Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I can only speak to my own experience and hope that gives you some insight into what POTS is and how it can affect you or the people around you.
Alcohol
Alcohol is really bad for POTS for several reasons. 1 reason is alcohol is dehydrating and with POTS your body needs all the hydration it can get to keep your blood volume up. It can worsen your hypertension problems and also make you dizzy.
I’m going to be honest, I haven’t really seen a problem with myself and drinking. I find my symptoms are no worse the next day or even when I’m drinking. Though, I have no idea as someone who has had POTS since I was 11 how I would be able to tell if it’s any different than someone who does not have POTS. I do have to say that I don’t drink too often, mostly socially and even at that I normally only have 1 or 2 drinks. I have on some occasions washed down my medication (mainly beta blockers and midodrine) with alcohol and that has made me very dizzy, so don’t do that.
Recreational Weed
I’m from Massachusetts and recreational weed has been legal since 2016. I normally stick to edibles if I have a migraine, I probably take 1 or 2 5 gram gummies every 6 months which just make me sleepy and get rid of enough pain for me to sleep. With friends I do smoke in a social environment, probably 2 times a year at most, I have never found that weed (besides for cross fading) has had a huge effect on my POTS. I do think it takes the edge off the nerve pain when I am high but it never lasts that long and it slows down my thinking too much for me to do often.
Medical Weed
I started using medical marijuana for migraines when I was a teenager after my neurologist prescribed and suggested it. It did take the edge off but no more than Advil so it’s not normally my preferred medicine for migraines. I don’t find that the dose for medical marijuana is strong enough to get my high high so I don’t think it affects my POTS that much but as it does not get rid of my migraines either it’s not what I chose to use.
Further Reading
“Have POTS? Avoid These Things.” MyHeart, https://myheart.net/pots-syndrome/things-to-avoid/. Accessed 4 May 2023.
“Lifestyle Adaptations for POTS.” Dysautonomia International, http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=44. Accessed 4 May 2023.
“Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).” Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots. Accessed 4 May 2023.
Risola, Kristina. “POTS, Dysautonomia, and Medical Cannabis — Kristina Risola.” Kristina Risola, 31 July 2019, https://www.kristinarisola.com/blog/pots-dysautonomia-and-medical-cannabis. Accessed 4 May 2023.