Tachycardia

[mis596]

I've had an echo stress test and holter monitor done for
fast heart rate.  I was supposed to wear the holter monitor for a week
but everytime I put it on it would go off because of my elevated heart
rate so was told to stop.  The stress test showed nothing either
except fast heart rate (180 bpm at 5 minutes).  Doctor put me on 25 mg
of Toprol XL to slow heart rate.  I have a history of fast heart rate.  Sometimes
when I roll over it clicks on and beats over 220 bpm.   I can always bring
it back to normal by taking deep breaths and holding  it.  Twice my heart
went into a quivering or fluttering action which really scared me.  Nothing
I did would make it go back in.  It went in by itself.  This was before the
Toprol XL.  I still have palpatations and mild fluttering with medicine.  
My question is if the doctor couldn't really find anything wrong do I
need to stay on this medicine forever or get a second opionion.  I know I
have different problems going on but since they always stop is it really
serious or not?

[pukiariki]

All my children have Tachycardia, my oldest daughter had corrective surgery for Wolfs Parkinsons White Syndrome.My concern is that my son (25yrs) had a heart attack 4 moonths ago but the doctors do not relate this to the Tachycardia or the W.P.W. I find this hard to believe but my son is having an angiogram next week.We wait for ever for health care here in New Zealand, he should have had something done sooner to find out why he suffered such a major heart attack.

[Shelly02]

i think i had the more serious type i forget what it was called but i'm pretty sure that's what i had.

[jan]

Well, Shelly, I don't know.  I do know that my meds for bladder infections are lil orange pills and my Toprol is white tabs (and my other cardio meds don't fit the orange pill description, either). I don't know if that is any help to you or not. If you think your cardio is wrong, I don't think he would mind giving you a holter or event monitor to put you at ease.

[jan]

I have read and been told that if you have tachycardia or syncope when you are young, the chances are you will outgrow it.  I am 45 now and was diagnosed a few years ago with Inappropriate Sinus Tachy. and with syncope.  My cardio told me I will have the tachy all my life, but it could be because it is from my sinus node (?). The syncope, they really don't know because it isn't common in older people.
Just thought I would share that with you. Hope it helps, but if not keep searching until you get your answers and some peace.

[chrishaz]

I had tachycardia attacks starting at around 7 years of age that I can remember.  They happened 1 or 2 times per year, and maybe lasted 5-10 minutes.  Then at 20 I had one that lasted 5 hours, I got scared.  I did the holter, with negative results.  Of course I didn't have an attack when I had it on.  Most of the tests I was put through came back negative, echo, ekg, holter etc.  but eventually after bugging doctors about my lack of stamina, enlarged heart (seen in chest x-ray) and slight murmur, I was catheterized and a large Atrial Septal defect was found.  The hole was fixed but I was amazed at how much work I had to put into getting the docs to do the cath.  I encourage everyone to bug your docs if you KNOW something is not right.  Sometimes when they aren't sure or you don't display with textbook symptoms they will say it is in your head (or imply it).  By the way, the tachy attacks I had were caused by the blood flowing through the hole and hitting the nerve just right on the wall of my heart...(my mom used to tell me they were panic attacks and all in my head)

[Shelly02]

I was diagnosed w/ tachycardia at the age of 5.  It started w/ a urinary tract infection and lead into tachycardia. I was in and out of the hospital a few times and went thru all the heart monitor stuff and also was on toprol i believe (little orange pills?).  It was quite scary and i remember the doctors telling me that if my heart raced suddenly that i could stick my head in cold water or have someone hold me in a headstand position lol.  i'm now 21 and my cardiologist the last time i saw him told me i grew out of it at the age of 9 or 10.  He said i still have a heart murmur and that i should still have a check-up once a year.  Now that i look back i wonder how can you just grow out of something just like that? Can that really happen? i dont think so b/c sometimes i still get those heart race attacks or as my mother calls them now panic attacks.  i'm a little confused on exactly what i have.