Do I have a rhythm disorder or just general anxiety?

[Atix12]

Hey guys! New to the board and need another opinion on this. I had an eating disorder last year, too low o a body fat. I was maintaining about a 4%. All test came out normal but one day I drank to much caffiene and experience a very scary heart palpitation. Before this I was also having toe cramps which could have been a sign of electrolyte imbalance. Everything was fine though and I did not go to the ER because my Dad who is a trained physician ruled it as anxiety. Well fast forward to this year I gained 40 pounds, have gotten taller and have built muscle through weight training and exercise but still experience heart palps! Sometimes I get racing heart, thumps, when I take a deep breath my throat feels like its closing, a feeling of skipped beats , etc. I have had 4 ekgs( including an ER call where they came to my house and took an EKG, the heart palp was over at that time), 1 x-ray and a thyroid test. All were normal. I experience the heart palpitations whenever I get scared, exercise, skateboard, etc... mostly exercise though which I love. It really ***** because they interfere with my life. I received a script for Valium and it does seen to help but makes everything worse once I sober up. Now I suffer other anxiety regarding intrusive thoughts and a fear of going crazy. I am an 18 year old healthy male. Thanks for the help guys I do appreciate it.

[achillea]

My own experience has shown me that Valium and other relatively short-acting benzodiazepam drugs are good for short-term anxiety problems, but there are much better things to use when the problem is more frequent.  

Some therapists are familiar with such medications, but most of them cannot prescribe, and for this reason, it is good to be under the care of a psychiatrist who actually went to med school.

[Atix12]

Thank you so much that post really makes me feel a lot better. I do not have a lot of friends and I'm not very busy so my mind will race when this happens. Might see what medication can help I'm weary of sides but I guess I can take care of them after I treat my stress. Thanks guys for the help :)

[seaweib]

I agree completely with you on your fear of going crazy and intusive thoughts.  It's definitely nothing serious as I've had the same thing my whole life.  These symptoms are classic for OCD and OCD is a very common disorder that needn't disrupt your life and definitely doesn't make you crazy.  The fact that you're already seeing a therapist is great, most of the time cognitive behavioral therapy can cure (or at least manage) intrusive thoughts and anxiety.  The most important thing to know is that if you were actually crazy you wouldn't worry about intrusive thoughts, they would just be your thoughts.  The fact that you're worrying about it is proof that you're not crazy and that you're intrsuive thoughts will never materialize into reality no matter what.

As for the heart palps, they are definitely made worse by the anxiety and many believe anxiety can even be a cause or perpetuator of skipped beats.  My advice would be to treat the skipped beats just like you would the intrusive thoughts...don't worry about them.  Skipped beats are never going to kill you in the same way that the intrusive thoughts are never going to happen.  Don't fight the thoughts or the palps, realize they're harmless and just let them be there...and you'll be fine.

[Atix12]

What do you mean my fear of going crazy and intrusive thoughts could be serious? Like they are going to happen? I mean I am a huge worrier and everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. I talked to my therapist and she said it is normal. The intrusive thoughts are fears of losing control. Thanks and ill change my gender lol I appreciate it

[achillea]

Your heart has been checked out thoroughly via four EKGs and a thyroid test.  Given all those tests, plus your young age and apparent lack of risk factors, your risk of heart disease is beyond low--unless you have a tendency towards anorexia, which as you know can put the heart at risk.

Palps are pretty scary, all right, but your mention of intrusive thoughts and a fear of going crazy suggests that you might be suffering from something more severe than garden variety anxiety.  There is help for this kind of problem, and it is often quickly effective.

Please make an appointment soon with a nice psychiatrist for a simple evaluation.  Believe me, it is far less difficult--and more quickly effective-- than you might imagine.  

By the way, you might want to change your profile, in which you state that you are female.