Tachycardia/Bradychardia Help

I am a 34 year old female, in relativley good health. I had an episode of tachycardia 5 years ago. My heart rate went up to 140bpm for no reason. It stayed there for 2 hours before I called paramedics. They hooked me up to moniter and said everything was fine, probably PAC? Since then I have had nothing of that nature, it was like a panic attack heart episode that lasted way too long. Heavy and pounding. Three times I have had episodes of bradychardia in the past 5 years, where my heart rate has dropped to 47-57 and I have felt extreme fatigue and once shortness of breath.
I also have experienced many times, rapid heart rate after laying down to go to sleep. 90-110bpm. This was not as pounding as the tachycardia,  While working as a waitress, sometimes by the end of the shift, I would get rapid heart rate of up to 112-115, and could not make it go away until I had slept all night.Also at times I will feel my heart flutter, like a series of skipped beats, this too is during times of stress, usually when I try to rest. Various doctors that I have seen have told me it is nothing to worry about. I have not seen a cardiologist. I was just diagnosed with Fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist, who suggested that i get in to see a cardiologist right away. Now I am afraid and anxious that there may be something horrible wrong with me.
I have always been prone to panic and anxiety. Have had panic attacks in the past. And it does seem to have some connection with emotional stress. Does this sound like anything textbook, or is my heart just reacting to stress?
Thank you,
Worried Molly

[CCF-M.D.-KE]

Dear MollJ,

Sorry to hear about your problem. It is unclear what is the cause of your tachycardia. I would recommend having a holter monitor test performed to further evaluate the cause of your palpitiations. A holter monitor records the electrical activity of your heart for a period 24-48hrs. From your discription this condition does not sound life threatening. Hopefully the holter monitor will give your doctors a diagnosis.

I would recommend a regular exercise regimen. The avoidance of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and stimulants such as those found in decongestants may decrease the incidence of your palpitations.


Thanks for your question,


CCF-MD-KE

[dande4]

Hi Molly:

I also have similar symptoms. I'm 36 female. I had an episode where my heartrate went to about 140. Dr. said it was probably PAT, which can be caused by a pac(a premature atrial contraction) it sort of starts the heart to race and gets caught in that loop. It took me about 45 min. to get back to normal. Knock on wood, it has been good since. I get pac's, pvc's sometimes more than others. My heartrate can get faster just getting up from the bed or couch. Then at times my heartrate sits in the 60's for a few days, then sits in the 90's. I have had echo, stress test, tilt table, holter as well as event recorder. I've been told not to worry, it's not life threatning. It certainly scares me, and I am prone to panic attacks.

Feel well and know you are not alone!

[Impotant1]

Drink Decaf no sweet & low, take a vacation. And try not to let the little things in life stress you out. Take a walk around the block everyday. I also take the Hawthorne berry pills seem to calm my racing & fluttering heart. Change jobs if it's high stress. Eat more fruits & veggies too. I also have noticed the more better sleep I get the less it happens. Taking a power nap during the day also helps. But even with all this I still had a racing heart at bedtime last night and could'nt sleep well. So my last resort is 1/2 a Valium, but not often. And not to go against the Doc, but sometimes (this is funny!) I just enjoy a few cigarettes. AHH! LOL

[Mel22]

I know you were joking, but you know, this is a heart forum and smoking is probably the worst possible thing you can do to your heart!! I know you were just kidding but it's really nothing to joke about.

Your other advice is excellent!

[Impotant1]

I think it's OK to joke and most important to laugh as often as we can. Lighten up a little. In my case I think eating nothing but meat potatos,greasy chicken with the skin, BBQ Ribs, french fries, chips for the last 30 years was by far worse than smoking.
I agree like most Doctors that smoking is not good for anyone.
But I'm not gonna stress out because I quit for a month after my 100% blockage and heart attack and then failed with my battle against cigarettes. It's sad but true that ALOT of people quit but start up smoking again. And I'm sure that is a big issue here at this forum that no one wants to talk about. I have a friend who drags a oxygen bottle around and she still can't quit.
Has tried and fail again and again. I think alot of people come to this site and are afraid to admit they still smoke even with a bad heart and all. And I can't help myself but I find this funny ! Even though it's a serious issue. So, lets here from all the smokers & falures. And lets here from anyone who has quit for good and any advice is welcome. (smile). I'm told that after your 2nd or 3rd heart attack most people quit for good. Anyway lots of luck for those still trying to quit !

[Maxi28]

I have experience rapid heart beat into the 130's.  This makes you breathles, short of breath and it makes me have a feeling of not being well.
In Jan. 2002 we bought a house and connected a soft water unit.  This water did not by  pass our drinking water.
I read about magnesium defiency and everything I read seemed to fit.  After taking the first two pills of Calcium Citrate with Magnesium my pulse began to settle down.  I have been taking it for the  past several days with no problem of elevated pulse.  I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday and I tried to show him somethings I had printed from the net and showed him the bottle of pills I was taking.  He scoffed at me and said, "I hardly think something like that would be helpful"  
Now why did my pulse settle after taking this.  Could I be wrong and Dr. right about low mag.?  
Would like some insight from anywone.

[Impotant1]

I also take 2 calcium pills every day and it makes me feel better, but I hav'nt checked to see what it's done for my BP or heartrate. My joints don't hurt or get tired as easy. So it must mean I'm lacking calcium. I don't use much dairy products since my heart attack.

[MarkSw]

My heart rate used to fluctuate quite widely, although I can't say that I let it bother me particularly. However I had hypertension that increased gradually over the years until my doctor put me on medication. I tried diuretics, but they didn't really work at all, so I switched to Atenolol (beta blocker). That worked a treat, dramatically in fact, BP down from average circa 180/100 to average 120/80, and sometimes even lower. The other effect was that my heart rate is now typically in the range 45-60 almost regardless of what I have been doing, whereas before it varied widely, but typically would have been an average of around 90 and 60 would have been an absolute minimum, peaking at well into the 100s even without exercise. In my case this dramatic slowing down of my heart rate and BP reduction doesn't seem to cause me any problems or discomfort and I still seem to have plenty of energy. My only problem is that I have fainted on 4 occasions in the 15 months or so that I have been on this medication (see separate thread on Fainting, that's me). From my own experience a beta blocker will certainly steady fluctuations in heart rate, but I understand that there can be unwelcome side effects.

[sara25]

I am a 25 year old female and I also take atenolol for my high blood pressure, my doctor was trying to save me money, but it also dramatically slows down my heart my pulse is 50-60 beats.  I feel so drained all the time and now on top of that I get the extra beats.  Has anyone ever got the extra beats as a side effect?

[njmom]

Hello.  Hope you are all feeling well this evening.  I'm 34 and have hereditary hypertension.  I'm on Toprol which slows my pulse down to 50 at rest.  It doesn't cause me any problems in energy and I can exercise quite vigorously but I do get the extra beats.  I read somewhere on the net that the extra beats could be your heart trying to get back up to a more comfortable speed.  Anyway, wanted you to know that someone else is experiencing this.

[Heartthrob]

Finally! I guess I'm not crazy after all! Three years ago I was sitting watching television when I felt a very pronounced flutter in my heart. It was very strange. It progressively got worse. I finally went to my doctor and was put on a monitor. Yep! Sure enough. My heart definitley had irregular patterns. But like the others I was told that it was something that I would have to live with.
   I don't know why but it eventually went away. I was so happy. Last year however, was a horrible year for me. From the death of my 30 year old sister to my oldest child leaving for college, still, the irregular heartbeats did not return. I'm 40 years old, I exercise and I stay busy doing things that make me happy.
   Two nights ago the irregular beats came back. I screamed to myself "No"! Not again! I have almost fallen asleep at the wheel because of these "spasms". What is causing them? I'm not stressed, I feel good physically. I started taking Co enzyme Q 10 which seemed to help last time. I'm taking L-Carnetine and extra calcium. I use my husbands stethoscope to listen to my heart and it is so apparent that something is "not normal". Why did it come back. What did I do differently?
    Is this something that is a warning sign for something horrible yet to come or is it just an electrolyte imbalance that is caused by some vitamin deficiency? My left eye twitches at the same time. Not all the time but a good bit of the time. It's really weird and quite frustrating. Thanks for listening>Angie

[renee b]

hi im 24 yrs old and have recently began having many different symptoms and dont know what do do next. i began with feeling very tired all the time,then i began having chest pain. i work in a hospital and one day at work i went to the er. the doctor told me it was stress and a pulled muscle. i began feeling worse with more chest pain ,shortness of breath, and many palpitaions. i went to my doctor who also told me it was stress. i ended up going to the er again a few days later with headache,chest pain,sob and increased blood pressure and pulse.my doctor then put me on blood pressure medicine which did help with the palpitations. i have had a echo,x-rays,holter monitor and blood work which all came back normal. but i am still having dizzy spells and waking up at night with a very high pulse. stress does seem to trigger it or make my pulse increase. but i can have it start with a minimal amount of exercise. if anyone has had a similar experience i would love to hear about it ,i really dont know where to turn next.thanks a lot. rene b