Anxiety Disorder and Cardiac Symptoms

[jerry78]

I've been DX'd with panic disorder and general anxiety disorder, with a chronic fear of cardic disease, making me cardio-phobic.
With therapy and Klonopin, my panic attacks are under control, however, my chronc anxiety and hypervigilince of heart diesease remains, even though my cardiologist says my heart is fine.
I'm also on Toprol and a diuretic for mild HBP, again, caused by my anxious state.
My question is:As every exam and test points to a healthy heart, how in the world does my mind cause me physical symptoms like chest pain and pressure, arm and shoulder pain, along with heart flutters now and then?  Can a chronic phobic condition actually produce these physical symptoms?
p.s.: I'm NOT hypocondric, as the only real concern i have is heart disease, not any and all diseases of the body.

[yogacyclist]

Hi Ianna,

I hope to someday tell you what my solutions are to help get to sleep, but when the PVCs are raging, I'm still having to resort to the same as you, 5 - 10mg of diazapam.  And that only seems to do the trick if I've been taking a beta-blocker.  I know alot of it is psychological with panic thoughts of not being able to sleep creeping in usually around 9pm.  Unless I've done an extreme physical effort during the day, such as a very long and hard effort on the bicycle, I can usually plan on the challenge of getting to sleep.  I've resorted to occupying my evenings with reading or writing music, which often times goes on until 3am.  Then, waking up and trying to function normally the next day becomes a disaster.  I'm sure you know how this goes.  I'm going to keep researching and trying stuff, always looking for something on the healthy side and hope to someday drop the meds.  There's got to be a way to train ourselves to better deal with this issue.

Sleepless and searching from Seattle.

Jeff

[Tony1]

Thank you for your reassurance Ianna.

[Ianna]

Hello Jeff,

I have no solution for your sleep problem.
I wish I had.
Then I would sleep better too.
I have exactly the same problem you have.
I occasionally take a half of a 10 mg diazepam.
Or I'll break a 10 mg zolpidemtartr.(Ambien)in two, and thus sleep three or four hours.
But I am, like you, very cautious with these pills.
Only when I haven't slept for two or three days,(than I get really mad!!) that is when I take a sleeping-pill.
What are your solutions?
-
Bye,
Sleepless in Holland -   *Ianna*

[Ianna]

Hi Tony,

This is anxiety related.
It is not the heart but a muscle of the upper-body.
The doctor said you're okay.
You've been tricked to believe it IS the heart, and by doing  so create more tension.
Like many of us here.
Anxiety thus..
-
Instead of waiting for monday to come, go and take a long walk with your wife and breath in the fresh air, you will feel better.
-
Good luck - Ianna

[Tony1]

This is my first post.  I just happened to come across the site while researching heartaches.  Anxiety and the mind can play horrible tricks on us.  Years ago I would have been posting in the neurological section under headaches and aneurysms.  I had panic attacks and horrible headaches that I know were made worse by my panic attacks.  Every time I felt a slight twinge or head pain that was it a vessel was rupturing and I was going to die. I had many tests.  In all fairness I did live with a chronic headache for 6 to 7 months.  With the help of meds and the one day I said go ahead and kill me aneurysm enough is enough I have gotten better.  Now this present week.  I had a short in duration sharp pain in my chest (a matter of seconds)and for the rest of the day it was like someone pushing on my chest.  I finally decided to go to the emergency room.  EKG fine, blood drawn for testing to see if I had or was having a heart attack (negative) and a chest xray (nothing found).  It's Friday and I have an appointment with a cardiologist on Monday but the tightness in my chest is still there and now any little pain in an arm or in my back scares me.  I keep wondering if the tests done in the emergency room are any good as an indicator or maybe they missed something.  My mind is getting the best of me or maybe something really is wrong. My wife and mother keep telling me I'm fine you just had tests done in the emergency room and you aren't having a heart attack but I think something is still wrong or they missed something.  Reminds me of old times.  It's going to be a long weekend.

[yogacyclist]

Hi - this is my first posting, and as many of you mention, there is comfort in knowing we're not alone in living with perceived scary heart issues.  I've had my share of emergency room visits, panic attacks, insomnia and obsessions the past two years from the onset of often times severe PVCs and PACs.  I get the associated chest pain with these sometimes as well.  After all the cardiac study and visits to the doctors, they continue to tell me that my heart is fine.  I'm trying to believe this, but it's tough.  

Two activities that give me great relief are yoga and bicycling.  Yoga is something new that I recently started to practice, and it's very effective at providing immediate relief to the heart palpitations and the associated perceived fears.  Also, having been a bicycle racer for many years, I have continued to train at a high level, and these heart issues don't appear to impact me physically at all when I'm doing that.  Yet another activity that provides relief.  

My biggest issue at this point is insomnia, since that is when my PVCs and PACs are most intense, at rest, and when my perceived fear of having serious heart problems is highest.  It's a battle every evening, and most times ends in a rough night of lousy sleep.  I've tried medications, natural remedies, music, etc., but still can't get this issue under control.  I have to result to the occasional tranquilizer to get a good night's sleep, but I'm trying not to use that method much, knowing how addictive that could be.  I'll continue my research, but if anyone reading this has any advice, please share.

Thanks for reading,
Jeff