Dysautonomia

What is Dysautonomia?

Dysautonomia is simply the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This includes many different disorders such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), pure autonomic failure, vasovagal syncope, mitral valve prolapse, multiple system atrophy/ Shy-Drager Syndrome, and the genetic related familial dysautonomia.

The Autonomic Nervous System

The autonomic nervous system controls the "unconscious" activities of the body. These activities include regulation of heart rate, digestion, breathing patterns, and blood pressure. People with dysautonomia suffer from an array of complications related to these basic bodily functions.

Symptoms

Dysautonomia is a highly irregular disorder. Not everyone experiences the exact same symptoms and there are a ton of them. I have had many of these symptoms and then while one goes away another one starts. The road to recovery can be extremely unpredictable, but here are a list of symptoms that one may or may not have.

• Orthostatic Intolerance-inability to remain upright due to drop in blood pressure
• Tachycardia-fast heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Excessive fatigue
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Nausea
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Insomnia
• Frequent urination
• Cognitive impairment- "Brain Fog"
• Migraines
• Vision problems
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Exercise intolerance
• Swings in blood pressure

Treatment

There is no cure for dysautonomia and treatments vary greatly depending on the type of dysautonomia. Unfortunately a treatment that works for one person may actually worsen the symptoms of another. While many of the non drug related treatments can be found in the coping section here are a list of commonly used drugs and links to more information.

Fludrocortisone-
Midodrine
Ephedrine
SSRIs