Why do people with POTS syndrome use salt pills?

Answer 1

The debilitating symptoms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome can be greatly alleviated with the extra intake of salt. The salt will help keep a POTS patient's blood from losing its nutrients and will keep it flowing in all the right directions. Without enough salt, patients are more susceptible to blood pooling, which triggers all sorts of problems, i.e. feeling faint. Not all patients require extra salt, and many will simply add table salt to their meals instead of take extra pills. Salt pills can be very concentrated, which is a risky method to deal with on top of a patient's other meds and treatments. The most important thing to remember with POTS is to stay hydrated, but only by drinking around 3-4 oz. every 15 minutes, which helps avoid the flushing of nutrients from your body. Too much water at once will rid your body of its usual salt level, which will require that extra intake. You can read more about POTS and its treatments at www.dynainc.org under the "About Dysautonomia" link group in the "Treatment and Prognosis" section. This is an especially helpful site for young patients. Most patients are teenage females, anyways. Fortunately, they can usually withstand the extra salt whereas the rare adult patient would have to be more cautious. I hope this helps you greatly, and that whomever you are searching for gets well soon. I am a POTS patient, and I personally feel much better with plenty of salt and water in my system. One goal to remind a patient is to make sure their urine runs clear throughout the day. This means they are hydrated. Good luck!