Heart or Anxiety

[Ann1234]

I've been having chest pains for 15 years now, aggravated in the last few months, can barely go to work.

I am 37 years old female, with slightly increased LDL, not overweight. I feel all kind of chest pains - squeezing, dull, sharp, going into left arm and in my jaw. I've seen a cardiologist who did a stress test and said it is 'very unlikely' that I have heart problems. However, I keep having these chest pains that are released by Nitro spray. My former family doctor thought these are anxiety related and prescribed an anti-depressant, and the pains were gone while I was on this medication. As soon as I was off the medication, the pain came back.

I am just wondering, could these pains be non-heart related since they disappear when taking the anti-depressant? Or this medication works as a "pain killer" for all types of pains, including the cardiac ones?

is it possible to experience heart pains while being on an anti-depressant?

Thanks a lot for your feedback!

Ann

[amyvk]

Ann,

I began at age 40 with the chest pain relived by nitro. The Dr. told me it was stress and anxiety.  I am now 47 and was just this week diagnosed with coronary artery spasm. My pain had increased and I was totally weak with no stamina and was sleeping 2-5 hours a day. My Dr. bypassed the stress test because it would not show him spasm (at least I understood that to be the reason) and he went straight to the heart cath.  I had spasms all through the proceedure, so there was no doubt where the pain is coming from.  I understand that spasm is not common, maybe your Dr. hasn't considered it...I sure wish my original one had. It would have saved years of not knowing why I had pain.

[Ann1234]

Thank you so much for your reply.

What are you taking for the artery spasms? My new cardiologist says I have spasm in my esophagus and prescribed the nitro spray and Norvasc, but I don't see much improvement from Norvasc.

I too cannot sleep at night..thought it was because of stress..