I have anxiety and panic disorder. I was just diagnosed with PVCs. I am waitng to see a cardiologist because I also showed really low BPM at night while sleeping. Anyhow, my anxiety was definitely brought on by guilt and I am fighting it. I make myself leave my house and work. I could totally see becoming house bound. Anyway, I found on line a book by David Burns called Feeling Good. It teaches cognitive therapy. I am gonna buy it. I was given Ativan and after becoming addicted to that I will never take another drug again. Having to come off of that **** was the hardest thing I have ever done. I really discourage benzo use. It is just a patch that becomes way worse. You may not even realize that it is the meds that are actually making your symptoms worse once your body builds up a tolerance. They are only to be used for 2 weeks tops.
Thanks
I was describing what I use to go through. It now has been ten years since I had an anxiety or panic attack. At first I was like a lot of you and went to the doctor who ran every test under the sun and found nothing. I was put on valium, and cardizem for tachycardia. I got addicted to the valium and had to spend two weeks in a psych ward for detox and was weaned off the cardizem because it had to many side effects for me including shortness of breath. After going through the horrible detoxification of valium I got where I did not want to take an aspirin. I then kept telling myself after an onset of anxiety and panic would occur over and over again. At that time I was even scared to leave my home but forced myself. Little by little I begin to get better with less attacks. There are a lot of variables that can cause anxiety. Stress being the highest as well as difficult childhood, posttraumatic stress disorder, etc. I finally begin to understand and I moved into the country away from the stress of the city. I do not watch the news of war as that was my problem with PTSD, I kept my mind constantly occuppied, I even dropped out in my seventh year of college working on my doctorates.
Anxiety really seems to make my palpitations worse but I never know if anxiety causes it or is a natural response to these darn things. They are worse when I am on my period and when I am in diffrent positions. I am very thin right now and was wondering if that can make them worse. It makes me feel so out of control. I dont' want to think about my heart beating I just want it to beat!! Its a terrible thing to have to live with.
In many cases, the anxiety is more dangerous to the body than what patients are being anxious over (pvc's, pac's, svt, so on and so fourth) This is why it is so important to treat BOTH, the heart ailment AND the anxiety.. Its hard to find relief from one without finding relief from the other as well
You are partially right. Normally an anxiety attack cannot kill you, BUT people react different when having an anxiety attack. Some get a racing heart, dizziness, nausea etc etc etc. I get/got none of the above instead my BP has risen as high as 255/160 during a panic attack. Not everybody reacts hypertensive during a panic attack, some peoples BP even drops.
I got my attacks under control 95% of the time, but the 5% when I still get them, I am aware that my BP is sky high during the attack even on BP meds. Cardiologist explained to me and a Hypertension Specialist explained to me that if you react hypertensive during a severe anxiety/panic attack or react hypertensive during a big argument none of the BP meds you're taking on a daily basis will help you at this moment.
Anxiety wont kill you, but if I had a bad heart or bad veins in my brain my high BP during a panic attack would've killed me by now.
Most people including I in the beginning did not believe I had anxiety and that the doctors were quacks and I was going to drop dead of a heart attack or die of some awful disease. An anxiety patient actually become a hypochondriac and I know this sounds like a tough statement but it is true as I had severe anxiety and panic attacks. I have seen people in restuarants call ambulances because they thought they were dying from a heart attack and it turned out to be anxiety. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I was rushed to a hospital by ambulance..gee all that money I spent. If you are now having pvc's I would say you have had anxiety for quite some time. By the way women who have children are prone to have hiatus hernia's according to some medical professionals. Tachycardia is very common to anxiety. Some with anxiety cannot stand to watch a heart beat on television and if they do their own pulse begins to run faster and faster. When they hear someone had died they become nervous and anxiety kicks in. Does any of this sound familiar? YOU CAN BEAT IT..... I DID.