cbahagrl1234

I there I was DX with Ulcerative Colitis in 2002ish, then DX with POTS and tachycardia... At one time ,the dr.'s also thought I had fibromalygia or Rheumatoid Arthritis.. so YESSS

I have ulcerative colitis and POTS.

My eyes are ALWAYS dilated too and it does matter what time of the day. I have problems driving at night due to the dilation and wearing contact lenses. I would suggest making sure a ophthalmologist is aware that you have an autonomic dysfunction at your next exam.

I tried Ritalin and then Adderall for fatigue and CFS/POTS cognitive issues (trouble concentrating, reading, etc.) -- and no, I was never even remotely a candidate for an ADHD/ADD diagnosis.

I found both medications helpful, although Adderall was the better fit for me. I started at 5mg of Ritalin, which helped, but was not ideal. As we slowly increased the dose, I sometimes felt trembly and had fluttery heart palpitations. Nothing serious, but given those reactions, the prescribing doctor thought that Adderall would be a better choice. I currently take 20mg of Adderall about 5 days a week, have had no negative side effects at all from it, and find it just as useful as Ritalin was.

On either of these medications, I feel more energetic and find that I am less tired because my brain process information much more efficiently. They've eventually made it possible for me to work part-time and start college (when I'm overall healthy enough, that is).

I do have a word of caution, however. Ritalin/Adderall can give you a false sense of energy, make you feel like you can do much more than normal. It can be easy to over-exert yourself if you are not careful with energy maintenance.

When I first started taking Ritalin (and subsequently Adderall), I made a careful choice to do only a little bit more than I would normally be able to do. I tried not to think of the pills as supplying extra energy, but merely allowing me to utilize what energy I had more efficiently. Tools, not wonder-pills. That mind-set has helped me avoid over-exertion.

I also chose not to take it two days a week, so that on those days I could gauge how much I was able to do without the pills. My non-Ritalin days were never as productive as the Ritalin days (still aren't), but if I managed my energy well the rest of the week, the non-Ritalin days weren't wash-outs; if I had done too much, the non-Ritalin days were a hard crash. Over time, though, since I started taking these stimulants, my energy and productivity have gradually increased even on non-Ritalin days. As this "baseline" energy has slowly increased, I have slowly increased my energy expenditure on days I take Adderall.

To my mind it was worth a try. If it didn't work out, I could easily stop and would only be out about $5. If it did help at all, it would be worth whatever I paid for it. In my case, it has proved extremely useful. As with Mestinon, it has allowed such improvement in the overall quality of my life that I would still take it even if it cut 50 years off my life.

Angela

Thank you very much for input. I have been on Ritalin for 2 days now and I have an abundance amount of energy. I was able to function on 6 hours of sleep... yay and work 10 hours today.... I definitely do not want to exert myself too much. However, even with only 2.5mg of Ritalin in my system, I am losing my appetite. It is weird, I may think I am hungry for a minute and then go to something else and not be hungry anymore ... Did that ever happen to you? Of course, I only lose my appetite after 12 noon, since that is when I take it...

Hi there,

I just came back from my neurologist today and I have told him about my extreme tiredness in the afternoon. I told him I drink abundance of caffeine in orde to stay awake during the day. The doctor felt that if I take 2.5 mg of regular Ritalin during the afternoon, it may help my extreme tiredness. As anyone been prescribed Ritalin for this reason? Any suggestions??? However, the dr did say I may feel some heart palpitations...

Thank you all for your words of advice and encouragement!!! Those words have truly made my day! Unfortunately, today is not a good day for me and I feel completely achy and out of it and my boyfriend does not understand

I am soo upset and figured that the best way to express myself would be to share this with someone who can relate to me! I was walking into work at Walmart Pharmacy and was not feeling well today, so I decided to use my handicap tag and park a bit closer today. Well, this women comes over to me and says "This is a handicap parking space." I reply saying that "This is a handicap tag." The tag was not blue, but red because it is temporary and my doctor re-evaluates me every 6 months. The women still did not believe me and went to the customer service desk and then went to find a manager. I supposedly "did not look like I needed a handicap tag." I WAS SO UPSET! WHAT NERVE DOES THIS WOMEN HAVE TO JUDGE ME AND WHY WOULD I NEED TO OFFER HER AN EXPLANATION. The handicap tag is issued in my name and it is valid... SOME PEOPLE NEED TO MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS!!! I felt angry and then upset. The only people I knew who would understand me would be others who deal with POTS etc on a regular basis... Any words of advice? or support

Hi- I cannot drink alcohol at all. I may try to have a sip every now and then and I get extremely hot and sweaty. I can feel my heart racing and I just feel overall awful. I would not recommend drinking alcohol!

Candice

Hi everyone,

I wanted to find out if I was the only one who sweats an enormous amount, especially on my face. Whenever I get my picture taken, my face looks sooo oily. I feel so embarassed... Do you have any recommendations / suggestions?

Thanks,

Candice

so I went and saw Dr. Khurana last tuesday and after 2 1/2 hour appt he diagnosed me with pots. he wanted me to take salt pills but i forgot how many he wanted me to take. Does anyone ever get nauseus after exercising? I just started to resume my exercising today and got reallllyyy nauseus.. I wonder what that means. Now, I have to visit him for another tilt table test and have to go see an endrocrinologist... hope to hear from you all soon:)

im going to see the famous neurologist Dr Khurana which i found from this website. i am 21 years old and they think i have an autonomic dsyfunction. i passed out in 3 minutes while doing the tilt table test. ive passed out several times and have a hard time standing on my feet for awhile... wish me luck.. im nervous:(