stable blood pressure but tachycardia

[littlebird6180]

I was diagnosed with POTS when I was 18 (am now 35) at beth israel deaconess. had tilt table tests and then repeated all this a few years ago again at BI.

I just started a bp diary for my CFS doc and after a week noticed that my blood pressure stays pretty stable but it's my heart rate that increases by about 40-50 bpm on standing. I always thought it was a drop in BP that made me feel so dizzy but apparently it's the heart rate.

So she took me off florinef (since it wasn't working anyway) and wants me to take a really mild beta blocker called pindolol 2.5mg but I'm really reluctant. The one time I was put on a beta blocker, I fainted all the time and felt so tired and weak. Does anyone else have a similar situation or advice?

 

[Gijs]

Hi, i was diagnosed with POTS. I have used different betablockers and i felt much more dizzy, fatigue and shortness of breath.

 

[ahimsa]

I was diagnosed with POTS when I was 18 (am now 35) at beth israel deaconess. had tilt table tests and then repeated all this a few years ago again at BI.

I just started a bp diary for my CFS doc and after a week noticed that my blood pressure stays pretty stable but it's my heart rate that increases by about 40-50 bpm on standing. I always thought it was a drop in BP that made me feel so dizzy but apparently it's the heart rate.

So she took me off florinef (since it wasn't working anyway) and wants me to take a really mild beta blocker called pindolol 2.5mg but I'm really reluctant. The one time I was put on a beta blocker, I fainted all the time and felt so tired and weak. Does anyone else have a similar situation or advice?

This is not my own treatment but memory of what another POTS patient tried. So take this with a grain of salt!
(Heh, bad pun)

She was able to use a beta blocker (don't remember which one) to help her POTS but she had to take a very low dose of it. So maybe it can help if you take get a low enough dose? Maybe start smaller than what's recommended to see how it effects you?

You might also try extra salt/potassium and water, too. Electrolyte drinks, either commercial versions or ones you mix up yourself, can also be helpful (not Gatorade but the kind with either no sugar at all or a small amount of dextrose/glucose).

Good luck. I hope someone else can chime in with their own personal experience instead of second hand info.

 

[halcyon]

Does anyone else have a similar situation or advice?

I too often have tachycardia with normal BP. The tachycardia can be intermittent and is of course postural. For these reasons I don't think that a beta blocker would be appropriate because what we have probably isn't true inappropriate sinus tachycardia or hypertension but is rather a beneficial compensatory effect. I'm honestly surprised that anyone with this disease can tolerate beta blockers for this reason, and also due to the way they can interfere with blood sugar control which is also already problematic in this disease.