Dysautonomia and anger/mental illness

[J1972]

My daugther has not been "officially" diagnosed yet, but I am 99% sure she has dysautonomia because I also have it and she has many of the same symptoms, but hers are worse because she has fainted before and I have not.

She is not on any medications as of yet, just high sodium diet and high fluid intake.  

She has a short fuse and will go from being a sweet child to a horrible brat in the matter of minutes.  She is very easily distracted...she is very upset at the change in her behavior and says that she does not know why she behaves the way she does at times.  I suspect she has a mental disorder and we are waiting for a physc appt.

I am wondering if the dysautonomia can cause this, or at least be a part of it and would a physc be the best person to treat her, or a cardiologist?

Thank you!

[halbashes]

You mentioned that your daughter can go from "being a sweet child to a horrible brat in the matter of minutes".  I'm wondering, could this be blood sugar related?  Occasionally, individuals with Dysautonomia have episodes of hypoglycemia.  The first symptom I notice in myself is the instantaneous grouchiness.  Within ten to fifteen minutes of a snack, I'm perfectly normal again.  I also experience occasional hyperactivity after meals.

If you think this may be a possibility, your daughters doctor can probably order a fasting blood sugar test to help you determine if her blood sugar is too low.  Unfortunately, this test would only show up abnormally during an episode.  Most pharmacies sell blood sugar testing equipment over the counter as well.

[Lynn63]

My 17 year old daughter was diagnose at age 16 with POTS.  We recently figured out that she has the Hyperadrenergic form of POTS which is hereditary.  My mom and I both believe that we have it as well and my son just had the tilt table test done by an Electrophysiologist Cardiologist.  I haven't received the official result from him yet as he wasn't able to perform the test himself that day.....will read the results himself.  The nurse who performed the test with another doctor told me it was positive.

Since you and your daughter both have dysautonomia it could be that you have this type too.  You didn't mention if you have POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or just what.  There are some great articles by Dr. Blair Grubb.  One of them that I believe was from October 2008 has a table that lists different medications.  It has an 'H' indicating the ones that are helpful for the Hyperadrenergic form of POTS.

My daughter started taking Cymbalta about 2 months ago and Orthotricyclen about a month ago.  The combination has helped her tremendously!  She had gotten to the point that she was sleeping at night and also most of the day....usually 2:00-3:00 p.m.  She has been on homebound for her Senior year of High School, but I hope she will be able to return to school next semester.

She had been seeing a Cardiologist since her diagnosis in February.  Unfortunately most doctors don't seem to know much about this disorder.  I was told by someone on this site that the 'H' form of POTS is best treated by a Neurologist.  My daughter has been seeing a Nurse Practitioner at an Internist group near us.  She has been the most open minded doctor we have been to and prescribed her both of the meds she is currently taking.  The Cardiologist had previously prescribed Florinef, Metoprolol, Midodrine and something else that I can't think of at the moment.  None of these meds helped her at all.  I also take Cymbalta myself.  My daughter used to become very irritable and blow up at the drop of a hat.  She is so much more herself now.  I have done quite a bit of research and this form of POTS tends to cause anxiey, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal, bladder issues, and many others (including brain fog which I seem to have more than I would like!).

When I read the article from Dr. Grubb I saw that the meds her cardiologist had prescribed did not help the 'H' type of POTS.....no wonder she was not seeing improvement!  Increasing sodium doesn't help this form of POTS either.  I had been reading labels like crazy trying to give her lots of sodium and she was eating alot every day which didn't help either.

I really recommend doing an internet search for Dr. Blair Grubb's articles.
Good luck and let me know how things are going.
Lynn:)

[Ahrdee]

The disease processes which can cause dysautonomia can also cause hyperreflexia.  
Goodneess Goddness could be describing hyper-startle-reflex. Emotional incontinence is also a form of hyperreflexia, this could include laughing, crying or anger at the slightest stimulus.

[GoodnessGoddess]

I am far from being an expert, since I've only had severe symptoms for the past four months, but I can say that I am constantly vibing from an excess of adrenaline running in my system.  I am extremely jumpy and easily spooked if someone just walks into th room.  I also find that I will fly off the handle very suddenly and loudly.  I don't know for sure, but I believe it is because even a little bit of adrenaline added to my already over-abundance of adrenaline shoots me through the roof.  I'm on effexor and hope that it will help me with these issues.  Thankfully, my kids don't even flinch anymore.  They think I'm full of hot air.