Confused About Norepinephrine ....

[Jennij]

I'm confused....my doctor suggested that I try Strattera or Effexor for my POTS symptoms. But my partner is on Strattera for AD/HD and often experiences side effects similar to some of my POTS symptoms (fight or flight response, sweating, flushing, BP irregularities). If I understand the drug correctly, it's blocking the re-uptake of norepinephrine and therefore staying at the synapses where it's needed for AD/HD. Why would that be helpful for my potsy stuff. It seems to me like I'd need something that does the exact opposite, right? Is there such a med?

I haven't explored the Effexor suggestion but I know it's an SNRI which I think blocks the re-uptake of seratonin and norepinephrine. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[looneymom]

The cardiologist suspects that my son may have high norepinephrine levels. He has put him on clonidine before bedtime, which seems to help. My son would wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. This does not happen as long as he takes the clonidine before bedtime. My son has also been put on Strattera because of his severe tremors. My son is not ADHD but Strattera seems to help balance brain chemicals to help this condition of tremors in ADHD teenagers.. His tremors have not stopped totally but he is getting some breaks from tremors during day time hours. It does block the re-uptake of norepinephrine. Do you have symptoms that might indicate high norepinephrine levels? My son has low serotonin and dopamine levels also. So he could not take the Effexor.

[Chaos]

There are so many paradoxical reactions going on in our POTSie bodies that I'm not sure it can be explained exactly at this point in time. I know personally I couldn't tolerate any SSRI/SNRI meds but other people have had relief with them.

Even my POTS neuro has said he has given up trying to predict what's going to work in various patients because there are so many different things these drugs do, ways they get processed etc so it's all pretty much trial and error at this point in time for each individual.

[TCP]

I don't know anything about the drugs you mentioned, but I have just come off Cymbalta/Duloxetine which is an SNRI. I came off Nortriptyline, the tricyclic antidepressant and decided to go on the Duloxetine, as from what I had read it was good for people with ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia. At first I felt my cognitive functioning was good, but I started to feel very unwell and over a period of 8 months I felt my condition was deteriorating. My GI was in turmoil hours of nausea and I was getting depressed and my cognitive functioning was very poor. My sleep disorders, which had settled became really bad every night.

After New Year, I thought I would gradually come off the Cymbalta to see if it was that that was bothering my whole mind and body. The withdrawal was over a six month period and done in very small increments each week. I was then faced with even more sleep problems, diarrhoea and gut clenching; bladder infections, nausea, weakness, worse nerve pain etc. By this time I could barely eat, sleep, move or do anything. I was sweating profusely but my temperature was below normal and my BP very erratic. I was finally able to see my GP and she put me back on Nortriptyline and that night I slept so soundly and no nausea the next day. I am now getting back on track.

I'm afraid that Cymbalta/Duloxetine was not for me and the withdrawal over six months nearly killed me. Decisions about meds are major ones and I wish I had stuck with what I had got. It is trial and error and being careful, too.

I hope you find something that suits you.