Discovery Channel

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

Last night I was watching Discovery health, and they had an episode on pots(not treatedapprop.) and chiari malformation. Educational and helpful. Miriqm

[taylortotmom]

Wow! What was the show?

Carmen

[corina]

hi miriam,

that's interesting!

did they have helpful information?

corina

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

medical incredibles

[goldicedance]

The show was Diagnosis Unknown. They skipped through POTS very quickly--one doc recommended caffeine, sudafed (I think) and salt. Another said forget the salt intake, take high doses of prednisone. Then it jumped to Chiari.

It was interesting in that the early docs had heard of POTS although their treatments were unusual. Although my first doc, suggested that I drink caffeinated coffee in the morning along with the other usual meds, salt, and fluids. He never mentioned taking something like sudafed.

I thought, though, they kind of brushed off POTS like it was nothing. HAH, HAH!!!

[briarrose]

Caffeine is for those people who suffer low blood pressure. It's suppose to act as a vasoconstrictor and help increase blood pressure.

Salt is to help retain fluids.

And Sudafed is a BIG NO...NO!

When will this Country get educated about Dysautonomia?????

[pamela]

My old doc in charlotte NC prescribed Metadate(ritalin) for POTS assuming that it would help with the fatigue and low BP since Nadalol was bringing me way down. The metadate worked for lack of enrergy for about two weeks but I was tachy and skipping heartbeats. After about two weeks on the med I began falling asleep standing,sitting, no matter what. And I went from having no appetite to eating my arms off. THe doc said we could try ephedra or pseudophedrine.. I said no thanks. My cardio doc had me do a hholter test and a stress test and then prescribed Coreg and digitek since my arrythmias never recovered. Beware of uppers like pseudophedrine,caffine etc. THey can make yoour cardiio symptoms worse and cause damage.