hholmes13 Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 I finally heard back from my doctor today. (He had been out of the office for a few days.) I told him how my hr has been all over the place and my bp has been way too low. Yesterday, I couldn't even get in to work. My hr jumped up to 144 just walking up the stairs in my house. My bp at one point yesterday was 75/35. I was getting exhausted just sitting up on the couch for too long. No matter what I did, I couldn't get my bp to increase. (I'm on 30mg of midodrine/day.) He asked if I had gained any weight since I saw him last. I said maybe a pound or two, but probably because I can finally eat a little bit more now. He said I'm not taking in nearly enough sodium and I should gain like 3 lbs of water weight or so if I'm increasing my blood volume enough. He suggested Thermotab (salt pills) and to take enough to get an extra gram or so. We're going to try them until Monday, and if that doesn't resolve the tachy issue then he wants to put me on a really low dose beta-blocker to control my hr. I'm really hoping this helps because we're going on vacation next week for my mom's wedding and stuff. I want to be able to walk around! Do salt pills help any of you out? How high of a dose are you on? How long does it take to notice the effects? I'm a little nervous about a beta-blocker because my resting hr is around 54. I just don't want to make myself feel even more exhausted. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abnel Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 I am on 3000mg sodium chloride daily (which I am told is not enough) plus I eat lots of salty food during the day. Prior to the salt tablets I had terrible brain fog and mild headaches daily after a 3 week bout of flu virus. It really turned it around for me and the brain fog and headaches stopped within a week. Over time, maybe 2 months, I noticed that my daily tachy episodes between 12noon and 2pm were not as severe. I used to be extremely tachy around that time of day and I felt awful walking out of the office at lunchtime to get my lunch. I used to force myself to go for a quick 5 minute walk even though my heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest.I am lucky that the salt tablets helped me as I don't think they work for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try to see if it helps you. Also, just be warned that they can give you an upset stomach in the first 2-3 weeks (maybe longer) until your body gets used to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah4444 Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 I take a 1 g salt capsule with each meal (have to take them with food or I get too nauseous) and they do help me - not a cure all or anything, but it helps with the brain fog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Most certainly salt does not help in all forms of POTS and may worsen sympathetic drive and angiotensin II levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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