New clinical trial offers hope for POTS patients

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome — more commonly known as POTS — is not considered a rare condition, but physicians at OU Health say they are seeing more cases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, a new clinical trial is offering hope for patients struggling with the disorder, which affects the autonomic nervous system.

Ashley Lamb, one of the patients enrolled in the trial, said the condition can make even the simplest tasks exhausting.

“It gets to the point where just brushing your teeth is a lot of work,” Lamb said. “It can be really challenging.”

She’s not going through it alone. Her service dog, a goldendoodle named Lilly Rose, helps her manage daily symptoms and stay grounded when her body doesn’t cooperate.

Dr. Stavros Stavrakis, a clinical electrophysiologist at OU Health, said some of the signs of POTS are palpitations, heart racing, dizziness and brain fog.

Lamb's doctor says there is a telltale sign when it comes to diagnosing a POTS patient.

"You know, for me, the moment was really when she said that she had symptoms while standing," said Dr. Joanne Skaggs, primary care Physician and OU Health.

POTS can affect patients' abilities to do day-to-day activities.

“I'd watch my heart rate on my Apple Watch spike from 70 to 8090, and sometimes I'd get up to 145 as if I was at the gym exercising and all I'm doing is putting dishes away.”

But now Ashley is part of OU Health's clinical trial.

"What they're looking at are there additional medications that we can get these patients," said Skaggs

“It's a double-blind study, so I don't actually know if I'm getting IVIG or the placebo, but what I know for sure is my body has just been feeling so much better since being in the trial, which is amazing," said Lamb

Now more than halfway through the year-long study, the team hopes the research will lead to new treatment options for POTS patients.