POTS and the Brain

[Michelle Sawicki]

I remembered a publication I recently read on this topic just this morning. This was in reply to a letter to the editor in The American Journal of Medicine, June 1, 2004 Volume 116. In this letter doctors (Bulbena et al) were asserting that panic disorder and dysautonomia overlap. These are excerpts from the reply by Gazit, Nahir, Jacob and Grahame:

"The assertion by Bulbena et al that our patients' symptoms are psychogenic rather than dysautonomic in origin is highly contentious. Furthermore, it totally ignores the objective laboratory evidence of autonomic dysfunction demonstrated in 78% of the patients in our series presented in our paper. Moreover, there is no evidence of autonomic abnormalities in patients with panic attacks."

Michelle

[guvna2004]

Ok Michelle, no need to rub my nose in it. LOL..... :-]

I was reaserching yesterday to, and found nothing. But i like reasearching, so if i come accross something, ill post it up. Im trying to find the cause at the moment, take a few years for me to outline it.

[vemee]

I also do not think anxiety and depression causes pots. The proof I had that I was not suffering from panic attacks was when I found my blood pressure would make huge drops during episodes. As an emt I can not remember a person with a panic attack having hypotension. The anxiety I experienced during my drops in blood pressure was a normal response that happens when the brain is not getting enough blood. It is much like when a person having a heart attack tells you they are going to die just before they crash. The heart does not pump enough blood for the brain to function and as a result they feel panic and anxiety. The heart attack is not a result of the anxiety. Likewise our systems are damaged somehow so that our brains do not get a full blood supply or all the chemicals we need. From here on I need to say this is just my opinion from the web research I have done so do not take it as gospel. In an earlier post I talked about the anxiety I had at night when I got off of antidepressants, this was a result of blood pressure dropping below a systolic of 90 which is considered shock. On the " pots place" website serotonin uptake inhibitors are used as a treatment for pots. I think some of my pots is caused by a lack of serotonin because celexa takes away the night bp drops. However, even when I take the max allowable dose of celexa I still have pots. Stress hormones have been proven to shrink part of the brain I forgot the name of the part but it is hippo something, it deals with memory and learning. If the chemicals released by stress can do that to the brain what else can they damage in our neurological system? Likewise ordinary infections can cause heart attacks and nerve damage. I have better stop here because I have been sitting up too long and I can tell I'm losing my concentration. Anyway I'm going to Cleaveland Clinic next week to see Doctor Fouad hopefully she will give me the tests that I need and look for the real answers and not look for the easiest answer.

[opus88]

After 20+ doctors and many of them telling me I was "just anxious" (which at that time I had NEVER experienced or exhibited such a characteristic), I walked away from the medical world. Nearly everything I've done since then has been based on nutrition - first with diet, and second with ever-changing supplement protocols.

But before I could make that switch, I did have a few bouts with true anxiety and also with panic attacks. Let me just say that those have been possibly the most awful symptoms I could ever experience - I would never downplay what someone goes through if either of these is part of their life. It's very real, and doctors need to stop using either or both of those as an uneducated throwaway diagnosis and start treating the condition for what it is - a chemical imbalance that CAN be corrected.

The biggest thing I've learned from all of my "alternative" work is that our bodies fully rely on what we put into it. If we - either by genetic weakness or thru individually inappropriate dietary choices - are deficient or overabundant in a vitamin, mineral, etc., it throws our body's chemistry out of balance. When the body chemistry is no longer able to compensate, we become chronically ill. And of course, the body chemistry and the brain chemistry cannot be separated.

So while any form of stress - physical, psychological or any other - can exacerbate symptoms of any kind in any disease or condition, our minds are not creating these symptoms or conditions. Our minds are merely reflecting the imbalances in our bodies and perhaps even alerting us to potentially extreme problems with our bodies.

[EarthMother]

Anyone else really in need of a GROUP HUG?

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{gentle hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I like the point opus makes about "Our minds are merely reflecting the imbalances in our bodies ..." And in my case I learned the MY MIND LIED!

While I firmly believe that panic attacks did not cause my POTS I do feel just as strong that years POTS led to what many people (myself included at times) labled panic attacks. It's really very simple mechanics ... my pulse shoots WAY up when I stand and my mind would say "gee...there must be something REALLY REALLY WRONG" standard fight/flight response. I interpretted the fast pulse and dizziness as panic. However even then I began to question if that label really fit the situation. For instance, I might get really "panicky" on a trip to the mall. And then turn around and go home. But later that day, I could make the trip without a problem. No panic. No anticipatory anxiety. The difference was -- in 20/20 hindsight -- that I was really POTSY in the morning and by late afternoon I stood (no pun intended) a better chance of being able to walk around for a bit.

We've all been through our own private battlefield and it does seem that our scars are still very painful.

My deepest gratitude for this board and a safe place to be among people who understand and care.

EM