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04-20-2006, 09:44 AM
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#1 | Junior Member (male)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 30
| Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Hi and thanks for reading my post.
I've experienced 2 episodes of tachycardia. The first one was a reaction to geodon or effexor, or the combination of the two. I went to the hospital and was given the diagnosis of panic attacks/anxiety even though my pulse was constantly above 120, and even woke be up in the middle of the night because of chest pain and a pounding heart. I stopped both medications, and the tachycardia stopped shortly afterwards.
Two weeks ago, in an attempt to have a quick fix to my crippling psychotic depression, I took large doses of remeron (120 mg per day) amitriptyline (25 mg per day) and seroquil (125 mg per day) for a week or so. My heart rate had risen by the end of the week to the point of having pain again in my chest. My pulse hovered around 140. I went to the hospital again. This time they took me a little more seriously, since it was a continuing problem. They ran every test they could on me ( EKG, ultra sound, cardiagraph, stress test, etc.) took several blood and urine tests and monitored my heart over night. Everything was A-OK, I just happened to have a pulse rate that wouldn't go below 120. They dismissed me again with a Rx of xanax, and told me to follow up with a Dr. I did as directed.
Anyway, my heart rate went down with the xanax to a little above 100, but it stayed there for a week. Yesterday I went off the xanax. My heart rate once again went above 120 and stayed there, and the heart pain returned. One might think the best thing to do would be to stay on the xanax, and let things be, but my heart rate before this happened was 80, and I never had to take any antianxiety medication. At this point I'm wondering what the f*** is wrong and what the hell I should do. Every time I go to the hospital they dismiss me with the same diagnosis, but I'm 20 years old, and my blood pressure is perfect, and as severeal Drs and nurses have commented, "I shouldn't ever be having any pain in my heart".
Any insight or help would be appreciated.
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04-20-2006, 09:54 AM
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#2 | Newbie (female)
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 7
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Hi, I really don't know anything that would help you out... but my heart rate is always 100, always has been. I get a pounding heart beat a lot too, I have big blood pressure changes (usually low) which makes that happen with dizziness. I also have an anxiety disorder but I'm not sure that that's the cause, as it happens mostly when I'm lying down relaxed. I hope you find some help for it. Good luck!
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04-20-2006, 11:50 AM
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#3 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 706
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
I have tachycardia that went undiagnosed for over 10 years. They kept patting me on the head telling me it was panic disorder. Finally, my rate went to 150 for over 5 hours. As I was in the ER my BP dropped to 50/30. FInally, they took me seriously.
I started taking a beta blocker that helped me with both the anxiety and tachy. I also now take klonopin. Both meds have improved my life in ways I cannot explain. Klonopin is in the same family as xanax but is longer lasting and usually taken daily. I think many tachycardias, arrythmias, and anxiety (as well as MANY MANY other ailments) are VERY related and intertwined. I also think it is a physical/physio problem...NOT all in our heads.
I would find a good cardio and a GREAT psychiatrist. They CAN help!!
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04-20-2006, 01:29 PM
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#4 | Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 48
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Hey,
I have Tachycardia, I don't have "episodes", I have CONSTANT exteme tachycardia where my heart rate has NEVER been below 120 my entire life (or atleast the past 7-8 years where I have been monitored). I also don't have depression/anxiety. Because of that, I can't really give much advice on episodes of tachycardia, but I can tell you that you NEED a very good cardiologist. You should also look into the ingredients of the meds you are taking, as my guess is that they contain stimulants (anti depression meds usually do, therefore they make your heart rate go up). Especially if you took large doses of it like you said, it's a reaction to the chemicals.... don't do that, and maybe you won't get tachy  Maybe it could all go back to normal (80s) if you stopped taking the meds, which I know would be tough. If they put you on anti-anxiedty meds, you probably shouldn't just stop them cold turkey, it could be a jolt to your system, which could have caused your last episode. I'm not a doctor, but I've been to about a bazillion doctors and have researched like crazy. Get a good psych and a good cardio and make sure they work TOGETHER, so you aren't prescribed anything that could affect the other symptoms, unless you wanna be prescribed more meds ontop of more meds, etc etc.
Hope it all works out for you!!
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04-20-2006, 01:45 PM
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#5 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 706
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared Quote:
Originally Posted by ITrustMySoulNYC Get a good psych and a good cardio and make sure they work TOGETHER, so you aren't prescribed anything that could affect the other symptoms, unless you wanna be prescribed more meds ontop of more meds, etc etc.
Hope it all works out for you!! | Exactly. During the years I was told it was all in my head and tried A LOT of different anti-depressant type meds...it was bad. When I brought the list of meds I had been on in the past years to my new psychiatrist..he said I am lucky they didnt kill me. Some of the drugs in combo and alone were quite bad for me. But because the tachy was never diagnosed...know what I mean??
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04-20-2006, 01:45 PM
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#6 | Newbie (female)
Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: oxford,england,uk
Posts: 8
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Hi. My 3 year old son has SVT (supraventricula tachydia) This was diagnosed when he was 2 weeks old and has been on beta blockers since. With out these his heart beats over 300 beats per min. Even with the beta blockers he still goes into SVT quite a lot. His normal heart rate is about 130 beats per min.
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04-22-2006, 12:56 PM
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#7 | Junior Member (male)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 30
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Thank you all for your replies. They have been helpful. I will especially heed the advice of having the psyhciatrist and cardiologist work together.
I'm getting really concerned now though. This is totally new to me unlike many of you who have replied. I've stopped my meds 2 weeks ago yet my heart rate remains exactly the same whether on or off xanax ( 100 or 120) as it was 2 weeks ago. I would think if it had anything to do with the massive amounts of meds I took, it would at least have decreased somewhat. Am I wrong? How long do these things take to exit the system?
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04-22-2006, 02:36 PM
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#8 | Veteran (female)
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 445
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared Quote:
Originally Posted by tmapj Thank you all for your replies. They have been helpful. I will especially heed the advice of having the psyhciatrist and cardiologist work together.
I'm getting really concerned now though. This is totally new to me unlike many of you who have replied. I've stopped my meds 2 weeks ago yet my heart rate remains exactly the same whether on or off xanax ( 100 or 120) as it was 2 weeks ago. I would think if it had anything to do with the massive amounts of meds I took, it would at least have decreased somewhat. Am I wrong? How long do these things take to exit the system? |
TMAPG I don't think those drugs would have anything to do with your Rapid Heart rate but I am not a doctor. I do know that 30 years ago when I had a physical I had an EKG and he redid it. I had a rapid heart rate and he had me test it at home also .I was 150 beats per min resting and I was put on a beta blocker and after adjusting the dose I got down to 90 + or- 10. Good luck.
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04-24-2006, 11:14 AM
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#9 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 1,227
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
TMAPJ,
Hello. I am not sure how long you've been on the Xanax, but yes it can cause the rapid heart beat. My husband has been on Xanax for severe panic disorder for twelve years and about four years ago, he decided to try and stop taking them (along with his doctor's approval) He went for a solid month before even feeling the least bit better. He had the same racing heart. You should never stop taking Xanax abruptly because of the withdraw. You should taper yourself off slowly. Unfortunately it didn't work for my husband, he was so bad off that he was basically home bound for about 9 months. He decided it was just something that his body obviously needed and that taking it wasn't so bad afterall. He now takes it reguarly along with his anti-d, Serezone, and is back to normal. He still has episodes every now and then of the racing heart but overall he does fine. I would ask the doctor if they think stopping the Xanax could be the culprit.
Last edited by Delia79; 04-24-2006 at 11:16 AM.
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04-24-2006, 11:26 AM
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#10 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 706
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Strange. I have NEVER heard of a benzo making the heart race. I have taken several thru out the years and if anything, they have made me more calm, making my heart rate even lower.
I would talk to the Dr about this.
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04-24-2006, 01:34 PM
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#11 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 1,227
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Did it sound like that is what I was saying, that the Xanax is causing it? I am sorry, I must have not made that clear through my rambling, I was saying, or meant to say  that the withdraw will cause that, not taking the medicine. Hope that makes more sense. But I did read on the web that some of the possible side effects are as follows:
side effects can include:
Sleep apnea
Hypoventilation (Respiratory depression)
Blurred vision
Difficulty in depth perception
Slurred speech or dysarthria
Changes in personality
Confusion
Disorientation
Amnesia (memory impairment)
Vivid dreams and/or nightmares
Jaundice
Tachycardia
Bradycardia
Changes in plasma cortisol and ACTH levels
Blood dyscrasias
Decreased salivation
Increased salivation
Diarrhea
Constipation
Nausea
Elevated hepatic (liver) enzymes
Incontinence
Rare paradoxical side effects can include:
Nervousness
Anxiety
Agitation
Rage
Insomnia
Muscle spasms and rigidity
So I guess it really just depends on the person. My husband does experience racing heart on rare occasion, but then again, who knows if it's just the anxiety? My guess would be yes for his situation.
Last edited by Delia79; 04-24-2006 at 01:40 PM.
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04-24-2006, 01:43 PM
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#12 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 706
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
OHHH!! Yes, I can TOTALLY see that!! I think ANY w/draw..especially from a sedative would or could cause tachy!!
Dont those lists of possible side effects make you nuts??? I mean, I swear, there is such a HUGE list for EVERY drug. It makes me so afraid to take ANYthing. That is why once I find something that pretty much helps and doesnt KILL me in the process, I never want to switch!!!
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04-24-2006, 02:02 PM
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#13 | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA
Posts: 1,227
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
Yes they do. You know what else I think is hilarious? Those commercials for medications and they will tell the possible side effects and I swear half of the list is compiled up of things that you are trying to relieve! I too hate taking anything new and want to make completely sure that it's not going to kill me or something. I mean, you never know. They say things are safe, they put them out on the market, and then four years down the road they are ripping it off the shelves due to it harming people. You just have to make sure before you take anything these days! |
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04-24-2006, 04:52 PM
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#14 | Senior Member (female)
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Texas
Posts: 177
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
I was told Tachycardia is technically a heart rate over 100 bpm without exertion. Mine stays pretty low, in the 60's at rest. BUT i am also on a beta blocker. I know you're scared. Just remember that caffeine, chocolate , which has caffeine in it, over the counter meds like decongestants can all attribute to an excellerated HR. I cannot even have sugar. (one would think iwould be really thin but I'm not) If I have even one glas of orange juice my HR will be at least in the 80's for about 3 hrs. Anyone else have this ? Take care.
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04-24-2006, 05:17 PM
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#15 | Senior Member (female)
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Texas
Posts: 177
| Re: Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)-- scared
I agree.. I was on Vioxx on and off for a few yrs. I loved it!! Then look what happened. I too am paranoid about meds. Even if my cardiologist tell me it is fine. I actually trust my Pharmacist on meds more than docs..
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