Fluids and Electrolytes for POTS

Fluids and electrolytes are important when you have POTS. Some people with POTS have hypovolemia (low blood volume). In addition to that, the blood is not being pumped properly due to the dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system. Fluids increase blood volume and electrolytes help you retain the fluids that you drink. Therefore, increasing fluids and electrolytes are a useful treatment for POTS.

Fluids

I typically drink between .75 and 1 gallon of water a day. I fill up a pitcher of that size in the morning and pour from it throughout the day. This is much easier than trying to keep track of how many cups and water bottles I’ve drunk.

Electrolytes

Saltstick Vitassium

Picture of saltstick vitassium

Saltstick Vitassium is an encapsulated electrolyte supplement that contains sodium and potassium. It is formulated to be gentle on the stomach. I like it because I don’t notice any GI side effects and the amount of electrolytes is perfect. I take 2-3 capsules with each meal depending on how hot it is.

The great thing about this company is that they offer a 20% discount program called the Vitassium Club to people who use Saltstick Vitassium as a medical supplement for dysautonomia or cystic fibrosis. You also get free shipping on orders over $75, so I order a 3-4 month supply each time.

Oral rehydration solutions

Since I already take Saltstick Vitassium, this is redundant for me. However, I occasionally use oral rehydration solutions for “emergencies”: major energy crashes, excessively hot days, and special events. To be honest, I don’t know why I do this. I think it makes me feel better like I have an extra trick up my sleeve. They do seem to provide a little boost when I need it.

I am not a fan of using these regularly because they tend to have unfavorable ingredients like: flavoring, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Sugar and artificial sweeteners promote bad gut bacteria growth and added flavors can be irritating to the GI system.

I have tried a few oral rehydration solutions and they all work, but I have a clear preference for Drip Drop. It is the best tasting in my opinion. My favorite cold flavor is watermelon and my favorite hot flavor is spiced apple cider. Liquid IV in the watermelon flavor is also pretty good. The benefit of Liquid IV is it is among the most economical, especially if you can buy it at Costco.

I tried out LMNT in Raw Unflavored. It has a great ingredient list, but I ended up never wanting to use it because it tastes like saltwater. I learned that there has to be some tasty factor for me to reach for it. LMNT makes other flavors, so that may be worth checking out if you don’t mind stevia. I also tried Hydrus in the orange flavor. It’s a no from me. However, I detest the taste of stevia and the aftertaste of this was full-on stevia.

Randy from AI saying, "Yeah, it's a no from me dawg."

In 2023, I have found two elecrolyte drink recipes that I like to use after running.

Vitassium FastChews

As a disclaimer, Vitassium reached out to me to share information on FastChews and provided me with samples of the product. However, my opinions are honest.

The FastChews are hard tablets that you can each chew quickly or suck on to dispense electrolytes. They provide 125mg of sodium and 25 mg of potassium per two tablets. They come in Fruit Punch and Grape flavors. Both flavors are good. So good that it is hard to stop eating them! I recommend sucking on the tablets because they taste better that way vs. chewing it fast and getting a roundhouse kick of salt to your mouth. I believe the product also absorbs better when you suck on them since there is more contact of the product with the tissues in your mouth. FastChews smartly work with the fact that the buccal mucosa (tissues of our mouth) allow for quick electrolyte absorption.

I will be using these FastChews for my “emergency stash” of electrolytes. I don’t use electrolytes regularly anymore (March of 2022), but I like to have something like this or Drip Drop on hand in times of illness or more strenuous days. These FastChews are perfect for me to have at work because I don’t always have water on hand, there is no fuss, and they work quick (about 5-10 minutes to enter the blood stream).

If I was looking for a daily option, I would choose the original Saltstick Vitassium instead. The amount of electrolytes per dollar is about 4-5x greater in the original Saltstick Vitassium. FastChews also contain sugar, natural flavoring, and stevia. As I mentioned when discussing oral rehydration solutions, I moderate my consumption of those ingredients, so FastChews are better for occasional use for me.

Why I do not drink Propel, Gatorade, etc.

Similar to why I only use oral rehydration solutions occasionally, it is because they are chock-full of unfavorable ingredients. Sports drinks typically contain artificial colors, sugar, artificial flavors, and artificial sweeteners. Now, is the occasional Gatorade a big deal? No, of course not. However, I would have to consume a mega ton of Gatorade every day to meet my sodium and electrolyte needs and that wouldn’t be good for my body.

How to hydrate optimally

This information is newer to me. Chugging a glass of water has a less hydrating effect than sipping water slowly. Drinking quickly overloads your kidneys and you will pee most of the water out. An article in Time magazine explains this finding.

The article also explains that our body is more efficient at hydrating if we consume food along with it. Food contains minerals that help our bodies retain water. I was recently asking my nutritionist for advice about how I tend to crash and get shaky in between meals and then feel better after I eat. She told me that is typically due to blood sugar dropping and high fiber and protein meals help. However, in the case of POTS, it is typically due to blood volume dropping in the absence of enough electrolytes/minerals. She recommended that I eat a salty/mineral snack in between meals. I always have roasted/salted pumpkin seeds on hand for when I am running on E. Pumpkin seeds are rich in fat, protein, sodium (if they are salted), potassium, and magnesium. These will all contribute to the retention of fluids.

A word of caution about eating salty snacks is that it has a tendency to create a “taste bud ping pong” effect. If you eat something very salty, your taste buds typically crave something sweet afterwards, and vice versa. It is good to be aware of this if you are trying to control sugar consumption. This is why most of my sodium comes from tablets (the Saltstick Vitassium).

How do you do fluids and electrolytes? How has it impacted your POTS?

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Statements on this site are not meant to be taken as medical advice. These statements reflect my personal experiences having mild-ish post-viral POTS and ME. Due to the wide spectrum of these diseases, comorbidities, and everyone being different, your experiences may be very different than mine.

Note: If you post a comment, this site does NOT have a feature to notify you of responses to your comment. I have not found a good solution for that yet. However, I usually respond to every comment in a timely manner, so be sure to check back.

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2 Comments

  1. Fascinating article on hydrating in Times. Even though I don’t have POTS, it made me think about how I rehydrate after exercise. Oh, and I totally grossed out reading how much sugar is in sports drinks!

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