My wife has Palpitations and has been given xanax - Panic Disorders Message Board

dblan1 · 09-16-2003, 04:57 PM

Hello my wife started having palpitations back in may and developed atrial fibrillation. She recently had a cardiac ablation. She has started having palpitations again and it is making her very upset. Today her cardiologist prescribed Xanax. I was looking through here and it seems that Xanax is not a solution but a beginning to a long road of meds. I new she was having problems with anxiety and strees long before this and wanted her to see somebody but always was wary of the quick drug prescription. This is something they said would be temporary until things settle down with her health and she calms down. But what if her health doesnt get better and her anxiety gets worse? Would seeing a therapist be of any value in this situation? Is that still a viable option today? I am completely out of my league here and dont understand this problem. Like many of the people in your posts I am the one who doesnt understand and says settle down it will pass, look at the good things. I am starting to understand its not like that, but is working through therapy still an option?

Daryl

cattys · 09-16-2003, 07:31 PM

Hi Daryl, Your poor wife I can't imagine the anxiety she is feeling over this. I am a real big worrier and this would totally put me under. If the zanax helps her then by all means let her have it. I myself would not worry about becoming addicted to the zanax exspecially with all that she has to deal with right now.

If her heart get palpations and she is nervous or anxious she definetly needs somthing to calm her down before somthing more severe could happen.

please be there for her and understand panic and anxiety is real he**. You don't know what it is like until you experience it yourself and believe me you just can't snap out of it.

I wish you both the best and really hope your wife starts feeling better soon.

Jennita · 09-17-2003, 01:27 AM

You are correct in your suspicions about Xanax. Is that the only medication the cardiologist had offered? There are many other options that may be better than Xanax. Here's a website with some info on atrial fibrillation and medications that may help... note that Xanax isn't on the list and wasn't on other websites I viewed:
[url="http://www.a-fib.com/Medications.htm"]http://www.a-fib.com/Medications.htm[/url]

Maybe you should shop around for a new cardiologist.

Carrie830 · 09-17-2003, 07:32 AM

hi

my doctor put me on xanax about 5 years ago for my heart skiping beats and being nervous all the time! i took it for about a year and when i found out i was pregnant i had to come up off of it

I found it very hard to get off of xanax, if i didnt take one i would start shaking and would sneak one even sometimes until finalley i got off of them and to this day i will never take another one! I'm not the type of person that gets addicted to pills or anything either, as a matter of fact i smoked for 4 years and quit cold turkey, never got addicted, so these xanax are not much fun! im sure all people react to it though in different ways. If i was you I would talk to your doctor about something else, theres lots of other drugs out there that are good for this! I havnet been on meds sence the xanax, that was enough for me! I started getting the skip beats and weird stuff going on with my heart not too long after i had a my daughter back in 95 and was seen by a doctor who did all kinds of test and said it was a panic thing, for years i had those skip beats all the time, lots a day but for the past 2 years or so they just kinda stopped, every once in awhile i will have one but thats about it! I wish you and your wife good luck with these, i no how scarey these can be and i also no theres hope in getting better

Jennita · 09-17-2003, 04:36 PM

Here's another link since the other one is down...
[url="http://www.aboutatrialfibrillation.com/treated.html#medication"]http://www.aboutatrialfibrillation.com/treated.html#medication[/url]