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.
What it feels like: a dull headache all the time.
I get headaches daily, it’s not a terrible headache, mainly just a dull ache. I find this starts when I first stand up in the morning. I was told by a doctor (years ago, 2005ish). That is because when I stand up all of the blood goes to my feet because my valves don’t work properly and then they snap shut causing all of the blood to rush to my head. This causes my headaches? I have no idea if this is true and could not find anything to substantiate it now. I asked my current doctor and they said maybe, so that clears that up.
I find that I am always more sensitive to light, I’d much rather be in the dark than have the lights on. I think natural light is better for my headaches than artificial light. I also find that the barometric pressure plays a big role on my headaches. When the pressure is up my headache is always worse.
I personally do not think of these as migraines. For me a migraine means I am in bed and can have no light for the most part. Click here for the page on migraines.
My Solutions
I used to take Advil everyday to combat headaches then I started to worry about the effects 4+ Advil a day was having on my organs. Since then I’ve really cut back. I now only take Advil when I have a migraine. That’s not really a solution but I do think eating regularly and drinking a lot of water (and Liquid IV). I also find that a small amount of Coca-Cola helps a lot too, as much as Advil does.
Further Reading
“. .” . . – YouTube, 30 December 2017, https://www.autonomicneuroscience.com/article/S1566-0702(17)30340-5/fulltext. Accessed 25 March 2023.
Kuruvilla, Deena. “POTS and Migraine: What’s the Link and How to Manage?” Healthline, 15 July 2022, https://www.healthline.com/health/migraine/pots-migraine. Accessed 25 March 2023.
“People With Migraine and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome | National Headache Foundation.” The National Headache Foundation, 4 May 2015, https://headaches.org/migraineurs-frequently-experience-pots/. Accessed 25 March 2023.
Riggins, Nina. “The Link Between Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Migraine | AHS.” American Headache Society, https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/research-summary-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots-and-migraine-a-narrative-review/. Accessed 25 March 2023.“Symptoms of POTS Syndrome Explained • MyHeart.” MyHeart, https://myheart.net/pots-syndrome/pots-symptoms-signs/. Accessed 25 March 2023.