Are Anyone Else's Dysautonomic Symptoms Worse When Hungry?

[julieph85]

I have noticed since i've been sick with whatever this is that my orthostatic symptoms are much more severe when i'm hungry. I have tried testing my blood sugar to see if i'm hypoglycemic during this time and it within normal range. I cannot understand why even being a little bit hungry makes my orthostatic hypertension and tach. so much worse? No doctors have given an explanation for this.... Just wondering if others experience this... thanks!

[jackiemxoxo]

yes, I feel much worse when I am hungry or tired. I know exactly what you mean and I dont know why it happens.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Yes, I have experienced this too. In fact I believed I had hypoglycemia as well and for me too this was not shown to be true in testing.

[skiberthoud]

Yes, this is a definate for me and it's definately related to blood sugar. I used to think that it had to be a significant drop in order to produce symptoms. That's not true. I get more symptomatic even from a sight change - when it's just starting to drop. Keeping my blood sugars even makes a huge difference for me.

[chipper]

Yes, Yes, Yes!!

[mwise]

Yes for me too and especially when I am tired too.

[E246]

Yes, Doesn't happen so much now but was often felt quite desperately ill when i got hungry. Often have to get up in the night to eat. read somewhere that it is to do with adrenaline release dropping the sugar levels. Not sure if i have got that quite right but when i read it i realised it really is a part of the pots.

If it's any consolation this symptom has gone now foe me - infact sometimes i feel better when i don't eat.

My doctor told me to carry food so it is a well recognised symptom.

Hope this helps - always carry food.

[toddm1960]

Great time for this post, I get this feeling all the time, everyday as a matter of fact. Keeps me eating all lthe time. I'm wondering also if we might have a glucose storage problem. I'm looking for a neuroendcrinologist now, not sure if they'll be able to help but it's a good place to start.

[Katybug]

Yes, I get it when hungry or tired...I also then get a spike in symptoms when I eat (more at dinnertime that earlier meals). I also have a similar issue to Emma...I can not fall asleep unless I eat something while I'm laying in bed trying to sleep and I never ate that late beofre POTS. It almost feels like it helps shut my body off (I think it is probably related to the adrenal issues somehow.) My sugar always tests on the low side of normal.

And I crave fast food when I feel bad and I think it has to do with the ridiculous amounts of salt in fast food. If I happen to venture out and I start to feel bad, I can usually get myself home if I stop at the nearest fast food joint and do some serious salt loading.

[GingerA]

Yes I feel this way too. i feel like if I don't eat I might die.

Katybug you have just helped my self esteem so much! I have terrible cravings for fast food at times and have been beating myself up because I knew it was bad for me but I just couldn't resist. Sometimes I would be literally sick without it! I didn't think about the fact that it had so much salt. No I don't feel so much like a out of control junk food addict.

[Alyssa]

I guess I'm the odd one out! I actually feel better when I'm hungry, to a degree that is. I often don't eat until around dinner time because when I eat, all **** breaks loose! However, in the morning time, I have my vitamin drink, and drink throughout the day, so that may be why I don't feel bad when I haven't eaten.

Edited November 22, 2011 by thankful
removed profanity

[ramakentesh]

Yes, so much so I was investigated numerous times for abnormal glucose tolerance.

Not all POTSies get this though.

Ive had a number of theories on this. Insulin effects Norepinephrine reuptake, most POTS/CFS patients have increased cerebral lactate levels which demonstrates a reduction in glucose metabolism from reduced blood flow to the brain (reduced oxygen results in impaired glucose metabolism and increased lactate), or just because the POTS body is hyperresponsive to normal fluctuations in blood sugar levels, adrenalin and insulin.

But this is definately the case for me. One of my main symptoms actually. But only posturally.

[It'sMyLife]

I was hoping Ramakentesh would chime in. I got some great info from him when I posted asking about this over a year ago!

[Chaos]

Interesting info Rama.

I have tested positive for reactive hypoglycemia with blood sugars in the 30s. However, I've also had symptoms that I thought were hypoglycemia, tested my blood sugar and found them to be MUCH higher than I've ever had with "regular" testing. I'm not diabetic but was shocked by how high they were relative to any other readings I'd had. And yet the symptoms were very similar to the hypoglycemic episodes I've had...which were very similar to the reactions I had to TTTs.

When I was describing the symptoms to my PCP he was chiming in with "hypoglycemia" but when I showed him my CBGs he was really surprised. His opinion...."You're nervous system is so ****** up, it doesn't know what the **** it's trying to do."

[Katybug]

GingerA,

I thought I was out of control too because of the fast food cravings...I just didn't understand it. But, then I looked up the nutrition info on a Whopper Jr value meal (with the small size fries and coke) and it has over 900 mg of sodium. That was the lowest sodium count I found for any value meal at any of the fast food chains in my area. I had thought it was that my blood sugar was low and the fast food was just a convenient way to fix that, but, I don't feel like low blood sugar symptoms when I get these cravings most of the time but I definitely feel physically better after eating these foods. I have also noticed that if I eat prepared foods that have excessively high sodium counts at home that I feel so much better (for example, a Thai Kitchen Mushroom Noodle Bowl which has over 500 mg of sodium but no MSG ). There are also some frozen dinners and individual pizzas that have surprisingly high sodium counts. I just can't salt my food enough to get this kind of sodium loading and still have edible food. I try to only do this mid-day when I need a boost and eat healthy in the morning and dinner.

[Maiysa]

This is exactly my problem. As a matter of fact they've had me test my blood sugar and it's not that unusual for what is happening. If I don't eat every few hours or hour in the morning till about 1 pm, I will get very sick, dizzy, have severe nausea and strange pressure in the back of my head, by my occipital and flushing. I have always been a very thin girl, but I am gaining weight from having to eat every hour or two for 6 hours. And snacks don't help, I have to get full. Bizarre!

[potsgirl]

I also have this problem. I feel much worse if I go too long without eating, and my blood tests usually show that I'm almost hypoglycemic. I certainly feel that way...dizzy, nauseous, light-headed, and a nasty headache. I eat four times a day, but break up my daily calorie allotment into those four times, so I don't overeat. Usually that's not a problem, however, because as the day goes on, I lose my appetite.

Maiysa, I also get my headaches in my occipital region (as we've discussed.) Has anyone had experience with occipital nerve blocks? My doctor would like me to try them.

[Lette]

Yes indeedy, tired, hungry, dehydrated or too hot I get very bad symptoms!!

[janiedelite]

Me as well, however I feel worse if I eat too much!

[green]

I concur with those who say that POTS-related fasting intolerance is probably the result of a need for salt.

I used to worry about having fasting hypoglycemia and was tested multiple times, but there was no evidence of fasting hypoglycemia.

I've since noticed that eating small amounts of salty foods improves subjective well-being as much or more than eating larger amounts of low-sodium foods.

[Ernie]

Hi,

Mine are much worse also. I always carry something to eat when I leave the house.

[janiedelite]

Green, I have to agree with you because when I'm really feeling badly (hungry or not), I almost always get instant relief from getting a cup of egg drop soup from my local Chinese restaurant.

[Csmith3]

Alyssa

You are not alone. I feel better if I am hungry. Shame I like food so much! Once I do eat, I can get on the rollercoaster of eating junk/caffeine for a short term energy boost, but like most "normal" people, it is only lack of willpower that makes me do this.

I have had the reactive hypoglycaemia tests and the only thing that was notable was that my blood sugar level hardly moved.

[ramakentesh]

If it had to do with sodium I wouldnt find apples and mandarins so helpful. I think the salt connection in POTS seems scetchy in some cases. As an example the group with elevated angiotensin II in POTS could experience a worsening of symptoms from excessive salt intake as salt decreased angiotensin catabolism.

[julieph85]

rama, i agree. salt does nothing for me, but carbs help tremendously.