Hi, I haven't been around for awhile. I first began when I thought my symptoms sounded like POTS. Now I have Dx of Orthostatic Intolerance (don't know if that's the same) among too many others too . Anyway, I'm 41 and have lived with POTS like symptoms since 14. I never began receiving help for of of these things other thatn the tachycardia until this last year. So, keep hope, I went untreated from age 14 to age 27. And have been on Atenolol since age 27 until last week. Did have a 3 month period off for diagnostic purposes and they said it had become (instead of SVT) Inappropriate Tachycardia, severe (anytime, anywhere, most of the time). So, in preparation for eval next week at Vanderbilt, I have worked down to zero Atenolo a day. More specifically, though, I've gotten down to that but need to take 25 mg Atenolol/tenormin if I've done too much activity and am exhausted or if I was tense for too long (like anaerobic exercise). Sometimes the tachy doesn't even set in until that evening. That's when I will take some med for it. Atenolol has helped me for 14 years now. I'm very excited to get to the point where I might not need it everyday. Although, too, I have been on a sort of sick leave for a year and a half and my stress level has gone below what it has ever been and I am so tired I hardly do anything. So these things have probably helped. But know there were years where I needed 100 mg/day to get through. And you have to get your sleep or it makes you more exhausted and prone to heart arrythmias. So try the meds, even ask your doctor if he doesn't offer. Good luck! Melanie Aye! My point was that the atenolol helped me sleep because it calmed the pounding (and yes, sometimes I had that awful pounding so bad others could see my back bouncing from the chair back). I've survived many years now, many totally untreated, most undiagnosed; though I do not recommend that! I was young and dumb! Hang in there and do not be afraid to ask your docotors for help. Sometimes I find it helps to ask a doctor, "If I was your sister, (son, daughter, whatever), what would you want for me?" Treat yourself that way too! (easier said than done I know - but it helps to remind ourselves - "If this was my son, what would I be doing for him?" That way I also have a better idea of what kind of help I need to seek (also a long time climbing that barrier!). I'm not saying I'm on Easy Street now - far from it - but the heart condition can be managed - by a cardiologist. I'd like to hear more what others have experienced about these things. Melanie