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Will these heart palpitations that were triggered by cocaine use go away? Please help.

First, let me give you a bit of background information. I am a 21 year old male and I have been using cocaine for about 1 year. I would consider my use as recreational. Over the past year there would be months where I would not even touch the drug. Then, months when I was using, I would do about 6 lines on just one day of the week and wouldnt touch it for at least another week. However, this month, I have used once a week for 4 weeks. This is where my problem has started....

Last wednesday after being out almost all night using cocaine and drinking alcohol, I came home and began coming off of the drug. The next day, at about 5 pm, my heart rate shot up without warning to 120 beats per minute. Needless to say, I was freaked out but decided to wait it out and eventually it went down to 80 beats per minute.

However, every once in a while, I will think about it and it can cause the heart to go back up to the 120 beats per minute. I decided to go to the emergency room where they gave me a EKG and did some blood and urine work. They said the EKG showed an abnormal rhythm with my heart. The blood and urine work actually showed up negative for cocaine and everything else just 4 days after having used.

I left the emergency room with a diagnosis from the ER doctor. He said I have heart palpitations. They also told me that the effects of the cocaine could still be effecting my system even though blood and urine showed up negative for cocaine. It has been about 6 days since I used cocaine. I feel like I have swallowed a bunch of diet pills. I feel drained.

I am hoping that my heart palpitations will eventually stop. If not, I will be getting referred to a specialist to have an echogram done on my heart.

Please, if anybody has any insight on this matter, please help. Will my heart palpiations stop? Will the effects eventually leave my system? Did I just get a bad batch of cocaine? I'm desperate for help.

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Avatar universal
HAHA!  No, I will never touch it again.  I only used about 2 or 3 times a month for a year as it was.  There would be some months where I wouldnt touch it at all.

But recently, in the month of december...I used every friday.

As an update, I do feel a lot better.  I don't have the anxiety that I once had and I am gaining my weight back.

However, the palpitations do come and go throughout the day.  There has yet to be a perfect day.  I am still afraid to exercise as well.  My grandparents are trying to find insurance for me so that I can go to the doctor and cardiologist to have some more extensive work done.
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Avatar universal
I remember when I was 19 I smoked weed and had a horrible panic attack.  My heart rate skyrocketed up to 140-150ish and I was so freaked out I sustained it for hours on end.  Eventually my heart rate went back to normal and I was released from the hospital.

Over the next year or so I'd have palpitations where my heart rate would increase in the 120-130 area throughout the day.  During some panic attacks my heart rate temporarily skyrocketed to over 200.

Four years later I'm still here.  I started eating only healthy foods and I exercise regularly.  My palpitations have more or less gone away and I haven't had a panic attack in months.

If the doctors have not found anything physically wrong with your heart and you're satisfied with the tests they have done you might have an anxiety/panic disorder, you'd be surprised how many panic disorders are started by drug abuse.
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Avatar universal
I worked at a hospital for several yrs. and a few times young men in their early twenties were brought in who had strokes.  I had no clue that cocaine/heroin can cause a stroke until a Neurosonologist told me that your BP when experiencing the "cocaine high" spikes in some people way beyond 200 syst. and even in young people it can cause serious problems especially when they are shooting up frequently and the BP spikes that high frequently, for some on a daily basis over a period of time.

Lots of them came in with severe arrhythmias, panic attacks, symptoms of a heart attack as in severe chest pain. All promised they'd never take cocaine or heroin again if they will come out alive from these horrible symptoms they were having.

If I were you I would stop shooting up or sniffing this stuff or you might regret it some day big time.  
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Avatar universal
I just went to the gym to try things out again.  I didnt get the results I wanted...

I ran at a very slow 12 minute mile pace and my heart rate stayed around 170 beats per minute.  That's a lot higher than it used to be.  More alarmingly to me....It took 30 minutes or so for it to come all the way back down to my normal 72.  It hovered around 120 for a good 15 minutes.  Freaked me out.  NO shortness of breath...I went to the fire station just now because it freaked me out and they said my blood pressure was slightly high... 135 over 96.  Other than that, they said everything on my chest EKG looked great.

What is the chance that I actually damaged my heart permanently with this drug use?  What do all the numbers point to?  At rest my blood pressure is 132 over 75 and my resting pulse is anywhere between 68-72.  

Oh god I hope this goes away.  I wont be able to live without being able to workout and run.....Id rather die. Seriously.
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How are you now??? I know I am late but curious!
329165 tn?1515471990
Hi there.  I am glad to see that you have stopped using Cocaine and hopefully, after experiencing Tachycardia, you will never touch it again!!!!

A resting pulse of 60-80 is normal.  Anything above 100 is called Tachycardia.  Try getting a prescription for a BETA BLOCKER.  That will bring your BP down and slow your heart rate down, even while exercising.  If it doesn't work, then their is something wrong with your heart and you should go for a stress ECG and Echo at a Cardiologist.

Good luck and let us know if the Beta blockers helped.
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Avatar universal
What you are describing sounds exactly like my anxiety.  When I was anxious I could simply walk and my heart rate would be 130-140.  When I was not anxious my heart rate would be at a much lower resting pace.

Anxiety has a profound effect on how quickly your heart beats.  Get your heart checked out - if the tests come back negative you most likely have a panic/anxiety condition.
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