njfainter42

I developed POTS and NCS about 3 years after pregnancy...I take cymbalta (low dose) and will probably need it forever but I have greatly improved with the med even though I do have some fainting episodes with stress/exhaustion. I did become hypothyroid right after pregnancy which may have led to my POTS which came on with the stress of an unrelated surgery and accident.

Before lying on the decompression table I had tried physical therapy (mackenzie exercises) and strengthening and also massage. Neither helped as much as the table. I also see a different chiro 2 times/month for the graston technique which is also done by some physical therapists. I had trouble with my physical therapy exercises in the past because I had so many flare ups where I could barely move, pain down my arms and just severe kinks. (I was hit from behind in my car a few times). The massage helped but only for a day or 2...didn't stop the flare ups from happening. I still do mackenzie each eve and pray I don't get hit by a car.

When I started cymbalta it made me sleepy so I took it at night. After awhile I was able to take it in the morning without getting sleepy. It does help me a lot..I am not sure if my POTS is hyper though as I have not been told.

When I was doing ab exercises I had what felt like an intense gas bubble which started below the bra line and rose upward...very intensely painful...a personal trainer came over to help me said she'd seen that in people doing ab exercises but never lasting so long...I was on the ground in intense pain about 15 minutes. Also a couple of years prior the same thing when I was just sitting around an hour or 2 after a workout. My dad called an ambulance I was so scared and then it went away. My doc sent me for a stomach type test where I had to drink a white chalky liquid....test came back negative so doc just told me to avoid ab exercises...never really figured it out...but now I do get intense chest pains that feel like gas and sometimes in my upper back. I also sometimes get that burpy problem in evenings sometimes

Thanks both of you for posting. I bought the wrong type of licorice...I am going to look for the glycyrrhize type to try out. My skin isn't that dry...not sure what the itch problem is about but I guess it might not be related to POTS

You found Zoloft stimulating? That's odd. I'm on Klonopin, Zoloft, and take Ativan as needed. I still have bad anxiety sometimes, but at least I can sleep and I'm not in a total panic ALL the time. My depression is still here too, but I've only been on meds for four weeks so I'm still hopeful. I hate having to take Ativan all the time. I don't know anything re:remeron but I take cymbalta which helps for POTS and affects norepinephrine and serotonin. (I am not sure if it raises the levels or lowers them but it works for my NCS and POTS) I find it calming but not everyone does. I don't see a psychiatrist...my primary prescribed my cymbalta after I asked him for it to try. My cardio suggested florinef and I told him I wanted to try cymbalta first. I think it is all just trial and error but you could give the drug another week or 2 before you decide to talk to her about a switch. I know some meds take longer to help you feel right. Also, keeping a diary of your symptoms so when you talk to her you have more evidence of your symptoms. Hope you start to feel better soon.

I wanted to try licorice for increasing BP and energy. Right now I just use coffee about 3 cups/day to get thru the day. I had bought DGL licorice but remember someone here posted that that was the wrong type. Which type licorice do you take? Also I read that taking magnesium and potassium (4 pills, 99mg/day) and 400-600 magnes was a good idea for us? I do have the 99mg potassium but just have been taking one/day and one 250 magnes/day...does anyone know if it might be safe to increase this? On another topic, I have constant itching in arm behind elbows...going on about 7 months...dermat wants me to try to get off my cortisone creams...is this a normal POTS problem?

I asked my endocrinologist re:D3 in 50,000 pills and he didn't think it was available in the U.S.. If I find it (in 50,000) to let him know as it is better for you than D2. Until I get my levels up I must continue the D2 since it may be the only way to get the 50,000 and then I can switch to D3 when lower doses are OK

I have really low levels and take a couple of 50,000 pills also. Recently, my mom noticed that her prescription for 50000D was D3 and mine was D2. I did read that D3 is better and safer than D2 so I called around to find out if I could get D3 in a 50,000 mg script and 2 pharmacists said NO, 1 said YES, my doc just had to specify D3. I haven't been in touch with my doc yet but this was a thought since mom's D level has risen with her D3 script and mine has not with the D2.

I used to get this when I overdid it...got overtired...I'd shake and need to urinate over and over again. I was told the ANS controls urination and the body just dumps all its fluids since the ANS is out of control with the episode and the body shakes to get the blood back to the brain. These episodes could last hours or days. With cymbalta I haven't had the episodes at all...I think the norepinephrine really helped me.

Check out the therapeutica endorsed by the Am. Chiro Society http://www.therapeuticainc.com/#...It really is comfy b/c of the raised sides for side sleepers and the indented middle in case you roll onto your back

I was advised by a doc with PHD in nutrition that I should take this. My health food store combines it with MSM which I am not keen on taking. Does anyone purchase supplements from a website...not too expensive they can recommend? (I already take Omega 3 which she recommended with a prescription for Lovaza sp?)

I really like my therapeutica pillow...can find this online. It has raised sides for the side sleeper and a lower middle for back sleeping. I went thru many pillows before finding this one

Do you take low dose naltrexone? I never heard of this...will ask my endo. I do take nature-thyroid as I had an allergic reaction to Armour (skin itch). Dr Weil likes Thyrolar better than Armour b/c no pig in it...armour derived from pigs he says on his website Canary Club is just another place to buy OTC adrenal tests. The tests are by ZRT (which is a good lab) but they offer the best pricing, better than buying from ZRT direct. No cost to join, just set up an account. Not all states allow OTC saliva tests without prescription but most will. The diurnal cortisol test is considered a good one for overall adrenal function. Your endocrine system encompasses both the thryoid and the adrenals to maintain your metabolism. Cortisol from the adrenals is necessary to facilitate the active thyroid hormone, T3 to pass from the blood into the cells. If you are deficient in cortisol you will have hypothyroid sympoms even when you suppliment with thyroid hormones. Therefore it's recommended to treat any adrenal problems before starting thyroid hormone replacement. Many do very well with natural thyroid hormone for Hashi's. And it's agreed that you need to get the replacement amount high to shut down the thyroid and help stave off the antibody attack. Stop the Thyroid Madness recommends that natural thyroid hormone be raised to the alleviation of symptoms, and that thyroid hormone level labs are largely useless for monitoring. Selenium is a good suppliment to take as it can lower antibody levels. There is also very good anecdotal evidence that the use of Low Dose Naltrexone is working for Hashi's by modulating and repairing the immune system dysfunction. Natural thyroid hormones also replace trace hormones your body needs for good metabolic function, like T1, T2 and calcitonin, which is good for bone health. Synthetic hormones are only T3 or T4 and not considered a good long-term replacement for thyroid hormones by many. Long-term use of T4 only meds can cause adrenal fatigue and actually make people sicker in the long run. This is, of course, the point of view by the natural thyroid homone proponants. The synthetic hormone proponants say that their way is best, and most mainstream endos refuse to even discuss natural thyroid with their patients. Unfortunately there aren't any good studies comparing the two in the long run. Natural thyroid is very cheap and there's no money in it for Big Pharma and the studies they have funded are very slanted and poorly done. And Big Pharma, in particular Abbott Labs, the makers of Synthroid, has pretty much hijacked the entire thyroid hormone market and funds all the major endocrinology societies, including the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE).