Question About Making Mornings Better With Pots

[writerlymom]

Hi-

I just wondered if anyone has found strategies or medications that really help with the mornings and early part of the day. I usually start feeling better around 3 p.m....by 8 I'm usually almost good, and it's just about time to finish up the day and start over! Unfortunately my current life doesn't let me just switch to being a night owl. Am completely burned out on this Groundhog Day effect!

[Katybug]

So, my POTS neuro tried me on Ritalin which is a stimulant used primarily in ADHD. He has had some success with his patients that have severe daytime fatigue or hypersomnia. I didn't have success with it but we have found out why...I am a rapid metabolizer of certain drugs, Ritalin being one of them. So it leaves my system so quickly it doesn't help. I know I have read that this is occasionally used for POTS patients so you may be able to find some literature on it. I didn't have any bad side effects from it either.

I will have a 1/2 caff coffee if I have to get up early for something to try to make it through. My tachy can't handle full caffeine. I also recently purchased a lamp/alarm clock that is made for people with seasonal affective disorder. When the alarm goes off, it gradually increases the sound and the light to simulate a sunrise. By gradually waking your body instead of startling you awake, it is supposed to simulate your body waking up on its own and therefore not having a sudden adrenaline surge upon waking and then having let down shortly after which ruins the day early on. It has been a really good tool for me. I got it on Amazon. It was about $75 and isn't stylish (looks like a little spaceship) but it has made a difference. It also has a sleep function that does the opposite which slowly decreases the volume and light to simulate sunset thereby helping you relax into falling asleep. It has sound spa options (waterfall, ocean, nighttime) as well as radio or buzzer.

[lewis]

its really weird how this works. I am the same way. it was very interesting to me that I worked graveyards this past week and I wondered how it would work out. turns out the sleep pattern didn't change a thing as far as how I felt during the time of day. I wake up at 4 pm and felt good right from waking up however got worse the closer I got to morning and the worst I felt was the same time I usually wake up with a racing hasty at 4am. I sure would like to know why

[writerlymom]

Thanks Katybug, I'll look into those.

Lewis, your experience is interesting. My neurologist said they have only theories on the reason for morning trouble for many people- that it may be a function of lying down all night, dehydration since we're not drinking when we sleep, or a mixup of day and night hormones. Your experience seems to point to the hormone theory.

My cardiologist suggested trying to be more active in the morning, that getting the blood pumping helps. I have seen that elsewhere too. Nothing seems to make a difference for me. I do move around early in the day and have tried exercising too.

[lewis]

I dread excersizing in the morning but have noticed it boosts my blood pressure. I don;t drink caffeine but wondered if it would give me an early boost in the morning.

[writerlymom]

Lewis, what do you do for exercise in the morning?

[looneymom]

Have you tried drinking a glass of gatorade after waking up? Tyler has low blood pressure and this seemed to help.

The lamp idea sounds like a good idea Katybug. I will look that up.

[artluvr09]

Do you take a hot morning shower? If so you might want to try taking a cooler shower. I take hot showers in the morning and im usually fine until the shower then I feel lightheaded no energy afterwards until later like after lunch. another thing I thought of do you get out of bed too quickly in the morning? maybe you can try taking it slow like sit up slowly and sit on the edge of your bed for a minute or two then stand up slowly. I tend to get up too quick which causes lightheadedness and whooshing sound in my ears. Also another thing that might help you if you eat something salty when you get up or drink some Gatorade.

[writerlymom]

Thanks everyone! I had tried Gatorade first thing early in the illness but it didn't make a difference; maybe will try that again plus something salty. I haven't checked BP in the early morning but even late morning I feel crummy and the BP is fine. I do get up slowly, etc. It's as if the cloud doesn't lift until the afternoon no matter what! I have been toying with upping the morning midodrine dosage.

[bellgirl]

You may think about having your cortisol blood levels checked. It should be the highest in the early morning, and that's the best time for a specimen to be taken. Some can tolerate Mestinon for fatigue, if you don't have high blood pressure. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin for increased libido, and that gives me much more energy in the morning and into the afternoon. I was horribly fatigued, but also had sleep apnea, so that was part of the problem with me, and I was also deficient in Vitamin D3, so I would suggest having that checked, as well.

[Katybug]

The brand on the lamp/alarm clock is Verilux. I shopped around online and found this one to have all the options I wanted at the best price. But there are others on the market that may have features that fit better for one person or another.

[lewis]

Lewis, what do you do for exercise in the morning?

Recumbent stationary bike mostly.

[DeGenesis]

Elevating the head of my bed has not only made mornings WAY easier, it's by far the most effective treatment for POTS that I've found so far.

Currently I am at 7". Any more and my lower back aches.

Elevating the head of your bed also increases your blood volume.

[AllAboutPeace]

Wellbutrin SR helps me in the mornings, too. I wake up at 7am, take my med and go back to sleep for another two hours. It gives the med lots of time to kick in and when I wake up then I can get right up out of bed and function. I had very sluggish mornings without it. If I oversleep and miss taking my med early I have a much harder time getting out of bed, so I know the Wellbutrin is making a difference. Both my BP and resting HR were low prior to taking this med and it brings them up to normal range.

For me, this med works pretty much like coffee, but with a longer effect. I got those benefits from the very first pill, so for me, it didn't take 4-6 weeks to find out if it was going to help.

My mornings before were like waking out of a coma or hibernation. It took at least an hour of laying in bed before I could get up and even then I was pretty sluggish. Florinef helped that improve some and the combination with Wellbutrin makes a big difference. I prefer to not take meds at all, but I wouldn't want to go back to mornings without it.

I hope you find something that helps - it's a rough way to start the day.