Anxiety meds help?

I have a question for anyone that has turned to anxiety meds due to the palps.

Did the anxiety meds make you less aware of your fears of your heart

I am seriously thinking about seeing  a dr about anxiety meds, I think about my
heart constantly even when I am having a good day I obsess over it.

I was just wondering if the meds help with that aspect.

Thanks
Debbie

[divywomen]

I try not to think about my heart because if I do I will bring on heart papitations I know it is hard but if you just start to do something you enjoy it will   take your mind off of your heart. I would not take anxiety meds only because they can be addicting please e-mail me if I can help I have lived with this for 20 years now ***@****

[twinbee]

When I was first diagnoised with a-fib and flutter my EP offered a perscription for anxiety meds to help calm me down when I had an attack. I personally did not take the drugs, however I do know some people who do. They do claim it helps calm them alot.

[matt_s]

I take Lexapro 10mg daily for "generalized anxiety" and after a few weeks it help significantly.  I believe in my case the constant anxiety was messing me up in many ways including lack of sleep and thousands of palpitations.  Now I sleep great and feel mentally normal.  I still get a few skips every day, but I can deal with it, no obsessing.  I also have Xanax for emergencies, but I have not taken one for several months.  Lexapro is a very tough habit to quit, tough withdraw.  Good luck with whatever you try, the important thing is that life is too short to suffer alone, get some kind of help!!!

[barb47198]

Hello there,

I find that anxiety meds (I take Ativan as needed) really help me manage my SVT. If I am having a day where I can't seem to stop thinking about my heart, the meds do put it right out of my mind. And, if I take an Ativan as soon as I get an episode of SVT, it minimizes the panic that usually comes along with it. I don't worry about addiction, since I don't take them everyday, and take a very low dose also. But, just having SOMETHING in my purse to take, if needed, really seems to be helpful.

[ncmedic795]

anexity meds do help with the heart they are a vasal dilater which helps get more oxygen to the heart  , therefore slowing the heart rate the best durg i know for this is xanx i take it myself for anextiy hope this is helpfull also obseing about stuff can cause you problems like pyschogenic shock in other words make you worry about something that isnt there....DANNY R GRADY,NCEMT-PARAMEDIC..

[Ihatepalps2]

hi! Ive had benign palpitations for over 15 years. Had all the tests several times, and told by a couple different cardiologists, one ER DR, and several regular doctors that they are just stress related, and to "forget about them.". Well, yea, thats alot easier to say, than to do. I have found, over the years, that mine are most definatly stress/anxiety related.
I am going through a really bad time with them in the past few months. My mom was diagnosed with cancer and Im dealing with her surgeries, and all that goes along with that whole awful scene. What happens? My palpitations, which can either show as just skipped, jumpy missed beats, or my heart will suddenly "race' for a very short 7-9 beats then go back into normal rhythm, or it will stay in normal rhythm, but pound really hard for about 10 beats...it does one or more of the above..and I know darn well its anxiety related.
So..yes, I am on an anti anxiety med...Xanax. Have been, for a very long time. My dr allows me to pretty much increase or decrease the dosage as I see fit..its been long enough now, he knows I wont "use and abuse".... so when I am feeling anxious..they dont stop the palpitations, ohhh no, I sure wish they did...but they do lessen the anxiety, and that in turn can sometimes lessen the palpitations....
or at least the Xanax relaxes me....thats good too.

[ptadvoc8]

I have had SVTs for over 40 years and have been taking small doses of Lorazepam (short acting relative of Valium) and Valium as needed for all those years because they actually help me to STOP the episodes. As noted above, these drugs do affect vagal tone, as well as GABA receptors, so they can help with some types of arrhythmia as well as anxiety.

However, be warned that in some cases in some patients these drugs have been reported to be potentially pro-arrhythmic (able to cause or exacerbate some arrhythmic conditions) and they are very physically and psychology addictive, so need to be used with some care and responsibility. They are also controlled substances, so while I have found it reasonably easy to get the small supplies I need over all the last 40 years, you may also find some practitioners are uneasy or reluctant to prescribe them. Also, you can build up a tolerance to these drugs so that you need increasing amounts to get the effect you need to help with the SVTs.

All that being said, I do absolutely find some physical and psychological relief from using these types of drugs on an occasional basis and so have others with similar conditions so if you are aware of the risks and want to try it I would certainly ask my doctor about it.