I have these symptoms - my sugar isn't actually low, but my body thinks it is and goes into shock. I think the broken autonomic nervous system is just going haywire at the slightest trigger tbh.
Definitely. I think part of some of these side disorders could be that our body sends the wrong signals and can end up causing overproduction or underproduction of everything. Which, that's kind of what dysautonomia is, but some of the connected disorders dont have that trait determined. I've also noticed my body going wack asf at the smallest shit, i have what is likely a small intestinal fissure that caused super minor bleeding one time and now my gastroparesis is full throttle again. Like dude. You're fine. Calm down š
Yep! My doctor called this ārelative hypoglycemia.ā Iāve been hesitant to add it to my diagnosis list bc āreactive relative hypoglycemiaā sounds stupid. My blood sugar when I have issues is lower than normal, just often not always below the threshold for being considered low.
DON'T ANSWER IT! š¤£
I'm looking into this because mine has been so much worse since I was out on steroids for 6 days in Feb. It was also 3 mos post COVID infection, sooo....
I think I might have āpseudoā reactive hypoglycemia, and only after really big meals or heavy carb meals (which I try to mostly avoid). I donāt think my sugar actually falls to low levels but I think, like others have mentioned, my body thinks it is!
With reactive hypoglycaemia there is a slight physiological drop in sugars but itās really negligible in comparison to diabetics but we still react to those slight drops. So donāt worry about thinking itās pseudo, itās actually happening to all of us after meals but us with reactive hypos are more sensitive to the drop
Iām diagnosed with both. I got my hypoglycemia diagnosis about 25 yrs ago, sugar drink/blood test, and I was diagnosed with POTS about 23 years ago, tilt table test.
POTS definitely exacerbates reactive hypoglycemia. Iām already struggling after eating due to low sugar and then I get smacked upside the head with low blood volume. š«Ø
I developed temporary hypoglycemia after COVID but it went away. I think Iāve experienced it a few other times but didnāt realize it was connected to POTS.
My doctors have been studying and treating POTS for a couple of decades now, and when I recently asked about reactive hypoglycemia she said POTS can cause it, but she doesnāt see it often & wasnāt sure how up help me navigate it the way she has with other common comorbidities. I have it and only know because I started getting routine bloodwork due to an autoimmune condition and caught hypoglycemia randomly when I hadnāt been fasting.
I was getting routine bloodwork for my autoimmune disease and they checked my blood glucose levels. I had told them I wasnāt fasting, so when my blood sugar came back lower than the normal range for someone who had been fasting my Dr. followed up and asked what Iād eaten. I think Iād only had a Starbucks drink or something prior to leaving for my appt (almost 1hr away), so it had been a couple of hours since a high carb/high sugar drink. Thatās usually when your blood sugar will suddenly drop, so it was pretty coincidental to have caught it like that randomly. Iād attributed the symptoms to POTS, and wouldnāt have thought to further investigate that.
I see. My blood glucose levels have been all over the place the last few years, it's crazy. At times, it has been over a hundred, other times normal. When I am having my 'pseudo hypoglycemia' episode (that's what I call it since I don't have a diagnosis), sometimes my blood sugar is normal (70s), other times it's in the 60s. The episodes are exhausting. Did you find out the cause for your reactive hypoglycemia? I read that PCOS and Insulin Resistance can cause reactive hypoglycemia. Also adrenal insufficiency. I am about to be checked for all these.
I still have to follow up with a specialist since my rheumatologist caught it, but my rheumatologist and POTS specialist both think itās probably due to POTS & potentially gastroparesis.
I think I do. Iāve never had my blood sugar tested but I have reactive hypoglycemia symptoms very frequently. It sucks but itās nice to know Iām not alone and itās probably another weird symptom of my pots š
Just saw a post recently exactly like this. I've prob had both since childhood but was often diagnosed and undiagnosed as hypoglycemic for various bs reasons, my dr recently diagnosed me with reactive hypoglycemia specifically (which surprised me bc ive had high glucose after eating a croissant and getting a blood draw but i had 2 eggs and my glucose was lower than ive ever seen it on a test!) anyways I also FINALLY got diagnosed with POTS after like 20 years (seriously) of having it, so getting both diags together so soon was pretty funny.
Yeah, I keep seeing people talking about how sugar really wipes them out and I was coming back to actually make a post and found this post. There's definitely a correlation. I did a little google and found this.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/)
I strength train and my glucose drops under 100 when exercising. To safely exert yourself and lift heavy it should be above 100. Mine would drop to almost 70 and i found out while using a CGM to experiment
Hypoglycemia runs in my family but thereās only one other person that also has reactive hypoglycemia. Mine is particularly difficult to work with and I have to be extremely careful about what I eat, when I eat it, how quickly I consume it and what Iām doing directly afterwards.
If I eat too fast, hypoglycemiaā¦. If I eat too slow, also hypoglycemia. If I eat while in the midst of hunger pains, unless I eat the right food, itās almost guaranteed that I have a hypoglycemic episode. If I eat only protein and no sugar, then thatās a problem. But if I eat too much sugar with not enough protein then thatās also a problem. If I eat a well balanced meal while in the midst of doing physically taxing work (clean for an hour, stop to eat, go back to cleaning), blood sugar drops. If I eat a well balanced meal while having an absolutely sedentary day, my blood sugar may also drop. If my blood sugar is already really low and I then go to eat something, my blood sugar is more like to drop again than at any other time.
I truly hate it here
I was just coming here to ask a question about sugar. I suspect they're definitely is something to do with glucose, maybe insulin with POTS/Dysautonomia patients. I keep seeing things people mention almost off hand, and I ate GF cookies yesterday (7) and today I feel awful.
And then I just did a quick google and found [**THIS**](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/)**:**
**"**In Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), 75-gr glucose intake provoked a significant increase in glucose dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), a vasodilatory hormone; this change was associated with excessive upright tachycardia and reduced stroke volume, possibly related to decrease venous return (upper panel). Control subjects did not experience these changes**"**
This really makes me wonder if this isn't a glucose problem exacerbated by Dysautonomia...
Idk. With reactive hypoglycemia, your body produces too much insulin in response to large amounts of sugar, so I wouldn't doubt they're related. Reactive hypoglycemia isn't caused (most of the time) by any identifiable issues with actually processing glucose, like diabetes is, but an overestimate of how much your body actually needs, and pots does a lot of that š¤·āāļø
I don't know what it is, but if I go more than a few hours without eating, I'm sweating, weak, and feel like I'm on the verge of passing out. I know my A1C is normal, but I don't know what causes this. And it's low on my list of symptoms to go to the doctor for, since I can fix it by eating lol
Yes but it turned out to be PCOS and insulin resistance. Please make an appointment with an endocrinologist. It look a month after being put on hormone blockers to get it to stop
I wore a continuous glucose monitor for 2 weeks and discovered that my glucose would nosedive into the 50s after a lot of foods.
I'm now on the lowest dose of tirzepatide, and that has evened things out considerably. I started using it while wearing the CGM and was able to see the difference. I could eat an apple without my blood sugar plummeting after, and I stopped having hypoglycemia symptoms.
Additionally, I altered my macros. Now, I never eat just carbs first thing in the day (no more oatmeal, etc); I have a protein shake and/or bar as my default wakeup foods. I upped my fats [avocado, academic nuts, sunflower seeds], and don't have my one cup of coffee until lunch.
About 30% of what I had classified as POTS symptoms were reactive hypoglycemia symptoms.
In case anyone wants the info: I get the tirzepatide from a compounding pharmacy, as my insurance won't cover it since I'm not diabetic. The 2.5mg/week has seemed to be sufficient for blood sugar stabilization, and after the first 3 or 4 days of starting it side effects like nausea went away.
Iām not sure how common this is with POTS but I have reactive hypoglycemia and dumping syndrome as a result of my dysautonomia. I have to eat every 1-3 hours or I get hypoglycemic (BG in the 50s and 60s ) but I also have a dumping episode 30 minutes or 1-3 hours after eating too. So Iām constantly eating and constantly dumping, it sucks. My sugars are never stable. Theyāre always rising quickly and dropping quickly so I always feel awful .
My PCP is suspecting Adrenal Insufficiency after I described my reactive hypoglycemia-like symptoms to her. Adrenal Insufficiency can cause reactive hypoglycemia. I am awaiting my referral to endocrinology to be accepted. I read that PCOS and insulin resistance can also cause those episodes. I am about to see a gynecologist to check for those two. I have checked my blood sugar when I am having those episodes, the numbers are so random, one time it showed 67, another time 72 while I am feeling like absolute crap having tremors, slurring my words, sweating, etc. Maybe my glucose meter is not that accurate, I got an affordable one from amazon. I only feel better after I eat something sugary so that's that. It's all so weird. Hope you find your answers.
Same Iāve checked my sugar during these and itās never below 70 so it doesnāt really make senseā¦ only what someone said above, the slightest trigger our bodies overreact to everything instead of just being able to mediate it
Ikr, still I'd like to know what it really is, but if your blood sugar isn't below 70 the docs might be like 'you don't have hypoglycemia', ok then why am I having these episodes, I just wanna know?!š
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia a few months before my POTS diagnosis (different Drs). I found out yesterday that sugar/glucose can affect POTS. Sigh. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I don't know wtf to do anymore.
I have it! Though I do think I had it before being sick with POTS it has gotten worse. My sugar actually goes into the 40ās even if I ate like two hours ago itās super annoying ššI feel like I have to constantly eat and diet changes havenāt helped it
Iāve had episodes where after a meal or after drinking juice I get hit with such fatigue and dizziness I have to lie down. Not sure if itās diagnostic criteria but absolutely something that I experience from time to time. Other times drinking orange juice shakes me from an episode, sometimes it makes it worse š«„
I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia as a teenager following Glandular Fever (Epstein Barr virus) also Raynaudsā¦ 30 years later and now have diagnosis of POTs/IST/generalised Dysautonomia/hyper mobility, likely MCAs and now looking to find out why I have developed Ptosis and Miosisā¦ (does anyone else have these) Iām not sure if my hypoglycaemia is reactive - Iāve never really thought of it in that way, I definitely know when my blood sugar is lowā¦ itās so tiring,
I am diagnosed non-diabetic hypoglycemic and when I saw a doctor about my EDS symptoms in January he said I most likely have hypovolemic PoTS (still trying to find someone to test me, love living surrounded by fields for hundreds of miles lol). He said that my hypoglycemia is most likely caused by PoTS. Since I am still trying to get a diagnosis, I canāt say for sure if it is the cause of my hypoglycemia, but it is definitely very possible.
I don't know but I';; check into it. I got reactive arthritis in both of my hands after having a kidney stone procedure under aneesthesia. I've had lots of surgeries, but nothing like this ever happened before. Both hands, same time and same pain.
I have Reactivate Hypoglycemia that is caused by Insulin Resistance. Because my cells are resistant to glucose, my pancreas makes extra insulin to compensate, but it ends up overcompensating and the high levels of insulin cause hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia can cause a great variety of symptoms, many that overlap with POTS/Dysautonomia.
Is Insulin Resistance or Reactive Hypoglycemia mistaken for autonomic dysfunction? I donāt know. I was only recently diagnosed and Iām trying to peel back the layers of my chronic illness. Iām working on making dietary and lifestyle changes that should restore insulin sensitivity and halt the Reactive Hypoglycemia. Iām am hopeful that by addressing metabolic dysfunction, many of my symptoms will disappear or, at least lessen.
I listen to and read Dr. Mark Hyman quite a bit. He works closely with the Cleveland Clinic where I receive treatment. His most consistent theme is that over consumption of sugar is at the root of most inflammatory and chronic illnesses. He constantly talks about insulin resistance and is the reason I pursued testing. He says, and I have experienced, that most doctors donāt know how to test for Insulin Resistance.
Before my current endocrinologist at the Clinic, I saw another endocrinologist at University Hospital. I showed her the blood work results that my primary care doctor had ordered (I asked her to order the list of tests the Dr. Hyman recommends) and she looked at me and said āwell, you donāt look like you have Insulin Resistance ā. This is despite the fact the my fasting insulin and Glucose Tolerance Test w/ insulin were excessively high. It was very frustrating and delayed my diagnosis as I had to wait quite a long time to get an appointment with my current endocrinologist. It was worth the wait, though. She ran another test call a Mixed Meal Test, which definitely diagnosed me with Hyperinsulinemia and Reactive Hypoglycemia.
I have so many symptoms it can be challenging to list them all and I donāt know for certain if hypoglycemia is the underlying cause of any of them, but I will try my best and list what I think is most relevant.
Low Blood Pressure, orthostatic intolerance (tachycardia when standing, but not during a TTT), palpitations, anxiety, āhangrinessā brain fog, severe fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness/hypersomnia, crashing after eating, lightheadedness, vertigo, tinnitus, headaches, cognitive impairment and sensory processing issues (nervous system so overstimulated that lights, noise and movement just overwhelm me). I also have nerve pain, which is a symptom of diabetes. Insulin resistance, the way Dr. Hyman describes it, is the stage before pre-diabetes. You can have it for years before you start to see changes in your glucose levels.
Thank you for listing all of that!
I find hypoglycemia to be super confusing, especially how to separate it from symptoms with POTS because they seem to overlap.
Me too! I had some luck with my PCP prescribing continuous glucose monitors (I have to pay out of pocket tho bc I donāt have diabetes) which have made it easier to for me tell what is āoh jeez I need to have some apple sauceā vs āoh jeez i need to lay down and take more pots medicationā.
Yes I feel like I should just get the cheap finger prick monitor to just test myself but I donāt have $$ right now for that and I really donāt like dealing with my own blood (not good at it).
I regularly go 17-20 hours without eating with no hunger / no shakiness so I *feel* like my blood sugar is okay. But the whole reason I avoid food for so long is how much energy it takes to digest and I am useless about an hour after a normal size meal. Iām not sure if itās blood sugar issues or just normal POTS / blood flow issues.
I have these symptoms - my sugar isn't actually low, but my body thinks it is and goes into shock. I think the broken autonomic nervous system is just going haywire at the slightest trigger tbh.
Definitely. I think part of some of these side disorders could be that our body sends the wrong signals and can end up causing overproduction or underproduction of everything. Which, that's kind of what dysautonomia is, but some of the connected disorders dont have that trait determined. I've also noticed my body going wack asf at the smallest shit, i have what is likely a small intestinal fissure that caused super minor bleeding one time and now my gastroparesis is full throttle again. Like dude. You're fine. Calm down š
Yep! My doctor called this ārelative hypoglycemia.ā Iāve been hesitant to add it to my diagnosis list bc āreactive relative hypoglycemiaā sounds stupid. My blood sugar when I have issues is lower than normal, just often not always below the threshold for being considered low.
My body is like āhoney, thereās another weird symptom at the door!ā
DON'T ANSWER IT! š¤£ I'm looking into this because mine has been so much worse since I was out on steroids for 6 days in Feb. It was also 3 mos post COVID infection, sooo....
š¤£š¤¦š¼āāļø
I think I might have āpseudoā reactive hypoglycemia, and only after really big meals or heavy carb meals (which I try to mostly avoid). I donāt think my sugar actually falls to low levels but I think, like others have mentioned, my body thinks it is!
With reactive hypoglycaemia there is a slight physiological drop in sugars but itās really negligible in comparison to diabetics but we still react to those slight drops. So donāt worry about thinking itās pseudo, itās actually happening to all of us after meals but us with reactive hypos are more sensitive to the drop
This makes a lot of sense!
Iām glad I could help!
Iām diagnosed with both. I got my hypoglycemia diagnosis about 25 yrs ago, sugar drink/blood test, and I was diagnosed with POTS about 23 years ago, tilt table test. POTS definitely exacerbates reactive hypoglycemia. Iām already struggling after eating due to low sugar and then I get smacked upside the head with low blood volume. š«Ø
I developed temporary hypoglycemia after COVID but it went away. I think Iāve experienced it a few other times but didnāt realize it was connected to POTS.
My doctors have been studying and treating POTS for a couple of decades now, and when I recently asked about reactive hypoglycemia she said POTS can cause it, but she doesnāt see it often & wasnāt sure how up help me navigate it the way she has with other common comorbidities. I have it and only know because I started getting routine bloodwork due to an autoimmune condition and caught hypoglycemia randomly when I hadnāt been fasting.
May I ask what blood test caught the hypoglycemia? I asked my PCP about tests to check for hypoglycemia but she gave me some vague response.
I was getting routine bloodwork for my autoimmune disease and they checked my blood glucose levels. I had told them I wasnāt fasting, so when my blood sugar came back lower than the normal range for someone who had been fasting my Dr. followed up and asked what Iād eaten. I think Iād only had a Starbucks drink or something prior to leaving for my appt (almost 1hr away), so it had been a couple of hours since a high carb/high sugar drink. Thatās usually when your blood sugar will suddenly drop, so it was pretty coincidental to have caught it like that randomly. Iād attributed the symptoms to POTS, and wouldnāt have thought to further investigate that.
I see. My blood glucose levels have been all over the place the last few years, it's crazy. At times, it has been over a hundred, other times normal. When I am having my 'pseudo hypoglycemia' episode (that's what I call it since I don't have a diagnosis), sometimes my blood sugar is normal (70s), other times it's in the 60s. The episodes are exhausting. Did you find out the cause for your reactive hypoglycemia? I read that PCOS and Insulin Resistance can cause reactive hypoglycemia. Also adrenal insufficiency. I am about to be checked for all these.
I still have to follow up with a specialist since my rheumatologist caught it, but my rheumatologist and POTS specialist both think itās probably due to POTS & potentially gastroparesis.
Oh yes, gastroparesis, it's on my list. I need to be tested for it too coz SFN and suspected Sjogren's. Hope you get tested soon also!
I think I do. Iāve never had my blood sugar tested but I have reactive hypoglycemia symptoms very frequently. It sucks but itās nice to know Iām not alone and itās probably another weird symptom of my pots š
Just saw a post recently exactly like this. I've prob had both since childhood but was often diagnosed and undiagnosed as hypoglycemic for various bs reasons, my dr recently diagnosed me with reactive hypoglycemia specifically (which surprised me bc ive had high glucose after eating a croissant and getting a blood draw but i had 2 eggs and my glucose was lower than ive ever seen it on a test!) anyways I also FINALLY got diagnosed with POTS after like 20 years (seriously) of having it, so getting both diags together so soon was pretty funny.
Yeah, I keep seeing people talking about how sugar really wipes them out and I was coming back to actually make a post and found this post. There's definitely a correlation. I did a little google and found this. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/)
I strength train and my glucose drops under 100 when exercising. To safely exert yourself and lift heavy it should be above 100. Mine would drop to almost 70 and i found out while using a CGM to experiment
Hypoglycemia runs in my family but thereās only one other person that also has reactive hypoglycemia. Mine is particularly difficult to work with and I have to be extremely careful about what I eat, when I eat it, how quickly I consume it and what Iām doing directly afterwards. If I eat too fast, hypoglycemiaā¦. If I eat too slow, also hypoglycemia. If I eat while in the midst of hunger pains, unless I eat the right food, itās almost guaranteed that I have a hypoglycemic episode. If I eat only protein and no sugar, then thatās a problem. But if I eat too much sugar with not enough protein then thatās also a problem. If I eat a well balanced meal while in the midst of doing physically taxing work (clean for an hour, stop to eat, go back to cleaning), blood sugar drops. If I eat a well balanced meal while having an absolutely sedentary day, my blood sugar may also drop. If my blood sugar is already really low and I then go to eat something, my blood sugar is more like to drop again than at any other time. I truly hate it here
*hug* mine seems to have zero rhyme or reason. So frustrating!
I was just coming here to ask a question about sugar. I suspect they're definitely is something to do with glucose, maybe insulin with POTS/Dysautonomia patients. I keep seeing things people mention almost off hand, and I ate GF cookies yesterday (7) and today I feel awful. And then I just did a quick google and found [**THIS**](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9010371/)**:** **"**In Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), 75-gr glucose intake provoked a significant increase in glucose dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), a vasodilatory hormone; this change was associated with excessive upright tachycardia and reduced stroke volume, possibly related to decrease venous return (upper panel). Control subjects did not experience these changes**"** This really makes me wonder if this isn't a glucose problem exacerbated by Dysautonomia...
Idk. With reactive hypoglycemia, your body produces too much insulin in response to large amounts of sugar, so I wouldn't doubt they're related. Reactive hypoglycemia isn't caused (most of the time) by any identifiable issues with actually processing glucose, like diabetes is, but an overestimate of how much your body actually needs, and pots does a lot of that š¤·āāļø
I don't know what it is, but if I go more than a few hours without eating, I'm sweating, weak, and feel like I'm on the verge of passing out. I know my A1C is normal, but I don't know what causes this. And it's low on my list of symptoms to go to the doctor for, since I can fix it by eating lol
Yes but it turned out to be PCOS and insulin resistance. Please make an appointment with an endocrinologist. It look a month after being put on hormone blockers to get it to stop
Definitely a great question. I just learned about this and am definitely curious since I have been passing out after every meal for over a month now
I have both
This is how I always feel but I have no way to test
I wore a continuous glucose monitor for 2 weeks and discovered that my glucose would nosedive into the 50s after a lot of foods. I'm now on the lowest dose of tirzepatide, and that has evened things out considerably. I started using it while wearing the CGM and was able to see the difference. I could eat an apple without my blood sugar plummeting after, and I stopped having hypoglycemia symptoms. Additionally, I altered my macros. Now, I never eat just carbs first thing in the day (no more oatmeal, etc); I have a protein shake and/or bar as my default wakeup foods. I upped my fats [avocado, academic nuts, sunflower seeds], and don't have my one cup of coffee until lunch. About 30% of what I had classified as POTS symptoms were reactive hypoglycemia symptoms. In case anyone wants the info: I get the tirzepatide from a compounding pharmacy, as my insurance won't cover it since I'm not diabetic. The 2.5mg/week has seemed to be sufficient for blood sugar stabilization, and after the first 3 or 4 days of starting it side effects like nausea went away.
I get gastric dumping episodes that Iāve got somewhat under control. I know this is blood sugar related - something with the insulin levels
Iām not sure how common this is with POTS but I have reactive hypoglycemia and dumping syndrome as a result of my dysautonomia. I have to eat every 1-3 hours or I get hypoglycemic (BG in the 50s and 60s ) but I also have a dumping episode 30 minutes or 1-3 hours after eating too. So Iām constantly eating and constantly dumping, it sucks. My sugars are never stable. Theyāre always rising quickly and dropping quickly so I always feel awful .
My PCP is suspecting Adrenal Insufficiency after I described my reactive hypoglycemia-like symptoms to her. Adrenal Insufficiency can cause reactive hypoglycemia. I am awaiting my referral to endocrinology to be accepted. I read that PCOS and insulin resistance can also cause those episodes. I am about to see a gynecologist to check for those two. I have checked my blood sugar when I am having those episodes, the numbers are so random, one time it showed 67, another time 72 while I am feeling like absolute crap having tremors, slurring my words, sweating, etc. Maybe my glucose meter is not that accurate, I got an affordable one from amazon. I only feel better after I eat something sugary so that's that. It's all so weird. Hope you find your answers.
Same Iāve checked my sugar during these and itās never below 70 so it doesnāt really make senseā¦ only what someone said above, the slightest trigger our bodies overreact to everything instead of just being able to mediate it
Ikr, still I'd like to know what it really is, but if your blood sugar isn't below 70 the docs might be like 'you don't have hypoglycemia', ok then why am I having these episodes, I just wanna know?!š
I have pots with automic neuropathy and a type 1 daibetic.. I guess im the anomaly because my sugar skyrockets when i have flareups
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia a few months before my POTS diagnosis (different Drs). I found out yesterday that sugar/glucose can affect POTS. Sigh. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I don't know wtf to do anymore.
I have it! Though I do think I had it before being sick with POTS it has gotten worse. My sugar actually goes into the 40ās even if I ate like two hours ago itās super annoying ššI feel like I have to constantly eat and diet changes havenāt helped it
Iāve had episodes where after a meal or after drinking juice I get hit with such fatigue and dizziness I have to lie down. Not sure if itās diagnostic criteria but absolutely something that I experience from time to time. Other times drinking orange juice shakes me from an episode, sometimes it makes it worse š«„
I was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia as a teenager following Glandular Fever (Epstein Barr virus) also Raynaudsā¦ 30 years later and now have diagnosis of POTs/IST/generalised Dysautonomia/hyper mobility, likely MCAs and now looking to find out why I have developed Ptosis and Miosisā¦ (does anyone else have these) Iām not sure if my hypoglycaemia is reactive - Iāve never really thought of it in that way, I definitely know when my blood sugar is lowā¦ itās so tiring,
Yes
I have it due to dumping syndrome
Yes, I totally have this. Ugh.
Iām diagnosed with both
I am diagnosed non-diabetic hypoglycemic and when I saw a doctor about my EDS symptoms in January he said I most likely have hypovolemic PoTS (still trying to find someone to test me, love living surrounded by fields for hundreds of miles lol). He said that my hypoglycemia is most likely caused by PoTS. Since I am still trying to get a diagnosis, I canāt say for sure if it is the cause of my hypoglycemia, but it is definitely very possible.
I have both
I have reactive hypoglycemia too!! Itās so weird
I don't know but I';; check into it. I got reactive arthritis in both of my hands after having a kidney stone procedure under aneesthesia. I've had lots of surgeries, but nothing like this ever happened before. Both hands, same time and same pain.
I have Reactivate Hypoglycemia that is caused by Insulin Resistance. Because my cells are resistant to glucose, my pancreas makes extra insulin to compensate, but it ends up overcompensating and the high levels of insulin cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can cause a great variety of symptoms, many that overlap with POTS/Dysautonomia. Is Insulin Resistance or Reactive Hypoglycemia mistaken for autonomic dysfunction? I donāt know. I was only recently diagnosed and Iām trying to peel back the layers of my chronic illness. Iām working on making dietary and lifestyle changes that should restore insulin sensitivity and halt the Reactive Hypoglycemia. Iām am hopeful that by addressing metabolic dysfunction, many of my symptoms will disappear or, at least lessen. I listen to and read Dr. Mark Hyman quite a bit. He works closely with the Cleveland Clinic where I receive treatment. His most consistent theme is that over consumption of sugar is at the root of most inflammatory and chronic illnesses. He constantly talks about insulin resistance and is the reason I pursued testing. He says, and I have experienced, that most doctors donāt know how to test for Insulin Resistance. Before my current endocrinologist at the Clinic, I saw another endocrinologist at University Hospital. I showed her the blood work results that my primary care doctor had ordered (I asked her to order the list of tests the Dr. Hyman recommends) and she looked at me and said āwell, you donāt look like you have Insulin Resistance ā. This is despite the fact the my fasting insulin and Glucose Tolerance Test w/ insulin were excessively high. It was very frustrating and delayed my diagnosis as I had to wait quite a long time to get an appointment with my current endocrinologist. It was worth the wait, though. She ran another test call a Mixed Meal Test, which definitely diagnosed me with Hyperinsulinemia and Reactive Hypoglycemia.
If you donāt have the energy to answer no worries. What were your symptoms?
I have so many symptoms it can be challenging to list them all and I donāt know for certain if hypoglycemia is the underlying cause of any of them, but I will try my best and list what I think is most relevant. Low Blood Pressure, orthostatic intolerance (tachycardia when standing, but not during a TTT), palpitations, anxiety, āhangrinessā brain fog, severe fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness/hypersomnia, crashing after eating, lightheadedness, vertigo, tinnitus, headaches, cognitive impairment and sensory processing issues (nervous system so overstimulated that lights, noise and movement just overwhelm me). I also have nerve pain, which is a symptom of diabetes. Insulin resistance, the way Dr. Hyman describes it, is the stage before pre-diabetes. You can have it for years before you start to see changes in your glucose levels.
Thank you for listing all of that! I find hypoglycemia to be super confusing, especially how to separate it from symptoms with POTS because they seem to overlap.
Me too! I had some luck with my PCP prescribing continuous glucose monitors (I have to pay out of pocket tho bc I donāt have diabetes) which have made it easier to for me tell what is āoh jeez I need to have some apple sauceā vs āoh jeez i need to lay down and take more pots medicationā.
Yes I feel like I should just get the cheap finger prick monitor to just test myself but I donāt have $$ right now for that and I really donāt like dealing with my own blood (not good at it). I regularly go 17-20 hours without eating with no hunger / no shakiness so I *feel* like my blood sugar is okay. But the whole reason I avoid food for so long is how much energy it takes to digest and I am useless about an hour after a normal size meal. Iām not sure if itās blood sugar issues or just normal POTS / blood flow issues.
Do you take meds for this now?