Hey everyone, before I got diagnosed with POTS I thought those dips I have were low blood sugar: tremors, feeling faint etc. We know they aren’t because I wore a blood sugar monitor. But what I don’t get is whenever I have the dip I quickly consumed Coca Cola and within 10 minutes I’m ok again. Why, if it’s because my blood is pooling then how does Coca Cola help? It’s not low blood sugar so I don’t understand why it works. Can anyone explain please?
I see, thank you. But there have been times coke wasn’t available and a Fanta has had the same effect. What could have a caused it then?
Hmmm. That is strange. I honestly have no idea! Maybe something to do with carbonation? I’m kind of curious now! Keep us updated if you find out
My doctor told me that my reactive hypoglycemia might might not be how low my blood sugar goes but how fast it drops after meals, leading to a low blood sugar type symptoms. So I’m still in normal range but the quick drop makes me dizzy and sick. Maybe the same is happening to you?
Thank you, this is another thing I’ll add to my list- going to go through them all at my next appointment
I'd be going back to your doc and saying "hey, I have marked symptom improvement after drinking sugar, what do we do we need to check again?"
It's entirely possible you've got something interfering with your blood sugar control, and that your continuous glucose monitor missed it.
A lot of dysautonomic stuff that travels alongside POTS is intermittent or episodic. That includes possible issues with your gut, kidneys, liver, and pancreas.
Thank you this is really interesting! I will do
Did drinking water have the same effect, or was it only a sugary drink that helped?
Only when I drink sugary drinks
Interesting.
When you checked your blood sugar, was it close to the lower limit of normal?
It hasn’t been researched yet, but some people with orthostatic intolerance syndromes report that having a drink and a snack when they have an episode helps more than water alone, or that eating more frequently helps to keep episodes at bay.
It’s possible that some people are more sensitive to their blood sugar getting towards the low end of normal. Or there may be another explanation altogether.
Also, some people feel worse after having a sugary drink.
The joys of having a syndrome!
The episodes always happened when blood sugar was around 6, which I don’t think is lower end. It’s really confusing.
Also, my blood sugar generally sits at 6 and most of the time nothing happens. I had 3 episodes at that level, no deviation before the attack.
Pure speculation on my part, but perhaps a sugary drink increases cerebral blood flow.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University are investigating this area, although not exactly your question. Maybe they will work it out one day!
Hey any answer is welcome and it’s still valid! Maybe this is it or answers a part of it!
I’ve got both pots and hypoglycemia and it feels exactly the same when both fall. Do you sit down to drink the drink?
Yes, I’m so lightheaded, I also can’t see properly when it happens
Well when you sit down, it’s easier for your heart to pump blood, so just the change in position helps symptoms. Next time, keep the drink with you, but get into recovery position first (laying down if possible with feet elevated) Then see if you start to recover the same way without the drink. It can take a few minutes to get everything back to okay. I’m guessing after you have your drink and feel better, you get something to eat too? If it’s salty, you’ve been treating low blood pressure without realizing
If all that fails and it really is the drink, then low blood sugar. If you have naturally high sugar, very low could look like normal. It’s hard to say for sure with the previous tests
Thank you this is really informative. I’m going to try these. It’s so scary when it happens that my first instinct is to quickly chug on a sugary drink to make it go away.
It feels like you’re legitimately dying. It immediately causes panic. I imagine part of that is your brain dumping adrenaline in because it wants to get you out of danger, which in this case means dropping or eating. It’s a kind of dread that’s indescribable to anyone who hasn’t experienced it
What sodas other than coke do you use/have used?
So I had a small crash 2 days ago on a hike (I have never once had this happen when walking or hiking) and in fear I drank lucozade and a bag of salty crisps. That got me MOSTLY out of it but not entirely (I only had half the bottle of lucozade because I spilled half of it in panic). After about 30 more minutes of feeling mostly ok but with an edge where I could still feel I had the symptoms I found some orange Fanta and drank that. It got rid of the remaining symptoms.
It’s not always cola that I drink but usually. Otherwise I have also used OJ, water with sugar mixed in or any sugary beverage.
Coke has 50 mg sodium per can, orange sodas have around 45. Could be part of why it helps. If your testing doesn’t give a concrete answer, your choice in using soda will help both things at once
I don't know, but my mom always gave us Pepsi or Coke when we didn't feel well, so now I associate it with a pick-me-up.
If I am having an adrenaline episode at night, I'll drink a gingerale. I don't usually drink soda but it definitely helps in the moment.
Coke has caffeine which can restrict the blood vessels creating better/more functional blood flow and minimize blood pooling. It can happen with POTS but most people don’t react well to caffeine. Everyone is different! If it works for you, keep doing it