Is this an anxiety disorder?

[xstalkrx]

I had heart palpitations. i am a 21 year old male.  The heart palpitations used to trigger full blown panic attacks....but the panic attacks do not come anymore since I met with a cardiologist and he told me that my heart looked good...

i went to the cardiologist. echocardiogram was normal and my stress test on the treadmill was very good except my heart rate recovery wasnt very good. so i run daily at the gym to help to improve that.

but...here and there throughout the day I will get a wave of "anxiousness".  My heart rate wont go up and I wont have panic attacks anymore...but I will just get suddenly "anxious" and "negative" about everything.  This will last for just a few minutes usually.

What is going on?  Will this just go away?

[WorriedScared11]

definitely sounds like panic disorder to me...youre too young for heart problems.

i am 27 and am going through the exact same things you are....cept my face and left arm go numb.

i hope one day it will go away....keep on exercising and drink plenty of water...it seems to help me quite a bit.

also this works for me too....inside your head...say to your self " this is just an anxiety attack, my heart is fine" 3 times over while taking deep breathes and truly convincing yourself that it is only anxiety that is causing this. it helps me relax about my heart and head.

[Talz]

What do your heart palps feel like? Do you know how high your heart rate gets to when you do have them?
What do you mean you get "negative" and "anxious" about everything?
Elaborate and maybe I can help! :)

[xstalkrx]

My heart rate doesnt go up when I have the palpitations.

The palpitations are simply my ability to feel my heart beating.  When I am having "palpitations" , it just means that my heart is beating harder than usual.  It can be very distracting, especially if it starts occuring while I am trying to go to sleep.

I wore a heart monitor for 24 hours and the doctor said that there were no rhythm problems.

Hmmmmmm

I just started taking cardizem la...but this was AFTER I wore the heart monitor.  So I know the cardizem did not effect the monitor's positive resutlts.

[Talz]

Hmm Ive never heard of your heart beating faster being called palps.. usually you're heart rate will raise quite a bit with palps.....

I have had it where my heart starts to beat much harder and I can feel it in my chest, this is a really normal form of anxiety....

[xstalkrx]

That's what I am saying.

My heart beats HARDER... NOT faster.

So I am on cardizem la right now and...since it does lower blood pressure a bit, I think it is definately helping me.  But perhaps I should be on an anxiety medication instead?

Who knows....this stuff is hard to figure out.

[Talz]

I think you mis understood me...
I never heard of palps having your heart beat harder.. usually palps are your heart beating faster.....

Why do you want to change medications if you think that it is helping you??
Perhaps you stay on the medication and take some herbal supplements that are with anxiety...

[Darwingirl]

Many people use the term palps for when your heart feels like it is beating harder and you can feel it more....it is often a term used for people who experience 'skipped' heart beats although the correct term for that is arrthymia.

When you heart beats faster is usually called tachycardia.

[JSGeare]

Welcome to the forum!

The classic question: 'WHAT'S GOING ON?" Followed by the ever-popular "Will this just go away?"

Since you've had your heart checked, everything you describe sounds like your basic anxiety at work. I suggest you get a consult about it to pin it down more precisely; ask your doc or ask for a referral for a psychiatric evaluation. Don't bug yourself with stuff about being mentally needy, either -you deal with this same as you do anything else.

Based on what you report, I would say that you are on the "mild" end of the anxiety/panic o'meter. You are functional and high-functioning, expressive and intelligent. In other words, you'll get a pretty quick benefit from talking this out with a specialist. My guess is that the panic/anxiety thing relates to something that is currently going on in your life which you have shoved to the background for now -and it is banging on the trap door for attention. So, starting from the initial onset of symptoms, put on your detective hat and look for suspects in the present and immediate past.

There is a chance that some medication might be prescribed for you. Talk a lot with the doctor about what to expect from it, circumstances indicating when to use it, side effects -all that stuff.

So far, so good. You've described the symptoms well, and asked for some input.

Please let us know how your consult works out.

[Talz]

Thanks, Im well aware of Palps and all that goes along with it.
I grew up with it in my family.

[cnote]

I have anxiety.. and when I have a bad spell, I get heart palps. It's when my heart rate speeds up and I can feel it almost popping out of my chest. It's all normal, part of anxiety.