POTS answers, with the sources.

Asha does not diagnose or prescribe. She explains the evidence, cites it, and tells you when to get care today.

A heart that races on standing and near-faints in a hot shower, often after months of being told it is anxiety. People arrive here between appointments, with a heart-rate log on their phone and a list of things to try. Asha explains how POTS is diagnosed, what the evidence says about fluids, salt, compression and graded exercise, and which symptoms need care today.

Ask Asha: How POTS is diagnosed Which signs are urgent

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What people ask

How it is diagnosed, what the evidence supports, what each medicine is for, and when to be seen today.

POTS is a form of dysautonomia: the heart rate climbs too much on standing while blood pressure holds. It can begin after a viral illness, including COVID, and the diagnosis rests on a proper standing or tilt-table test. Fluids, salt, compression and graded exercise are the usual starting points, with medications added for specific symptoms.

How POTS is diagnosedHow is POTS diagnosed, what should happen during a proper standing test or tilt-table test, and what has to be ruled out first?Ask this Fluids, salt, compression and exerciseI have POTS. What does the evidence say about fluids, salt, compression and exercise programs, and how do I start safely?Ask this What each POTS medication is forWhich medications are used for POTS, what is each one meant to do, and what side effects should I watch for?Ask this Which symptoms need care todayMy heart races and I feel faint when I stand, and it started after a viral illness. Which symptoms fit POTS, and which mean I need to be seen today?Ask this

Open Asha and ask your own

Do not wait for the next visit

Go to the emergency department, or call 911, if

fainting that causes an injury, or fainting with no warning at all
fainting during exercise or exertion
chest pain, or a very fast or irregular heartbeat that does not settle with rest
new or much worse symptoms after starting a new medication

These signs can point to a heart rhythm problem, and that needs testing today, so do not wait for the next appointment.

988 call or text, mental-health crisis 911 call, danger to life or limb

For the people around them

For the people around the patient

Parents of teenagers with POTS, and partners who watch the near-faints, carry the hours between visits too. Asha answers their questions from the same sources, in plain words.

Supporting a teenager with POTSMy teenage daughter was diagnosed with POTS. How do I support her at school and with exercise without pushing too hard, and what should the school know?Ask this What to do when someone faintsMy partner has POTS and sometimes faints when standing. What should I do in the moment, and when should I call 911 instead of waiting it out?Ask this

A thin teal key standing upright in a pool of translucent ivory liquid, its ring above the surface and its four pins to the right.

Know what is normal. Know what is urgent.

Tell Asha what is happening, in your own words. She answers from the evidence, shows where it comes from, and says plainly when the next step is a clinician today.

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How Asha answers

The evidence, its sources, and the line she will not cross.

Cited

Every answer shows its sources.

For POTS, Asha reads the Orphanet rare-disease catalogue, the Human Phenotype Ontology, PubMed-indexed abstracts and the wider biomedical literature.

Plain

She says when it is serious.

Asha does not diagnose or prescribe. She explains the evidence, cites it, and tells you when to get care today. When a symptom cannot wait, she says so first, and she gives the number to call.

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About Asha. Asha is built by DNAi Systems, founded by two physicians. Answers are grounded in a curated medical knowledge base and checked against safety rules before they reach you. Five questions, no account. Then the first month free with a card. Your conversations are private and are never sold. Privacy, safety, pricing.

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