Bupropion in the treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS): A single-center experience

Abstract

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is estimated to impact millions of people each year. However, there is no established gold standard for its treatment. Bupropion is a norepinephrine and a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and has been implicated as a potential treatment for POTS. We performed a non-randomized retrospective chart review on 47 patients with POTS with statistical analysis evaluating for significant findings including reduced orthostasis and improvement of symptoms with the use of bupropion. Bupropion was not associated with a statistically significant improvement in orthostatic vitals but there was an overall reduction in reported syncope. While the use of bupropion does not show a statistically significant impact on orthostatic vitals in patients with POTS, it did show a degree of improvement in syncope and as such might be useful in patients with syncope-predominant POTS.