jangle Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 My doctor didn't talk at all about my salt intake while on florinef. I'm currently taking .1 mg, I was wondering if it's dangerous for me to increase my salt intake on this medicine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brye Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I eat extra salt and take florinef. I also take a potassium supplement because of low potassium levels due to the florinef. They probably need to check that. Mine is checked every 6 months.Brye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jangle Posted January 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 I've been taking in about 2 table spoons of salt a day, (about 5-7 grams of sodium). I'm worried if this can cause hypernatremia.How much sodium do you take in a day and what are your sodium levels usually on the blood tests?Sorry I'm being a little bit of a hypochondriac today because I've been getting worrisome symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katybug Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Both my cardio and my POTS neuro both told me to up my salt intake (although were not specific about how much.) We had a thread going not to long ago regarding what docs had recommended regarding the "correct amount" of salt. I think I had named it "What is the correct amount of salt?" or something along those lines. Several people had specific amounts from Mayo and Cleveland Clinic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 My doc didnt say much about salt. I think florinef can extract or retain more salt from a normal diet and salt may not be required but some say that they needed extra salt to really notice the benefit. Just dont take salt tablets because Dr levine and grubb say it actually ***** more moisture out of your blood and can be detrimental. I just drink a drink called Mizone which is the same as gatorade but with much less sugar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
issie Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 When I did the research on aldosterone/renin and looked at florinef and salt. I ran accross one article of a study with rats that said if you used extra salt with it it would cause the arteries to harden and it was a death blow to the rats. Now, whether that happens to humans the article didn't say. Most heart doctors though tell you NOT to use salt because of the damage it can cause to the ateries and the heart. Florineff is a synthetic aldosterone and aldosterone is there to hold on to salt in the kidneys and increase fluid volume. There's debate as to whether or not your body would start producing aldosterone on it's own after having been supplemented - because it will stop it's own production - relying on the supplemented form. You can look at the article I wrote, I gave the references to the studies that I read and wrote it from and maybe that will answer more questions for you. Most doctors do tell POTS patients to increase salt - and usually the first treatment they try is florinef. But, I question whether this is really all that good for ALL POTS people. I'm not convinced. I know we need to increase our blood volume and are usually dehydrated - but not sure an adrenal hormone that affects kidney function is the right way. (That's all just my opinion.) But, on the flip side - I think that the kidney function has allot to do with the problems. We tend to be low in aldosterone and renin - allot of us. Me included. But the big question is WHY?????? Is it a compensation for something else and it's a good thing, or is it THE problem, or is it just another glich in our systems that we really do need to supplement? Jangle, if you're having some issues - research it to death and go with your gut feeling. What you do today - - - will affect tomorrow.Issie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemons2lemonade Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Allegedly, you need lots of salt to make the florinef work. I take 1/2 tsp a day in 3oz of water. Monitor your bp though, one time I upped my salt to 5g and my bp went up almost 50 points. Take it slow until you find what works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 My doctor at Mayo and my home cardiologist have always told me that you need to increase your salt intake when you're taking Florinef. And drink lots of water. I always have low BP, and it gets really low when I stand up or stand too long, so my neurologist at Mayo told me I should be eating 8 - 10 grams of salt a day. So far, it really doesn't seem to be doing a while lot for me. I still pass out and get seizures due to my low BP, and I couldn't tolerate either Florinef or Midodrine.Jangle, you should check with your doctor to verify the right amount of salt for you, but in my opinion, you're on the right track.Cheers~Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.