Anxiety and Heart Palpitation ? Everyone I need your input. Please participate! - Panic Disorders Message Board

special_ahs · 10-18-2003, 10:39 PM

Everyday, my anxiety starts with a fear of thinking that there is something wrong with my heart. My doctor says that my heart is fine, but it is hard to trust his words and not worry about it. I know that when my anxieties are high, my hearts seems to beat faster, but sometimes it over-reacts to body movements.

Hear are my symptoms:

1) Starts to beat faster for no reason. Approx 90 ~100 bpm. My resting rate is 60 ~ 70 bpm.

2) Even slow walking raises my heart rate.

3) Standing up suddenly makes my heart to beat "SLOW" and "HARD" for couple of seconds. I can feel in my chest and throat....scary. Sometime I feel dizzy and light headed because of this. This is what worries me most!
Somebody told me that this is normal since I was just lying down and blood is not reaching my brain quick enough, but I don't think being able to feel your heart beat and beating slow and hard is normal. I'm just hoping that this is caused by my anxieties. Do you have this symptom?

4) This is not a joke. When I pee,,,, my heart seems to beat harder. Not fast, just harder.

5) My heart hurts time to time. Sometimes it feels like poking with a pin....sometimes it feels
like pressing down on a bruised spot. These pain last for about 1~2 seconds. I don't think they are originating from my esophagus or skeletal muscles/ligments.

Did you also experienced any abnormal sensation or reaction from your heart due to anxieties? Please let me know.

VooDooFlp · 10-18-2003, 11:08 PM

Hi!! Well i get the exact same symptoms or whatever u wanna call it as you except for the pee thing LOL! Anyway its funny because all that you just posted is the excat same thing that happens to me. The doctor said everything was fine with my heart i had all bunch of tests done.. from X-Rays to the "Holter" seems like everything came out fine but i still worry!! RThe thing that used to worry me the most was the pain in the heart.. "poking with a pin." I never though anyone had felt this before untill i read this threat. Seems like some people get this feeling its really annoying it usually stays in for like 1 - 5 minutes. Anyway seems like you suffer from anxiety the same way i do. One thing that helps me and i guess its poreatty obious is to not think about it. I know its hard specially with your heart rate up.. but try to talk to someone or bring back a memory where you laugh alot. This usually helps. How long have you been suffering from anxiety/panic attacks? You should learn to handle them better after some months. Oh yeah and by the way when you stand up try to o so slowly. The dizzyness happens because your blood preassure changes (adjusts doesnt go up or down it just adjusts when you lay down etc) and then when you get up too fast oxygen doesnt get to your brain as fast as it should since your blood preassure must change first. This is normal for some people as far as i know.

[This message has been edited by VooDooFlp (edited 10-19-2003).]

lori j · 10-18-2003, 11:45 PM

Oh my, just read your post, I am going thru the same thing right now! My anti-d that I had been on for 7 years has failed me & I'm in the process of changing to another & I've had the rapid heart beat, the heaviness on the left side, sometimes it feels like my heart is going to explode it beats so fast & most times it's when I try to go to sleep, can hear it beating in my ears etc. So, now trying to sleep is a trigger for me. At times it will also do it for no apparent reason, I can be sitting watching a tv program & not even thinking about it. I think my anti-d failing has triggered the panic & now here I am with the new one not working yet, only had 3 hours sleep last nite & had to take a xanax just to get a 3 hour nap today. It's scary for sure.

tracey2775 · 10-19-2003, 04:10 PM

I started getting bad palpatations when i was 16. Im now 28. I was, and still am, convinced theres something wrong with my heart. Its a vicious circle. My heart pounds and i then panic because its pounding which then makes my heart worse. Like you it beats weired when im doing different things. If i kneel down it starts fluttering, if i walk up the stairs it pounds so hard i think its gonna burst, if i lay down it flutters. I have to sit on the bed for a good 10 mins before i can lay down. Only last week was i actually given something for these palps and its called Propranolol. I cant say enough about it. My heart is so calm now and no longer plays up. I wasnt too sure on taking it at first though, read my post on the heart section "on beta blockers and im so frightened".

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tracey

DawnMarie1978 · 10-19-2003, 05:26 PM

Same here. I have had every test done under the sun. My holter monitor results came out with an average heart rate of 98bpm. But what I am learning is even if I had to live with it I would probably live a full life anyways. Some people are born with tachcardia (fast heart rate) without anxiety or panic and they live full lives. Heart rate isnt really that important unless there is something wrong with the beat itself. And dont worry if you had holter or the EKG they would find irregularity. One of the most important things about concering panic is to accept it. If you absolutely have to make a list of all tests you find necessary and then STOP when they all come back negative. Believe me the doctors are not wanting to give you a false report that your heart is fine if it isnt. Yes there insurance would cover most of it if they were wrong but there careers could be wrecked and they didnt go to school that long to deal with mistakes like that. If there was something wrong with your heart it could almost always be dealt with or fixed so they wouldnt try to overlook it.

My heart rate goes up sometimes when I walk too thats because I am thinking about it and that automatically releases a little bit of adrenaline, again harmless.

Also when I pee I notice my heart rate increases too, try to pay attention to what you do. I found for me I hold it a little bit and then walk fast to the bathroom, so it increases.

Statistically speaking when I asked a doctor and then another to be honest with me and give me the stats on life span of someone like me that panics all the time. Guess What, the answer was absolutely the same life span, not 1 or 2% higher death rate but the same. You are going to be alright.

Here is another tip after an average of three weeks of walking five times a week for at least 30 min. Your resting heart rate begins to decrease. Thats because when you walk something called the vegus nerve I believe it is called is stimulated and helpt to lower your heart rate.