Heartbeat too slow?

[Cococj]

I'm not on any meds of any sort at the moment, that is part of my problem unfortunately, I'd taken things a couple of years ago that helped. This time around my anxiety is making it tougher, I have problems taking any medications again that's part of my problem, I get worried this will happen and that will happen. SSRI's for example upset my stomach alot, that being one of my hotspots for anxiety is a problem. Amitriptyline which helped settle my stomach and my sleep and depression a few years ago before they switched me onto Fluoxetine (once my stomach had settled down enough) leaves me feeling too tired at the moment and this brings on a panic attack as I'm having them mostly when I wake and waking with an amitriptyline "hangover" with a panic attack is worse for my anxiety that otherwise. As for beta-blockers I've taken them in the past but they really scare me so now I steer clear.

So my BP etc is based currently on non-med feelings, and without them I'm still sure I can get well but it's just going to be a harder road.

[Cathy V]

Well done you for coping without the meds. Yes bp and heart-rate can be a worry, as you said if its too fast we worry and if its too slow we worry! I know that before my bp cahnged last year it had always been good and steady, through 2 divorces, 4 pregnancies and a million and one stresses over the years, including recurring ectopics, and never once did it waver!

So it was like being given a death sentence (ok thats a bit dramatic but you know what i mean) last year when it was so high. The doc here still reckons its psychosomatic, as id had it checked 6 weeks before i cam over to germany and it was 138 over 83, though he does concede that because both my parents had hypertension, then im kind of pre-disposed to it. So now i have to take meds and i hate it. I feel like ive lost control of my body, its not mine anymore...it belongs to the beta-blockers!

Keep going chris, you'll get there.
Cathy xxx

[Doug10562]

My Rested Heart rate can hit 55 just sitting at my desk. It used to freak me out until my Doc went over some old EKG's with me. All my EKG's are normal and you could see my Heart rate was in the Mid 50's to Low 60's during the test, Doc said it was just me..

My Doctor told me he wont worry about a slow heart rate unless it hits in the 30's...

[Cococj]

Thank you for Cathy for your words of support

The fact is I'd rather do it without meds if I can, they supplied my mind and body with the break from the cycle that they needed last time. This time having had a worsening to unbearable levels of the anxiety after taking them I'd like to see if I can do this without them but as I said it's not easy. The brief time I've spent on this forum and site has helped there though so we'll see, one day at a time and all that!

Cathy although I came up with some reasons about why in my case getting a BP monitor might not have helped, do you have one? I ask because it's obviously something that worries you (and your doctor) enough to be on meds, and if you're only getting your BP checked by them at set intervals just the build up and the event of being with your doctor could be raising your BP those few extra points. That's one of the reasons I justified buying one myself, I felt if I had a good idea of how it was over the course of the day over weeks I'd have a better idea if it's high or not.

Chris