Early Hope for Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) — a disorder of excessive orthostatic tachycardia accompanied by symptoms like lightheadedness, headache, palpitations, and near-syncope — can worsen the quality of life of affected individuals, who most often are young women. Few pharmacological agents help manage the debilitating symptoms. Ivabradine, FDA-approved for other indications, inhibits a channel in the sinoatrial node to lower heart rate without affecting blood pressure. In a manufacturer-funded, crossover, double-blinded trial, 26 patients with the hyperadrenergic subtype of POTS were randomized to either ivabradine (2.5–7.5 mg) twice daily or placebo for 1 month and then were crossed over to the other arm for another month (NCT0…