im worried i might have a heart problem?

[orangetangle]

ok so I don't know if this is an anxiety thing, a meds side effect, or an actual heart problem.
Lately, especially while lying down in bed, if i roll over or change position, my heart starts racing and it feels like i've just done allot of exercise. Sometimes i can't sleep because of this and it keeps me up at night.
I also have skipped beats / flutters sometimes. I've had these symptoms for a very long time but I've came to the conclusion that maybe i shouldn't ignore them?
I read about atrial fibrillation and I'm very worried it could be that.
But i don't know if it's a serious heart problem or just another odd anxiety symptom. (i get it without feeling anxious though), or maybe it's a meds side effect.
I take Escitalopram 20mg. I have been taking it for a few years.
I'm 21, don't exercise much (but been doing it bit more lately), I'll admit i probably don't eat very well (allot of junk food), but i'm very skinny. (slightly underweight for my age).

I'm seeing my doctor next week so I'll probably bring up the problem I've been having,
but i wanted to hear people's thoughts on here as it's doing my head in!!

[RubyWitch]

It's good that you're seeing your doctor next week so you'll be able to discuss all these symptoms with him. The antidepressant you're on (Lexapro) does carry with it some possible CNS side effects, so that should be one important issue you discuss with your doctor. You've been on it for a few years, and I'm not sure if these symptoms would appear this long after starting the medication. Every person in the entire world will experience palpitations at some point in their life, but it does seem yours are increasing. You may be having PVC's or PAC's which present as skipped beats, or "hard" beats, beats that seem normal then you feel a large "thud," then maybe a few fast beats in a row. The only thing you can say about PVC's is that they are very capricious! The good news about PVC's and PAC's is that as long as your heart is structurally sound and you have no underlying heart disease, they are totally benign. I hope your doctor recommends a follow up with a cardiologist for you to rule out any heart problems.
I have PVC's (and panic disorder) and my PVC's will usually "attack" me when I'm completely relaxed and not anxious at all. One other "good" thing about these POSSIBLE PVC's you're having is that if they happen most often when you are at rest, that is another sign that they are benign. If they happen mostly why you are active, that is not as good a sign.
You are only 21 so I'm going to assume your doctor has been after you to knock off the junk food and get off your butt. If you see a cardiologist, they'll really ream you! You don't have to become a grass eating gym rat, but fast food grease and butt parking are NOT going to improve your life. If you've been taking the Lexapro for 3 years and you're still rather sluggish, maybe it's time to talk with your doc about changing to something else.
All in all, you have a lot to talk to him about and maybe making a list before you go will help make sure you touch on all these concerns.........get you feeling better!
Try not to worry..........and trust me, I know how stupid that sounds, but do your best. Once you see your doctor I'm sure you'll have a better outlook on things. Just hang in there, which is all any of us can do,
I wish you the best
RubyWitch  

[orangetangle]

thank you for the amazing response and all the help Ruby! and yeah i never get it when im exercising, only pretty much at rest! thankyou i feel a bit better now and i'm not worried as much :) going for a check up next week and i'll mention my symptoms though, wana make sure everything's good! yeah making a list is a good idea, as i tend to forget things in the moment haha. another thing to mention is i've been having odd side effects for a while now (that are stated on the side effects of the meds) so it may be that i need a lower dose or to change.
cheers :)

[Paxiled]

I gotta say, Lexapro gave me the oddest side effects of any med I've taken.  Made my head feel pressure on it and it got worse when the dose went up, and I realized this is actually a common side effect.  But one thing to mention when you see your relevant docs -- any antidepressant (or pretty much any medication that affects brain neurotransmitters) gets past the blood/brain barrier by using the magnesium channel.  This can block magnesium from being absorbed properly, and magnesium deficiency can cause everything you're writing about on here.  Another common symptom of antidepressants often caused by this are muscle aches and cramps.  One way to avoid this is to take a magnesium supplement that is absorbed well a few hours apart from when you take your antidepressant so time allows the two not to compete (magnesium and also block the absorption of antidepressants for the same reasons).  Given you say your diet isn't good and that you're skinny, this might suggest you're not eating sufficient nutrients and that you have a naturally high metabolism that's compensating for your lack of exercise in keeping you thin.  So add this to your menu of things to discuss with your doc.  I personally first started supplementing with magnesium when I was on imipramine, and have kept it up ever since to deal with the resulting muscle cramps.  I take it at bedtime, even though it's best absorbed when taken with food, because that's when I got the cramps and it's a ways off from when I take my meds.  It worked immediately to end the cramps.  So I not only know this to be a possibility intellectually from reading about this stuff, I have experienced the difference myself, and I consume a lot of green leafy vegetables so it's very unlikely I have any natural magnesium deficiency.  (Just to add, magnesium deficiencies are pretty common in the US.  Partly it's the aversion to green leafy vegetables and partly it's the marketing that has driven Americans to eat so much dairy.  Dairy, besides being very hard for any adult mammal to digest, is extremely high in calcium but very low in magnesium.  The two are in balance in the body, so if you eat a lot of dairy it can throw off that balance in favor of calcium outcompeting calcium.  Osteoporosis is more often caused in the West by over-consumption of calcium and lack of magnesium than lack of calcium.  So again, even if blood testing completely clears you of all problems, something you can try on your own without harm is to supplement with a low dosage of magnesium citrate and see if it doesn't help, but I'd see the docs first.). Peace, all.  And Ruby, good to see you back here, at least for now -- not many people with good answers are on here anymore.  I've missed your good advice.