How to Spot POTS

POTS Syndrome can be easy to miss. Patients can sometimes suffer many years without properly being diagnosed.

1. Check The Symptoms of POTS

Dizziness	Extreme Fatigue	Constipation/Gastroparesis	Brain Fog
Fainting	Mood Disorders	Sound Sensitivity	Headaches
Nausea	Shortness of Breath	Heat/Cold Intolerance	Flushing
Body Pain	Light Sensitivity	Fast Heart Rate	Tremors

2. Do Some Testing

When standing still for about 10 minutes, does your heart rate increase? If so, it could be
POTS Syndrome. The gold standard for an official diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic
Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a tilt table test. A positive diagnosis is made when your heart
rate increases by at least 30 beats per minute after a ten-minute tilt. Alternatively, you can
conduct a “poor man’s tilt table test” in your home that can give you a feel for your
tolerance to vertical posture.

Lay down for approximately 5-10 minutes, Remain perfectly relaxed.
Record your heart rate.
Then stand up and hold very still.
Record your heart rate after 5 minutes, and again at the 10-minute mark. Does it go up significantly?

3. Drop The Labels

Patients with POTS Syndrome are NOT hypochondriacs or anxiety patients. It’s not “all in their heads”. Their symptoms are REAL.

Living With POTS

POTS affects 1-3 million Americans. 1 out of every 100 teenagers is affected. POTS is most common in young women under 35 years old. This condition can affect daily activities such as eating, sleeping, standing, making plans, showering, and maintaining temperature. At POTS Care, we are dedicated to treating the underlying medical causes of POTS, not just the symptoms.

Post-COVID Longhaulers

Did you get COVID, but haven’t felt well since then? Do you have brain fog, fatigue, irregular heart rate or blood pressure? Does your heart rate tend to increase dramatically when you just stand up? You may have POTS caused by the virus.
You are not alone.

POTS can be triggered by COVID and other viruses. Some bacterial infections, physical or mental trauma, or high stress can also trigger this condition in those predisposed. Some patients are hypermobile(bendable), but not all. At POTS Care, we are intimately familiar with post-viral POTS. POTS Care is the only clinic dedicated to treating the underlying medical causes of POTS. COVID isn’t the cause of POTS — it’s the body’s abnormal response to the infection that is the cause of POTS. We dig deeply into every case to determine why the response was abnormal and address treatment from that direction. This is a total transformation in the treatment of POTS — something we call The Driscoll Approach™. Our Clinical Director, Dr. Diana Driscoll, was disabled by POTS for over ten years. Her research and personal suffering resulted not only in recovery but answers for others.

The Driscoll Approach™

POTS Care is the only clinic dedicated to treating the underlying medical causes of POTS, not just the symptoms. You can recover from POTS, but you cannot recover by simply treating the symptoms. Dr. Driscoll’s personal experience allows insight into symptoms that can be difficult for other doctors to understand.

The Driscoll Approach™ is a total transformation in POTS treatment. Every case of POTS is different — there are no cookie-cutter treatments at POTS Care. Instead, treatment is individualized utilizing the safest, lowest-risk methods possible.

How Do I Know If I Have POTS?

Over 30% of COVID patients have continued to suffer symptoms for months after contracting the virus.² I predict that in a few years, it will be recognized that patients are continuing to suffer for years!

POTS is a form of dysautonomia, a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system – the system of the body that works automatically – you should not need to “make it work”.

The autonomic nervous system regulates body processes like heart rate, body temperature, digestion, and blood pressure, so issues with this system can be debilitating.

Symptoms of POTS may include all of the following:

Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Brain fog
Heart palpitations
Shortness of breath
Rapid heart rate when standing
Moderate or severe fatigue
Flushing

We also see many cases of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a potentially disabling fatigue syndrome that often comes with POTS.

It is important to understand that although POTS involves a fast heart rate upon standing and includes the symptoms listed above, the syndrome reaches far beyond this presentation. Patients can develop as many as 100 symptoms, and they can affect any system of the body. Reducing this illness to “orthostatic tachycardia” diminishes its disabling potential and the suffering that can occur.

If you experience more than three of the symptoms above at the same time, you may have POTS. When you’re ready, we’re here to help treat you.

How Long Will Post-COVID POTS Last?

The first reported case of post-COVID POTS occurred in March 2020,³when a patient, several months after contracting COVID, developed symptoms including palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Since then, POTS patients have increased in number. From my perspective, the numbers are not telling the whole story.

Early in the pandemic, testing for COVID was not always available, skewing the number of patients identified with “Long COVID”. Even if a patient did not get a positive COVID test, post-COVID POTS cannot be ruled out.

We Need to Know the Scope of COVID-19 First

One case study of 20 patients found that only 30% had a positive test prior to being diagnosed with post-COVID POTS. These numbers line up with what we know about COVID testing: that there are between 6 and 24 actual cases for every positive test⁴ (this study was done in 2020, and with vaccination rates increasing, the numbers are currently likely to be lower).

Patients who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms (or new symptoms) weeks or months after initially contracting the virus, should be evaluated for POTS.

It is only until we know the full scope of COVID that we can put a timeline on Long COVID and POTS. Because the vast majority of clinics do not fully understand POTS and are not treating the underlying problems causing a patient to be prone to POTS, we can likely expect this problem to last longer than it should.

At POTS Care, We Are Experienced in POTS Treatment

POTS Care Launches New Treatment Program for Long COVID Patients, Press Release

Although I am glad to see the attention drawn to post-COVID POTS, including the start of many new clinics, I am concerned that the emphasis on covering up symptoms will cause ongoing suffering in those affected. I fear that as symptoms multiply, patients will eventually be viewed as psychiatric patients. Instead of locating and treating the true underlying problems, the focus may shift toward blaming the patient for their illness – a grievous mistake.

Most cases of POTS are complex, and I have not found two that are exactly the same. In those affected, one problem leads to another, which leads to another, and so on, until the patient presentation is extraordinarily complicated. The earlier the patient is diagnosed and evaluated, the easier it is to tease these layers apart. It is important to get diagnosed as soon as possible.

If you believe you have POTS, please contact my team at POTS Care as soon as possible to see if you qualify. We are here to help you and consider it an honor to do so!

— Diana Driscoll, OD — Clinical Director, POTS Care, PLLC

Member, Long COVID Alliance

Options for Treatment:

Individualized POTS Treatment

POTS Care Package

More Research

References

Logue JK, Franko NM, McCulloch DJ, et al. Sequelae in Adults at 6 Months After COVID-19 Infection. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(2):e210830. Published 2021 Feb 1. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0830

Johansson M, Ståhlberg M, Runold M, et al. Long-Haul Post–COVID-19 Symptoms Presenting as a Variant of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: The Swedish Experience. J Am Coll Cardiol Case Rep. 2021;(4): 573–580

Miglis MG, Prieto T, Shaik R, et al. A case report of postural tachycardia syndrome after COVID-19. Clin Auton Res. 2020;30(5):449-451. doi:10.1007/s10286-020-00727-9

Havers FP, Reed C, Lim T, et al. Seroprevalence of Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 10 Sites in the United States. JAMA Intern Med. 2020;180(12):1576–1586. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.4130

OPTIONS FOR CARE

Consultation: $275

Would you like to speak with Dr. Driscoll, a former POTS patient and autonomic expert?

30-minute phone consultation with Diana Driscoll, OD, FAAO
Dr. Driscoll can discuss your case and offer guidance based on her decades of personal experience.

Schedule a Consultation

POTS Care Package™: $775

The POTS Care Package™ offers a dramatic departure from the current approach to POTS!

The latest information and education on Inflammatory POTS and how to start feeling better today!

30-minute phone consultation with Dr. Driscoll
Mobile App with 3 months of audio support and education!
Supplements valued at over $500
Recovery workbook/journal, biofeedback device, dietary and exercise guidance — and more

Order the Package

More Information

Individualized POTS Treatment:

We will locate your underlying causes of POTS and provide you with. a complete treatment plan.

Individualized POTS Treatment:

After seeing thousands of Inflammatory POTS patients over the last decade, the team at POTS Care is thrilled to offer educational programs for practitioners and patients (coming soon)!