View Full Version : Heart and head problems...
vinnievince
13-03-12, 00:28
Hi Everyone,
I have a lot of heart symptoms, mainly low blood pressure with orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, fast heart beat when I stand and especially in the shower around 160 and more, palpitations, chronic chest pain, numbness of the left arm with pain who radiate to the neck, jaw, teeth, veins in the neck who hurt and I have chronic tension headache since more than 1 year with veins pain upper the ears...also my hands and feet are turning blueish and are all wet most of the time...
Of course I have a Cardiologist that I see often and had a lot of heart tests <holter mon itor 24 hours, stress test with echography, ecography of the heart at rest, events monitor that I wear for 2 weeks to record not normal events with my heart, also had a 24 hours blood presssure test and several EKG and lungs x-ray>...
So far nothing seem wrong with all those tests but I continue to have chronic problems with my heart...the chest pain drive me nuts and the fast heart with no physical reason also drive me crazy...also have palpitations with 3 seconds pause then heart start beating fast again and stop again...its always like that when I have a bowel movement...also faint 3 times <in the shower, straining on the toilet>...
Im on a low dose of Inderal, its the only one beta blocker who dont decrease my blood pressure too much but its not effective anymore to reduce the heart rate...if I increase the dose I fall in low blood pressure and can faint or have dizziness and panic attack...also its worse in the morning and at night...
My cardiologist ask me to drink more water and add salt in my food but its doing nothing...its seem that my blood pressure will only get higher when im out of the house cause of the agoraphobia but most of the time at home its low, who is not normal cause at home I feel anxious all the time also, have no safety zone, and even when I have bad chest pain my blood pressure is normal or low....same for the heart beat who can be very fast at rest and decrease from 140 to 40 without moving...
Im worried also about the headache who seem to be linked to my heart...the lower will be my heart beat and the more throbbing or pulsating veins pain I will have in my head...
Im alone here to feel like that all the time?
Thanks everyone...
Sorry to hear you are having all these symptoms and no real answers. That can be so hard, but good there is nothing physically wrong with your heart.
I have just had some heart issues develope since Christmas and it is so scary. I got put on a beta blocker and like that it keeps my BP lower. Almost too low at times, but don't really feel faint so not a problem
Are you on any anti anxiety medication? I take some Ativan when needed and it sure seems to calm me down. I too live alone and it is scary as just not sure what will happen next.
I do hope it gets better for you soon and you get some answers. This is tough
Hi Vinnie, wow that must be really tough having all those symptoms and very draining too. Does the cardiologist not know why you suffer from them then if all tests have ruled anything out? Do they know why you fainted?
vinnievince
13-03-12, 14:42
Thanks Joelle for your answer :)
Well, having no real answer for all those symptoms from my Cardiologist and all those tests who are negative worse my anxiety and fuel it I guess...
Are you on any anti anxiety medication? I take some Ativan when needed and it sure seems to calm me down. I too live alone and it is scary as just not sure what will happen next.
Of course, I take 8 mg of Clonazepam (Rivotril or Klonopin depending where you live) and also take 0.25 mg of Xanax in the morning cause when I wake up it's when I have the more scary heart symptoms... sometimes I use more Xanax at daytime, especially like today cause the chest pain and left arm numbness don't stop in the morning and stay all the time...
I'm addicted to the benzo meds and I know that the dose I use daily are very high but since I react very badly to all the antidepressants meds now, my Doc keep me in those high dose...who is not even effective to reduce the anxiety now...but if I try to decrease the dose I have rebound anxiety who is far worse than staying on the high dose...
I don't live alone, thanks god cause I will be never able for now... In fact my agoraphobia is so strong that I can't stay alone at all, even being not alone is hard for me since 2 months and always need someone near me in the house and if i'm alone for 2-3 hours my anxiety increase to a level of I almost need to call the 911, if you understand what I mean...
What is the name of the beta-blocker you take and the dose? What kind of heart issues you have?
I try almost all the beta-blocker, was ok on the Inderal only since it's not lowering too much my blood pressure at low dose of 5 mg x2 or 3 times a day but it's seem to not working anymore and if I take more at the time I feel worse. Will maybe ask my Cardiologist to return on the Bisoprolol, longer acting and make somewhat less dizzy or feel less weird on it...
Today my blood pressure is higher than usual, normally in the low 100-110/60-70 and today i'm at 125/80... normally have only high blood pressure when i'm out of the house around 140/150/80-90...but decrease as soon as I returning home...sometimes it will fall into the range of 90-100/50-60 and will feel more anxious...
Thanks also to crystal17 for your answer :)
Of course feeling like you will die from a heart attack all the time is very scary and take a lot of my energy and feed up my anxiety level. Some days are better than others but since 2 months it's seem to be everyday.
My Cardioligist know that I have severe anxiety and he think that it's impossible to have so many symptoms from the anxiety. The only one test I never had is the tilt table to know why I faint. Where I live they don't have a tilt table and travel by car into another city is not an option for me now, only go to the gas station at 5 minutes from home by car as a passenger is very difficult, can't imagine going on the highway for 2-3 hours to have that test. The Cardiologist think I faint cause I don't drink enough and that's why he recommended to drink more and add salt into foods or drink Gatorade sport drink to help my body to stay hydrated and keep my blood pressure to a normal value... but if I drink more salty liquid or even just plain water I feel worse and it's increasing my headache, who is weird cause normally drinking more water help for the headache...
The funny thing is that I know it's anxiety related mostly with exception for the fainting, but it's like my brains don't want to listen to me and continue to produce those symptoms... and the more I think about them and the more I feel them...
Today I think it's the worse day of my life, I woke up in the middle of the night with another panic attack and sweating from everywhere, I take a Xanax pill and try to get back to sleep who take a long time and I get up this morning with that pins and needles and numbness in the left arm who is worse than usual and feel the same kind of pain in my chest, normally when I wake up I take my Inderal + Xanax + Clonazepam as soon as I open my eyes so 1 hours after the symptoms decrease and feel better and symptoms return in the evening... but today the symptoms stay as high than when I get up... and I really don't know what to do since going to the emergency will give nothing, they will do an EKG who will be normal again, they will do blood tests who will be normal also and x-ray of the lungs will be normal also, in the past it will be ok to make me feel better and say "look it's not your heart it's only your anxiety" but now going to see a Doc or having negative tests for my heart don't decrease my anxiety...
Well, thanks again for your answer :D
Sorry to hear you had a rough night...those are never fun... sometimes it just seems we are left on our own with this even though we don't feel well. I had a Echocardigram test that came back normal which is good, but now everyone thinks I am fine or should be, but I'm not. Most days are good, but still have days were bp goes up and heart rate and I feel awful
I am taking Metoprolol and it seems to be helping to keep my bp and pulse down, but doctor just decreased the meds from 50mg in morning to 25mg and see how that goes. I will still take 50mg at dinner as scared to decrease too much all at once...
Hope you day goes good. Glad you are not living alone as that is very hard on top of these symptoms. I try to be brave, but its hard sometimes. Just have my safe places and routines to feel secure.
vinnievince
13-03-12, 21:37
Hi Joelle, I understand how you feel...my heart problems start almost like you in 2010...goes so often to the emergency cause of the high blood pressure and fast pulse rate with no problems from the heart only anxiety...dont let that fear to increase in your life and avoid buying a blood pressure machine to use at home cause if you do like me, you will ending taking your blood pressure 100 times a day and being obsess with it...
Well I have the worse day of my life so far, left arm numb all the time, chest pain, neck, jaw and head pain , I try to nap this afternoon but wasnt able to sleep, normally a nap help my anxiety... if I continue to feel those symptoms tomorrow I will go see my Cardiologist or at least call him...he his a lot busy so maybewill go to the emergency where he work directly...will hope I will feel better...
Metropoolol call Lopressoris probably the only one beta-blocker I never try...maybe it will be my next choice...apparently it have lessside effects than the old inderal cause its more selective and water solube who mean that its not entering in the brain like the inderal and cause less fatigue and insomnia...I just dont know the dosage I will need, take a so low dose of Inderal that I guess its around 1p mg of Lopressor or maybe only 5mg...
Anyway thanks again for your answer and I hope you have a great day...
Hello Vinnie how are you?
I wonder why the cardiologist told you to drink more salty drinks if they increase you headaches - have you had blood tests done? I'm thinking maybe the salt balance is wrong but I would have thought he recommend rehydration fluids for that? Not sure, maybe mention it next time.
I can understand if you get anxious to travel far to have that table test about the fainting, and if he thinks its to do with fluid then I guess you just have to follow his advice and address that problem first.
What about some help for you emotionally to deal with all this? Is there anyone you can confide in, either a close relative or friend? Or maybe counsellor?
Really hope this can be managed for you, it must be difficult to cope with daily.
Speak to you soon, take care.
vinnievince
13-03-12, 23:54
Hi Crystal17...yes I have ma familly around me and they are tired me complaints all day long about how bad I feel and my symptoms. My mom help me a lot, she drive for me to go to my many Doc appointments and she dont go on the highway cause she know I cant...she understan.d what I live and see how bad I feel and I am but she cant help me more...
Had 3 Psychologists from 2010 to 2011...the last one told me after 10 appointments that I needed more than regular CBT and ask my old PDoc to find a better therapy for me but the PDoc do nothing so thats why I stop seeing that PDoc...for now my next options will be to find private therapist and a private PDoc...where I live its a public health system and when you are not happy about the PDoc you have you cannot ask to see a new one...and the last Psychologist stop seeing me and told md I cant ask for free therapy again and if I want to return in the public system for free Psychologist my PDoc have to give prooofs about the fact that I improve and can follow again a therapy...a lot complicated... private PDoc are hard to find and expensive...have an appointment at the end of april with one and try to find a private psyhchologist with a new kind of approach but again its expensive...and Im disable from work so not a lot of money...
For the Cardiologist he say that blood test for the sodium is not accurate, someone with a normal blood level of sodium dont mean they are well hydrated...he dont think the tilt table test worth the traveling and dont think its dangerous since all the other tests are ok...I just wait for the results from the events monitor...no news from the Cardiollogist since I return the device... And of course I drink gatorade and more water and add more salt but I feel worse than when I drink less and have less painfull headache...dont feel like I need to drink more since the color of my urine is always light and not dark who mean that I drink enough...
I think maybe the Clonazepam dose is not working like before and will maybe need to ask more Xanax or just switch to another benzo...those meds are nasty...they decrease anxiety at first and when you build up addiction you start having more anxiety andrebound anxiety even if you take the same dose...but thaats another story...
Well thanks for your help, I appreciate it ...have a nice end of day... Vince
Hi Again Vince,
I had a not too bad day on my lower dose and will take the full dose tonight as don"t want to push the anxiety I feel about about not having enough medication and going back into a fast heart beat. Just need to find a balance soon I hope.
I see you have to watch your salt or take more at times? I have really lowered my salt intake since this all happened and seems to be working for me. Also on an asprin a day too now.
I see you are from Canada..what part?.I am on the west coast BC..still winter and snow here and think I will feel better when it warms up more here.
Oh I do have a blood pressure machine at home..it was my mom's before she passed away last year. I only take it twice a day usually so not too bad. Seeming to rely on it less now and can actually feel my bp and pulse rise and just use it to back me up. Always seems to be higher when in doctors office too.
Hope the rest of the day and night go good for you...take care
vinnievince
14-03-12, 21:12
Hi Joelle, Great, you will find the good dose of Metropolol for you i'm sure. Sorry to hear that you lost your mom last year...
If I understand well, for you the main problem is the fast pulse rate... is it occuring at rest I mean when you sit or when you are standing? Also it's normal to have a higher blood pressure when you are at the Doc office... always have higher blood pressure out of the house, take mine once in a while at the drugstore and it's always higher there, sometimes it can reach 160/90 at the Doc and will return home and take it with my blood pressure machine and it will be at 110/65... so it's all anxiety...
I think the Cardiologist ask me to drink more sports drinks high in sodium and potassium to keep my blood pressure in the normal range, but I cut back the salt intake since 2 days because my blood pressure seem to have return in the normal range of 120-130/70-80 at home...
Last summer when I was sick from the digestive problems my blood pressure fall into the lower side of 80-90/50-60...for no real reason and that's when the Cardiologist told me to drink more sports drinks... but now it's seem to return to my normal level so will cut the salt and drink less, anyway I feel better when I drink less...
I'm from the Quebec... A French Canadian from Quebec city!!! lol Here snow start to melt down and it's not so cold for a march month... I also feel better in the summer usually but can't stay under the sun for too long cause I feel hot and more anxious... It was not like that back in 2010 or before, I was always in the swiming pool or under the sun to get some taining... lol
Well, today I feel better, i'm tired as hell and my head hurt as usual but the numb left arm was there only in the morning...
Well, we talk later ;-) Hope you have a great day!!! Take care
---------- Post added at 17:12 ---------- Previous post was at 17:05 ----------
The most of the heart and head problems occur due to the low blood pressure and the following are some tips for lowering Blood pressure naturally.
1..take that food that vitamin C
2.Oatmeal
3.15-20 minutes of mild exercise
4.reduce the amount of salt that you take everyday.
5.Weight Loss
6.High Fiber Diet
What you mean? You think that the headache and heart issues are from low blood pressure?
Ok for the Vit C you normally give energy... Ok for the oatmeal cause I like it... Not Ok for the exercise cause I loose to much weight and i'm still in a malnutrition state and will know next week if I continue to be feed with liquid enteral feeding by the jejunostomy tube who enter directly into my small intestine... Not ok to loose more weight... I need to gain 30 pounds at least... since I had 2 intestinal obstruction and the 2 surgeries in october 2011 I first gain 10 pounds from 150 to 160...take another 10 pounds from january to february and was at 170 and i'm now back to 165...even if I eat more real foods... Not ok for the high fiber diet cause of the intestinal obstructions I had, I can't eat fiber at all, only protein with some mashed vegetables (they are not all allowed... have to avoid a lot of them) and mashed fruits... no bread or anything else with high fiber...
This is off-topic but I just wanted to say how beautiful Canada is, I was lucky enough to visit in 1998 and I will never forget it. We visited family who live there and went to Montreal, Ottowa, Toronto and Niagra. It was amazing!
vinnievince
14-03-12, 22:22
Hey Crystal17...great!!! You live where?
I lived in Montreal city for 3 years when I was going to the University... it's a fun city especially for the night life... lol I was partying really hard at the time...
You don't stop to Quebec city? It's one of the most beautiful city, mostly french...
I know that the West of Canada is also beautiful, if one day I feel better and can travel, I will go to Vancouver for sure... seem to be a beautiful city...
So far I travel only in the USA, mainly N-Y and Boston... two really nice city, too many peoples in NY for my taste but Boston is very beautiful, really like that city... ;-)
Well I live in England Vinnie, not too far from the city of Birmingham. Have you heard of it?
We didn't go to Quebec City but it does sound lovely, and my cousins and Aunt that I visited live in Montreal so we spent quite a while there and it was fantastic, especially how French everything seemed! Lol.
Was very different a few days later when we travelled to Ottawa and then Toronto. Montreal was definitely my favourite part of the trip :)
Hope to go back and see my family there again soon someday, when money is more free flowing haha!
vinnievince
14-03-12, 23:51
Hi again Crystal17 ;-)
Yes of course I heard of Birmingham... you are so lucky to live there... I'm a fan of a lot of the 70's progressive music groups from the Englang, especially Genesis with Peter Gabriel as a vocalist of course...and it's my dream to travel in England...I hope I will able to do it... Have some internet friends who live near you and always find that the english accent fron England sound so nice... better than USA for sure...
Yeah I agree with Ottawa and Toronto, very different from Montreal...mostly english and Ottawa is somewhat boring as a city... but Montreal is not exactly reflective of what the rest of the french Quebec is really, it's more english with a lot of immigrants... Quebec city is lovely, smaller but peoples are nicer, don't know why but when I was living in MTL in found the peoples to be very self-centering, not smiling and often buying stuff on a store where peoples who work there was only speaking in English, who is very frustrating since the Quebec province is mostly french and french is the official language...I don't know maybe it's me...
Anyway I return live in Quebec city when anxiety kick me again, didn't finish the university, had a very bad roommate who didn't pay the rent and had trouble with him so I rent a truck and return live in Quebec city... Each year I said to myself that if I feel better I will return to finish it but each year my anxiety is worse...for now I stay with my parents, can't work and have no income, at 36 yo... who is not really what I expected from life, had dreams but now only dream of feeling great like before...
Oh god... I do more computer today and my head hurt so bad, really tired of that headache... Just go by car with my dad to the gas station to buy some things and had a panic attack in the car... almost start running out of the gas station cause my heart was racing too fast...now the pins and needles effect return full force in my left arm and also me left leg, always on the left side...nothing on the right side, only headache who hit also the right side but not as painful than the left side...weird no... and now have chest pain... that's horrible what anxiety can do...
Anyway, probably late for you now... sleep well and we talk later if you want ;-)
Thanks for the reply Vince,
I have never been out that far east and maybe one day I will get there. Quebec is a pretty province I have seem from pictures. The prairies are real flat as have driven across them some time ago now, but used to the mountians of BC and like them lots. England sure sounds nice too Crystal. I have heard parts of it are alot like BC too.
We had more snow here today, but afternoon was sunny so kinda nice. Just glad days are finally getting longer. Used to shovel my driveway, but not anymore with the health scare.
I did ok on the 1/2 pill again today and was relaxed. Woke up with BP of 113/74 so not too bad. The lowest it got one morning was 85/54 which was low for me and felt kinda woosy. Daytime sure it is higher, but usually don't test unless at doctors.
Sorry you had a bad anxiety attack at the gas station...the price of gas can almost send me into one lately..sorry bad joke... I was at a restaurant last spring and started to feel dizzy and not good so they called an ambulance. Was anxiety but I thought I was going to pass out and pulse was fast. Sure scared me and my friend I was with at the time. She didn't know what was happening. I find certain places trigger me too and try and avoid them. Have my "safe" feeling places too.
I too have lost weight since christmas over 20 lbs and try to eat more, but just not hungry...Hard to cook for myself too, but do try sometimes as have to eat. Seem to be holding for now so see what happens.
Have a good night
Interesting to hear about Quebec city and your interpretation of other cities, I would agree about Ottawa actually!! I'd love to visit again and see the more French areas.
Sorry your anxiety has been so bad for so long, it must be a real challenge to deal with. Hope you have a better day today.
Hi, i also get scary heart symptoms, not as bad as urs but i often get a thready heart rate or a really fast heart rate, sometimes i feel like i get low blood pressure buut as ive been bnned from the blood pressure monitor i wouldnt know haha, i often get really dizzy in th shower and feel like im gonna pass out, but i think thats ever since i had a panic attack in the shower.. ive never had a holter test or 24hr one.. but ive had a 2min EKG tape and the doctor says i dont need th other one..
vinnievince
15-03-12, 15:50
Hi pablo22, yeah my heart issues start like yours with the fast pulse rate and irregular heart beat, it was back in 2009... and I think I start having OCD type of anxiety and taking 100 times my blood pressure and pulse rate each day and now I take my pulse rate even without thinking about it, I mean that I can watch the TV and put my fingers on one of the bigger veins on my neck and can say how fast is my pulse rate without counting the number of pulse for 15 seconds (pulse x 4 = pulse rate)...
I also pass out in the shower and I think that's why my heart beat always in the 160 and more when I take my shower... sometimes I need to stop the water, get out of the shower, take deep breath and wait 5 minutes and return in the shower if not I start a panic attack... I also faint while I was straining on the toilet (I have severe constipation since 2 years and no laxative work on me so I always strain) and I that's why I have a irregular heart rate when I have a bowel movement as well... who is normal I think since straining will stimulate the vagal nerve who slow down the heart rate so if I have a fast heart rate when I have a bowel movement and strain at the same time my heart beat will become very irregular with long pause following with very fast pulse rate... sometimes I freak out and think that my heart stop and that I will die cause it can stop beating for 2-3 seconds... that's scary but my Cardiologist told me it's not dangerous...
I think it's good to not have so many tests since most of the time they came back negative and you return at home and start thinking about what can cause the heart symptoms you feel and it's increasing the anxiety more than reducing it...
Anyway... I guess one day I will not care about my heart like in the past... I read severals stories about peoples who had that health anxiety problem for 5 sometimes 10 years and now they are ok...
For the shower if you feel dizzy try to not take a too hot shower since hot water increase the blood circulation and recude the blood pressure, that's maybe why you feel dizzy... and trust me, I pass out in the shower and it's scary but you don't die from it... I also pass out when I had a panic attack while I was driving my car...that's more scary cause you can hurt someone else... I never really beleive to the theory that stress or anxiety or panic attack raise all the time the blood pressure, sometimes it can lower it actually and a lower blood pressure can produce as many panic symptoms than high blood pressure... at least when it's high you don't feel dizzy and faint... lol
vinnievince
15-03-12, 23:46
Hi Joelle and crystal17...sorry I didnt answer before, hadanother very bad day...actually alone all the evening and feel like I will die...
Well joelle, great if you take half the dose and feel ok...your blood pressure seem perfect so I guess you dont need a higher dose...
I see that you write that you loose weight since christmas...try to eat even if you are not hungry...foods is important to recover from anxiety... Me I stop eating a lot since i start having irritable bowel syndrome with constipation last year...I lost around 70 pounds...finally had 2 intestinal obstructions cause of the constipation and also cause of a gastric bypass surgery I had too loose weight back in 2001...I need to gain at least 30 pounds but I cant since the constipation and digestive pain is not tolerable...I guess the Doc will want that I continue to have liquid enteral feeding by the jejunostomy they insert into my small intestine since I have 0 energy and know that I dont eat enough so I guess all my vitamins levels are low right now...have to take normally a lot of vitamins mostly vit A, D, calcium, iron and centrum but for now I cant take them cause they worse the constipation...always straning on the toilet is bad for the heart trust me...have to ask for a new med just launch in the Canadda to treat severe constipation who dont resolve with laxative use but its expensive since its a new med and have serious side effects mainly cardiovascular...so not sure what to do...but for now a part of my anxiety is related to the constipation and cramps and bloating...cant sleep at night cause of the pain who dont help as well to have energy at daytime and recover from the 2 surgeries I had last october...also have wound problem...the wound dont heal and leak a lot...apparently I will need another surgery to repair this...but I dont want to have another surgery since its a long wound of 20 cm long and its painful...anyway...head will explode right now, better to stop my computer and put an ice pad behind my head...
Bye for now and hope you had a great day!
Vincent
Oh Vince that does not sound nice at all. Sorry you have to go through all that. I can't even imagine. Sure would be good if they can find you a new medicine that doesn't have bad side effects. I have had some mild constipation so know a bit of what you mean and not very good at all.
I like the smaller dose of Metoprolol now as I feel I have a more energy and not so tired all the time. I think the drug was making me feel tired as it was more than I needed and brought the bp too low at times. I still want to cut back more, but will do it slowly. I have been eating a bit more now and not losing so much anymore. Can't really afford to lose too much weight as slim to begin with.
Out for a bit tonight and see how that goes...don't feel any anxiety now and hope it stays that way. Have a good night I hope
Bye for now
vinnievince
16-03-12, 23:12
Hi Joelle, Hummm you can go out at night, that's great and you don't feel anxious who is even better!!!
I miss that good time of my life (2-3-4-5 years ago) when I was always out of the house at night, wasnt able to stay at home and watch TV... for me it was like I was loosing my time... I was going in the city for a walk, stop at a bar for a drink or 2 and finish the evening at the restaurant and return home at 12-1 AM to sleep... I was always out of the house at night before...sadly everything change in the summer of 2010 when I stop driving my car...I start avoiding and I know avoidance is not a good thing but I had no choice I was so tired of driving my car in a state of panic all the time, had to stop everywhere and call one of my friend with my cellphone and talk with him all the time until I was home, all shaky and in a panic state... and had all the time panic attacks everywhere, it was too much for me...anyways... If I lock back at that time, my anxiety was 90% lower than now... I can't imagine myself driving a car right now or going out in the city and stop at a bar for a drink...
All the beta-blockers have that side-effect of making someone tired to a certain level ... some of them are worse... the Inderal is the older one and probably the one who make the peoples really tired, the metoprolol is in the middle range, the only one I don't try but my Cardiologist don't like it and I don't know why but he said it's too powerful for me... I remember that I was on 160 mg day of Inderal for migraine headache prevention treatment and I was so exhausted that I had to drink 12 coffees each day to stay awake... of course I stop it since it was not effective for my migraine... but since 2 years my Cardiologist try me on almost all the beta-blockers who are on the canadian market and some of them don't make you feel tired... but they all tend to lower too much my blood pressure... The Bisoprolol is not too bad but the dosage are limited I think the maximum dose is 10 mg but it's more powerful than the Inderal to lower the blood pressure so even 1 mg make my blood pressure drop under the 100/60... who is not normal for me... and will make me feel as anxious than if my blood pressure is high...
I remember that before the panic disorder hit me again in 2009, my normal blood pressure was around 135/85... who is normal in the Canada, under 139/89 it's normal and above 140/90 is high blood pressure... the USA tend to have lower rate and everything above 120/80 is consider as pre-hypertension to hypertension stage 1 or stage 2...
Well, today I was able to go out to the grocery with my mom and the help of 10 mg of Inderal, only get out 1 hour and return home and was so exhausted that I had to do a nap... I feel so bad when i'm in a public place with all those peoples around me... I hate it!!! I wasnt able to fall asleep this afternoon for my nap so tonight I feel very tired, head hurt and have the pins and needles on the left side of the body and chest pain... just took my blood pressure and it's 120/70...but feel like my body if full of adrenaline... weird...
Anyway... we talk later... hope you will have a great weekend ;-) Here they say sunny tomorrow and hot... rain sunday and more hot... snow melting but not like I want... really tired of that snow!!! lol
Hi Vince.
Yes I am able to get out of the home ok most times. Lucky havn't had any real anxiety problems at most places I go as long as its not stressfull. I pop an ativan if I feel the anxiety building and it calms me down again mostly. I do work outside my home too and it goes ok most of the time, but today a coworker started to give me a real bad time and I got all stressed and almost had to leave early. Took an Ativan, but my bp was still 148/89 when I got home and pulse 88. Resting some now trying to calm myself down again. She even complained to the boss about me and will have to deal with that all next week....some people.
I am comforted that you seem to know about the Beta blockers and Metoprolol as I haven't really been able to talk to anyone very familiar with it. I think it has been around for 30 yrs or so I found out online and seems pretty safe. I will be happy to lower my dose even further in a week or so and hopefully feel better. I atually do feel pretty good on the dose I am on now, but bp was a bit low again this morning.
Good for you to be able to get out today grocery shopping. I tend to really get tired out in stores and malls so avoid them mostly if big. Kinda like living in a small town as much less anxiety with traffic and people. I 'm hoping to feel up to driving to the next bigger town next Tuesday as have some things to do there and go see my boss... I am mostly ok driving unless the weather is bad. Snow really scares me to drive in so I avoid driving far in it. Always afraid I will slide off the road as it has happened before.
Sounds like you have some nice weather coming this weekend...enjoy. I think we will have some sun and clouds, but snow is starting to melt so all is good.
Talk to you again soon.:)
my god pass out at your car lol!! but ye i completely agree with u about the vagus nerve.. my doc said that sometimes when u suffer with anxiety for a really long time and ur body actually gets a chance to rest (like when ur asleep or doing occupying urslef with work) the vagus nerve will be stimulated and ull slow down. I also read in claire weekes book thats this is common.... because were so used to relatively high anxiety levels, when ur actually relaxed it can come as quite a shock lol, but ye ive heard of alot of people fainting,, hasnt happen to me (yet, and never hopefully) ... and the shower thing still bothers me.. but if i start avoiding places ive panicked ill be house bound in no time! i hope ur feeling better these day <3 xx
Vince,
I hope you are still doing ok..haven't heard back and just wondering.
Doing ok mostly here..some fast beats yesterday, but not too bad. Not sure I will be going anywhere as it snowed some last night and roads not the greatest. Just wish I didn't have to do everything alone.
Hope you have a good day
vinnievince
20-03-12, 22:22
Hi Joelle, well good if your new dose of beta-blocker work ;-) I know that stress from work can be a major factor in cardiovascular symptoms related to anxiety...that's suck...I hope it's better at work now!!!
Well, if the 25 mg work why not stay on it? Too many times peoples with anxiety withdrawal their meds cause they think they will be ok since they are free of anxiety but most of the time the anxiety and initial problem return and can be worse…
Things are not very better for me... I had an important appointment at the hospital with the Surgeon who do my 2 surgeries for the intestinal obstruction... I had to be there at 8 AM yesterday, it's 50 minutes by car from home so very stressful for me even if I don't drive, going by the highway will take maybe 25 minutes but I can't even if I don't drive... Anyways I had blood tests done and the results are not ok, I lack a lof of Vitamins, iron level is still ok so no anemia but red and white cells are down and patelets are down also and the albumin and prealbumin level are also lower who mean that I don't eat enough and that my digestive system don't work properly... So the Doc remove the jejunostomy tube, a long tube insert into the lower part of my abdomen who enter directly into the small intestine, it was not painful just annoying amd was anxious as hell (high apprehension anxiety level as usual)... but he start me on enteral feeding by mouth cause I lost another 8 pounds and cause of the blood tests results... I have 2 bootles of the enteral liquid to drink each day, it taste horrible, much more bad than Ensure or Boost... taste chemical with iron taste as well and it's loaded with false sugar... I hate that but no choice... It will give to me more energy... Also the long 25 cm wound don't want to heal cause of a plastic mesh they put in my abdomen back in 2004 for a hernia surgery... So I will have another surgery to repair the wound but not until next fall or winter since i'm not in a good shape and need to recover and gain weight...
Well, I still have bad insomnia, it's seem that increasing the Remeron dose do nothing, just add anxiety at daytime... Just learn that the Zolpidem is now available in Canada and will ask my Doc about it...
Here it's hot all the week with sun... I like the summer but i'm not in the mood to go under the sun and take some fresh air...feel so tired...
Also try to see my Cardiologist at his office (same hospital) but he's out of town for the week... The Doc that I saw yesterday told me I may have dysautonomia, mean problem with the autonomic nervous system, that include orthostatic hypotension, postural tachycardia, bad blood pooling (can be why my hands and feet are turning blue), vasovagal syncope (I faint in the past...) and including a long list of symptoms and they match the ones I have... You see, today I take only 5 mg of Inderal who is a very low dose and had orthostatic hypotension all day long, at some point I get up too fast from the couch and almost fall on the ground cause of the dizziness... that can explain also why I have chest pain as well as numbness on the left arm and pins and needles effect all over my body...that can explain why also I have execise intolerance as well as exagerated heart beat (tachycardia at rest OR low heart rate)... dysautonomia is hard to treat since in some peoples it tend to be different from day to day, one day the blood pressure will be higher, the day after it will be lower, same for the pulse rate... but SSRI's antidepressants are first line meds to treat that disorder...
Next week I will call my Cardiologist and if I can talk to him I will ask him about it and what he think... he told me that I had bad blood pooling and too fast heart beat with minimal exercise level but I need a proper diagnostic and a med who will work better for the kind of symptoms I have...
Well enough for now... just hope you feel good ;-)
We talk later! Vincent
---------- Post added at 18:22 ---------- Previous post was at 18:11 ----------
Vince,
I hope you are still doing ok..haven't heard back and just wondering.
Doing ok mostly here..some fast beats yesterday, but not too bad. Not sure I will be going anywhere as it snowed some last night and roads not the greatest. Just wish I didn't have to do everything alone.
Hope you have a good day
Hi Joelle, just reply to your last message... I don't know what happen with the website but since saturday I have a lot of difficulty to answer to the messages... always have a message who say that the TOKEN expired press the back button and when I do that everything that I write dissepear...
You still have snow in Vancouver? Weird... here it's so hot and sunny outside... but next week they say the wheater will return to the normal, mean cold... but that'S ok since a lot of snow melt down, but we still have a lot of it... around 2 meters of snow...
I understand you for the driving under the snow... I had a big car crash in a snowstorm back in 2003... I was going to work very early in the morning at 6 AM, and a car was stopped in the middle of the highway for no reason... I never saw the car since it was a bad winterstorm and I hit the car, my car was hit in the back, the car stop working so wasnt able to move along the highway and my car turn on the left side so it was hit on the passenger side and the car turn again but to the driver side and I just had the time to change seat and the car was hit again... the car was a total lost... I had only minor injuries who is a miracle but since that happen I always had anxiety driving under snow or heavy rain as well... and now only as a passenger I panic all the time... I don't drive my car since almost 1 1/2 years...continue to pay the inssurance and the driver lisence but can't drive and don't want to cause of the high dose of Clonazepam I take daily, I have no reflex and don't want to kill someone else and be a danger on the road...
Well, so tired from yesterday, need to drink the bad taste drink to have more energy and eat supper also... we talk later ;-)
I'm glad that you feel better!!! :D
We talk later ;-) Vincent
Thanks and glad you were able to respond to the post again.
I am doing ok mostly. I actually live in a small town in North Central BC so aways from Vancouver, but I think they did get a bit of snow this morning too.
I went to get some vitamins today. Got some calcuim with magnesium and Vit D as well. Asked pharm to make sure it was ok to take with the Metoprolol and it is they said. When I got home I started to feel dizzy and weak. I ate an apple as hadn't had much food today. When I took my BP it was up 133/70 and pulse of 89 which is high for me now and then the anxiety set in. Took some ativan and waiting now for it all to calm down again or I will go to the clinic. It was hard not to go to the Dr office when I was in town and thinking maybe I should have now. Hope I just can calm down again and feel ok tonight. I am back to work tomorrow and that will be stressful enough.
I hope you get a hold of your cardioligist and get the blood pooling issue sorted out. That doesn't sound good. Sure so much better when our bodies work properly. Also the eating problems. That must be hard to deal with and having tube feedings. That drink doesn't sound too good either.
I too had a car accident in 2003 and was rearended. It really shook me up for quite a while and glad not so much traffic where I live now. It can be scary driving or even as a passenger I have found. Just glad spring is coming and roads will be better soon.
Hope you have a good night and feel better soon
Bye for now:)
vinnievince
20-03-12, 23:11
Thanks and glad you were able to respond to the post again.
I am doing ok mostly. I actually live in a small town in North Central BC so aways from Vancouver, but I think they did get a bit of snow this morning too.
I went to get some vitamins today. Got some calcuim with magnesium and Vit D as well. Asked pharm to make sure it was ok to take with the Metoprolol and it is they said. When I got home I started to feel dizzy and weak. I ate an apple as hadn't had much food today. When I took my BP it was up 133/70 and pulse of 89 which is high for me now and then the anxiety set in. Took some ativan and waiting now for it all to calm down again or I will go to the clinic. It was hard not to go to the Dr office when I was in town and thinking maybe I should have now. Hope I just can calm down again and feel ok tonight. I am back to work tomorrow and that will be stressful enough.
I hope you get a hold of your cardioligist and get the blood pooling issue sorted out. That doesn't sound good. Sure so much better when our bodies work properly. Also the eating problems. That must be hard to deal with and having tube feedings. That drink doesn't sound too good either.
I too had a car accident in 2003 and was rearended. It really shook me up for quite a while and glad not so much traffic where I live now. It can be scary driving or even as a passenger I have found. Just glad spring is coming and roads will be better soon.
Hope you have a good night and feel better soon
Bye for now:)
Hummmm sound like your anxiety is higher than usual, maybe it's because you return to work tomorrow? Did the Ativan work and do you use it each day or just as needed? For your blood pressure 130/70 is ok...no hypertension...maybe not your usual range but normal especially if you are under stress... for the heart rate it's also ok... just try to relax, I know that's easy to say but not easy to do since I can't relax myself...
Well, driving at summer or being a passenger in summer time is the same for me now...being in a car or a bus will trigger panic attack most of the time and if no panic it will increase my heart rate to the 120 and more until i'm out of the car and being on the highway can lead to faint, last time back in february 2011 I faint as a passenger in the car and that day I had a blood pressure machine 24 hours test and when I wake up after I faint I look at the result from the last blood pressure who was took just before I faint and my blood pressure was at 193/113 with a pulse rate of 241... trust me since that happen I can't be on a highway even for 2 minutes... Of course when that happen I go to the emergency, anyway I had to return the blood pressure machine and I press the memory button and show the last result to a nurse at the emergency and she do a EKG and 5 minutes later I was lying in a stretcher and had IV drug to reduce the tachycardia... was still in the 200 pulse rate minutes but the EKG was ok, only show supraventricular tachycardia... anyway the IV drugs work fast and my heart beat slow down in less than 1 hour but I had to stay at the emergency for 24 hours... they do the regular blood tests and x-ray and everything was ok, I was sent home with nothing, no med to help me, no advise from the Doc at the emergency... he just told me I had a supraventricular tachycardia episode cause of high anxiety!!!
Since that happen, now I panic when my pulse rate reach 130 just when standing and walking in the house... I guess it's a little bit like PTSD, my brain record that bad event and where it happen and now when my pulse rate is high my anxiety increase... before that happen in 2010 my pulse rate was all the time lower in the 50...even when I had panic attacks, and it was very low when I had to drive my car also... the panic symptoms was more related to the dizziness, can't breath, shake from everywhere, fear of dying, depersonalisation...but not pulse rate related... anyway...
Hope your ativan will work soon... we talk later and if not I hope you will have a good day at work tomorrow !!!
Bye,
Vincent xox
Hi Vincent,
A little later going to bed here tonight as still some anxiety. I did take some ativan and it seems to help me. I do take some most days/evenings to help me sleep, but not very much like 1/4 mg. Trying to settle down and rest, but it takes time when I feel aggitated like this now. Just hoping everything will go smooth tomorrow and work out ok with my boss.
Wow that was a high BP and Heart rate you had on your machine in the car. Glad you don't get that high anymore and I can see why you would avoid driving now. I won't drink pop anymore as had a pop just before my heart rate went all wonky back in Dec. Association with certain things that trigger must be. Even took me some time to feel ok taking the garbage bin to the curb and bringing it back to the house as that also was what I had done just prior to the attack. Lucky I don't create much garbage and only have to put it out every second week or so.
I don't like the dizziness and light headedness I feel as it scares me that I will faint and scared to do that. I get anxious about being anxious it seems. Do not want to lose conciousness and very scared to have that happen. Sleeping is ok as long as I am ready to fall asleep on my terms. Sometimes stay up late though as scared to fall asleep. Other times its fine.
Hope you had a good night and good day.
take care :)
All my anxiety was kinda a waste as no mention of problems at work and it all went smooth. That was a relief and glad nothing came of it. I just did my job and was on early shift so got to leave before everyone else so that was nice too. Just home relaxing now and cooking some dinner.
Hope your day was good and no new problems happened. Hope to see you reply soon
Bye for now
vinnievince
22-03-12, 20:42
Hi Vincent,
A little later going to bed here tonight as still some anxiety. I did take some ativan and it seems to help me. I do take some most days/evenings to help me sleep, but not very much like 1/4 mg. Trying to settle down and rest, but it takes time when I feel aggitated like this now. Just hoping everything will go smooth tomorrow and work out ok with my boss.
Wow that was a high BP and Heart rate you had on your machine in the car. Glad you don't get that high anymore and I can see why you would avoid driving now. I won't drink pop anymore as had a pop just before my heart rate went all wonky back in Dec. Association with certain things that trigger must be. Even took me some time to feel ok taking the garbage bin to the curb and bringing it back to the house as that also was what I had done just prior to the attack. Lucky I don't create much garbage and only have to put it out every second week or so.
I don't like the dizziness and light headedness I feel as it scares me that I will faint and scared to do that. I get anxious about being anxious it seems. Do not want to lose conciousness and very scared to have that happen. Sleeping is ok as long as I am ready to fall asleep on my terms. Sometimes stay up late though as scared to fall asleep. Other times its fine.
Hope you had a good night and good day.
take care :)
All my anxiety was kinda a waste as no mention of problems at work and it all went smooth. That was a relief and glad nothing came of it. I just did my job and was on early shift so got to leave before everyone else so that was nice too. Just home relaxing now and cooking some dinner.
Hope your day was good and no new problems happened. Hope to see you reply soon
Bye for now
Hi Joelle... Great if everything is fine now at your job :)
1/4 mg of Ativan, the dose seem to be very small...when I was on it I was taking 16 mg a day... since it's half potent than the Clonazepam or the Xanax and the Ativan is not very effective to reduce heart anxiety related, Xanax is better but if you want to get addicted very fast it's the drug of choice, personnally, I use only 0.25 mg day of Xanax in the morning cause of the fast heart rate when I get up, sometimes use only 0.125 mg and save the other 0.125 mg for the evening when the fast heart beat return and take 1 mg of Clonazepam (Rivotril) every 2 hours for a total of 8 mg... It was great drugs at first but they both stop working and addiction and rebound anxiety is now on full time... anyway....
Well, when I had that bad panic attack in the car with high blood pressure and pulse rate I had a 24 hours blood pressure test machine on me... what trigger that panic attack, it was a snowstorm! I wasn't driving the car, it was my mom and we had to return the machine at the hospital so when it happen I ask my mom to drive very fast to the hospital and go directly to the emergency where the nurse do the EKG and the others tests as well...waiting there for 24 hours just to see if something in my blood was elevated or not and send home after with just a Doc who told me I had an episode of supraventricular tachycardia wasn't really what I expected... the Doc said it happen with high stress, panic attacks or naturally without any trigger, and he told me to learn to manage my stress level!!! lol I go so often to that emergency than now when they see me they don't even care about me and just let me sit 12 hours in the waiting room and wait for the anxiety to decrease... the last time was in august 2011 and after 12 hours I was still there waiting and they do the usual EKG with blood tests and x-ray of the lungs and 2 hours later the Doc told me that I was making them loosing their time and that I had nothing to the heart! Very frustrating... Of course I now go to another hospital when I feel very bad...
My Cardiologist think I have dystaunomia, who mean that my nervous system can't keep a normal blood pressure and heart rate, something to do with the parasymphatic and the symphatic nervous system, so my blood pressure can be suddenly very low and get dizzy when I Get up with the fast pulse rate or it can be in the high range with a low pulse rate or fast... nothing to do about that... no real meds can treat that disease, sometimes an antidepressant will lower the activity of the symphatic system by reeducing the tachycardia and high blood pressure... sometimes a beta-blocker can be RX to lower the heart rate but most of the peoples with dystaunomia can't take beta-blocker cause of the low blood pressure who tend to be there most of the day... the problem is that I need to have a tilt table test but where I live they don't have a tilt table, will have to travel into another city for that and I can't for now...so I do my best to avoid things who trigger fast pulse rate, even if the fast pulse rate can occur at rest like right now or in my bed at night...
I understand for the association with things or activity who can trigger an attack... I live the same situation... I avoid sugar cause I think it can be the problem of the fast heart rate... but someday like yesterday I eat a lot of sugar and didn't had a fast heart rate, so I do a false association... Same for the coffee or soda, I stop them completly back in 2009, never had another one since then (well I try to drink one coffee 2 months ago and had panic attacks for almost 6 hours in a row)... but my PDoc at the time told me to stop cause he was thinking that it was my problem and in fact since I stop drinking some coffee I lost about 50 % of my energy level, especially in the evening... I always had insomnia so a poor sleep and always had to do nap at daytime, when I can (if I work I can't of course but will nap after the work for 1-2 hours and wake up and go out of the house and be ok, it was like this before 2011...)... anyway when the PDoc ask me to stop drinking coffee, eating chocolate and anything with caffeine he said that I will feel better... I never feel so bad since then... don't have the boost of energy to do something in the evening now even if I nap and my anxiety increase since I stop... strange... but well can't drink coffee or even eat chocolate now cause it will trigger panic, don't know if it's really from the caffeine inside those products or again a false association between the fact that I know that I drink some coffee or eat some chocolate and I know it's having some caffeine inside who will increase my pulse rate and lead to anxiety...hummm i'm confuse now... lol I write too much...
Well, today it's the day I hate the most, i'm alone all day long...even in the evening, so far I have a strong headache, the usual chest pain and the fast heart beat... wasnt able to sleep when I take my nap this afternoon so will try to return in my bed again for 1 hour and just close my eyes... I know it sound stupid but I feel so bad when im alone, feel bad already when i'm not alone, but it's worse and it's all heart related anxiety now...
Of course no news from my Cardiologist...will call next week and told the secretary that it's an emergency! lol The only way for him to call me back... need the results from the events monitor test and need a new med to help me to cope with the heart problems...
Well, I return in my bed...we talk later ;-) Bye for now, Vince :)
Sorry you are not having a good day or worse day than usual today and have to be alone. I am alone most of the time and get used to it, but still don"t like it very much and feel anxious. I have some friends I go visit on occassion, but don't want to be a burden to them.
I managed to get through all of yesterday with no Ativan, but feel I do need it today or tonight. I usally take 1/4 to 1/2 mg and it seems to calm me down ok. My BP was low again last night and this morning 88/60 so might still cut back on Metoprolol to 25 mg at dinner too. Just worried to do that and then have pulse go up at night when I am all alone. I made an appt to see Dr on Monday so see what he says too.
Today I was ok most of the day. Spent some time outside with my horses. I have a couple at home here and its nice to be outside with then on a sunny day which we had today. I also have a cat that keeps me company in the house.
I avoid both sugar and caffene. I haven't eaten chocolate for 7 years or more. Don't even miss it anymore. Caffeine can do real strange things to me so I stay away from any foods or drinks that contain it. I eat a bit of sugary foods but not very often as feel so much better without it, but it is in more foods for sure. Also watch my salt intake and was convinced it made my BP rise after a few times with high salt foods by mistake that I ate.
I do hope you are able to get some rest and sleep tonight. Hope the Dr will get back to you and you get some answers and the right meds. Can be so frustrating when they just say all is good and we know its not.
Bye for now and talk later :) dinner time here soon.
vinnievince
23-03-12, 23:31
Hi Joelle, you have some horses, thats cool! I also have a cat at home I love her so much...
I hope you Doc will be able to find a solution for the metropolol...dont understand how many mg you take now and how often a day? Low blood pressure this morning...sound like me with high or low, i hate that...maybe I had that in the past but never worry about it and since my main anxiety is cardio related with headache Im more sensitive to blood pressure change?
Also see my Doc but only in 1 1/2 weeks...he have to find a solution for the headache, they are worse and worse and also find something to help me to sleep at night...take forever to fall asleep...
I took today 2 Motrin and its doing nothing to decrease the pain...yesterday I took 2 Naproxen who normally decrease by half the headache with no effect at all just had bad stomach pain...also have weird sensations in my head especially the front, it feel very hot and when I touch it its cold...at night I wake up again cover of sweat and had that very hot sensation feeling so I get up and take out an ice pad and had to put it in my face...also had a panic attack again so wasnt able to sleep at all after that so today I feel like me head will explode and have that fast pulse rate with numbness of the left arm who drive me crazy...
Well I think sugar dont affect my anxiety since I can eat a lot of it and feel ok and sometimes will not eat sugar at all and feel very bad...but have to ask my Doc about the hypoglycemic blood test just to be sure...can also be reactive hypoglycemia... my mom is diabetic type 1 so insulin 5 times a day and her dad died from it and in the familly of my dad 4 aunts have hypoglycemia...so just want to be sure I dont have a problem on that side since its genetic...
I avoid coffee, tea and milk or black chocolate and dont miss them either and now only drink herbal tea without caffeine like honeybush or pure mint...taste very good but I now gtry to avoid the pure mint cause my Cardiologist told me its a stimulating herb and can incfrease the heart rate and decrease the blood pressure cause of its diuritic effect...
Well, head hurt too much now, better close the computer and put an ice pad on my head...do hope I will be able to sleep without the sweating, panic attack and hot face feeling, more burning sensation...
Have a great friday evening and take care, Vincent :yesyes:
Hi Vince.
I am now on 25mg metoprolol in the morning and then I take 50 mg at dinner time. Seems to be working ok for me now, but would like to eventually get the evening dose to 25mg as well. Just with the added stress in my life right now not a good idea. Don't want my heart beat to rise again too much. I actually feel calmer on the lower BP readings too.
Hope you were able to get some restful sleep on Friday night. I will be nodding off myself soon and hope I can sleep good too. Few things bothering me so might not be as easy. I am working tomorrow so will be a busy day for me too.
I see you mention about the herbal teas having stimulating herbs and other side effects I wouldn't really even think of...one has to be so careful these days. Seem to hide alot of stuff not so good in foods and drinks. I do read labels more carefully now too.
I will rest now and try to get some sleep
Take care :D
vinnievince
25-03-12, 23:51
Hi Vince.
I am now on 25mg metoprolol in the morning and then I take 50 mg at dinner time. Seems to be working ok for me now, but would like to eventually get the evening dose to 25mg as well. Just with the added stress in my life right now not a good idea. Don't want my heart beat to rise again too much. I actually feel calmer on the lower BP readings too.
Hope you were able to get some restful sleep on Friday night. I will be nodding off myself soon and hope I can sleep good too. Few things bothering me so might not be as easy. I am working tomorrow so will be a busy day for me too.
I see you mention about the herbal teas having stimulating herbs and other side effects I wouldn't really even think of...one has to be so careful these days. Seem to hide alot of stuff not so good in foods and drinks. I do read labels more carefully now too.
I will rest now and try to get some sleep
Take care :D
Oh ok so 75 mg total a day of metropolol...it's seem to be a high dose for me... your Doc RX it for high blood pressure or only tachycardia?
Well, I feel both bad when my blood pressure is low or normal-high...lower i'm dizzy and higher I start sweating from the hands, feet, they turn red same for my face... can have the chest pain and pins and needles feeling with low or normal or high blood pressure, so I guess it's not heart related?
You better stay at the dose you take now since it's seem to work...
---------- Post added at 18:51 ---------- Previous post was at 18:36 ----------
Hi Vince.
I am now on 25mg metoprolol in the morning and then I take 50 mg at dinner time. Seems to be working ok for me now, but would like to eventually get the evening dose to 25mg as well. Just with the added stress in my life right now not a good idea. Don't want my heart beat to rise again too much. I actually feel calmer on the lower BP readings too.
Hope you were able to get some restful sleep on Friday night. I will be nodding off myself soon and hope I can sleep good too. Few things bothering me so might not be as easy. I am working tomorrow so will be a busy day for me too.
I see you mention about the herbal teas having stimulating herbs and other side effects I wouldn't really even think of...one has to be so careful these days. Seem to hide alot of stuff not so good in foods and drinks. I do read labels more carefully now too.
I will rest now and try to get some sleep
Take care :D
Oh ok so 75 mg total a day of metropolol...it's seem to be a high dose for me... your Doc RX it for high blood pressure or only tachycardia?
Well, I feel both bad when my blood pressure is low or normal-high...lower i'm dizzy and higher I start sweating from the hands, feet, they turn red same for my face... can have the chest pain and pins and needles feeling with low or normal or high blood pressure, so I guess it's not heart related? I often think about poor blood circulation, I do smoke cigarette and need to stop, even if I know that it will not decrease my anxiety and headache, I stay at the hospital 1 month after my 2 surgeries last october and november and didn't smoke at all, only had nicotine patch and had anxiety and headache each evening and panic attack while I had a ct-scan cause of the iodine contrast agent (dye)...BUT I had a lower blood pressure, never reach a high level even when I was scare and anxious as hell and also my pulse rate was lower and didn't had the chest pain and pins and needles...so I plan to stop smooking this week, if it can help me to have a lower pulse rate and stop the chest pain and pins and needles effect I have all the time on my left side (leg and arm)...
You better stay at the dose you take now since it's seem to work...
Well, I didn't sleep very well... always the same story... tired as hell in the evening and feel like I can fall asleep in front of TV...and then go in my bed and start having the weird burning feeling in my face, heart start racing and have digestive problems so can't fall asleep... always take around 2-3 hours to fall asleep and wake up most of the time in the middle of the night with the sweating from all my body and panic... I don't know why but will hope my Doc will find out and help me with a proper med to treat my insomnia...
You are brave since you can work even if you don't feel good... :) What kind of work you do?
Yes, sadly a lot of peoples self medicated themself with herbs and natural products and it's not good at all... it's not because it's natural that it's mean that it's safe!!! Also a lot of herbs or vitamins have interraction with real meds who can be dangerous...I think it's better to treat anxiety with proper meds and a good nutritional plan with a lot of vegetables, fruits and good proteins and fats as well as a good multi-vitamin...you don't need more...Of course some supplements are good for the heart (C-10, Omega 3, magnesium for some peoples can be good also but on me it's lowering too much my blood pressure...) but again you have to ask your Doc about each supplement you want to take cause some of them are not safe...
Anyway... today (sunday) it's my worse day of the week... barely sleep at night, have chest pain, high blood pressure, pins and needles all over the left side of my body, my head hurt... I feel very tense and I hope tomorrow will be better...
Well, we talk later ;-) Take care!
Hi pablo22, yeah my heart issues start like yours with the fast pulse rate and irregular heart beat, it was back in 2009... and I think I start having OCD type of anxiety and taking 100 times my blood pressure and pulse rate each day and now I take my pulse rate even without thinking about it, I mean that I can watch the TV and put my fingers on one of the bigger veins on my neck and can say how fast is my pulse rate without counting the number of pulse for 15 seconds (pulse x 4 = pulse rate)...
I also pass out in the shower and I think that's why my heart beat always in the 160 and more when I take my shower... sometimes I need to stop the water, get out of the shower, take deep breath and wait 5 minutes and return in the shower if not I start a panic attack... I also faint while I was straining on the toilet (I have severe constipation since 2 years and no laxative work on me so I always strain) and I that's why I have a irregular heart rate when I have a bowel movement as well... who is normal I think since straining will stimulate the vagal nerve who slow down the heart rate so if I have a fast heart rate when I have a bowel movement and strain at the same time my heart beat will become very irregular with long pause following with very fast pulse rate... sometimes I freak out and think that my heart stop and that I will die cause it can stop beating for 2-3 seconds... that's scary but my Cardiologist told me it's not dangerous...
I think it's good to not have so many tests since most of the time they came back negative and you return at home and start thinking about what can cause the heart symptoms you feel and it's increasing the anxiety more than reducing it...
Anyway... I guess one day I will not care about my heart like in the past... I read severals stories about peoples who had that health anxiety problem for 5 sometimes 10 years and now they are ok...
For the shower if you feel dizzy try to not take a too hot shower since hot water increase the blood circulation and recude the blood pressure, that's maybe why you feel dizzy... and trust me, I pass out in the shower and it's scary but you don't die from it... I also pass out when I had a panic attack while I was driving my car...that's more scary cause you can hurt someone else... I never really beleive to the theory that stress or anxiety or panic attack raise all the time the blood pressure, sometimes it can lower it actually and a lower blood pressure can produce as many panic symptoms than high blood pressure... at least when it's high you don't feel dizzy and faint... lol
Thanks for the tip!!! People in the developing world, without access to health facilitates live with this all their lives! i'm sure of it! your an inspiration you really are!! people just don't understand the struggle... at all... just an update on me; i went to the doctor (im on 15mg od an SSRI) and i was feeling really depressed and exhausted... and wracked by heart anxiety... so he tells me to go on a beta-blocker ... but i said no... i don't know why... surely a beta blocker would protect my heart? but.. to what end .. i mean, i feel like there will always be something else.. something else... if its not my heart it was the cancer i was so convinced i had all those years.. Surely if i took a beta blocker i would be trapped forever in my own mind.. ie, being really anxious but having noo physical symptoms.. now that would drive me mad! ... so im sat here with the script for the beta blocker in my hand.. but im not going to fill it.
Im going to explore.. other methods... meditation, thi-chi maybe..
Hi again Vince,
I was on a road trip with my friend yesterday to the next big centre about 3 hours away. It was a big step for me as the anxiety didn't stop me from going and was pretty managable so it was good for me. She had to pick up her daughter at the airport there and I got some shopping in too. So glad I went and felt good all day even when we got back late at night.
I work selling insurance Auto and Home...its not too bad a job really
I really do want to decrease my meds now to 25 mg morning and 25mg evening starting tonight and I have an appt booked with my GP for Thursday so see how I'm doing by then. I really do want to take back some of my life to enjoy again. I have been so scared to do anything since January and its been so hard on me and my friends/family.
I am looking forward to hearing how you are doing this week. I hope my optimism keeps going, but just one bad episode will set me back for sure I know. Not brave enough to go too far from home on my own yet, but with my friend was ok.
Also the weather getting nicer and warmer sure helps my mood. Some sun again today to melt that snow away.
Have a good day and look forward to talking to you again soon :)
vinnievince
28-03-12, 01:48
Thanks for the tip!!! People in the developing world, without access to health facilitates live with this all their lives! i'm sure of it! your an inspiration you really are!! people just don't understand the struggle... at all... just an update on me; i went to the doctor (im on 15mg od an SSRI) and i was feeling really depressed and exhausted... and wracked by heart anxiety... so he tells me to go on a beta-blocker ... but i said no... i don't know why... surely a beta blocker would protect my heart? but.. to what end .. i mean, i feel like there will always be something else.. something else... if its not my heart it was the cancer i was so convinced i had all those years.. Surely if i took a beta blocker i would be trapped forever in my own mind.. ie, being really anxious but having noo physical symptoms.. now that would drive me mad! ... so im sat here with the script for the beta blocker in my hand.. but im not going to fill it.
Im going to explore.. other methods... meditation, thi-chi maybe..
That's great Pablo22! So you go to the Doc, is it a Psychiatrict doc? What SSRI are you on now? 15 mg of a SSRI is maybe not enough for you? Why you don't increase the dose to 20 mg to see what will happen? For me, the only one SSRI who work for my anxiety is the Paxil (Paroxetine) and need to take 20 mg... not more... but make me feel very tired and have bad insomnia on it, but it's better than feel anxious and stay at home all the time...
I think that if you have heart anxiety related issues you must try the beta-blocker, they are milder meds, not very dangerous if taken at the right dose, the worse side-effects you can have is a very slow heart rate and low blood pressure but it will not last a long time and you can adjust the dose, reduce it or increase it if it's seem to not help you... What is the name of the beta-blocker?
I understand about feeling very anxious but with no symptoms... the beta-blocker will not do that to you, it will only decrease your pulse rate and decrease the effect of the adrenaline on your heart, reducing the sweating, hands tremors, facial flushing... but sadly it will not stop your anxiety...in fact you will continue to have anxiety and feel anxious but without the heart anxiety... a Benzo med will probably be better at first with an increase of the SSRI you already take, the addition of the beta-blocker will just help with the heart issues, who is a great step and will help you to feel better...
I'm not a good example, I mean that I always have the worse side-effects from all the meds I try and take... My next step is to see my Doc next week and ask for something to help me with the insomnia, another med for the headache who will help with my anxiety at the same time so probably Lyrica or Gabapentin in high dose and a change of beta-blocker, the one I take right now don'T help me anymore with the fast pulse rate and since it's the older one, I think a newer one like the bisoprolol will be better in very low dose of course cause i'm already on the low side for the blood pressure...also need to find something to help me to start the SSRI again, my Neurologist RX a old med for the migraine prevention call Pizotifen who have some 5HT1-2 antagonist effect as well as being a good alternative to insomnia cause it's sedative and blocking the 5HT2C receptors often decrease the activating effect of the SSRI... but I try that strategy back in 2010 and wasnt able to tolerate the Pizotifen med, but this time I will do my best to tolerate it and told myself that I really need to take it if I want to recover... if I stay like I am now, it will be just harder and harder to recover...
Anyway will keep you update also :)
Give me some news also about you... Take care, Vincent
Hi Vince,
Went to see my original doctor today and he kinda burst my happy bubble and said I better go back on 50mg morning and night again.:unsure: I was feeling better on the lower dose, but maybe its too much of a reduction. Also told me not to worry so much about BP readings in the morning as they are always low then. I just hope I don't get so tired again on the bigger dose of Metoprolol.
Hope you have been having a good week and having some spring like weather over there. Been nice here the last few days and I love it.
Talk soon :)
Hey love,
Firstly I'm sorry to hear you're feeling like this. This sounds exactly like what I was going through about six months ago.
I have posted today about why anxious hearts act the way they do, please read it as I really think it will help you.
As for the upper body and head pain, it's tension. When we're anxious we're stuck in fight or flight mode, which subconsciously causes us to tense up. After a while of being stuck like this our muscles start to ache. Think about how you may have felt in the sat after working out. After all the strain on your muscles you feel achy and sore. This is the same thing, but in a milder form.
Hope you feel better, and please do read my heart post. I really hope it helps.
Xxx
vinnievince
31-03-12, 14:46
Hi again Vince,
I was on a road trip with my friend yesterday to the next big centre about 3 hours away. It was a big step for me as the anxiety didn't stop me from going and was pretty managable so it was good for me. She had to pick up her daughter at the airport there and I got some shopping in too. So glad I went and felt good all day even when we got back late at night.
I work selling insurance Auto and Home...its not too bad a job really
I really do want to decrease my meds now to 25 mg morning and 25mg evening starting tonight and I have an appt booked with my GP for Thursday so see how I'm doing by then. I really do want to take back some of my life to enjoy again. I have been so scared to do anything since January and its been so hard on me and my friends/family.
I am looking forward to hearing how you are doing this week. I hope my optimism keeps going, but just one bad episode will set me back for sure I know. Not brave enough to go too far from home on my own yet, but with my friend was ok.
Also the weather getting nicer and warmer sure helps my mood. Some sun again today to melt that snow away.
Have a good day and look forward to talking to you again soon :)
Hi Joelle, sorry if I didnt answer before, had a terrible week, my symptoms are worse than ever and really don't know what to do...hope the Family Doc will be able to fix some of those problems when I will see him in 4 days...
That's good, you are able at least to work, go out of your town with friends and even enjoy it!!!
When you write that you want to have some life back, what you mean exactly? Do you mean that your med is a problem or you talk about your fear of a real heart problem or the anxiety?
I live with that heart anxiety since more than 2 years now and trust me it's the worst thing, I don't wish that to my worse ennemy...at least when you have a real disease you know that you have really something wrong and you can be treat for that, but when you have symptoms of real diseases but no Doc can't find the problem it's really stressfull... I don't write this in the way that I think it's better to have a cancer, oh no... but I just write that cause i'm tired of all that anxiety and even if I know all the tricks and had done a lot of therapy, nothing work on me and i'm tired of the whole situation, I don't live now I only survive... when you fear to go in your bed at night and you fear to get up in the morning cause you know that you will feel bad all day long, it's horrible... and the fact that I can't think about something else or change my minds like playing games on my computers or watching a movie cause I always have symptoms who worry me a lot, that's bad... anyway...
I read your other message about the Doc who want that you take the whole 50 mg in the AM and 50 mg in the PM, why he want you to take a larger dose again? Did you have high blood pressure when he take your blood pressure at his office? Do you explain to him that at home you have low blood pressure readings? I know that it's better to have lower blood pressure but I think overall that it's better to have a normal blood pressure, lowering it too much can be as bad as having high blood pressure since the oxygen can't reach your brain when it's too low and you can have worse anxiety...that's what I think... also normally the beta-blockers meds are not the first line meds for anxiety... if his goal is to treat your anxiety I think maybe an antidepressant med like a SSRI (Paxil, Celexa, Cipralex, Zoloft) will be better... also increasing the Ativan can help at first since those meds tend to worse the anxiety at first and take 3-4 weeks before having a calming effect...
Well I know it can be hard for you to live it that situation and it can be also hard for your family and friends since most of them don't understand what you live and may think you overact or abandonned them... I lost all my friends because of my anxiety problems... only have my family now... I think they was tired to hear me complaints about my symptoms and also tired cause I always say no to them when they invited me to do something like going out at the bar or go shopping or just go for a dinner and a walk downtown... I find it very hard to not be understand by my friends...and my family also don't understand relly well what I live, only my mom help me but don't ask my dad to understand what I live, he will told me to kick my ass and do something with my life...who is really bad to hear...
Hummm here it's not colder again...we had snow this week, who don't really help me to feel better...this weekend it will be cold also with a little bit of sun saturday and rain/snow mix sunday... next week will be a little bit more hot...
Can't wait to see my Doc this week... can't survive like this for another year. I have write a list of meds that I want to try, I do this often and he will say yes or no for some of them... I need to fix the insomnia since the med I take to help me to sleep don't work anymore and can't increase the dose (Remeron) cause it's increasing my anxiety. Have to fix the headache so will ask for a cortisol injection in the neck who help me 5 years ago but i'm not sure if I will be able to cope with the side-effects of the cortisol right now since it's increasing the anxiety in general. Also have to ask about trying a new beta-blocker switching from the Inderal to the Metopropolol OR going on a low dose of Clonidine who can help with the insomnia and also the fast heart rate and blood pressure at the same time OR going on a totally different heart med call Prazosin who is use often on peoples who haver post traumatic disorder, help them to sleep better at night, decreasing the nightmares and the awake time in the bed and prevent the adrenaline to affect the heart and increasing the blood pressure and pulse rate, apparently it's a good anxiolitic by itself but tend to have bad side-effects like fainting from the first dose who decrease overtime...anyway have also to ask about a preventive med for the headache, not sure if I will ask for the Lyrica or the Pizotifen, the Pizotifen can help me to be back on the Paxil and decrease the increase of anxiety at first but it can be bad for the fast heart rate and the lyrica cause a lot of dizziness and i'm already dizzy most of the time...but the lyrica is approved for general anxiety in Europe, not here and in the USA...and apparently is good at high dose for the anxiety...I try it in the past but never take more than 75 mg cause of the dizziness, it was a very low dose since 600 mg is the dose who is effective for the anxiety...but at the same time the Lyrica is also a good med to help the insomnia, the headache and the anxiety so it can kill 3 problems at the same time... that's a hard choice to do...but have to let my Doc choose the best for me since my anxiety is very high I can't deal with side-effects for now so he need to choose the meds with the less side-effects...
Well that's my plan... for now my eyes hurt so have to cloce my computer...
I hope you will have a great weekend and I do hope that you are ok with the med now!!!
We talk later, Vincent :)
---------- Post added at 08:46 ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 ----------
Hey love,
Firstly I'm sorry to hear you're feeling like this. This sounds exactly like what I was going through about six months ago.
I have posted today about why anxious hearts act the way they do, please read it as I really think it will help you.
As for the upper body and head pain, it's tension. When we're anxious we're stuck in fight or flight mode, which subconsciously causes us to tense up. After a while of being stuck like this our muscles start to ache. Think about how you may have felt in the sat after working out. After all the strain on your muscles you feel achy and sore. This is the same thing, but in a milder form.
Hope you feel better, and please do read my heart post. I really hope it helps.
Xxx
Hi, thanks for your answer :)
I read your post about the heart and anxiety effect on the heart and I know you're right... the main problem is when you try everything to stop the anxiety and nothing work even deep breathing or exposure therapy and meds and nothing help, that's hard to stop to worry about the heart...
Also i'm used to the fast heart beat and don't worry really about it, what bother me the most is the lower blood pressure, dizziness, chest pain who never stop and the pins and needles effect and numb effect in my left arm, the dizziness... normally when the adrenaline hit your heart the blood pressure increase, mine decrease, also the pulse rate increase mine can decrease under 50 or can be as fast as 241... who is not normal also... Also adrenaline effect don't last 24 hours and panic attack symptoms don't last 24 hours also.... that's why i'm worry a lot... and I know that the more you worry and the more you will feel those symptoms but after 2 years and more of those weird symptoms who only increase and increase each day you can't stop worry even if you try hard...
Anyway, I think I read around 25 books about the anxiety, agoraphobia and many others about self-help therapy, exposure therapy, had done group therapies and seen more than 3 Therapists in the last 2 years, and nothing help me...for some peoples with mild anxiety, deep breathing will help to decrease the effect of the adrenaline for sure but when your anxiety is severe, deep breathing can't help at all...
I know I sound negative, but that's what I live everyday...the body can't produce adrenaline 24 hours of time, that's impossible and since I had my adrenaline level test from a 24 hours urinary test and the level was very low, I don't think it's my main problem... a lot of others neuro in the brains and blood can increase the anxiety and if you have a lack of serotonin or too much, a lack of noradrenaline or too much, a lack of dopamine or too much or a lower cortisol level or too high, it can play with your anxiety also...
Deep breathing help me when my anxiety is under control by good meds, same for the yoga and exercises...
Well, have a nice day and thanks again for your answer ;-)
Vincent :)
Hi Again Vince :)
Glad to get your long response and very informative. You sure seem to know a lot about the different medications. That is good you keep up on them all and know which ones would be best for your condition. I read most everything I could about Metoprolol when I started on it. Seems to be a safe enough medication and haven't had too many side effects for it either. Just scary to read too much sometimes.
I worked today and the day went pretty good. Stress levels were a little elevated due to another problem, but seemed to cope ok with it. I am home alone again tonight with my cat, but seem content. Wasn't really in the mood to visit with people tonight...so just as well. Sometimes I get the other way and need to socialize...strange.
I have sorta comprimsed on my meds for now. I take 25mg still in the morning and the full 50mg at dinner time. Seems to make me less tried during the day that way and have the extra meds in me for the night. I will see how I do, but may up to 50 mg in morning too. Doctor just doesn't want me to go into Afib again like I was in the hospital. I still get some small episodes of flutters but not too bad nor racing heart anymore. BP has stabilized good now too.
I do hope your doctor listens to you when you see him this week and you get the help you need. Just tell him how it is and what you need. I just seem to be coasting for now with my condition. Not getting any worse really or better. Sure would like for it to get better soon. :)
Still am losing weight and dropped another couple pounds this week...Nice my skinny clothes fit again, but don't want to lose too much...need to stay healthy. I see people on diets all around me and think if they only knew...I don't have to try and lose it just drops. I do eat ok, but not really a fan of big dinners. Eat small servings more often. Last night it was pretty late before I got to sleep too. Not sure why as had 1/2 mg Ativan before bed...finally kicked in later.
Have a good rest of your weekend and look forward to talk again soon :D
vinnievince
01-04-12, 14:16
Hi Again Vince :)
Glad to get your long response and very informative. You sure seem to know a lot about the different medications. That is good you keep up on them all and know which ones would be best for your condition. I read most everything I could about Metoprolol when I started on it. Seems to be a safe enough medication and haven't had too many side effects for it either. Just scary to read too much sometimes.
I worked today and the day went pretty good. Stress levels were a little elevated due to another problem, but seemed to cope ok with it. I am home alone again tonight with my cat, but seem content. Wasn't really in the mood to visit with people tonight...so just as well. Sometimes I get the other way and need to socialize...strange.
I have sorta comprimsed on my meds for now. I take 25mg still in the morning and the full 50mg at dinner time. Seems to make me less tried during the day that way and have the extra meds in me for the night. I will see how I do, but may up to 50 mg in morning too. Doctor just doesn't want me to go into Afib again like I was in the hospital. I still get some small episodes of flutters but not too bad nor racing heart anymore. BP has stabilized good now too.
I do hope your doctor listens to you when you see him this week and you get the help you need. Just tell him how it is and what you need. I just seem to be coasting for now with my condition. Not getting any worse really or better. Sure would like for it to get better soon. :)
Still am losing weight and dropped another couple pounds this week...Nice my skinny clothes fit again, but don't want to lose too much...need to stay healthy. I see people on diets all around me and think if they only knew...I don't have to try and lose it just drops. I do eat ok, but not really a fan of big dinners. Eat small servings more often. Last night it was pretty late before I got to sleep too. Not sure why as had 1/2 mg Ativan before bed...finally kicked in later.
Have a good rest of your weekend and look forward to talk again soon :D
Hi again Joelle,
I agree with you and it's not very good to read too much about meds and their side-effects, especially when you are an anxious person!!! lol I remember back in 1994 when I Was put first on the Paxil, internet wasnt very popular back then and just take the pills and live my life and never had side-effects from it... in 1999 when I had to return on an antidepressant med the PDoc at the time RX the newer Celexa and I remember that I jump on my computer when I return home with the samples box of Celexa and go on the internet to read about it and read all the side-effects and had most of them! I guess a part of the side-effects I have from meds now are psychological and not real...
Ok now I understand, you had AFib episode so that's why the Doc put you on a Beta-Blocker... ok, now I understand! Not funny at all but I understand why he want you to take the full dose since Afib can be bad for the heart and give stroke. I was lucky since I had supraventricular tachycardia not Afib but the heart rate is almost as fast with supraventricular tachycardia than Afib, it's just that with the Afib the heart rate is tend to be not regular at all, who can lead to blood clots and stroke if not treat rapidly...
I'm like you on that, sometimes I want to be alone, even if I can't stay alone at home, but I need to be alone in my bedroom or alone sit on the couch and watch TV and sometimes I need to socialise and see peoples... even if I have social phobia and never had a lot of friends and never was able to make friends at school, university or any kind of places like that, I need sometimes to talk and see peoples... but now it's not happening often since being around too much peoples make me feel sick and tired...
Do you loose weight cause of the anxiety or because you stop eating normally? That's not good to loose too much weight especially when you are anxious, but it's not good either to gain too much weight from anxiety since you will get depress...lol Me I loose a lot of weight cause I stop eating normally cause of the IBS symptoms and constipation... but i'm always hungry and crave salty foods and sugar... The Doc who did the 2 surgeries for the 2 intestinal obstructions I had back in october 2011 want me to gain at least 30-40 pounds and i'm still loosing weight... when I enter to the hospital for the surgeries I was at a skinny 158 pounds, never had that weight since i'm hummmm 8 years old! lol They send me home after 1 month and I was at 176 pounds with the enteral feeding and the foods I had to eat at the same time and i'm now down again to 162 pounds... Of course the Doc who did the surgery is not happy and want me to eat more and drink my 2 bootles of very bad tasting liquid full of proteins and vitamins but I can't drink that shit (sorry) but the taste is horrible... Trust me, the Ensure or boost taste 10000000 better than that nasty stuff... it's call Peptamen 1.5, it's made by Nestley, so normally you should have something who taste good but it's not the case, it's so chemical, false sugar, vitamins taste, metallic taste since it's in a metal box and not a plastic bootle... Anyway I try to eat the more I can but I feel sick most of the time with nausea, bloating, intestine pain and severe constipation and the more I eat normal food and the more I think about the constipation and HOW IT WILL GET OUT OF ME!!! lol That's stupid I know but that's what my anxiety do to me now... Back in 2009 I had from 7 to 9 liquid bowel movement, needed to run fast all the time to the toilet... now I can barely have a bowel movement every 3 days... I never had problems with my intestine after I had my gastric by-pass surgery back in 2001 and was able to eat everything I want like everyone else without any problem only that I had to run fast to the toilet after each meal... and now I have the reverse effect... strange...
Well, I don't sleep a lot last night, my head hurt and eyes also... really tired of that situation, want to use more my computer and read a book to change my minds but I can't, my head and eyes hurt too much... really hope the Doc will fix that problem... wish me good luck...
We talk later, if I don't die from the headache before!!! :D Vince
Hi Vince, and thanks again for the reply.
I am not too sure about the Afib diagnosos as haven't had anymore episodes except for the one. I get some palps, but never for very long or severe anymore. Do sure want to not get them at all. I also take a baby aspirin a day too to thin my blood. Sometimes still get some chest pain and uncomfortable feeling and its not fun. Just try to ride it through and stay calm.
I went out for a walk today as walls were closing in on me today. Was sunny but only 4C so kinda cold too. Felt good to go for a walk and relax some in the sunshine. Nice the snow is melting too.Saw the Via rail train come through town too. I rode it out to the coast, Prince Rupert , last May and it was an enjoyable trip. Had some flooding on the way home so took a long time as had to go so slow.
I do eat, but anxiety causes me to not have much of an appetite so I eat what and whan I can. One dinner always lasts for 2 nights and meals. I guess I really haven't lost that much weight as had gained some last fall so just losing that for now. Sometimes I do feel hungry and will eat more then. Get cold more too when I don't eat so much....
Hope your Doctor has some good news for you this weekand will treat your problem the best way and I do wish you luck with him. I slept ok last night but still woke up at 6am which is a bit early on a Sunday morning. Tried to go back to sleep, but didn't happen. Too early to take my meds so just read for a awhile till time to get up.
Sure hope your headache gets better and soon. I don't get too many of them and never severe. Hope I don't ever either. Just the palpatations are enough for me at this time. Had quite a few last night before I went to sleep. Glad I can calm myself down enough to get a good nights sleep most nights.
Well please let me know how it goes with you this week
Take care and keep smiling :D
Hey,
Not doing too good tonight...Its after 1:00 am my time and I can't get to sleep. I am really feeling anxious and worried tonight. My BP and Pulse are normal, but still feeling off. Could have something to do with the fact that another person in our town was rushed to the hospital with a heart attack and another lady died of complications. Hearing those things really gets my anxiety going bad. I try to relax and tell myself I am not them and ok on my meds.
Another lady with heart issues just got back more test results and may have a valve problem that needs to be operated. This news makes me nervous as well. I took another 1/2 mg of Ativan and hope to calm down soon and sleep.
Vince hope you are having a good restful night and all is good for you. I will try again to relax and get some sleep..
I woke up ok and had a good rest. today seems to be going ok too... Not so much anxiety today and hope I can sleep tonight when the time comes to go to bed.
Hope you are having a good day and look forward to hearing from you soon !
Let you know in the morning how I am
I added I am doing ok today,but lost that edit for some reason so try to add it again. Tired today and hope to get a good sleep again tonight.
Hope you are doing good this week and got answers from your doctor.
Look forward to hearing from you...Take care
Vince,
Hope all is going ok with you...haven't heard lately.
I have been doing ok mostly, last night the anxiety was back at bedtime and with the help of Ativan and aspirin I was able to calm down and get some sleep.... Just still feeling so stressed and nervous most of the time.
Another nice sunny day here and hope to go out and enjoy it some if I'm up to that. I went for a walk last weekend, but just cried mostly and felt bad. Would like to feel somewhat happy again, but that seems so far off in the distance.
I have increased my Metoprolol dose to 50mg morning and night and feel more secure on the higher dose again, but still get the palps, flutters and pressure in my chest. Would be nice if they would just go away, but don't see that happening anytime soon.
Have a good weekend and Easter too
Joelle :)
vinnievince
07-04-12, 01:20
Hi Joelle, sorry to hear that you didn't had a great week...I do hope you are feeling better now!!! Yes, I experience the same thing than you, one day a in 2009 one friend of my dad came home and had a heart attack ans since then my anxiety related to my heart increase by 10 folds... that guy survive but it was really freaking trust me...
Ok, same for me, I had one episode of supraventricular tachycardia with the heart beat of 241 at the emergency but the EKG was normal so the Doc only do the blood tests, x-ray and had to wait 24 hours for a blood test reslut and they return me home with no explanation about what happen, they told me it was only anxiety related, it's when I start freaking in a car as a passenger, I was still ok at the time to drive but not alone in the car... anyway...
I feel the same Joelle, most of the time my blood pressure is normal, same for pulse rate but I feel like my heart is pounding in my chest and that I will have a heart attack cause of the chest pain and numb left arm... I don't take aspirin cause I use some Advils or Naproxen for my headache and apparently it's affecting the Aspirin effect and can be dangerous... I was use to take Omega-3 capsules but I find out I was more anxious when I took them so I stop... I try also to take Q-10 enzymes since beta-blocker decrease the amount of that enzyme in the body but I had tachycardia and palpitations with them so I don't take them for a long time...
Well my Doc appointment turn out to be not very nice... My Doc refuse to change the beta-blocker (Propanolol) to a newer one (Lopressor, same that the one you take). He also say no for trying another med call Prazosin who can be good for blood pressure, pulse rate and help for insomnia at the same time... He just RX an old antihistaminic drug to help me to sleep at night, it's call Atarax but he RX only a small dose of 10 mg and to be effective against insomnia the dose must be at least 50 to 100 mg... I also wanted a reference paper to see a new neurologist and he say no, I wanted to see a new neurologist for my chronic headache... He do 2 cortisone injections in the arnold nerve behing my head saying it will help with the pain, tension and headache but so far it's worse than before the injections... had those cortisone injections in the past and it never work on me. I ask for the med call Lyrica for the headache and he say no...he say no cause he want to introduce new med one by one because my anxiety level is very high, in fact my neck nerves are so tense that one of the needle broke when he try to inject the cortisone, he say that he never see someone who is anxious and tense like me and he's not surprise that i'm having headache from all those tensions...
So for now the appointment do nothing to improve the whole situation, I continue to have headache, the insomnia is worse than ever and I can't start a med to help me for the tension/headache... I have 1 month supply of Lyrica, my mom was on that drug last year and had them refill before she stop it, but don't want to start it without talking about it with the Doc... will maybe call him next week to ask for a reference paper to see a neurologist and will told him that the injections didn't help me at all and will also ask for the Lyrica...
He also want that I take more beta-blocker, I take around 10 mg a day but he want that I increase to 20 mg at least and more if I can... the propanolol is not powerfull and can't lower my blood pressure too much since the effective dose for high blood pressure is between 160 and 740 mg...so he said that 20 mg and even 40 mg will do nothing on my blood pressure and will just help me to have less chest pain and tachycardia...
I try to take 20 mg yesterday and almost faint, so I do think it can lower my blood pressure so will stay on 10 mg for now and will ask again to change to the lopressor when I will see him in june...
Overall it wasnt a good appointment, normally my Doc say yes to almost everything I suggest to try but now he seem to think that nothing will help me anymore... don't feel very good because I had high hope from that appointment but now i'm stuck with the same problems...
I also talk about the fact that I can't exercise cause i'm tired all the time and feel exhausted even when I wake up in the morning and he do nothing just saying that my anxiety level is the problem...
He notice that I have weak blood pressure and pulse rate from a sit position to standing position and he think that I may have dysautonomia, mean that my central nervous system cant keep my blood pressure normal, so that's why it's fall in the lower range most of the time but can also go into the high range when out of the house... same for the heart rate who can jump from 60 to 160 just from a sit and stand position... he said that he don't know what to do for that problem and told me to ask my cardiologist...but the cardiologist don't return my phone calls... I feel like in a bad circle and can't get out of it...
Well, too much computer for today... eyes hurt and head also...
I hope I will sleep tonight...i'm now afraid to go in the bed at night cause I know I will turn and turn for 2-3 hours before falling asleep and get up very tired...
If we don't talk tomorrow, I wish you a good easter ;-) Here the wheater is bad...cloud and cold all the weekend and also rain I think...
Bye for now, Vince :)
Hi again Vince,
Too bad your doctor couldn't switch your meds up this time and try something new...maybe they get stuck in a rut of if it works why change it. I can kinda see that, but change can also be good to help you with your new symptoms.
I hope the doctor can give you more answers soon. I have heard of Propanolol and it is spelled similar to Metoprolol so thought they were similar, but do see a lot of differences in the two medications and doses. I guess there are a lot of different ones out there on the market and just a matter of finding the right one for your symptoms that suits you best.
I went and helped out at a Community dinner tonight and it was good..I peeled about 100lbs of potatoes and helped serve the hungry. It was good to feel needed and to keep busy and not think about my problems so much. I got to eat too, but still have dropped another pound. My anxiety makes me lose weight for sure.
I do feel more relaxed at home tonight and hope I stay this way and can get a get nights sleep...been after midnight most nights before I feel calm enough to sleep. I have to work tomorrow and hope I get a good rest. Just so many up and downs. Heart Palps and anxiety of late. Hard to deal with sometimes.
I wish you a happy Easter too and hope your weather improves too, been nice here.
All the best for now :)
vinnievince
07-04-12, 21:03
Hi again Vince,
Too bad your doctor couldn't switch your meds up this time and try something new...maybe they get stuck in a rut of if it works why change it. I can kinda see that, but change can also be good to help you with your new symptoms.
I hope the doctor can give you more answers soon. I have heard of Propanolol and it is spelled similar to Metoprolol so thought they were similar, but do see a lot of differences in the two medications and doses. I guess there are a lot of different ones out there on the market and just a matter of finding the right one for your symptoms that suits you best.
I went and helped out at a Community dinner tonight and it was good..I peeled about 100lbs of potatoes and helped serve the hungry. It was good to feel needed and to keep busy and not think about my problems so much. I got to eat too, but still have dropped another pound. My anxiety makes me lose weight for sure.
I do feel more relaxed at home tonight and hope I stay this way and can get a get nights sleep...been after midnight most nights before I feel calm enough to sleep. I have to work tomorrow and hope I get a good rest. Just so many up and downs. Heart Palps and anxiety of late. Hard to deal with sometimes.
I wish you a happy Easter too and hope your weather improves too, been nice here.
All the best for now :)
Hi Joelle :)
Hummm, I think my Doc don't know what to do with me that's all and really think that I will not improve soon even if I change meds, that's what I think. We talk for about 1 hour in his office and he explain that my central nervous system is so tired that he can't continue to do his job and keep me in a constant self-centered (around my symptoms) mood... he say that it's like i'm living in a middle of a war but the war is inside me so I don't see the war like it's outside like normal peoples but see it like it's inside me so I can't stop worry about my symptoms... sorry don't know how to explain it in english very well... was very good in english before 2010 but now have limited cognitive abilities...lol
Exactly, the main differences between the Propanolol and the Lopressor is the dose... but the 2 drugs are very similar cause they have the same high penetration across the blood brain barrier, they are both very lipophilic so since they reach the brain easilym they have in high dose like the one you take more chance to give side-effects like sleep disturbances such as insomnia and vivid dreams and nightmares. The second beta-blocker that was launch on the market was the Atenolol and that one is water solube so it's not entering into the blood brain barrier and don't affect the sleep... another big difference is the fact that the Inderal is not selective and bind to the beta-adrenergic receptors B1 and B2 and the B2 receptor affect the peoples with asthma...drugs who are given to treat ashtma act on the B2 receptors but have the opposite effect than the Inderal... The Metoprolol is more selective and will not affect the B2 receptor... I have to admit that I don't see a difference between the Inderal and newer ones I try like the bisoprolol who is the most selective beta-blocker on the market... they all do the same thing, reduce the blood pressure, pulse rate and chest pain... when they start to not working it's time to increase the dose...or try another one and that's why I wanted to try another one but I guess I will have to wait for the next appointment...
I understsand... helping other peoples it's kepping you busy and you don't have the time to think about your symptoms... I do that in the past, when I was able to drive and go out of the house and I was feeling good when I was doing it... Next fall I will maybe start going to a group each week for anxious peoples... they often need peoples to share their experience and help peoples who live the same situation...
I hope you feel better and had a good night of sleep :)
Have a great easter... do you see your family or stay alone for easter?
We receive all my family here (I live with my parents temporary), so my 2 sisters, my 3 nieces and 1 have a new boyfriend, my brother and his wife... will be a busy day so I do hope I will sleep also...
I took a bigger dose of Remeron to fall asleep last evening and I feel bad today, it's affecting too much my adrenaline... I had to get out of the house with my mom, near my home around 10 min by car but my heart was a total mess and is still a mess right now, resting pulse rate of 120-130 and when I stand it's too fast to take it and feel dizzy... blood pressure is normal so dont know what happen today... probably the Remeron dose who was too high, I do sleep better but feel exhausted and nervous at the same time... weird...was used to 45 mg of Remeron in 2007 and now only take 5 mg and feel very bad from it...
Well we talk later ;-) Have a great saturday!!!
Vincent:)
Hello Vince,
I had a pretty good day at work today and it went fast. Just felt ok and no major anxiety all day was nice. Still took 1/2 mg of Ativan to keep it that way...really wish I didn't need it, but can get quite aggitated without it I have found and feel not real. Hard to explain too, but think you understand.
My family is not living in the same town as me so I won't be seeing them for Easter. However, my good friend Crystal has invited me to spend Easter dinner with her family tomorrow so that will be nice. Hope my appitite will be better for that. :)
Sorry your doctor can't find the right medication for you, but maybe in time it will all sort out or just be able to try something else. I kinda feel I have been left in limbo by my doctor too. I am on the medication and surviving, but not sure what happens next or if it will need to change at some point. Just keep going back every few weeks, but get same answers. In some ways I guess its good no major change, but some days I really don't feel very good. Can be frustrating.
I am not familiar with Remeron and sorry to hear you had a bad reaction and caused your pulse to go faster. I get quite nervous when mine gets near 100 or over. Also like my BP to be lower too. Latley been around 120/74 which is normal, but still seems a bit high to me...like it around 100/64 ideally, but maybe that was too low.
Quiet night here for me and might watch a movie later or a show. My fingers are a bit sore today as I cut one and a blister on another one from all the peeling yesterday. Keep putting peroxide on so they don't get infected, but are sore.:weep: Didn't even notice it at the time as was so busy with the task at hand. Oh well it will heal. Not a fan of seeing blood, but don't panic too much over it either.
Hope I can sleep ok again tonight and get a good rest. I do get vivid dreams sometimes, but can't usually remember them by morning. When I was on Anti Ds I got very vivid dreams and did remember them even though they did not make sense. Usually stuck somewhere and trying to get out or back home and can't. That caused more anxiety in my sleep. Well glad not to have those now, or at least not remember them.
Hope you have an awesome Easter with all your family there tomorrow.
Look forward to hearing from you again soon :)
vinnievince
09-04-12, 14:10
Hello Vince,
I had a pretty good day at work today and it went fast. Just felt ok and no major anxiety all day was nice. Still took 1/2 mg of Ativan to keep it that way...really wish I didn't need it, but can get quite aggitated without it I have found and feel not real. Hard to explain too, but think you understand.
My family is not living in the same town as me so I won't be seeing them for Easter. However, my good friend Crystal has invited me to spend Easter dinner with her family tomorrow so that will be nice. Hope my appitite will be better for that. :)
Sorry your doctor can't find the right medication for you, but maybe in time it will all sort out or just be able to try something else. I kinda feel I have been left in limbo by my doctor too. I am on the medication and surviving, but not sure what happens next or if it will need to change at some point. Just keep going back every few weeks, but get same answers. In some ways I guess its good no major change, but some days I really don't feel very good. Can be frustrating.
I am not familiar with Remeron and sorry to hear you had a bad reaction and caused your pulse to go faster. I get quite nervous when mine gets near 100 or over. Also like my BP to be lower too. Latley been around 120/74 which is normal, but still seems a bit high to me...like it around 100/64 ideally, but maybe that was too low.
Quiet night here for me and might watch a movie later or a show. My fingers are a bit sore today as I cut one and a blister on another one from all the peeling yesterday. Keep putting peroxide on so they don't get infected, but are sore.:weep: Didn't even notice it at the time as was so busy with the task at hand. Oh well it will heal. Not a fan of seeing blood, but don't panic too much over it either.
Hope I can sleep ok again tonight and get a good rest. I do get vivid dreams sometimes, but can't usually remember them by morning. When I was on Anti Ds I got very vivid dreams and did remember them even though they did not make sense. Usually stuck somewhere and trying to get out or back home and can't. That caused more anxiety in my sleep. Well glad not to have those now, or at least not remember them.
Hope you have an awesome Easter with all your family there tomorrow.
Look forward to hearing from you again soon :)
HI Joelle, great to see that you had a great day at wwork and also a good easter :)
I understand you for the Ativan and not taking it and feel like not real... that's a symptom that I experience everyday... and dont worry for your Ativan dose, it's so low that it can't hurt you... would be more worried about taking it everyday if the dose was high like the dose of Clonazepam I take, who is 8 mg so around 16 mg of Ativan each day...
Did you eat more for easter? More appitite?
My appitite is huge, always feel like I need to eat something but I can't eat a lot cause I always think about the constipation and how it will get out of my body so I try to not eat a lot, who is not good since I drop another 3 pounds in 1 week...crave for sugar, never had that kind of sugar craving in the past and it was hard yesterday to see everyone at the family dinner eating chocolate and candies, had to said in my head that I can resist but it was not easy, I do eat some white chocolate who don't have caffeine inside since it's white and do feel a lot miserable after eating it with the pounding heart beat and anxiety... Didn't had a good easter, can't be around too much peoples at the same time, with 12 peoples around the table I was only able to sit 10 minutes and almost don't eat and had to go in the living room sit with the ice pad behind my head and one in my forehead cause I had a headache worse than usual... family stay here from 11 am to 4 pm, don't speak with them, most of the time I watch tv and try to relax on the couch... My anxiety and my symptoms are so disturbing and intense that I can't socialize or interact with anyone now, it's very hard and leave me very anxious and tired after...
Do you remember what was the brand of AD you took? Normally the newer AD are not good for the sleep, they give insmonia and when you are able to sleep you have vivid dreams and remember them when you get up who is normal since they mess up with the REM sleep, all the AD do that...older and newer ones... but I think I like more bad dreams than anxiety, so you have a choice to do...taking your AD or don't take it and continue to feel bad...it's seem that I do the worse choice and don'T take my AD... too much side-effects!!! lol I laught but that's not funny, I will give anything I have to be able to take it again since I know I will need an AD all my life, almost everyone in my family have anxiety/depressive problems...
Also have bad insomnia now, linked to my intestine pain, constipation and also racing thoughts in my head who dont want to stop... The Remeron (Mirtazapine) is a kind of atypical AD, don't block the reputake of the serotonin in the brain, mean that it's not like the regular Prozac, Paxil, Celexa or Cipralex or Effexor-xr, it's very sedating cause it's work as a powerfull antihistaminic so a dose as low as 5 mg will put you asleep for a good 6 hours at least but it'S also very powerfull at the adrenergic receptors A2 who increase the level of noradrenaline and adrenaline in the brain who lift the mood and depression... but it's not a good AD for anxiety disorders cause too much noradrenaline and adrenaline in the brain mean more anxiety, it's also doing nasty stuff to the heart (fast or irregular heart beat) even if in the monograph they write that it's a rare side-effect, I can tell you that stuff is really affecting the heart for sure... also it stay in the system for a long time so the next day you feel awful, tired and at the same time anxious, it's like you just want to return in your bed and sleep but you can't sleep cause your brain are saturated with noradrenaline and adrenaline... I rank it in the tricyclic kind of AD, like the imipramine or elavil, that's not a good AD overall, only if you are only depress or if you are already on a SSRI AD and want to have less sexual side-effects and sleep better at night, but alone it's not good...
Have to find something else for the insomnia, the dose of Atarax my Doc RX is too low... Benadryl can be a temporary fix for 2-3 nights but it's doing some nasty stuff to my heart also, Gravol is somewhat less sedating but make the same thing with my heart... One thing I can try OTC is call Unisom 2, but have to order it from my pharmacist and it's expensive and also don't work for a long time... I was used to take some low dose of Seroquel for my insomnia in the past, that's an atypical antipsychotic who in low dose only work as a powerfull antihistaminic, but I can't tolerate the side-effects now, my heart race all day long after I take ii.. I feel stuck with my problems and can't stop thinking that I only see my Doc again in 2 months and will be in that bad state of high anxiety with insmonia until I see him again.... how I will survive? That's the question...
Have an appointment tomorrow morning with a Doc who did a surgery for the internal hemorrhoids I had from 2007 to the end of 2009, I need to see him cause I start bleeding again and also cause the constipation start after the surgery and need something to improve that problem...he will probably RX a colonoscopy, so will be put on a waiting list and had the colonoscopy in 1 year...probably will have also a rubber band put around the internal hemorrhoid who bleed right now. Have to watch out that problem cause my iron level run on the low side cause of the gastric by-pass...
Well, the Inderal really don't work anymore for the fast heart rate, increase the dose make me feel just more tired and I think it may be linked to the insomnia since I start taking 5 mg in the evening, who is new for me was only taking it when I get up and sometimes in the afternoon but never in the evening... will maybe return to the morning and mid-afternoon dose only and at some point stop it... when I was at the hospital for 1 month because of the surgeries I had for the intestinal obstructions last october and november, they stop the Inderal saying that my dose was too low to affect my blood pressure or pulse rate... so the whole month I was there I didn't use it and had low heart rate, only get into a tachycardia state when I get up but the Doc there was thinking it was linked to the 2 surgeries and the fact that I was in a malnutrition state...was 1 month free of smoking who was good for me and the fast heart rate but I start smoking again when I return home, too anxious I guess...
Need to do something to change, not only think about it but make it!!! Stop smoking, taking small walk at daytime at first and longer one later when I will get used... need to drink the nutritional liquid made of milk protein and vitamins to help me to gain some weight and need to eat more... staying all the time at home because of my symptoms and saying all the time the same thing like I don't feel good or my headache is too painfull to do something its not good...
Well, sorry if I write a lot this morning... lol We talk later if you want... will go take my shower for now, today nothing plan, will try to take some fresh air even if we have snow!!!!GRRRRR
Hope you are doing well ;-) Take care of you, Vincent :)
I enjoy reading your long posts :)
I am having a pretty good day..we are real slow at work today and only a few customers..most think we are closed today too as so many places still are closed. I ate some good turkey last night and managed a lunch today. Just seems my bodies metabolism is in high gear and I don't gain a thing. The anxiety seems to help with that.
Not too worried about the bit of Ativan I take either and it does seem to help me ok. Just don't want to become too dependant on it. I just feel real sad sometimes and find it helps to numb that too. I do sleep ok with it too. So don't like being so stressed most of the time now.
Hope you can find something that works for your insomnia. I have had that at times and its not fun. Hard to lie there and just not be able to sleep at all. I was on Effexor and been off now for over a year. Took a long time to get out of my system and that was when the anxiety started after I stoped taking it. I slept pretty good while on it, but did get the vivid dreams for sure.
Hope you were able to get a nice walk in today. I might go for a short one after work tonight if I feel up to it. I find I do a lot of thinking when I'm out walking and it helps sometimes. Other times I think to much and feel bad. I also like to mow the lawn, but see how much energy I will have for that this year. Also have the horses to eat it down some too.
I do hope you are having a good day and I will talk more later.
Joelle :D
Just got home from work and not feeling so good. Took my BP and its up a bit 154/85 and pulse is 77 so not too bad, but I
feel weak and dizzy some...sure don't like that feeling much. Just scared my pulse will go up fast again. Just been feeling so nervous lately and feel that state is not good over a prolonged period. Took some more Ativan to try and calm me down some too.
Do you know if Metoprolol keeps adrenilin from getting too high in the body,thought I read somewhere that it does and keeps the body from getting too much of that and causing problems. I can go to the clinic later if it doesn't feel better soon. This is when I really dislike being on my own here. I just want to be able to calm down and relax.
Hope you are having a good day and night, this is so not fun at all.
Hi Vince,
Just added to my previous post as didn't see your other post to me then.
I have to go out for a bit, but feeling better and will write more later.
Have a good night
:)
vinnievince
10-04-12, 03:28
Hi Joelle, do you take all the 100mg of lopressor today? Ok, first try to calm dow and think about what happen today and why you feel so anxious...take an extra ativan it cant kill you trust me...also dont take your BP again for tonight...at least try...low or high blood pressure share same side effects and for the beta blocker they dont reduce the adrenaline level in your body , they only block its effect on the heart...
You should see me right now, have to be in bed soon cause I have to get up at 6 30 am to get ready for my appointment and tonight my blood pressure is higher than usual and right now my pulse rate is over 100 sit....feel loaded with adrenaline and know it will not be easy to calm down and sleep...right now I feel like I just sleep 10 hours in a row full of energy and very shaky...so you see its only anxiety and adrenaline who do that...
If you feel that your pulse rate go into the 120 and more in a sitting position than go to the cllinic, it will help you to feel more secure...
Well, for now I need to think to go in bed but give me some news ok...will answer tomorrow morning when I will be in the car to go to the appointment...
Sleep well ok and take care of you, Vincent
Hi Vince,
Just home on a short lunch break, but wanted to let you know I am feeling ok today. No major symptoms so far today and hope it stays that way. Sure don't like to feel like I did yesterday evening. I want to feel calm and relaxed mostly, but know that is not possible with this condition. No ativan so far today, but will take some this afternoon before my work ends just in case.
Hope your appointment went ok and you got some rest last night.
talk again soon if you like :)
i got checked out at the hospital after i collapsed at home. i have high bp, palps and diabetes. i have meds for the 1st two and diet control for the 3rd. after blood, urine, xray and ecg tests i was told id had a severe anxiety attack. ive had 2 more egcs and a 24 heart monitor which was ok and prescribed citalopram as im told its all anxiety related. then i experienced a bad panic attack in a shopping mall and consulted the gp who gave me 2mg diazepam as the citalopram hadnt started working properly yet. problem is now i hardly dare go out because im worried about passing out again and keep thinking its something more sinister than what theyve diagnosed.
Vinnievince, I haven't been able to read the thread in detail as I'm tired but have read your original post and it sounds like you have something called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). I say that because I have it too so can recognise the symptoms :P
I'm not feeling up to writing a bit post about it, but the Wikipedia page for POTS is very thorough and informative so maybe have a look on there and see if it sounds familiar?
There are lots of resources on POTS, support groups etc. Another more general word for the kind of problems you're experiencing - nervous system, circulation, blood pressure, heart rate etc - is dysautonomia.
Hope that helps a bit. x
vinnievince
20-07-12, 15:00
Thanks chemilyx for your answer and sorry if i'm late to answer... dont receive e-mails when I have an answer from someone here...
I talk about POTS and dysautonomia to my Doc and my PDoc in the past, my PDoc dont believe it was the main problem and only said it was anxiety related but my Doc told me often that I have dysautonomia from the high anxiety state I experience since more than 2 years now... he said that an AD will probably help to reduce the symptoms and make my blood pressure more stable insistead of having high or low blood pressure most of the time. Also talk about it to my Cardio Doc and he only advise me to drink more Gatorade, he said drink only liquid with 10% or more of salt inside of them to avoid low blood pressure and hypotension symptoms... POTS is hard to diagnostis here since we dont have a tilt table to do the test in the 5 hospital in the city I live...
One thing is sure, it's that my blood pressure is not normal and stable like in the past... I know anxiety can increase the blood pressure but dont think it's possible to have low blood pressure from anxiety so POTS seem to be the problem and an AD that I can tolerate will be the solution to make my nervous system more stable... I mean the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system... probably running most of the time on the sympathetic nervous system and not enough parasympathetic...
I do take some beta-blocker but they seem to make the blood pressure lower and make me feel tired even if my dose is really low, now only 10 to 20 mg of Inderal a day... also try the Clonidine and severals others beta-blocker and they all worse my symptoms...
Anyway thanks again for your answer ;-)
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