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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
not enough of oxygen
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
not enough of oxygen
by barbara__0__0, Dec 29, 1998 12:00AM
i was on lithium for a few years one night i started having a jerking in both arms and blacking out having delusions and paranoid was put in the hospital the dr said i was not getting enough of oxygen to my brain a week stay in the hospital and they put in a pace maker and was taken off of lithium and put on tegertol now i dont need any mental medicine does a pace maker correct not enough of oxygen to brain or could the mental medicine couse oxygen not get to the brain what test would prove if i really need a pace maker i was taking lithium for manic depression and continue to get worse on lithium until i got the pace maker thank you
Doctor's Answer
by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Dec 29, 1998 12:00AM
Dear Barbara, thank you for your question. Lithium can cause slow heart rhythms (termed bradycardias) to occur. If you were having bradycardia, then your heart may not have been beating fast enough to supply your brain with nutrients and oxygen. Thus, you had fainting spells. A pacemaker automatically causes a heartbeat if the heart rhythm is too slow and prevents fainting spells. From what you write, it sounds like you do need a pacemaker so I would not recommend any additional tests.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
