Some people with POTS and other forms of dysautonomia use antihistamines on a long term basis to treat mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). We want our patient community to be aware that the FDA has issued a new warning regarding the risk of severe itching after abruptly stopping Zyrtec or Xyzal, two common over-the-counter antihistamines. The FDA notes that the risk is rare, but we think it's important for patients to be aware of this because when we stop antihistamines and feel severe itching, we may assume it's a flare of MCAS, when it might just be a side effect of stopping the medication. We'd love to see some research on this in the dysautonomia/MCAS population, because we suspect this is not that rare of a phenomenon in our patient community. If you are using these antihistamines on a long term basis, and want or need to stop your antihistamines, please speak with your doctor to create a plan to safely stop the medication. FDA notes that tapering off the antihistamine may help avoid the severe itching that can occur with abrupt discontinuation. (fb)

New research finds that women with endometriosis are at a 30-80% increased risk of developing autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, and that genetic risk factors may explain the relationship. This is relevant to our patient community because previous research found that women with POTS were 4x more likely to have endometriosis than healthy women, and there is other research identifying autoimmune and inflammatory biomarkers in most POTS patients. Read the new endometriosis study here: (fb)