palpitations and rapid heart beat with hypothyroid?

[hcurrie]

hi, my tsh is low normal and my t4 is very low at .54 - i have been getting sudden onsets of a rapid heart beat and lots of palpitations - i am not hashis or graves, endo is still trying to figure out why i am hypo at all..... i am on synthroid 50mcg. these symptoms are not any worse than before i started the medicine so thats not it...i am wondering if anyone else has had these rapid heart rates and palpitations with hypo? also i get really crabby all of a sudden when i get this,  my heart checks out fine at the cardiologist and endo says hypo dont cause heart palps ...

[magpieannie]

My daughter is 9 and born without her thyroid gland. She began having heart palps at age 8 and was diagnosed with 83 PVC's in 20 days by a halter moniter study by a pediatric cardiologist one year ago. However, other heart test showed no issues with her actual heart muscle. Her pediatric endo. said it wasn't related as her hormone levels on Synthroid were in "Normal" range. However, she never looked at her available t3 levels (Freet3)! I decided to seek out a doctor who would, and low and behold the free t3 was low, yet her free t4 was high. Her endo. was always satisfied with TSH in the mid to upper range of normal, yet I was reading about issues with the "too broad" reference ranges and disagreements within the medical community (labs, doctors, endocrin societies etc.) on where the ranges should actually fall. I decided then, that I was going to find my daughters OPTIMAL range! We switched to an MD who specializes in hormones and switched to desiccated hormone (Nature-Throid) which has t3 in it. I am happy to report that she no longer has PVC's, muscle pain, joint aches, constipation w/ blood in her stools,moodiness, temp. issues etc....She is optimal and feeling great. To prove it, we just returned from a family ski trip at high altitudes, where she skied every day with no physical issues of any kind! She could not have done that a year ago! Her Freet3 and Freet4 are kept higher in the reference range now and her TSH is supressed to well under 1. She is not hyper in any way. She is a normal kid again who can laugh, run and play without her heart beating out of her chest and laboring to catch her breath. It has been a journey to get here, however I feel that we have completed it successfully and that I have  a much better understanding of her condition and how important being and the proper thyroid levels for your individual needs really is! Optimal and specific was the key for us. She needed more t3 for her changing and growing body to function properly. Her body now has what it was  needing/lacking to function properly (enough available t3)  and life is great again! I hope our story will be of help to someone out there. Our hearts have to last us a life time. I was not about to sit back and accept that it was not realated to thyroid issues/ levels, (especially since she has no gland at all) and neither should any of you!! How could it possibly NOT be related? It had everything to do with it! Being under treated with medication can cause issues just as too much medication can. The type of medication can also be the issue for many out there suffering with heart palps./pvc's. Normal range was not good enough , she needed her specific optimal range found, and it took a new doctor and meds to get there. Best health wishes to each of you in the New Year! May 2010 be one of answers and discovery, and better health for us all!

[Regina530]

I, too, have heart palpitations related to hypothyroidism.  My doctor seems to believe that they can't possibly be related, I believe strongly that they are. In fact, I recently tried a little experiment with my low dose (25mcg) levoxythyrine (NOT RECOMMENDED).  I had noticed that I wasn't having the palpitations as often while on this low dose and decided to skip taking them on the weekends....just to see if it had anything to do with it.  The first day, I noticed very few palpitations.  The second day, twice as many.  The third day, almost as many as prior to untreated hypo.  I have entertained the thought of this being a placebo type effect, but I am also very in touch with my body and have been very sensitive to medications my whole life.  My argument for this in regards to thyroid is that this is a hormone, and hormones are produced daily by the body to regulate many many systems within the body.  So...why WOULDN'T I be able to notice any fluctuations in those hormone levels quickly?  For instance, hormones that control ovulation can effect mood, energy levels, and  concentration that vary from one day to the next based on the level of them in our system (and our own body's response to them)....such as in PMS (which usually last 2-3 days).  Why is it such a stretch to believe that I can notice a physical difference in thyroid levels quickly?  Especially when I have a lifetime of sensitivity to medications?

Getting back to my "experiment" (NOT RECOMMENDED)....when I resumed the small dose of levoxythyrine, I noticed a decrease in heart palpitations within 3 days.  Again, this was my own experiment and I do not recommend that anyone try this, but with such a low dose, I felt it was a safe, non-scientific experiment for me to try for my own personal knowledge.  

I have recently been able to view my medical history, including test results, online through my medical provider and this has helped me to see a correlation between a "feel better" state and now.  My TSH numbers in 1999 were at 1.18---a time when I actually felt great---and in 2008/09 were at 2.9--when I felt like crap.  The years between show a gradual increase in this number that corresponds to the physical problems I have had, including an increase in heart palpitations.  I have had my share of cardiac workups over the past 10 years or so, with the resultant "normal" results....and no explanation for the palpitations/chest pains/tingling/fatigue/malaise I had been experiencing.  I have only noticed a difference since requesting to my doctor that she treat me for low thyroid even though my numbers don't meet the criteria (4.0 and above).  She agreed, since I have many of the other symptoms:  cold feet/hands, difficulty regulating body temperature (I would be freezing in bed with multiple covers and "hot" hubby next to me-and often sweaty in perfect room temperatures or with mild exertion), dry, flaky, cracking skin, brittle nails and hair, fatigue upon waking after 8-9 hours of sleep, difficulty concentrating, heavy, quality of life altering periods, weakness and muscle aches/pains, lowered sex drive, and extreme difficulty losing weight.  When I listed them out for her, she agreed to try me on the lowest dose of levoxythyrine and I noticed a change within a week.  Not much, but enough to make me feel like a real person again, instead of the zombie mom I had become over the years.  I still have a long way to go before I feel more like the person I used to be...and middle age has it's own agenda for my body as well....but I can see the real me again.  The me that didn't have heart palpitations that caused anxiety, worry, and doomsday thinking well before my time.  

[DivaDoll76]

You are definitely not alone.  I can always tell when my levels need to be adjusted because I get scary heart palpatations.  Just try to hang in there.  Make sure you are having your doctor test your TSH, T3, T4 levels as well as your adrenals and pituitary.  Usually when one has issues they all have issues.  I'm going into my doctors office tomorrow and demanding those are all checked.  I feel like crap.  So tired, heart racing, elephant sitting on my chest, can't sleep, headaches, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, aches and pains galore, plus depression.  People try to talk to me and I burst out crying.  Ridiculous!  Good luck.  I hope you get better soon.

[sick and tired 47]

Yes, I know how you are feeling. I am not sure what age you are , but if you are female get those hormones checked too. I feel SO much better on bioidentical hormones. Alot of the symptoms can be hormonal too.
The elephant on your chest, I know all to well the feeling. Mine is so much worse in the am when waking up, especially if I roll over and sleep on my side or stomach- go figure???
I also have adrenal issues- high cortisol- but am working on it with acupuncture and adaptogen herbs. It seems to helping alot!!
Good luck to you!

[HessyKat]

We all seem to have some or many of the same symptoms regardless if we are hypo, hyper, or whatever is wrong with our thyroids. Even like me who has had a thyroidectomy and yet i have the heart palpations at times and then other times when my heart rate is slow and blood pressure normal i get scared almost and feel weird , like oh god is my heart stopping. I know alot of it is the anxiety that i have but all these up and down symptoms just tire me out mentally. I panic when it is bedtime because i am so afraid of how i will feel when i wake up. I have the ringing in the ears, dizziness , sweating and so on. I am just exhausted hoping and wanting to feel normal. bless you all

[suzychew]

I was diagnosed with Hashi. about 5 years ago, but was 'borderline' and checked for a few years previously.  I too have recently been suffering from palpitations - mainly at night.  Not pounding, but very scary 'fluttering' that lasts for hours, and is very distressing.  I take 125 Eutyrox per day.  My blood pressure is usually normal, but my hb can be as low as 46 bpm.   It's so comforting to find others in the same position, but boy, would I love to feel 'normal' again.