anti depressants and arythmia; which causes least side effect to heart?

[Abeybaby]

I plan on looking at a SSRI for anxiety which ultimately triggers my PVCs. I have taken zoloft before with some good results except weight gain. I was told cipralex (lexapro) was good and celexa as well as having the least side effects. I took lexpro (cipralex) for a while and made my pauses seem longer so got scared and got off it. Can anyone share their experiences and what worked best for controlling anxiety and thus limiting pvcs but also limiting weight gain?

Tks-

[heartsfocus]

Ya, I'm wondering, although this thread is from a year and a half ago, from reading your posts,  it sounds as though you're trying to be a doc or something. If you don't mind my asking, do or have you suffered from anxiety yourself? Because if not, your trying to reason with people is invalid if you can't understand what they feel or what they're going through. It's easier said than done.

[Carrie41]

My life exactly.  Too scared to take anything becuase I always read the package inserts and go on the internet to check out the meds.  Well I finally am biting the bullet and have started Ciprilex (a Canadian version of Lexapro). I have been on it for a week.  I don't feel like my panic has gone away yet but I am just waiting it out.  I guess it take effect in a couple of weeks.  I haven't really had any more skipped beats than usual.  I know I am going to have to life with them so I want to take my fear of them away.  I have lived like this for 20 years and have had TERRIBLE anxiety about these in the last 6 months or so.  I freak out at every skip or flutter I feel and it is a daily occurance.  I will keep you posted on how the Ciprilex kicks in within the next couple of weeks and see if it takes my obessions away.

[fearfactor]

What I fear is increased palps AND weight gain.  I know SSRI's can cause both.  I may try the Buspar; a doctor has recommended it to me before but again I was too afraid.  I always look at the package insert when I get the medication or else search on the internet before filling the prescription - if palpitations or weight gain are even listed as a side effect, I don't take the medication.  But, I am starting to realize that those are listed even with beta blockers and with MOST medications.

[anacyde]

My husband has had the best luck with Buspar.  It is strictly an anxiety medication though, it's not an antidepressant.  He doesn't get near the PVCs he got with the SSRI meds.

[Barbarella]

Like I said before I react very hypertensive when in suspense of the unknown or having a panic attack.  At the Cardiologist office my BP was 255/160 ON Beta Blockers at that time.  The Cardiologist took me off the Beta Blockers (our family doctor put me on Beta Blockers), and put me on 3 different BP meds, one is a patch, one is a water pill, AND he told me to take my BP readings at home, and bring them to whatever doctor's office I need to go, and NOT have my BP ever taken at a doctor's office again.  Since I know that I react hypertensive I used to worry so much about what my numbers will be that I ended up in a panic attack as soon as they put the BP cuff on me which shut my BP sky high every time.  Of course quite a few doctors and nurses instead of calming me down made it worst i.e. "Oh my god, do you know that you can have a stroke any minute, we need to get this BP down, oh my god look at her BP".  Total UNPROFESSIONAL.  No matter "why" somebody's BP is elevated, especially dangerously elevated  you don't scare or scold that person so his/her BP will climb even more.  I finally told them "I'm very well aware what a number like that can do to me, would you please keep your comments to yourself, I did not do this on purpose, I did not decide to elevate my BP to **** you off or become the staff emergency".  I was taken to the ER, it took 4 hrs before my BP came down again.  

Now my BP at home is on average 110/75.    

[CollegeGirl143]

I wish there was something i could tell you to take that fear away, so you could start taking medication and feel better :(

What side effects are you afraid of? Increased palps?
If so, i guess the only thing i can say is this..

You seem scared and upset, and you still have palpitations right? They arent going to go away on their own, and at this point, you might not be able to deal anymore on your own.. Isnt it worth it to possibly have a few extra benign palpitations for a few weeks until the lexapro takes effect and then be FREE?  Even if the lexapro doesnt help enough, you will have faced the fear of ssri's and will be able to find one that DOES work! I hope everything works out for you!!

[fearfactor]

I feel ya...I am scared of doctors and hospitals especially!  The last time I was at the cardio's office I had a major panic attack.  I hate the idea of going to the doctor because of the fear, like you said, of WHAT they might find.  When the doctor was listening to my heart it started beating really fast because of my fear that he was lingering too long because he heard something abnormal.  He told me I"m driving myself crazy with hypochondria and need to get hold of myself.  He gave me some samples of Lexapro to take but I'm too scared to take the meds because of feared side effects.  Sometimes I get so frustrated!

[Barbarella]

My anxiety is of the "unknown".  I was very sick as a child and was hospitalized for one solid year, ever since that time I have a phobia of hospitals, test results, and the unknown i.e. "what will they find".  Other people can go to the ER to get help and hoping they will find what is wrong I fear the ER, afraid of "what" they will find.

Unfortunately to this day there are still doctors and nurses who do not understand anxiety, panic attacks, white coat hypertension etc.  Not to long ago I had an RN ask me "what do you mean by anxiety attack out of the blue, what are you afraid of", and this in the year of 2007".  Even though I got these attacks under control 95% of them I still am afraid the 5% will kick in at the doctor's office or hospital.  About a year ago I was asked by a nurse "what is white coat hypertension, are you afraid that the cuff wont deflate".  When I saw the doctor I told him to educate his nurse or send her back to nursing school to learn about white coat hypertension because she is insulting his patients while making a fool out of herself.

I'm more afraid what an anxiety attack will do to me since I react very hypertensive when I'm having an anxiety attack even on BP meds.  Cardiologist explained to me that when a panic attack hits you or you experience extreme anger at this moment none of the BP meds will help you.  They might keep your BP from going over the top, but it will still go up.

As for meds, I pop them as directed and don't give them a second thought.  Everybody is different and has their own anxiety about certain things concerning their health.

[fearfactor]

I have health anxiety and also medication anxiety.  My doctor wants me to be on an SSRI but I'm scared to take any of them for fear of side effects.  I really want relief and help but am too afraid of the meds.  You're right, it is a vicious cycle.

[CollegeGirl143]

yep ,unfortunatly not everything works for everyone.. Its not uncommon, but its also very common for people with health related anxiety, to also have medication anxiety.. its a vicious cycle.. Not every person suffers from this, but unfortunatly i see alot of people with health anxiety also have medication anxiety, which just compounds the problem :( i was not talking about you in particular if you took offense, im merely commenting on health related anxiety as a disease, and how sometimes patients need to put aside their fears to try and obtain the desired results.

[Barbarella]

I realize that you adressed your post to all forum members.  But fyi I was on meds for TWO years, and they never helped me.  I was just about on everyone of the meds on the market.  Switched because what I was on did not help.  

I am NEVER afraid of meds.  I'm now on 3 different BP meds (all help) and on Cholesterol medication (also helps).  I NEVER even read the side effects when I get a new medication because I am NOT afraid of side effects.  I also don't want every symptom I should have blame it on the meds I am taking.  Should I get a severe symptom only then would I look up the side effects.  So far I never had any side effects from any meds.

Tranquelizers and anti depressants are for the birds when it comes to my body.  If the dosage is not strong enough I don't get any result, if the dosage is increased I still get PVC's and still felt anxiety.  I could pop Valium like candy and not feel a thing.  

I had a TEE test done last year, and the Cardiologist had to order triple the dosage of whatever drug they give you to relax.   I felt everything, the tube going down my throat, I was fully awake the whole time, felt anxiety, BP shot sky high despite the meds, the whole nine yards.  

For me only three books have helped me to be a lot less fearful of my PVC's and got 95% rid of my panic attacks.  For others meds help.  But if you get switched from meds to meds and after two yrs there is no result I guess it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that tranquelizers and anti depressants are not for me when it comes to PVC and anxiety/panic attacks.  BTW, the docs and the Cardiologist I saw agreed.

My husband had shoulder surgery last week and was in extreme pain.  He was given a prescription of Percocet, a very powerful pain medication, it did NOT kill his pain.  He threw them down the toilet and popped a couple of beers and felt better :)  Other people get great result with Percocet, even addicted to it.

[CollegeGirl143]

You just have to find what works for you.. Celexa is a good drug that ide reccomend..

Just some advice for ALL forum members

Everyone should also keep in mind, it could very well be your anxiety over taking the medication that is making the palps worse, rather than the medication itself..

ssri's are not going to help your palps either, as it seems alot of people think it will, at least not in the same sense as a beta blocker might.. It allows you to have a more appropriate mental reaction to them, thus they will not bother you as much, and the absence of unnessacry stress might lead to less palps.. Its important to stay on the medication long enough to see if will have this anxiety reducing affect on you and allow you to stop being so anxious and obsessive about benign palpitations.. I suspect if some patients could put aside their fear for 2-4 weeks, and allow the medications to take affect before giving up on them, they might notice a profound difference in their physical well being and mental outlook... Its important to remember, in the patients who have been evaluated, the palpitations are benign, however the anxiety, is NOT.. Ide personally rather put up with a few more palps and get control of my anxiety and health, rather than not do anything and still feel the palps.

[Barbarella]

Everybody is different, and responds different to meds.  For me NONE of the tranquelizers or anti depressants have helped my PVC's but made them worst.  Especially Xanax, and Beta Blockers believe it or not.

I took these meds for some time because of severe panic attacks, none of them helped, nor helped my PVC's.  

I need to mention that I went in there (taking meds) with an open mind and a very positive attitude.  I wanted relieve from these anxiety attacks and the PVC's so bad,  I didn't refuse any suggestions or any meds.