Sinus Tachycardia w/ chest pain

freak · 09-08-2004, 04:05 PM

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)

Machaon · 09-08-2004, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freak

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.

freak · 09-08-2004, 08:46 PM

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

Machaon · 09-08-2004, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freak

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?

Machaon · 09-08-2004, 09:53 PM

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.