ok, so I have Sinus Tachycardia with a resting pulse that fluctuates from below 80 to over 120 durring regular activites. (Not increasing with activity, but spuratically through out the day (136 while sitting on the ground 76 while cleaning the house and lifting stuff)) I am extremely short of breath and I have chest pain that is now around a 4.5 on the 1-10 scale. I am seeing a cardiologist on friday and last visted my Dr. last week where my verapamil was increased from 360 to 480mg a day. All my EKG's (8 in total) are normal along with thyroid test, drug test negative, echiocardiogram was normal with a perfect heart. What is going on? I cannot walk up a flight of stairs w/o getting sinded (totally panting and gasping) and the same happens when I talk for a longer period of time (over 5 min). I am 21 years old with cholesteral of 260 (188 is my bad cholesteral). my 50 year old father has had 1 heart attack and is having tripple bypass on friday (the same time i'm seeing a cardiologist) Any ideas as to what is actually going on and when should I get worried about the pain? I asked my dr. about the shortness of breath and they said not to go up the stairs as fast (I'm creaping up them like an 80 year old)

ok, so I have Sinus Tachycardia with a resting pulse that fluctuates from below 80 to over 120 durring regular activites. (Not increasing with activity, but spuratically through out the day (136 while sitting on the ground 76 while cleaning the house and lifting stuff)) I am extremely short of breath and I have chest pain that is now around a 4.5 on the 1-10 scale. I am seeing a cardiologist on friday and last visted my Dr. last week where my verapamil was increased from 360 to 480mg a day. All my EKG's (8 in total) are normal along with thyroid test, drug test negative, echiocardiogram was normal with a perfect heart. What is going on?

I was on Verapamil for many years. It is a calcium channel blocker. That means that it limits calcium conduction in the heart. I could not take any calcium, whether in food or drink, within 2.5 hours of taking the Verapamil and I had to limit the total amount of calcium I consumed during the day. I also had to take my Verapamil two hours away from my other meds. I also could not take a multiple vitamin-mineral pill. If I didn't do these things I would have increased problems with my heart, such as a very hard tachycardia, that would last for days.

After many years on Verapamil, I finally got off of it. To me the side effects were worse than the benefits. Of course, this is how it effected me. You might not have the same bad experiences with it.

Regards, and best of luck and health.

Really? My dr. placed me on it after I had develped sinus tachycardia for the tachycardia and for migraines. I was never informed not to consume calcium with it or near the time that I take it nor that a side effect could be more tachycardia. My dr. i swear never tells me stuff and since I am on my colleges health plan I can't do anything about switching dr.'s. I hate my chest pain thing

Really? My dr. placed me on it after I had develped sinus tachycardia for the tachycardia and for migraines. I was never informed not to consume calcium with it or near the time that I take it nor that a side effect could be more tachycardia. My dr. i swear never tells me stuff and since I am on my colleges health plan I can't do anything about switching dr.'s. I hate my chest pain thing

The names that I call most doctors I am not allowed to use on Healthboards. Most don't have a clue about the side effects of meds, or the interactions of meds, or the addiction that people develop to meds. It took me a long time to SLOWLY withdraw from Verapamil, in order to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

I can't say that you react the same way that I react. Everyone is different. Perhaps I have a weird problem with calcium?

But if the medicine acts by restricting calcium to the heart, and the patient increases the level of calcium in his body by eating cheese or ice cream, etc, it is only logical, to me, that somethings got to give.

Did you have the chest pain problem before taking Verapamil? Verapamil is supposed to reduce chest pain from exercise.

One way to test my assumptions, is to avoid calcium based foods and drinks within 2.5 hours, before AND after taking your Verapamil. Do you take herbs or vitamin/mineral pills, or any other meds?

Verapamil is also a blood pressure med. Did you have blood pressure problems?

Did the Verapamil help your migrane problem?

I am not suggesting getting off of the Verapamil if it is helping you. If you are having the same type of problems with it, that I had, you may have to adjust the way you eat, and what you eat, to avoid interactions with the medicine.

If CAD (coronary artery disease) runs in your family, Verapamil is supposed to help against CAD.

There are side effects with all meds. If the good effects of the meds outweigh the side effects, then it is a matter of learning how to deal with the medicine's side effects and interactions.

Regards, and best of luck and health.

I never really had chest pain before ( i had the sudden jabs that felt like I was being stabbed or someone had a fishing hook stuck under my ribs on my left side.) This pain is about a 4-4.5 on the 1-10 scale and it only showed up two days ago and was about a 3 then. It goes into my back (Spinal area, and my chest area.) it does not get better in different positions. my back pain gets only slightly better if I pop it (5-10 min where the back pain is down to a 1.5) (the pain around my spine is probably a 5.)

I don't take any other meds only prn's (imitrex) and the my meds are taken once durring the day and at night (the nighttime one w/o food just a glass of water around 12 am and the others around 12 pm w/ soda) Breakfast is around 9:30 and lunch around 3-4 pm. and dinner around 9:30 (i'm a college kid)

the verapamil was a godsend form my migraines i went from like 3-4 a week to 1 a month. I love it to death. before this we tried 4 different medications in a year to make the go away

I don't take any other meds only prn's (imitrex) and the my meds are taken once durring the day and at night (the nighttime one w/o food just a glass of water around 12 am and the others around 12 pm w/ soda) Breakfast is around 9:30 and lunch around 3-4 pm. and dinner around 9:30 (i'm a college kid)

Why did the doctor tell you he was increasing the Verapamil? The higher the dose, usually the higher the side effects and interactions.

Do you take the Imitrex within 2.5 hours before or after the Verapamil? I could not take most of my meds within 2.5 hours of my Verapamil. This doesn't mean that you will react the same way, but it shouldn't hurt to separate taking Imitrex from taking Verapamil by at least 2.5 hours. Also, there could be an interaction between the Imitrex and the Verapamil.

You might want to research the side effects of Imitrex on www.rxlist.com There are cardiac side effects connected with Imitrex.

Also, how do you feel about staying away from foods and drinks containing significant amounts of calcium, for a day or two, to see if your symptoms improve?

The foods I avoided were mostly milk products, including cheese. You would need to check the label on the foods. Some juices have calcium added to them.

Then, if you are feeling better, try introducing milk products back into your diet, at least 2.5 hours away from your Verapamil. Then you could make adjustments based on your own experiences.

I am not a doctor, just a fellow patient, so what effects me might not effect you the same way.

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so I went to my cardiologist today and he determined that since my heart is normal except the beating really fast part that it is b/c i'm lazy. Since I do not formally exercise on a continual basis, then my heart freaks out and goes fast at RANDOM points durring the day. He is making me do a stress echo on tuesday and told me that my other dr. is on crack for putting me on the amount of drugs i was on.

All this never mind you that I weigh 116 lbs at 5'7 and a few months ago i could rollerblade for over 3 hours (i speed skate so 6-7 miles an hour) with out beign winded and now I cannot even walk up a flight of stairs without almost passing out!

he ignored my complaints about chest pain and being short of breath and not being able to do ANY activity!

Freak,
A stress echo is what you need...stress WITH nuclear markers would be better. Getting so winded so easily at your age is a sign of angina but absent mid chest discomfort on exercise, it's not probable (but still quite possible.)

Oh, are you EVER going to find that stress test Tuesday a miserable experience...don't be surprised if you find chest discomfort very quickly, and report any discomfort/heartburn to your doctor IMMEDIATELY.

The same exhausion, however, could very well be laid squarely on the back of that huge dose of calcium channel blocker you're taking (and it could also mask angina pain.)

In any case, the stress test is EXACTLY the right thing for you to do. Good Luck!

Had the Echo, and I am perfectly normal???? funny thing, ok, so i'm 21 and my cholesteral is 260 with 188 being the bad one. (LDL?) while I was sitting with the ekg on I watched my HR changed from 96 to 76 to 100 to 114 in under 5 seconds with out activity, I was just sitting ont he bed. Doesn't that mean that there is a problem if my heart changes that much in under 5 sec? he put me on a beta block plus my calcium blocker. Gotta go to class