Anxiety and heart, hand in hand?

[gshanereid]

Hey guys, I have been putting up a lot of post lately because I am extremely paranoid about my heart. Im 18 years old and worked out 3 hours a day for 8 months straight. I never had any heart problems during my workouts at all. I then stopped working out due to a chain reaction that I thought a supplement I was taking would destroy my liver. I worried about my liver for two weeks then started having heart palpitations. When I had my first palpitation I stopped working out, I have only not worked out for a month. I was so active and now Im just extremely paranoid that I damaged my heart. Every time I stand up it speeds up or skips beats. I went to the doctor because I was having severe panic attacks. They ran a EKG and said everything was fine. I guess my question is can anxiety really knock my heart this out of wack. Or could my heart really go to **** in one month. If it helps I also have other irrational fears and night terrors. I take xanax and it helps,but there is still a sense of panic when I stand up. Also I am scared to death of exercise now even though I did nothing but workout for 8 months. I now fear I am going to die of a heart attack during exercise. I rode a bike the other day. I did fine for 25 minutes at moderate speed. I then got my heart rate up to 130 and either my hearts damaged or I freaked myself out (panic attack) because it started skipping beats and beating very forcefully. I got very scared laid down on a bench and my rested heart rate went back to normal within two minutes. (My rested HR is about 58-72, depending on how stressed I am.) Could somebody please give me some reassurance Im fine and its all in my head. I actually have a phobia and my heart beats fast when I even think about doing a stress test, due to this stupid fear of exercise. It is really messing me up because I was doing so good  and proud of myself during my exercise. I rode the bike for 2 hours daily and lifted weights for an hour. I really loved working out and now Im scared to death of it. Its like the movie "So I Married An Axe Murderer" with Mike Myers. He really loved that girl then found out she might kill him. Ha ha, please excuse my bad analogy.

[gshanereid]

Hey thanks alot for the comment. I'm amazed at how helpful this website really is. The supplement I was taking is called N.O. Xplode my doctor doesn't know much about it, only that the Nitric Oxide can cause a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it has a lot of caffeine. But I have been off of it for so long withdrawal should be over. And I know what you mean about taking it slowly and I know you are right, its just so dang hard because my workouts were so intense and strenuous and now I can hardly stand up off the couch without my heart racing and a sense of panic. Thanks for the comment, and advice. It really does mean alot to me.

[Jerry_NJ]

I think your heart is alright, just let it work and quit thinking about it.  Yes, I know it isn't so easy, but nothing in life is easy, just stop thinking about it:  believe in yourself and your heart, be optimistic and think positive: start working out lightly, if a bike ride is too much then walk at 4 mph for a mile, then a 1.5 mile... for a few days, you know the routine, work your way up slowly and believe it is RIGHT.  

I think your mind is a big, maybe the only, problem you have.  

I didn't follow exactly what supplement you were taking and if it was "legal" I doubt it did any damage, and I assume you discussed the supplement with your doctor.  If  not that would be a good addition to what I say above.

I believe you can do it, and so do you, just get your mind "around it".