Will these heart palpitations that were triggered by cocaine use go away? Please help.

[xstalkrx]

First, let me give you a bit of background information. I am a 21 year old male and I have been using cocaine for about 1 year. I would consider my use as recreational. Over the past year there would be months where I would not even touch the drug. Then, months when I was using, I would do about 6 lines on just one day of the week and wouldnt touch it for at least another week. However, this month, I have used once a week for 4 weeks. This is where my problem has started....

Last wednesday after being out almost all night using cocaine and drinking alcohol, I came home and began coming off of the drug. The next day, at about 5 pm, my heart rate shot up without warning to 120 beats per minute. Needless to say, I was freaked out but decided to wait it out and eventually it went down to 80 beats per minute.

However, every once in a while, I will think about it and it can cause the heart to go back up to the 120 beats per minute. I decided to go to the emergency room where they gave me a EKG and did some blood and urine work. They said the EKG showed an abnormal rhythm with my heart. The blood and urine work actually showed up negative for cocaine and everything else just 4 days after having used.

I left the emergency room with a diagnosis from the ER doctor. He said I have heart palpitations. They also told me that the effects of the cocaine could still be effecting my system even though blood and urine showed up negative for cocaine. It has been about 6 days since I used cocaine. I feel like I have swallowed a bunch of diet pills. I feel drained.

I am hoping that my heart palpitations will eventually stop. If not, I will be getting referred to a specialist to have an echogram done on my heart.

Please, if anybody has any insight on this matter, please help. Will my heart palpiations stop? Will the effects eventually leave my system? Did I just get a bad batch of cocaine? I'm desperate for help.

[xstalkrx]

My heart rate has seemingly improved while running. It appears that 5 weeks of consistancy has really paid off.

NOW...I might be a little hypochondriac here....but is this the sign of a possible aortic anuerism?  The beating of my heart is not in my chest....but in my abdomen area.  Specifically on the upper left side of my abdomen just below the rib cage.  The pulsating seems to come and go throughout the day but I can only seem to feel it if I am sitting or lying still.  At night it can really be bothersome as I am trying to sleep.

Any insights would be appreciated.

[nervous15]

Your inability to recover within 2 to 4 minutes after excercise would indicate , for your age, that your heart is stressed from the cocaine use.  I am 59 yo with many risk factors for heart disease and this past month I underwent a nuclear stress test.  With the grace of GOD my HR returned to almost normal after about 4/5 minutes after reaching 94% of my max HR.  I don't know if this will give you a baseline of how hard you heart is working to recover.  My HR was 153 bpm.  Take into consideration though that I reached that HR in 7 and 1/2 minutes........so probably you exercising over a 30 to 40 minute time frame it might take a ittle longer for you to recover.  When I go to the gym, I treadmill for 30 minutes only reaching about 130 BPM.  After excercise, my HR returns to normal within 6 minutes.  

If you have concerns though I would ask your DR. to explain in detail why your recovery takes the time it does.  Your Dr. may be able to put your mind at ease.

I would be careful of the drinking also, I will tell you why.  When you drink, the alcohol is processed through the liver and into the bloodstream.  There is alot of sugar residual in that process.  Example: did you ever wake up feeling shaky the day after drinking heavily the night before?  If you say "yes" that is a direct result of the sugar in your bloodstream.  Just be careful.  I know you are a young guy, but why not try drinking an O'douls non-alcoholic beer...its pretty good, you still get the feeling that you are drinking beer, but without all of the after effects of an alcoholic brew.

Hope this helps and keep us posted...

Oh ya one more thing   STAY AWAY FROM THE COCAINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nervous15

[xstalkrx]

well the cardiologist said there wasnt any permanent damage.

but i will definately never touch the stuff again.

i have been out drinking a couple of times since, and still I will NOT get the urge to use the cocaine. so im feeling good in that regard.

the only thing that bothers me now is my recovery heart rate after i am done exercising.

it takes like 1 hour for my heart rate to come all the way back down to resting after 30-40 minutes of exercising at a heart rate of 165-170.

[nervous15]

DUDE i can offer you some good advice.....NEVER under any circumstances should you EVER reach for another line of cocain or smoke crack.  The effects of drugs on the heart is something that you will never get rid of, make no mistake.  The thing is to not make anything worse to where you become hospitalized or die.  Being so young I am afraid that if you start feeling better, you will forget the things that are important....well DONT!!!!!!  It can mean your life.

Stay away from the drugs forever......stay away from alcohol at least until things quiet down...then use only in moderation.

Feel Better

[emeraldsdestiny]

my heart beat is only fast when I'm having an attack. It usually beats fast when I start becoming aware of it. :P Weird eh it's like a vicious circle really?

[xstalkrx]

emerald, when you are laying down, you can feel your heartbeat right? its not fast....but you can feel it right?  can you feel it like...between your nipples?  or is it lower....like more in your stomach area?

mine is in my stomach area...and I think I am paying attention to a feeling that has always been there. i dunno...its hard for me to say for sure.  i cant remember what WAS normal.

a lot of people can feel their pulse in their stomach area because of the Aorta that travels through your abdomen area.  so I could be stressing about something that is totally normal.

where do you feel your heart beating?  when you feel it beating....is it always associated with a fast heart beat?