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can dysuatonomia and IST lead to Supraventricular Tach?
At age 16, I began having truly awful panic attacks, which often led to my calling 911 with violent tachycardias, which were determined to be benign by paramedics. About a year after my bout with panic disorder subsided entirely, I began to experience continuous rapid heart-rate, 24 hours a day, in the complete absence of any anxiety or panic feeling. The experience was entirely physical, not emotional or anxiety related. Just chronic, elevated, bounding heart-rate, to the point of annoyance and near incapacitation.
I was diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia at age 18 (100BPM on bad days, minimal-exertion intolerance, etc.) by a family doctor, who seemed unconcerned, informing me that some people's heart-rates are simply inexplicably high, that this is no big deal, and that beta-blocker drugs would eliminate the problem. I started taking 50 mg Atenelol (reduced to 25mg four years later) and this did, indeed, solve my problem, as if by magic, overnight. My resting HR (heart-rate) was put in the 60s, and I had absolutely no intolerance of exercise, hot showers, standingup rapidly, etc, henceforth.
No mention was made of 'dysautonomia' by my doctor, but after extensive reading, I have determined that my IST is almost certainly caused by some form of dysautonomia (as is usually the case).
I am now 35, and at the beginning of the year, I began experiencing what I took to be a recurrence of panic attacks, after being panic free for 9 years. To assuage my anxiety about the health of my heart (my panic anxiety has always centered on fear of heart attack), I went to a cardiologist and had a battery of tests (echocardiogram, x-ray, stress EKG, etc). I also had a 30-day event monitor, which recorded one of my panic attacks.
However, the cardiologist informed that during my 'panic attack,' I had experienced a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (182BPM), which was indicated by the EKG event monitor.
I am really scratching my head after all these years.
It seems to me, incredible as it may sound, that these three conditions are all one entity which has evolved over time. I feel as though when I had severe panic disorder for a year, at age 16, the experience was so shattering to my nervous system that it somehow altered my body's sensitivity to adrenaline, which left me with a residual, constant tachycardia. Furthermore, the incredible severity of my panic attacks also somehow created some kind of disturbance in my heart's electrical system that has allowed my severe tachycardias to somehow leap beyond what is typical of anxiety-induced sinus rhythm (100-180) into the supraventricular range (180-200+), as happened during the event recorded by the EKG 30-day monitor.
I have never experienced an episode that is classically indicative of SVT -- i.e., the tachycardia accelerates from a normal rate to something near 200BPM in one beat, in the absence of any anxiety. I have only ever experienced two forms of inappropriate tachycardias: 1) daily, chronic elevated resting heart rate which grows worse on minimal exertion, 2) violent parxosyms of extremely high machine-gun tachycardia (160-200+) which are ALWAYS the result of working myself into an Anxiety attack for one reason or another.
How peculiar that someone would have Panic Disorder, then IST/Dysautonomia, then SVT. What is the relation among these things.
I was diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia at age 18 (100BPM on bad days, minimal-exertion intolerance, etc.) by a family doctor, who seemed unconcerned, informing me that some people's heart-rates are simply inexplicably high, that this is no big deal, and that beta-blocker drugs would eliminate the problem. I started taking 50 mg Atenelol (reduced to 25mg four years later) and this did, indeed, solve my problem, as if by magic, overnight. My resting HR (heart-rate) was put in the 60s, and I had absolutely no intolerance of exercise, hot showers, standingup rapidly, etc, henceforth.
No mention was made of 'dysautonomia' by my doctor, but after extensive reading, I have determined that my IST is almost certainly caused by some form of dysautonomia (as is usually the case).
I am now 35, and at the beginning of the year, I began experiencing what I took to be a recurrence of panic attacks, after being panic free for 9 years. To assuage my anxiety about the health of my heart (my panic anxiety has always centered on fear of heart attack), I went to a cardiologist and had a battery of tests (echocardiogram, x-ray, stress EKG, etc). I also had a 30-day event monitor, which recorded one of my panic attacks.
However, the cardiologist informed that during my 'panic attack,' I had experienced a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (182BPM), which was indicated by the EKG event monitor.
I am really scratching my head after all these years.
It seems to me, incredible as it may sound, that these three conditions are all one entity which has evolved over time. I feel as though when I had severe panic disorder for a year, at age 16, the experience was so shattering to my nervous system that it somehow altered my body's sensitivity to adrenaline, which left me with a residual, constant tachycardia. Furthermore, the incredible severity of my panic attacks also somehow created some kind of disturbance in my heart's electrical system that has allowed my severe tachycardias to somehow leap beyond what is typical of anxiety-induced sinus rhythm (100-180) into the supraventricular range (180-200+), as happened during the event recorded by the EKG 30-day monitor.
I have never experienced an episode that is classically indicative of SVT -- i.e., the tachycardia accelerates from a normal rate to something near 200BPM in one beat, in the absence of any anxiety. I have only ever experienced two forms of inappropriate tachycardias: 1) daily, chronic elevated resting heart rate which grows worse on minimal exertion, 2) violent parxosyms of extremely high machine-gun tachycardia (160-200+) which are ALWAYS the result of working myself into an Anxiety attack for one reason or another.
How peculiar that someone would have Panic Disorder, then IST/Dysautonomia, then SVT. What is the relation among these things.
Yea you seem to be right. After doing some research it seems that we have fallen into 1 of 2 issues. IST or POTS and I'm starting think that's the problem. I will be going to a cardiologist sometime this month to hopefully resolve this problem. I have read that people with IST are sensitive to adrenaline. As I mentioned during the time of my severe anxiety I have been through quite a few panic attacks. After my anxiety started to clear up, I began to experience free flow adrenalaine rushes for no apparent reason. Sometimes I would wake up from sleep to my heart already beating pounding because of the adrenaline. It has gotten better since then and I'm still trying to prevent such episodes. Most likely my doctor might prescribe me beta blockers as well to ease things up a bit but yea I will talk to my doctor about it. I'm glad you are finding relieve from this problem.
Callentay, it seems we had the same experience.
After years of dealing with this, I have never received a good explanation for its cause.
It seems to me that "dysautonomia" is kind of an umbrella term that applies to a lot of different, interrelated conditions -- such as POTS, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, etc.
A lot of people who suffer these conditions are said to be "hyperandrenergic", meaning that they have an overexcitability and sensitivity to adrenaline.
It's a bit of a vague area, because some doctors don't even believe in these conditions, etc. But it seems that you and I may have some sort of innate sensitivity to adrenaline that causes our heart rates to run faster than normal.
I have taken a small dose of beta blocker medication called Atenolol 25mg, which blocks the effect of adrenaline in the body. This medication has given me enormous relief from the daily annoyance of over-excitable heart rate. It really takes care of the problem. You may want to ask your doctor about it.
After years of dealing with this, I have never received a good explanation for its cause.
It seems to me that "dysautonomia" is kind of an umbrella term that applies to a lot of different, interrelated conditions -- such as POTS, Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, etc.
A lot of people who suffer these conditions are said to be "hyperandrenergic", meaning that they have an overexcitability and sensitivity to adrenaline.
It's a bit of a vague area, because some doctors don't even believe in these conditions, etc. But it seems that you and I may have some sort of innate sensitivity to adrenaline that causes our heart rates to run faster than normal.
I have taken a small dose of beta blocker medication called Atenolol 25mg, which blocks the effect of adrenaline in the body. This medication has given me enormous relief from the daily annoyance of over-excitable heart rate. It really takes care of the problem. You may want to ask your doctor about it.
I Know exactly what you are feeling. I think we are the in the same boat. After about 6 months of panic attacks. I finally grew out of my anxiety. But for some reason I have been experiencing constant tachyardia. It's like the adrenaline somehow made my heart sensitive to minimal exertion. It has changed my life in so many ways. My heart rate seems to be always above 100 when I stand up. Doing things like going up and down the stairs increases my heart rate to as high as 130bpm. I can't even bend down or lean down without a quick increase in heart rate. I had 2 ecg's, 1 echo and a 24 hour holter moniter. All came back normal except my doctor said I have a benign heart murmur. My doctors can't find why my heart rate is always soo high. All that's left is too turn to a another cardiologist that help me with my specific problem but this time without the anxiety as an excuse. I'm glad I'm not the only with this issue.
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