Can synus tachycardia hurt you?

I'm a 29 year old female and I starting experiencing rapid heart beat out of the blue about 9 months ago.  I've had many tests done and have seen cardiologists that say not to worry, that it must be anxiety.  I do suffer from depression and anxiety but feel that they are pretty under control.  I take 10 mg Paxil daily and my psychiatrist said that 1% of individuals could have inappropriate sinus tachycardia as a side affect.  However, I've been on the medicine for about 14 years and I've never felt these palpitations before.  Most of these rapid beats have been occuring once or twice a week.  I wore a heart monitor and that came out fine, just showed inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST).  I've had an echo done and that came out normal as well.  My blood results are also good except that I've had mononucleosis last year, around the same time that these palpitations started.  The last blood work showed that I still had the mono in my system.  Lately, these episodes of IST have happened almost every day this week just out of the blue.  This is concerning me because it is affecting my lifestyle.  I can handle it once in a while but not everyday.  My questions are, could the Paxil or Mono be causing these rapid beats?  Could it just be anxiety causing it, however I don't feel added anxiety this week?  Is IST life threatening? Is IST harmful for the heart?  Have you heard of Paxil causing IST or mono causing it?  Do women in late twenties , early thrities sometimes have IST?  and what can I do to calm myself during these horrible episodes of IST?  I try to calm myself but the last time I did, the heartrate wouldn't go down.  It did eventually but I felt like the deep breaths weren't helping me.  Thanks very much for your insight into my questions.  

[Jerry_NJ]

I will reply just to let you know your post is being read and thought about.

Unfortunately I don't have much help to offer directly but do observe you have had what appears to be a complete medical exam and that leads me easily to say I do not think you have anything to worry about the episodes hurting you long term.

You didn't mention how fast you HR is, or how long the periods are.  But, given the frequency is increasing and if the HR is also increasing I think you have cause to discuss further with you doctors.

As for the age question, you are still in the "young" group and your age should not be a big driver of the heart rhythm problems.  I think most of us make it into our 50s and 60s before developing age-driven problems.
I hope you do as well or better... some make it into their70s without any heart rhythm problems, my wife being an existence proof to my statement.   She does, however, have depression, and anxiety problems and takes medication for those issues.  I don't know what she takes, but it doesn't cause any heart rhythm problems that she is aware of.  

Wish you the best, and put your youth in your "pocket" to draw strength from, you are young and being (nearing) 30 should not be another concern you should add to your "worry list".  Excuse my terminology, please, I don't mean to criticize.  

[Maya7]

Thank you for your support.  May i ask what medicines your wife is on?  I was switched from paxil to lexapro but still feeling high anxiety and then I went and saw a cardiologist the other day and was told to take heart medicine for the palpitations but that scares me to death.  But i've been having the palpitations everyday so I guess I should trust the doctors, but I suffer with panic, anxiety and I'm just so anxious to take another medicine on top of what i'm already taking.  Do you happen to know how to get advise from the experts on this website?  I'm hoping to get some more advice on inappropriate sinus tachycardia.  Also, how does your wife handle the anxiety?  I would love to learn some coping techniques.  Thanks.  

[Jerry_NJ]

I think most medications are selective and do not overly react with one another... that said one has to be sure a prescribing doctor knows what medications we are taking so they can be sure not to prescribe something that will conflict with another drug.  You can ask your pharmacist too.   I suppose web searches on the specific meds will provide some information.. still check with the professionals, your doctor.

My wife takes both an anti-depression  and anti-anxiety medication.  I think the takes the depression medication is every day, the anxiety med is as needed... best I can tell.  As for dealing I think the meds do help, but it took some trial-and-error to arrive at the right med and dose.  As our age suggests we are retired, so some of what she does that helps is be active, including volunteer work at a local hospital.  Being out with people and doing something constructive helps I think.  That said, depression anxiety problems are clinical in nature and are not just environmental.  Depression runs in her family, and in one of our children, and it seems to be a life-long battle, but one we are winning, not without some pain, but winning.  Hear palps obviously makes it all worse.  Try to treat each of them as important, and follow medical treatment recommendations.  

You may also want to read and post on: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Anxiety/show/71  for anxiety and there must be another for depression.  Look under "forums" at the top of this page, the drop-down lists a large number of Communities, like this one, that is made up of patients, not medical people... and forums for which some are supported by medical people and for which there is a (small) fee.

[Cat588]

Hey there.

It sounds like you are in a similar boat to me, I am still a medical mystery at present, but my heart symptoms occurred after a virus. I am still undergoing tests.

In my opinion, the medication would have given you symptoms when you started taking it.

My sinus tachycardia has been over 200 and I have been fine so try not to stress there - it is often caled the "safe rhythm." I know how scary it can be, trust me.

Here are some things you should probably do (in my opinion).

1. Get your blood pressure checked regularly.
2. Take your pulse after standing and see if it has risen quickly without you realising.

And I will ask you: Do you have an official diagnosis and have you had an MRI?

Let me know how things are going. I really can identify with what you are going through

[Maya7]

Hello,
The condition I've been diagnosed with is inappropriate sinus tachycardia.  I'm not taking medicine for it yet but might have to as it is making my life miserable.  I have insomnia because i'm scared it will wake me up from sleep as it has int the past, so then i don't sleep.  I've had an echo, been on two heart monitors for a month at a time, had a tilt table test, had a stress test, had my thyroid checked and all came out normal.  But I'm still having the palpitations.  Do you mean an MRI of the heart? or chest?  I've had one for the brain a few years ago and it came out normal. I've also had a Cat Scan of the brain and that came out normal.  That was some years ago though.  It's just so terribly scary when the heart does go rapid.  Hope you are feeling better. I'm hanging in there.  Please let me know what you do when your heart speeds up.  Thank you much.

[Jerry_NJ]

Many people take a beta blocker to lower HR.  I suffer from atrial fibrillation and it drives my resting (ventricle) HR to around 130.  I take 100 mg of Metoprolol every day and that keeps my resting HR in the upper 80s.  My HR is also irregular due to the fibrillation.  I tell you this as I would assume a BB would help slow down you HR and lower you BP..... some can not take BB because it lowers their BB too much.  I have recovered normal BB even though I am on a relatively high dose.  

As with many of us, I continue to work with my doctor and hope that I will someday beat the heart rhythm problem... I had an echocardiogram today to see if another electrocardioversion may be worth a try.   None of this may relate, well the BB may be something that will help you.  Ask you doctor.

[Maya7]

Thank you for your support.  Would your wife mind if I knew what medicine she is on? and if she finds it helping?   I changed to Lexapro but don't feel that it is helping with my anxiety at all.  I think I'm going to switch back to the Paxil.  My depression is partly genetic too as my dad suffers with it , his dad suffered with it and my mom's dad suffers with it.  Does your child also take medicine?  I'm just trying to figure out which medicine may be better to take but i think my body is just so used to the Paxil that that might be the better medicine for me although Lexapro is supposed to be a better medicine.  I just don't find it working and the palpitations are bothering a lot too.  It gets up to 124 bpm ; sometimes in the 130's or higher.  It is so scary for me.  I'm not sure if the medicine could be causing them but the change to the Lexapro hasn't made them stop yet so perhaps it's not the medicine.  Thanks.  

[Cat588]

Firstly I should also add that IST is most common in women in their late twenties to early thirties!

Well my heart rate has risen to over 200 and i have been okay (apart from being a little scared!).

My plan for when my heart beat goes too fast and it makes me anxious:

1. Lie flat on my bay and close my eyes.
2. Breathe in and count to five, then breathe out for five.
3. I keep repeating this process.

If your heart feels like it's beating really hard (which has happened to me before) try your best not to focus it, but if you find it is too hard to ignore it, put some music on (preferably on an mp3 player or ipod which has earphones)  Also, keep telling yourself it WILL NOT kill you. I have never heard of IST killing somebody.

120-130 for a heart rate isn't medically serious but it is frightening. Try to just think it's like you are going for a jog but without actually doing anything strenuous.

You should definitely ask your doctor about some treatment for IST cause there is more than one available.

Please let me know how this goes!

[whisperwolf]

Maya,

A couple of things to consider;

1.  Paxil is probably not the culprit since you have been on it this long.
2.  Mono is a virus and it does take a while to completely get over it.  It could be affecting your heart rate.
3.  When you saw the Cardiologist, were the other tests normal?  EKG, Echo, Stress Test? If any of those tests were abnormal, then that should factor in to your decision on whether you should be on heart medication.

4.  How is your blood pressure?  If it is too high or too low, then you should be on medication.

5. Last.  Tachycardia can make you susceptible to fainting, heart problems, stroke, high blood pressure and circulatory problems.  When your heart rate goes too high, it puts more strain on your heart and you could end up having problems later.  

Hope this helps.

[carolos]

FR avis/jamaica
i was working on cruise ship in the spa and about 2 yrs ago i started having the same problem where when the guest came on board with terrable cough and cold i find my emune system is getting very week so i always started to catch it very easily and every time this happends i started to breath very short then it develope into a atsma ,and when they use certain chemical on board it also affect me and this synus tachycardia develope ,but mine only happends when i use the rest room weather i pea or deficate so iwent back to work on the 19th of sep 20010 and it seems like when i am onboard it it happends worst so i went to the doctor to have them check it out on which the company send me back home to do an holter test which they detect synus tachycardia only to have the company fire me secretly saying that i am not allowed to work on ships any more so i did not know that it was so serious or is it serious enough to affect my job like that so the doctor gave mesome apo-bromazepam 1.5gm to take and some anxiety pills to take but i am not truble with anxiety problem at all so what do u think is the real deal cause as i say that it is only when i use the rest room no other time?