Freaked
29-07-13, 17:51
Many people here are concerned they have heart problems because they suffer from racing heart, shortness of breath, dizziness and pains. Once your heart is checked out, many docs think anxiety, and this is often the correct diagnosis. However there is another group of mostly benign disorders that mimic heart problems, and especially in the UK and Ireland at least, they often go untreated for a long time because of misdiagnosis. I thought I'd make a post about it for anyone it might apply to. I'm not a doctor, just a POTS sufferer.
Dysautonomia (or autonomic dysfunction) is disorder of the autonomic nervous system, and because of this can share many symptoms with anxiety disorders (as well as actually causing mental anxiety in a lot of cases). How could you tell the difference? Dysautonomia is more likely to start with a virus, pregnancy, growth spurt or other physical ordeal (though not always). Symptoms may come on gradually or hit you like a train. Keeping distracted and busy normally has a positive effect on anxiety, whereas dysautonomia will often make regular activities increasingly physically difficult, if left unmanaged. Anti-anxiety meds will not solve your heart rate problems. You may pass out from dysautonomia, whereas this is very rare with anxiety or panic. You will most likely develop exercise and heat intolerance (which can be extreme in some people), and may find digestion makes your heart race or gives you other strange symps. You may find symptoms such as racing heart and dizziness are far worse standing and relieved a lot by lying down or putting your feet up.
Most forms of dysautonomia are non-fatal and don't follow a degenerative course. They mostly just specialise in being frustrating and scary, and there are treatments available. For anyone who thinks this may apply to them, I'd recommend dinet.org, where there are also lists of docs specialising in autonomic dysfunction in different countries. Your own doc may or may not know much about dysautonomia, but it's worth asking, if the symptoms sound like yours.
Dysautonomia (or autonomic dysfunction) is disorder of the autonomic nervous system, and because of this can share many symptoms with anxiety disorders (as well as actually causing mental anxiety in a lot of cases). How could you tell the difference? Dysautonomia is more likely to start with a virus, pregnancy, growth spurt or other physical ordeal (though not always). Symptoms may come on gradually or hit you like a train. Keeping distracted and busy normally has a positive effect on anxiety, whereas dysautonomia will often make regular activities increasingly physically difficult, if left unmanaged. Anti-anxiety meds will not solve your heart rate problems. You may pass out from dysautonomia, whereas this is very rare with anxiety or panic. You will most likely develop exercise and heat intolerance (which can be extreme in some people), and may find digestion makes your heart race or gives you other strange symps. You may find symptoms such as racing heart and dizziness are far worse standing and relieved a lot by lying down or putting your feet up.
Most forms of dysautonomia are non-fatal and don't follow a degenerative course. They mostly just specialise in being frustrating and scary, and there are treatments available. For anyone who thinks this may apply to them, I'd recommend dinet.org, where there are also lists of docs specialising in autonomic dysfunction in different countries. Your own doc may or may not know much about dysautonomia, but it's worth asking, if the symptoms sound like yours.