Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS)
Overview
Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is when your heart rate increases very quickly after getting up from sitting or lying down, often making you feel dizzy or lightheaded.
Symptoms
Postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) affects everyone differently. Some people have mild symptoms, while for others it can have a big impact on their everyday lives. Some symptoms happen when you stand up and can get better when you sit or lie down, such as: dizziness or lightheadednessnoticeable heartbeats (heart palpitations)chest painshortness of breathshaking and sweatingfainting or nearly fainting You may also get other symptoms, such as: problems with your stomach or digestion, such as feeling sick, being sick, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating and tummy painheadaches and problems with your sight, such as blurred vision or tunnel visionyour hands and feet looking purple – this may be more difficult to see if you have brown or black skinweakness and extreme tiredness (fatigue), not being able to do much exercise, and sleeping badlyproblems with thinking, memory and concentration (brain fog) You may find your symptoms are worse in the morning, and they may change from day to day. Symptoms of PoTS can be similar to those of other conditions, such aslow blood pressure. Having these symptoms does not mean you definitely have PoTS.
Causes
It's not clear what causes postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). It can develop suddenly or gradually over time. You may be more likely to get PoTS if you havelong covid,myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), orjoint hypermobility syndrome. Some things can also make your symptoms worse, such as: being in a hot placestanding or sitting upright for long periods of timeeating, especially refined carbohydrates like white breadnot drinking enough fluidsdrinking alcoholresting too muchexercisebeing on your periodstress
Treatment
If you're diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), finding the right treatment for you can take time. A GP or specialist may suggest lifestyle changes first, such as drinking more fluids, eating small meals low in refined carbohydrates, and wearing compression clothing. You may be prescribed medicines to help control your symptoms, such as steroids, medicines used to treat heart conditions and manage your blood pressure, andselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). You may also need to try several different medicines or combinations of medicines.