Pots and medication sensitivity...

[Legendrew]

Does anyone else suffer with terrible medication sensitivity as a result of POTS (I suspect I suffer with POTS alone given my symptoms)?

I've had to start taking paracetamol for headaches as my old go to, aspirin, gives me the most awful stomach cramps and pain that I cannot take it anymore and even with paracetamol I have to take one tablet divided into two and taken at the start and end of a meal to reduce the stomach side effects.

Similarly local anesthesia makes my whole body numb for hours and gives me terrible headaches and sleepiness: I only had a filling done and felt like death for the entirety of that day (although I suspect the stress triggered a hypoglycemia episode which doesn't help matters).

Worst of all now is that I seem to react badly to even a mild corticosteroid (1% hydrocortisone) which I have started using on a mild rash that I have on my leg. At first I thought I was flaring for no reason but now I've noticed that whenever I wake up with a headache and terrible muscle pain, it perfectly corresponds to a day where I previously applied the cream.

Under normal circumstances I now feel around 70% of my old self but this medication sensitivity is very frustrating to say the least.

 

[rosie26]

Yes, I do too Andrew. I don't know if it is all coming from POTS alone. How are your heart symptoms ? Do you get slow beating ? Some tablets made this horribly worse for me.

 

[Legendrew]

Yes, I do too Andrew. I don't know if it is all coming from POTS alone. How are your heart symptoms ? Do you get slow beating ? Some tablets made this horribly worse for me.

My heart sometimes seems quite slow but then at random intervals will race even when I'm not doing anything. Whenever I feel at my worst I get a terrible racing heart upon standing up and sometimes even sitting up. I get some degree of chest discomfort at times too, likely from irregular heartbeats.

 

[Sushi]

...Similarly local anesthesia makes my whole body numb for hours and gives me terrible headaches and sleepiness: I only had a filling done and felt like death for the entirety of that day (although I suspect the stress triggered a hypoglycemia episode which doesn't help matters)....

We are advised to use dental anaesthetics without epinephrine, like carbocaine. They cause far fewer problems for patients with ME. Most dentists will give it (it doesn't last as long so sometimes they have to inject a couple of times) if you ask.

Sushi

 

[Legendrew]

We are advised to use dental anaesthetics without epinephrine, like carbocaine. They cause far fewer problems for patients with ME. Most dentists will give it (it doesn't last as long so sometimes they have to inject a couple of times) if you ask.

Sushi

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind for the future. To be honest the full body numbness didn't hit me until the night-time; around 5-6 hours after the filling. It's very unnerving to wake up around 2am with near full body numbness!

 

[taniaaust1]

I dont know if I do, Ive always blamed my medication sensitivities on the ME rather then the POTS symptom of it.

What I have discovered very recently thou is that chemicals as in my MCS issues can in fact trigger off my POTS and cause me to have a POTS collapse.

We are advised to use dental anaesthetics without epinephrine

I personally have found that very important, I went into severe neuro symptoms, jerking legs and shaking so bad I couldnt stand up after a Lidocaine injection at the dentist (we almost called an ambulance but I stopped people from doing so) which I didnt know at the time had epinephrine it it. Another severe affect of that dental injection for me was very very terrible pain at the injection site which lasted well into the next day (like someone drilling throu me).

The next time I went to the dentist they gave me the Lidocaine without he epinephrine in it and I was fine. I wish I'd previously read before I went the first time about that we shouldnt have this! I do think its esp bad for those with POTS too.

 

[DeGenesis]

A single drink of alcohol will send my BP and HR wacky for a couple of hours, and I have to lay down. It is very frustrating.