High heart rate from deconditioning

[swingerofbirches]

I am writing regarding my high heart rate. I am a 26 year old male. As a child I had severe anxiety which resulted in a lot of trauma and eventually me having to leave college. When I came home from college I was recovering from the trauma and it was considered a good thing that I was able to slow down and lie on a sofa most of the day. My medications to help control the anxiety make me very tired and I have very low energy, particularly from the medication and also still being very stressed by life. My heart rate lying down ranges from 80s-100. My heart rate sitting up is usually around 110. Standing my heart rate will go to 130-150. And walking it goes from 130-170s (170s if I am walking up an incline). Still, I don't get out of breath even when my pulse goes into the 170s and can still feel foggy and sleepy. I have had a holter monitor test for 24 hours. My doctor said that was fine except for the tachycardia. He thinks I am decontioned and wants me to just continue exercising. I want to keep exercising more but I am concerned it could be something else. Shouldn't I check to see if I have heart damage from having had such an elevated heart rate for so much of my life? And how do I know what is safe to exercise? He says if I can talk then I am safe. Based on what I've read I think maybe I should do an echo-cardiogram. Not sure if it's related but I am also going to try to get a sleep study because I am always so tired and snore very loudly. As far as the deconditioning, I still do spend large portions of my day in a reclined position, but I am working on that.

I just want to know if it is possible for deconditioning to do this? And by reclined most of the day I am being literal--like I have my work from home, everything from home on a laptop from bed.

[Jerry_NJ]

Yes, poor physical condition can cause one to have higher HR.  At your age any HR below 190 should not cause damage, but it shouldn't be that high when resting, in fact your 80+ isn't good, in my view, but should not be damaging either.  

Are you on any medication to lower your HR, like a beta blocker?  If you are that may be part of the reason you are tired, one of the possible unwanted side-effects of BBs.  

I suffer from AFib, seems you don't or, at least not during the monitor time, and that makes me tired and pushes my HR up.  With a BB (Metoprolol) I still run a rest HR around 80, and maybe 100 when walking around the house, up to 120+ if walking on light grades and 140 and may have to stop to "catch my breath" if on a significant upgrade or more than a couple flights of stairs.  I am a lot older than you, and as said, I have AFib, but I give my HR numbers in the spirit os saying I live with them and believe they are not damaging my heart beyond the fact that it is reaching its life expectancy.

[swingerofbirches]

Thanks for the response....my fatigue isn't from BBs but probably more likely from the fact that I am still on the same anxiety medications I was 8 years ago which I still take in spite of not having as high of anxiety...they are very addictive and difficult to withdraw from.

I do have a BB I can take as needed which I've only had for the last few months, but I only take it if I have a panic attack where my heart rate gets quite high or before a big event, but lately I don't need it at all. My heart rate has been high independent of the anxiety, and I can't imagine how tired I would be taking a BB on top of the anxiety meds when I'm not anxious.

I guess I'll just keep exercising more and continue my taper of the anxiety meds (has to be done very slowly because of the type of drug called benzodiazepine).

Thanks again for the response; it is good to hear from someone who has a similar experience and to hear you embrace it.

[Wisconsin2007]

Wow - I'm surprised a doctor would prescribe benzos for eight years.  I believe they are supposed to be used for a few weeks at a time at most.  An SSRI might do the same thing for you but give you the energy to get up and get moving.

[swingerofbirches]

You'd be surprised how many bad psychiatrists there are! I am also on an SSRI. I was put on 2 mg Ativan daily when I was 16 by a pdoc, having no idea it was addictive. When I was in college the school psychiatrist switched me to klonopin telling me it was like Ativan but not  addictive. When I left college I was put back on Ativan for reasons I cannot remember now. It's bad stuff, I know. Hate that I was ever prescribed it. Doing a slow taper now.