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Avatar universal

Constant pounding heart rate...

Hi,
    Since a while I have some heart problems (POTS, dysautonomia, irregular heart rate aka tachycardia, low blood pressure OR high blood pressure). They are not well control by meds and my Cardio Doc seem to think it's only anxiety related with a physical deconditionning state and don'T offer a lot of support to me...

A new symptom appear last february. I start having a pounding heart rate all the time even at rest. In fact, I feel my heart beat really HARD in my chest all the time, it's especially worse in the morning and late afternoon, after a nap in the afternoon, when I get up in the morning... At bedtime it's seem to calm down a little bit but I can't fall asleep cause of the constant pounding heart in my chest, I ear it and feel it all the time.

I also don't sweat like in the past, I sweat mostly from hands and feet only. I feel like my head is hot all the time or seem to be intolerant to hot weater and temperature. Have to apply a cold compress on  my head most of the time to reduce the hot sensation... it help at the same time for the chronic headache from the TMJ disorder that I also have.

I take some Propranolol 10 mg x 3 a day, my dose was increase from 20mg to 30 mg but since it was increase last january,the only thing it's doing for my pounding heart rate and tachycardia is to lower even more my blood pressure and increasing my resting heart rate... I have severe anxiety not under control for now and the only time my blood pressure increase is when i'm out of the house, in a social situation or have to go to the dentist for example... and normally my distolic blood pressure number increase from 60 to 90 and the systolic increase from 100 to 130...

I have a blood pressure machine at home, I take my blood pressure 3 times a day and find out that when my heart is pounding harder usually my blood pressure is in the low range, low for me is around 100/60, I had a normal blood pressure of 135/80 before I start having all those cardiovascular symptoms back in 2010...

My pulse rate at rest is around 75 with the 30 mg dose of propranolol, without it it's about 100 at rest. The main problem is when I get up to walk and when I stay in a up position for a long time, my heart rate when I get up in the morning is about 130 sit at rest, when I get up it goes into the 160 and more.

I can't exercise at all, will start a special exercise program for peoples who have heart diseases since my Cardio Doc think i'm in a physical deconditionning state... but I fear that attempting the gym to do the physical program will trigger another SVT attack or trigger more panic attack (usually have 1 to 5 panic attacks a day).

My question is : I'm the only one here to feel my heart pounding in my chest all the time? I have another holter monitor 24 h test to be done in june, I can't see my Cardio Doc before having that test done. I need some advises about another med than the propranolol to control the tachycardia and reduce the pounding heart rate I feel all the time.

Meds that I try so far are mostly all the beta-blocker, propranolol being the one with the less side-effects on me. I also try the Clonidine...

Right now  i'm on 7 mg of Klonopin a day with no effect on my anxiety at all... I'm also meds sensitive so that's why I can't start an antidepressant med to control my anxiety...

Well thanks for any kind of answer I can receive here ;-)
7 Responses
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Avatar universal
Wow I feel the same exact way. I am constantly anxious or worried about my pulse rate going to high or my blood pressure escalating when it does. I wake up every night around the same time with my heart literally pounding so hard and fast out of my chest that I have to take my blood pressure pills and calm myself down before I make myself feel worse. It’s every night. I can hear it through my ears and feel it on my throat. Now I’m on Ativan ; only took it one at the hospital during a panic attack and I felt dizzy , nauseous and then I calmed down but it helped. Constantly I’m worried about my heart racing and only at 5 am it starts. When do you think it’s best to take Ativan? Any advice
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, oh god, you stop your beta blocker cold turkey? Im surprise that you didn't had hypertension...

I truly understand you!!!! Sometimes I reduce my dose cause I feel so tired and weak and I just want to feel normal again but when I do this, the fast heart rate increase into the 150 range at rest and I have many more panic attacks!!!

I had a nuclear test done for my heart last fall, it's call a persantin mibi...they shoot a drug who dilate all the blood vessels in the body and they take 3d pictures of your heart at work...the drug mimic the stress test and intense exercise...when they shoot the drug my blood pressure drop insisted of increase but my pulse rate was going crazy...I was about to faint and they finally shoot the antidote drug to stop the vasodilatation effect...

My ejection fraction is at 47...normal is 55 to 65... It's mainly due to the malnutrition state and the several years of inactivity calling deconditionning physical state...mean that my heart is not used anymore to answer to normal physical task like walking or taking a shower...

The cardio Doc said that I didn't had Svt but that I had normal tachycardia cause my heart is not used anymore to work...

Strangely my last EKG show bradycardia with sinusal arrhythmia...but when I had the EKG I took a double dose of beta blocker cause I was extremely anxious about going to the hospital ( I have a phobia about being in a car, can't drive and can't go on the highway even if someone else drive...had many panic attacks while driving ma car and I faint while I drive my car 1 time and since then I'm extremely anxious in a car). So the higher beta blocker dose the morning I had the EKG did work... But now double the dose don't work anymore.

Well good luck with your stress test!!! Take care of you and try to stay calm even if having a very fast heart rate and chest pain can make you very anxious and trigger panic attacks...i have chest pain myself most of the time at rest and just walking in house and its always trigger panic attacks as well..

Give some news about how you feel and how was your stress test ok!

Take care -:)
Helpful - 0
5342561 tn?1366664882
I'm so sorry for your terrible afflictions. Yours makes mine seem so minor. I tried going off the beta blocker. I have been off of it for two days. Today, I went to work but found myself having a severe panic attack or svt or something!! I feel like I can't take in a deep breath, I turn pale white, and I feel shaky and clammy. I broke down and took an Ativan. I came home and slept and felt a little better. One hour ago I got another episode of tight chest and same as I had earlier. I just took a Xanax but it hasn't kicked in yet. I just feel like my life has turned upside down. I have a stress test scheduled this coming tuesday. Once I get those results, I'm hoping to be scheduled for another ablation. I hope and pray that one day soon, someone will figure out how to cure this affliction. Take care of yourself, and I really do wish you all the best.
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Avatar universal
Hi !

Thanks for your answer -:)

I hope you will feel better soon!!!

Well seeing a specialist for arrhythmia is almost impossible where I live... I'm from Quebec City and we have a public health system... So I have to get a reference paper from my cardio Doc to have access to a specialist Doc... And my cardio Doc think my fast heart rate is linked to anxiety, pots and dysautonomia but he blame anxiety first as the main contributor factor to the rapid heart rate.

When I will have my next holter monitor in June I will not take my beta blocker and try to do everything I can do to trigger a bad tachycardia episode... Maybe the cardio Doc will see by himself how fast my heart can beat just when I try to do normal things like walk or just taking a shower...

The boyfriend of my sister had an ablation years ago for Svt tachycardia and he's doing great for now!!! Apparently it's doing miracle on some people's... The main problem is that Svt tend to reappear once in a while after many years...

Right now, what bother me the most is the low blood pressure from the propranolol beta blocker and the no effect on the pulse rate...

This morning for example my blood pressure was at 100/60 who is for me low since my normal blood pressure before heart related problems start was 135-140/90... My pulse rate when I get up was 145 just standing doing nothing not moving... When I took my shower the pulse rate was so fast that I wasn't able to count it, but I evaluate it around 170. I never take not shower cause its worse under hot water... I have heat intolerance and same thing happen when I get out under the sun in summer, after 5 min under the sun I get very hot, heart rate increase and feel horrible... Since I don't sweat, it's like my body can't cool down by itself... Anyway a fast heart rate like this leave me very tired.

What is your dose of lopressor? I did try it at 25 mg x 2 a day and find it less effective than the proprapronol... Was lowering even more my blood pressure but didn't touch the tachycardia... Same with other beta blockers like the atenolol, acebutolol, pindolol, bisoprolol... They all lower very well the blood pressure but no effect on the pulse rate../

Also the time my heart take to return to a slower rate after a normal task like taking a shower is long... To return under 100 beat minute it take at least 20 minutes and have to stay sit and take deep breath...

Also my cardio Doc think I'm in a deconditionning physical state... Had intestinal obstructions and spend 1 month at the hospital back in 2011 and was bedbound most of the time... Who didn't help me to make my heart stronger... I will start next week a special physical training program with a kynesiologist. I do hope it will not trigger bad tachycardia cause most of the time the tachycardia lead to panic attacks.

And no, it's not only a panic disorder problem, I mean a panic attack last 10 min and the heart rate return to normal rate after the panic attack... What I live is very different since the tachycardia last almost all day long... Only have normal heart rate at around 75-80 when I stay sit for more than 30 min like when I watch tv... One more strange thing is that when I lay down in my bed my heart rate increase... Before lying down in my bed was the best solution to stop the rapid heart rate... I still put something under my bed to have my head a little bit up, apparently it can help but I see no difference...

Well give some news ok, and maybe you can help me about the beta blocker... Witch ones work best for you and your dose also...

They just launch a new beta blocker in the Canada call bystolic... Apparently it's very effective but have a vasodilatation effect who can give headache and flushing side effects... Since I already have chronic headache non stop all the time I don't want to have more sever head pain.

Thanks again and take care -:)
Helpful - 0
5342561 tn?1366664882
Hi, I agree with Beema. You should see a specialist for arrythmias. I had SVT 13 years ago and my EP Cardiologist did an ablation. I was symptom free with the exception of a few minor palpatations that were not too bothersome. Unfortunately my SVT came back full force a couple of weeks ago after a dance class I took. Now, I have symptoms much like yours. I'm extremely tired, my heart is always beating hard, and I get heat waves in my head, hands and feet. I too have a hard time eating because I seem to feel worse after I eat. I'm on a low dose of Metoprolol, and just recently, I was also given prescription for Ativan to help with Anxiety. It feels absolutely horrible going through this. My EP Dr. wants to repeat the ablation. I'm willing to do it again if it will give me some relief. I first have to see my cardiologist for a stress test and echo. I fear the stress test will trigger another svt attack, but it's something I just have to do to get past this!  I'll let you know how things progress. Good luck to you. I hope you can find a way to get better soon. They say mind over matter works, but I don't think "they" have experienced this hell before! Don't give up!
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Avatar universal
Hi, thanks for your answer!

Well I do have dysautonomia who is the same thing than you...

My sympathetic nervous system is working too much and the parasympathetic one don't work enough who lead to most of my symptoms...

Like you, my symptoms like tachycardia was under control for a little whe with the propranolol but now it's doing nothing at all... My heart is pounding all the time in my chest and I'm so tired and exhausted that I can't even move or exercise or do normal things like walk...

My cardiologist didn't want to send me see a electro physiologist... He said that my last holter show a range of 55 heart beat minutes to 200... He said that my anxiety disorder is the main problem and make my heart too sensible to the adrenaline...

Anyway, things are that right now even after 7 hours of sleep I can't get up in the morning without feeling like my heart will jump out of my chest cause its bearing too fast... And I'm so tired that I need to return in bed after I eat, when I can eat cause eating lead to worse tachycardia...

What I don't understand is how it's possible to have a low to normal blood pressure with a such high heart rate, the beta blocker should slow it down no? Why now it's only making me feel tired with a low to normal blood pressure but no effect on the tachycardia?

Will have another holter monitor in June... I guess the cardio Doc will say again it's only pots and dysautonomia , eat and drink more salty foods and beverage...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I do have many of these same symptoms. Its horrible!! Mine were controlled but back with a vengeance now. I have autonomic dysfunction. I see an electro physiologist. They are the best at figuring it out I am told. All I really know is its scary and miserable!
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