Ok, here's YOUR chance to tell me I'm nuts too! <grins>

I do this thing at night--wake up wet with sweat--pulse 125--BP 70/40--throw up, dizzy--lost in my own house. Then I smoke a cigarette--pulse goes to 80 BP up to 115/65--normal--or at least close. I've quit smoking twice now--as soon as I get off chantix I start crashing (as above) constantly.Again, smoke a cigarette and it all goes away. Problem is, it's not a forver fix--just seems to help. Doctors just LOve hearing me say smoking a cigarette helps.

But it does.

Ok, you can all jump in and call me nuts now--<chuckles> but it seems a cigarette is the ONLY thing I've found that will instantly raise my BP when it crashes.

Are there ANY other smokers out there?

Sandy

This may sound like a stupid question, but is it possible that your symptoms are being caused by nicotine withdrawal? I'm not a smoker but I have known many who got very ill during the quitting process. Their bodies did all kinds of wacko things. I don't know when you quit.......

And no, I would never call you nuts. Your dealing with some rough stuff right now that does sound very dysautonomic. I know when I feel really lousy I will do anything to feel better!

Sandy Sims:

I am a smoker myself. My cardiologist told me they do not like to incourage the smokeing however I get the same effect. If I stop smoking my bp crashes even if I go a few hours with out a cigg. After I smoke one my Bp goes back up to normal range. The doctor said the same thing, in my case the smoking is actually helping me but he would rather find another alternative to a reaction like this other than a cigg.

My mother's blood pressure is low like mine is - though she doesn't seem to have the drastic fall in BP. I've often wondered, if she didn't smoke and regularly drink caffeinated drinks - how low would her BP be?

I still suggest everyone please find some answer to quitting. I had to watch my grandmother waste away with emphysema. The last few years of her life she couldn't walk across a room, then was wheelchair bound, and eventually bed bound..

i won't quit. and my doc does not give me a hard time about it either. same results for me sandy. can help bring my bp up. i always tell people if it wasn't for smoking there would be less alive people around me. LOL plus for me it keeps me going during the day. i quit a long time ago and had none of the side effects you are describing, nor has anyone else i've known that has quit.

not advocating at all. don't start if you don;t already.

My cardiologist actually recommended me not to quit right now. Yes he agrees that smoking isnt the best for you, however with dsy if you try the added stress will only make ones live pure and utter crap. For we all know we do not do well with stress. To stop smoking would cause nothing but and make us very symptomatic. So the same with me my doctor is not making me stop just said if I can do it without getting stressed out to try. Well I get stressed very very easily, (I have a 5 yr old) so to add not have my cigg to relax me (and call it mind over matter but it does) would really stress me out more.

They have this thing called an e cigarette I'm going to try. It's basically a nicotine inhaler--that actually "smokes" but without fire--it makes water vapor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-cigarette

There are a zillion studies that show smoking raises BP I now find. But I can't find one I wanted to post here that shows people with low BP tend to become smokers in the first place and have a harder time quitting. Was a British study. Anyway, it showed that the BP crashes worst after several weeks off cigarettes--but comes back up after only a few cigarettes smoked in a few days. Even one cigarette raises BP.

Thing is I don't know if it's the nicotine or the other zillion things in smoke that is keeping my BP up. For sure if I "just" had the nicotine habit I'd be better off--as it's the rest of the stuff that gives ya cancer and destroys lung tissue.

Anyway, thank you all for your reponses. I'm going to try to ecig and I'll let you guys know if it keeps my BP from crashing without the other stuff that causes cancer.
XOXOXOX
Sandy

Misty==I just noticed you're in Tampa and mentioned a cardiologist who seems to understand this????

Would you be willing to share his name? I'm in Cape Coral and this would be closer for me than the guy in Pennsacola if he can handle this.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Sandy

Yes, I go to a place called LIFELINK HealthCare Institute it is down by Tampa General Hospital. The doctors name is Guillermo Cintron, M.D. F.A.C.C.

The address there is 409 Bayshore Boulevard Tampa, Florida 33606

Phone number is 813-251-0793 or 1-800-262-5775

I hope this information could be useful to you. I wish you luck.

People always look at me like I am crazy when I tell them that smoking actually helps ease my POTS symptoms, especially doctors. It's so true though!

I've been a smoker for several years, and started long before I got POTS. During one of my first appointments with Bev (the nurse at Dr. Grubb's office), I asked her about it. She said that although smoking isn't good for you, it does in fact help to raise blood pressure... Cigarette smoking causes vaso-constriction, just like midodrine and adderall! Hah!

I have never been a smoker and never will be! I won't judge those of you who do though. If you've found a positive to justify smoking, or simply just enjoy it, or are addicted, that's fine, but be aware of ALL the negatives, please. And please consider those around you who are forced to breathe second-hand smoke.

It does seem ironic to me that people worry about their health situations, but continue to smoke. Just my opinion!

Mollie you've just repeated EXACTLY what my doctor said. No doubt you're right--which is why I've quit--twice now in the past 6 months--just to end up in the hopital--once overnight--with heart troubles and BP too low to get it to register.

I've asked them all--will you help me to get through this so I can quit without a stroke from low BP

So far no takers. I am looking for someone to prescribe me meds to constrict my blood vessels so I won't HAVE to use smoking to do it. And hope to find one soon--but right now I've had trouble finding ANY doctor who even knows what hyperadrenal dysautonomia means! The one who dianosed it--refused to "follow" my care and threw me back to my GP--who hasn't a clue what it even is!

So I smoke. Next step an ecig--that has NO SECONDHAND SMOKE--just water vapor and an inhaled nicotine transport system. Nicotine pills, gum and the like are too strong--I have hopes that with this ecig I can control my nicotine needs to raise my BP and still get away from smoke.

Nicotine IS an effective drug for many uses--and has few side effects if you don't burn something like tobacco to take it in.

Anyway, sorry to have offended you with my troubles. I promise not to post on this subject again.

Sandy

So many people have so much negative to say about smoking. Poeple who have never smoked or even been around smoking tend to get lung cancer. I have been smoking for several years and every xray and scan of my lungs have never showed any signs that I am a smoker. I do show respect to others and dont smoke around none smokers, I cant speak for others, but I am sure most people show the same respect. And I know that smoking isnt all as bad as some doctors tend to make it sound to be when a doctor comes walking out behind you of an appointment lighting up a cigg as well. Having POTS has nothing to do with smoking its not like we all have lung cancer and continue to smoke or have emphazema and continue to smoke. We have a condition of our nervous system and if smoking helps keep my blood pressure up and stable to where I can walk around without hitting the floor then yes I will still continue to still smoke expecially when my doctors say they arent to concerned with me stopping that I will die if I dont.

Just my opinion!

No offense taken, Sandy! I'm just speaking from my own perspective on this and I'm aware that every situation is different.

I wish you the best with the alternative you're exploring. I'm sure quitting is a very hard struggle, especially when there is at least one benefit from indulging.

BTW, when I was in the hospital, I used marinol, a derivitave of marijuana, for pain. It helped a lot, and I had no qualms about using it.

The great thing about this forum is we can all express our opinions and respect each others opinions, whether or not we entirely agree!

obviously, this is a touchy subject. but you can get in your car, have an accident and die, but that doesn't stop you from getting in it. life is life. we can only do what feels best for ourselves. my dys tx is different than most here. not one of us can tell the other how to deal with their own dys. we can help each other with suggestions and that's all.
i respect those who need to smoke (myself) and those who don't, and those who quit.
dys sucks, let's not make it harder on each other.
example: i can't eat during the day ( cuz i get very sick) but my friend went and had gastric bypass to loose weight. how does she loose it you ask. if she eats too much it makes her sick. i would LOVE to be able to eat and not get ill. GO FIGURE!!!!
we all have what we can and can't stand, and each one is different.

just my opinion!