really confused about this too. I did a search on the forum and honestly didn't see many catecholamine results posted. There is another person on here who had non-detectable levels of dopamine...I wanna say Arizona girl? Sorry if I got that totally wrong! lol

Epinephrine is only made in the adrenals, so the fact it raises a little bit, tells me they are still doing something. Not a whole lot but something! Norepinephrine is made in the adrenals and the nervous system. Somehow dopamine is involved, but off the top of my head I'm not really sure!

[Maxine]

Nope----it was me....

http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtop...=catecholamines

Maxine :0)

[TXPOTS]

Dopamine is also synthesized in the the adrenals, as well as the brain and nervous tissue, and is the precursor to NE and E, as L-DOPA is the precursor to dopamine. Technically, normal levels of dopamine, depending on the lab, are less than 30 pg/ml (both standing and supine). Perhaps, the lab that performed your test considered 20 pg/ml the cut off, and they did not report the actual number which could have been 19, 10, 6, or 0??? My other question is whether NE is elevated when going from supine to standing in non-POTS patients? I imagine they have done control group studies on this. I notice that normal ranges of NE run higher when patients are upright per several labs. Where's Rama? He's good at interpreting this stuff.

[issie]

Nope----it was me....

http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtop...=catecholamines

Maxine :0)

Maxine,

What did you find out? Why the low dopamine, what is the significance?

[Birdlady]

Ahh okay so <20 dopamine is a normal result then. I guess they are only looking for high results with a lab range like that. I wasn't given any lab ranges, so I didn't realize.

I was told by the nurse that normal people's catecholamine levels double upon standing, but anymore than that and it's abnormal. I have no idea if that's true if your baseline is high though. I'd imagine not. Although if someone has a high baseline, I'd suspect a bad sample first. Were the lights dimmed and the patient allowed to be supine for 30 minutes in a quiet environment etc. According to this page I bookmarked a long time ago standing NE levels >600 are quite common in POTS patients. Hmm, so I guess I'm pretty normal for a POTsy! lol

[TXPOTS]

Dana,

I remember when paging through some of Vanderbilt's ongoing studies, one of the common inclusion criteria was a upright NE level > 600. Obviously, this is not necessary for a POTS diagnosis. However, if Vandy was using this as an inclusion criteria, it must be a common finding in POTS patients. I hope you get some more insight on what the results mean as far as treatment, etc...

[Birdlady]

Yeah I'm pretty much on my own. I'm not going back to where I had these done. It took about 15 phone calls, 9 weeks and me screaming at the secretary to get these results from them. Why torture myself with that again?

[TXPOTS]

Dana,

I completely understand. Over a month ago, I had a slew of labs drawn and traveled for a week of various cardiac and autonomic testing. I am having trouble getting all the results. One of the abnormal results the doctor was unable to interpret, so he told us to basically find someone else who could, because he did not know what the results meant. Why run a test if you are unable to interpret and furnish the results? It was rough on my body going through all this, and I am left trying to fight to get results and without a treatment plan. From the ordeal, I did learn that my heart is healthy, and I am not deconditioned, far from it. I understand the frustration....