Anxiety and heart, hand in hand?

Hey guys, I have been putting up a lot of post lately because I am extremely paranoid about my heart. Im 18 years old and worked out 3 hours a day for 8 months straight. I never had any heart problems during my workouts at all. I then stopped working out due to a chain reaction that I thought a supplement I was taking would destroy my liver. I worried about my liver for two weeks then started having heart palpitations. When I had my first palpitation I stopped working out, I have only not worked out for a month. I was so active and now Im just extremely paranoid that I damaged my heart. Every time I stand up it speeds up or skips beats. I went to the doctor because I was having severe panic attacks. They ran a EKG and said everything was fine. I guess my question is can anxiety really knock my heart this out of wack. Or could my heart really go to **** in one month. If it helps I also have other irrational fears and night terrors. I take xanax and it helps,but there is still a sense of panic when I stand up. Also I am scared to death of exercise now even though I did nothing but workout for 8 months. I now fear I am going to die of a heart attack during exercise. I rode a bike the other day. I did fine for 25 minutes at moderate speed. I then got my heart rate up to 130 and either my hearts damaged or I freaked myself out (panic attack) because it started skipping beats and beating very forcefully. I got very scared laid down on a bench and my rested heart rate went back to normal within two minutes. (My rested HR is about 58-72, depending on how stressed I am.) Could somebody please give me some reassurance Im fine and its all in my head. I actually have a phobia and my heart beats fast when I even think about doing a stress test, due to this stupid fear of exercise. It is really messing me up because I was doing so good  and proud of myself during my exercise. I rode the bike for 2 hours daily and lifted weights for an hour. I really loved working out and now Im scared to death of it. Its like the movie "So I Married An Axe Murderer" with Mike Myers. He really loved that girl then found out she might kill him. Ha ha, please excuse my bad analogy.

[mmmxiii]

I have gone through exactly what you are going through, and I know that it was all anxiety for me. I don't know why I had my first attack, but I thought it was a heart attack. I didn't believe that it was just anxiety for years, and even now I have my doubts during an actual panic attack.

I gained about 100 pounds due to my fear of exercise. Don't let that happen to you! It is a pain to get it back off, especially when you're scared to exercise. If I didn't have someone working out with me, I couldn't have done it.

All I can say is: go to a doctor if things get worse, read other people's experiences on here, and keep in mind that all of the symptoms you are having can be caused by anxiety. It took a lot of going to the doctor to convince me, as I didn't consider myself an anxious person at all.

Hope this helps.

[gshanereid]

Hey, thanks alot man. It really does give me a piece of mind with all you guys on this website. I appreciate your comment so much, your comment has really given me peace of mind.

[mmmxiii]

No problem, man. I know exactly what you're going through. I just started getting frequent attacks again within the last month or so, and it completely undid all of the progress I had made.

As time goes on, you will notice the things you are doing mentally that build your anxiety up and you will be able to control it better. I've got a book on .pdf that I helped me a bit. If you want, I can email it to you, just shoot me an email to my username at hotmail with your username for the subject.

[gshanereid]

Yea that would help. So were you concerned about your heart like I am? Like im not joking everytime I stand up there is a sense of panic and my heart starts racing. Im led to believe its nothing too serious because after a few seconds my heart will slow down. But gah man it gets so old and I feel like its ruining my life because I can hardly stand up, let alone exercising.

[mmmxiii]

Yeah man I worried about it all the time. It started happening to me when I was working overnight at a grocery store. It was fairly physical work, so my heart rate would naturally be up a bit. Once the attacks started, I'd lift up a box or whatever and my heart would be THUMP THUMP THUMP-ing in my chest. My pulse would get way up, like 190, and my blood pressure shot up too. It got to the point where I would be laying down on the floor a couple times a night because I was so scared that there was something seriously wrong with me even though I had been to the ER twice and the doctor more than a few times.

Xanax barely helped me. Quitting that job helped me for about two years before I started having attacks again and I had to get on blood pressure medication. It's only recently that I've been able to take action mentally to defuse the attack.

[mmmxiii]

One more thing, about palpitations: I've had them my whole life. They are scary and annoying, but from everything I've read and what my doctor has told me, they are usually harmless. If you search around on this site, there are people that get them thousands of times a day, like every other beat for hours at a time, and they're "fine". It's not something I'd want to live with, but apparently it doesn't kill you.

[AyaShumori]

I really am sorry to hear that you're going through such terror each day.  But,  please trust me when I tell you that you are NOT alone.  My anxiety/panic attacks began at the age of 19.  I didn't even know what they were or that they were real until the night I had one.  It just came up out of the blue..out of nowhere.  I went to my doctor the next day and,  she gave me every test in the book and confirmed that it was indeed an anxiety attack.  She told me that they're caused by stress but,  I was 19 at the time.  I wasn't stressed at all.  I was loving life and living it.  That is when I found out that anxiety attacks are also hereditary.  Having learned that,  I did some research in my family and found out,  on my mom's side,  her aunt had them,  and her baby brother has them.  And,  it was not until about 3-5 years after I began having mine,  my mom started having them.  If I were you,  I'd talk to family members,  do some research.  Find out if any member of your family ever suffered from them.  So,  I've been having my attacks for 10 years now and,  I know exactly what you are going through.  My attacks ALWAYS start with palpitations and a very rapid heartbeat.  I live in fear every single day.  I hope knowing that you really aren't alone and my words help ease your mind in some way.

[gshanereid]

Thanks for your comment, I guess it makes sense my anxiety would try to convince me I have heart problems. I have actually known for quite some time that anxiety has run in my family. My grandma has actually been on a heavy dosage of xanax for 30 years or so. I guess I just am in denial. I stand up and my heart races so I think anything possible that could be wrong with my heart, whether it be an electrical function, heart attack, or something with the valves. But I did have an EKG and they said it was fine. I do not want to get a stress test because I fear I will have a panic attack while on the treadmill and they would think its just my natural rhythm and diagnose me with a serious disorder when it was only a panic attack. Its kind of a catch 22 because I wanna know so bad if it is anxiety or not. It seems like I can't do the slightest activity without getting nervous about heart failure. Is it common to have anxiety about your heart? Like I know alot of people have anxiety about irrational fears, but am I the only one that is nervous about my heart?

[jhemnes]

Man oh man does this ever sound familiar. I had my first anxiety attack at about 25...rushed to the ER certain I was having a Heart Attack. I became very well known at the ER after that. I always felt like something was going to happen to me. I couldn't go riding in the woods like I had always loved to do because if I got more than a few miles from a hospital panic "city". I put off the stress test for years because I was sure it would kill me.Various Dr's treated me with a number of things  like anti depressants ane beta blockers even though I told them I wasn't depressed. A mitral valve prolapse will make you feel that way so do some research because that was in my family history. Ativan helped the symptoms and they told me when I got older the valve would stiffen and repair itself...okay  at 32 they almost stopped completely.Well I'm 47 and had to be admitted to the hospital last year...the psychiatrist they had come talk to me told me if I had them when I was young they could come back with a vengeance. Clonazepam keeps them in check like you would not believe. I did take the stress test and survived it no problem but they did find out that I was a borderline diabetic after a fruit salad they did a random blood sugar and it was 468 so now I have to live on a low carb diet plus I'm  a vegetarian. Anyway get checked out so do the stress test so they can rule everything out so you can be sure it is only panic attacks. It will give you some peace just to know what is going on.

[mmmxiii]

It's common enough: http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Anxiety/Cardiophobia--Worst-ever/show/531945
My anxiety definitely comes from worrying about my health, and the central focus is on my heart. I have the same irrational fear of a stress test.

[nursegirl6572]

Of course you're not the only one!  You've been posting enough to know that heart symptoms are one of the MOST common complaints with anxiety.  ANY list of anxiety symptoms would include heart palpitations and related symptoms.  Heart palpitations in the absence of a major cardiac issue are totally benign.

I'm going to be frank here, and not sugar coat my advice....only out of compassion.  It's time to sh** or get off the pot if you know what I mean!  You need to either go ahead and get yourself to a cardiologist for peace of mind to have a work up...or start addressing the anxiety with a professional.  Posting thread after duplicate thread here isn't going to solve your problems.  We care and know what you're going thru, but there is only SOOOO many times we can tell you the exact same thing over and over.  

Oh, and it really isnt necessary to start a new thread every time you post, especially considering that they are are the same subject.  All that does is cause confusion and perhaps delay a brand new poster from possibly getting their concerns addressed in a timely manner.  Not everyone who responds to your posts realize that the thread isn't a "first time" posting.  I know you sometimes mention it, but it still isn't necessary...continuing on one of your preexisting threads is sufficient, unless you truly have a totally new topic.

I hope you make a decision soon....as you are just delaying the ability to start dealing with this anxiety...and trust us when we tell you....it will only get worse if you don't deal with it.  Youve gone from a healthy, active vibrant young man to one who is afraid to move for fear of some type of major heart related event, and that's no way to live.  We've reassured you, we've shared our knowledge, now the nest step is up to YOU!!!

Best of luck.

[gshanereid]

I know its got to sound old trust me. I am usually not like this and now I am absolutely insane. I just hate this anxiety so much, it wont go away. I live in Wyoming the least poulated state in the U.S. and I sware nobody wants to help me. They gave me the lowest dose of Xanax and told me to get over it. A therapist simply cost too much, and according to my parents, so does a stress test (im still on their insurance).  I really appreciate your straight fowardness I know you are probably familiar with my paranoid type, cause I see that you are a nurse. But gah I'd sware I was a zombie if it wasn't for the continuous rapid heartbeat. I thinks its also about time I admit I was also taking this substance with vicodin and other prescription drugs, so I would feel no endurance pain during my workout. I thank you so much for your advice and I promise no more comments about this from here on out.
Thank you so much, Gary

[mmmxiii]

Wow your parents' insurance *****! What's the point of having it if it doesn't cover anything!? Don't listen to people that just tell you to snap out of it, it's not your fault that you're having these problems and if they had experienced it they wouldn't be telling you that.

Having read your other thread too, I don't think the vicodin would make a difference because it seems to have started when you freaked out about your liver. Even steroids wouldn't mess your heart up that young, I would think.

[nursegirl6572]

Well, Gary, you left out a VERY important piece of the puzzle....and if you really want our help, you have to be honest with us!  Depending on how much of these "drugs like Vicodin" you were taking, how frequently and for how long, you may be in withdrawals, which could very well explain your tachycardia!!!

My goal wasn't to get you to stop posting...it was to get you to take some action to help yourself.  I understand you may be limited, but there ARE resources out there.

First though...you need to clarify the other substances you were taking.  If you are going thru w/d's...you will feel uncomfy for a period of a few weeks (more or less depending on the extent of your usage)....but the good news is...it will NOT harm you, and it won't last forever.

Let us help you help yourself.....but any which way...you can't sit around waiting for help to come to you!!!!!

[nursegirl6572]

The Vicodin would absolutely make a HUGE difference, and could explain a lot of Gary's symptoms!  Hopefully, he can share with us honestly the extent of what he was using...and for how long.

[mmmxiii]

You told your doctor everything you were taking, right?

[nursegirl6572]

That was going to be my next question as well.  If you didn't, Gary....it would have made a difference in how they assessed and treated you.  Sometimes a combo of these "enhancement" type drugs can be dangerous....not to mention in the very least...could cause you side effects that freaked you out and led you to this point.

[mmmxiii]

Yeah, if you did tell your doctor, then don't freak out about the other drugs. If you didn't, then go back and tell your doctor. I'm familiar with using pain killers to work out harder, and while it's not smart, a lot of people get away without detrimental effects. I'm not trying to minimize it, just don't freak out unless a doctor gives you reason to.

[gshanereid]

Yea I told my doctors absolutely everything. They said the withdrawal should be over, I disagree because I was absolutely addicted to the N.O. Xplode I would even take it on some days I didn't work out because the feeling it gave me. I argued with my doctor that the withdrawal isn't over because I did it for 7 months and I have only been off it about a month. I only took vicodin twice a week on my extreme work out days. I took nothing else only N.O. Xplode and occasionally vicodin. The doctor said my anxiety that I seriously caused damage to my body may have caused the anxiety build up. They have done blood test and everything and my liver, kidneys, etc. are all fine. Which is what first ignited the anxiety was fear I damaged my liver. I actually just learned 2 hours ago that my blood test confirmed I have had mono within the last 4 weeks. This makes me even more paranoid.

[AyaShumori]

There is no need to thank me.  Myself and a lot of other people here know exactly what you are going through.

=)

As for worry about your heart being a symptom of anxiety.  Yes indeed,  it is.  That is the organ I worry about the most with my anxiety.  I check my pulse often without even realizing it.  And,  if I had a nickel for everytime I was rushed to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack,  I'd be rich!

Haha!

Last time I was rushed to the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack was in 2007 I do believe.  They did a chest x-ray to have a look at the heart and lungs.  Also a bunch of blood tests and an EKG.  Everything came back just fine.  You just try to have to stay calm.  But,  I know that is easier said than done.

[mmmxiii]

I'd say that having had mono in the last 4 weeks should make you less paranoid, at least about your liver and heart. It could explain symptoms (but so can anxiety).
You've got to realize that you are looking for things to be freaked out over. Just try to be aware of how unrealistic your fears are. It takes time, but you can get through it.

If things get worse, I'd seriously consider figuring out a way to pay for a stress test (just for piece of mind) or a psychiatrist, with or without your parents' help.

[gshanereid]

Hey thanks for the advice. I actually have an appointment with a therapist on Tuesday. I just hope I get over this. I feel like I completely missed September and October. It ***** so much my life has gone down the drain I feel like a Zombie. Today was the first day I was happy and calm. For the first time in a couple months, I decided to check my pulse because I figured it was nice and easy, but now it was rather fast. I immediately went into panic mode and had to rush to my car. From that point on I have been depressed afraid I will never get back to normal. It really ***** because I just got hired as a guitar tech for a national touring band. I start in January and it has always been my dream job to be on a tour bus with a professional band. And now I fear I wont be able to because of my heart or anxiety disorder. I just hate it hate it hate it! Even it if was a heart problem I would still be able to stand up without my worrying and my heart racing. Seriously every single time I stand up I have a palpitation. I just hope my therapist can talk me out of me having a heart problem. The doctor just told me today that my EKG indicated I do not need a stress test. I feel like a zombie because it seems like I have a problem and nobody notices me. Im sorry for all the negativity I really am. Its just I almost cried today and Im a 18 year old guy. This should be the prime of my life instead I can't even jog 5 feet. I have significantly cut back on my caffeine and the palpitations haven't stopped. It actually seems like when I have a coffee or cappuccino it sort of calms me down. Im sorry guys I do not intend to be this emotional. Even if I laugh my heart seems to speed up and I panic. But yet my doctor says my EKG confirmed I don't even need a stress test. Gah im losing it!

[mmmxiii]

Anxiety can keep your pulse up. I ended up with tachycardia (sp?) for a while, my resting pulse was 100. It's scary, but it's definitely something that I caused by worrying about my pulse all the time.

Try to realize what you're doing. Rushing to your car wouldn't save your life if you had a heart problem, but being somewhere "safe" will help you get an attack under control. The only problem is that the more you cave into behavior like this, the more often you get attacks(in my experience, YMMV).

When my pulse starting racing all the time, the job I was doing was labor intensive. I'd be digging a hole or something and I'd stop every few minutes to check my pulse. If it was up, I'd freak out and palpitations would start. Of course, I completely convinced myself that it was my heart, due to the activity, not my mind, due to the anxiety.

There's an amino acid in coffee that helps with anxiety (L-Theanine). I'd imagine that cappuccino would have it in higher concentration. I haven't had caffeine in almost five years (except in the occasional mixed drink, heh), and I feel like I'm better off in the long run. I used to drink 2-4 2 liters of diet coke a day.

If the doctor says you don't need a stress test, I'd trust him if you can. The therapist can help you trust him, too. If you need it for piece of mind, find a way to afford it. I hope that once you start seeing a therapist, you'll start to make some progress.

I know how ridiculous it feels to have anxiety as a young man. I was 24 when it hit me, and I am not at all the stereotypical anxious person. I'm not trying to put anyone down, just realize that it doesn't matter how tough or calm and collected you are, this stuff can still hit you. Maybe it's even worse because of the denial aspect.

Feeling like a zombie is something I can relate to, it got to a point where I felt detached from reality. I was just going through the motions of day to day life, more concerned that I was going to drop dead at any moment than anything else.

It took me a long time to get to where I am now, but I know that a lot of people have had it worse for longer. I didn't want to talk to a therapist, and I paid for it in anxiety. You're already making better progress than I did. Finding this message board is going to be helpful for you as well. I didn't seek anything like this, and if I would have the reassurance from other people would have saved me some grief.

If you get a chance, read through this lady's posts: http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/68131?personal_page_id=839375 . She dealt with it for like 20 years before she made any progress. It's something to keep in mind when you feel like you can't handle it and you don't know how much more you can take. It's not going to kill you.

Don't hesitate to post. Talking about this stuff helps me keep a handle on my anxiety.

[laydeechaz]

I'm nearly 20 and my Anxiety convince's me that i have a heart problem all the time. I've had Social Anxiety since my early teens brought on by lack of confidence and being really insecure, but never had any physical symptom's of it so was only diagnosed years later when the physical symptom's started coming. I also now have a bad Panic Disorder. I rarely go a day without feeling anxious, and one of my first symptom's is my heart starts beating faster and i start to feel lightheaded then get a headache, and then a whole bunch of other symptom's come on usually resulting in a panic attack. My Panic Disorder really effects me, i feel really uneasy being up higher than 2 floors, can't deal with large crowd's of people, i feel like i'm going to faint in lifts, feel incredibly ill on ride's that spin, etcc. The smallist amount of Anxiety brings on the symptoms, my Doctor said my body has got into the habit of bringing a big adrenaline rush when i'm anxious, my body is sensitive to Anxiety now.
But the Health Anxiety just gets worse. I go through phase's of it but as soon as i hear or read about something my Anxiety comes on in full swing. I've had an ECG/EKG a year ago ish and everything was 'fine' but i still can't help worry that i do have something wrong with my heart and it just didn't show up when i had it or it's something to do with my heart muscle that can only by diagnosed by other tests. A friend of a friend sister died last week at 18 suddenly likely due to a undiagnosed heart condition (sudden death syndrome) which has made me stress out more.
I hate having these feeling's, i just wish i could stop worrying about it. I just think i'm one of them people that bad thing's happen to for some reason, Anxiety really take's over my mind, it's horrible.
It leave's me feeling so isolated because i don't go out much.
:(

[mmmxiii]

Yeah, the more you feed your anxiety the worse it gets. I don't know if it's good advice for everyone, but my strategy has been to put myself into situations that make me anxious. The more that you can do that and not get a full blown panic attack, the better.

See a therapist if you haven't.

I'm sure that your friend of a friend's sister dying like that at 18 is giving you a lot of rationale to worry about your own heart, but if you think about it, it would be really unlikely for something like that to hit more than one person in a smallish group. She probably hadn't had an EKG or ECG, either.

Do what you can to make yourself trust the doctor. I know it's hard, and it's impossible sometimes when you're having a really bad batch of anxiety, but the more that you can control the fear, the more it subsides.

[laydeechaz]

Yup, exactly. Yeah my Councellor tell's me to put myself in situation's that trigger my Anxiety because eventually i will get over it. Like i get really panicy in large crowds, so the more i go to place's which attract large crowd's and face the fear the more chance i have in getting over that certain fear. So that's what i'm trying to do, face my fear's one thing at a time, slowly.
Yeah, it was such a shock! She was 19 though, type error there, a year younger than me. And the post mortem revealed 'heart disease' i think and i also think she had symptom's previously, i'm unsure though, don't like to ask. But yes, i know it's rare, very rare, especially here in England, and i don't think she did have any proper tests like an ECG, like me. But you just can't help but become extremely anxious over it.
I sometime's just can't cope and will convince myself i have something wrong with me and will really want to book an appoitment with my Doctor and ask for more tests, but i just have to tell myself to calm down.
It's soooo hard, i'm feeling pretty anxious right now aswell.

[mmmxiii]

You seem to be on the right track. Unfortunately, there aren't any shortcuts that I'm aware of, even the drugs are more of a temporary crutch.

I'm with you on the anxiety in crowds. I used to fight my way to the stage at concerts and now it's all I can do to hang out at the bar, if I even go. It's definitely best to confront it though.

I know exactly what you mean when you say you convince yourself that there's something wrong with you. I do it a lot less now, but it's cyclical with me. Once I've convinced myself that there's something to worry about, I'll be anxious for days or weeks, with frequent panic attacks and palpitations. I'm just winding down from a month of terrible sleep and panic attacks now. I feel like pushing myself to exercise frequently, reading about anxiety, and talking to other people online with the same problems is going to make it different this time.

[kev543]

Personally, i think that anxiety is not a disease but a tool that your body has to warn you that something is wrong. the doctors always say too much stress but could it be actually something wrong with the chemostry off your body. I can recall alot more stress in my life and not having any problems but when i did have an axiety attack i didn't just listen to the doctors, i started trying to remember other symptoms before the attack and then i recalled having some stomach issues two weaks before the attack like some bloating and bad heartburn and so on but i blew it off like i ate something bad or something. Now i have had acid reflux for 10 years and high blood preasure for 2 years and just recently having skipping heart beat with light headedness. I know what an anxiety attack feels like but this is not anxiety. Of course i'm anxous, anybody in there right mind would be if they felt like there heart was gonna stop and they were fixing to pass out. I don't have to have anything going on thats stressful in my life for this to happen. I can be happy as a fly on a **** and all of a sudden i'm in jepordy. I've had test and they all come back good. I don't want to take anybodies hope away from them but doctors are not God's and they don't always give the right diagnose's. One positive side is that i'm still alive but sometime it sure is miserable.......started thinking maybe it's the food we eat and the foriegn crap they put in it .

[MxGrl]

I also have health anxiety. I am mostly focused on my heart and am currently thinking I am having a heart attack and am going to die. I am 16 and have had this problem with anxiety for a while. I don't have panic attacks but more of a constant fear that there is something wrong with me and that I'm gonna die. I feel chest pain and my left arm hurts and I'm extremely tired cause it's like 3 am. Please help me with this!

[MxGrl]

I also have health anxiety. I am mostly focused on my heart and am currently thinking I am having a heart attack and am going to die. I am 16 and have had this problem with anxiety for a while. I don't have panic attacks but more of a constant fear that there is something wrong with me and that I'm gonna die. I feel chest pain and my left arm hurts and I'm extremely tired cause it's like 3 am. Please help me with this!