High heart rate 150 bpm with no dizziness or shortness of breath

[vivekrao1985]

Hi everyone,

About a month ago I woke up at night with a sensation of my heart stopping and starting again. I went to the ER without needing an ambulance and everything checked out fine. I met with a cardiologist and had an echocardiogram done which came out normal. All EKGs/blood tests done were normal (including thyroid). In spite of that, every 2-3 days I've been getting palpitations. They were usually around the 120-130 bpm mark, but the last 2 days I had two incidents where I had 150 bpm. I went to the ER to find again that all tests were normal. I was on Xanax for 3 days, but the incident I mentioned that happened yesterday was just 30 mins after taking the Xanax. I've stopped taking it since, but still doesn't explain the incident I had this morning when I didn't have any Xanax.

Has anyone experienced similar problems like this? Could Xanax have caused my symptoms to get worse? My doctor told me not to worry about it and I have an appointment on Tuesday with him.

Thanks!
Vivek

[bobthom]

Short answer, yes it can, below clipped from a web page:
Precautions
Xanax may be given with caution to people with the following conditions:
◾ Liver disease – dosage may need to be reduced
◾ Seizure disorder / epilepsy
◾ A history of drug or alcohol abuse
◾ Palpitations (irregular heart rhythm)
◾ Tachycardias (rapid heart rate)
◾ Psychosis
◾ Elderly or debilitated – a lower dosage may be used
◾ Organic brain syndrome

Make sure all your doctors know about all of your conditions.  I'm thinking the xanax was supposed to relieve your anxiety, thereby reduce/eliminate those episodes.  If it's not working or making it worse discuss alternative therapies with your doctor.