I really need every kind of help you can provide! Slow heart rate

[hopefulbutscared]

Hello Guys -- I apologize if my first post here would be relatively long, but I am suffering and need some people with similar experiences or know what I am talking about.

I posted my concern in another forum - they're nice people there but this forum seems to be much more active and I hope to get some good feedback as I am going crazy really!

I am a 36 Years old male - I am overweight , Drink coffee and smoke! I rarely exercise. I've have anxiety (Health Anxiety specifically) for as long as I can remember. Every time I find something new to obsess about and I "REALLY" dig into it and always expect the worse, but thank God, only good always came back.

I don't have high blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes. the thing is: my resting heart rate "WAS" in the mid 90s, and this is very much expected due to my characteristics mentioned above and my bad habits.

I took Cipralex for the first time ever about 5 years ago, it was miraculous and changed my life, but for a reason i do not remember, I stopped it. (took 10 mg for 1 year) then about 2 years after stopping my first time, I had some issues again and had to get back to it, started at 10 and went up to 15 mg and stayed for 2 years at 15 MG and also it worked VERY VERY well. Then again, I felt I was doing great to I decided to stop it again.

5 months after stopping the 2nd time, Family member illness (or whatever the underlying reason was) I got it back and full blown! I took Xanax which did not help me instantly when it used to do so (I also forgot to mention that when I took Cipralex in the past, I used to take Xanax with it) - I went back to the Doc and he said you shouldn't have stopped the 2nd time and he thinks it was a mistake, he put me back on 10 mg for 5 days, then took me up to 15 mg - have been taking 15 mg for the last week or so - a total of 12 days now on the med.

Now, the concern: I know 12 days isn't enough for it to work (although the first two times it did work in about a week or less) - but whats driving me crazy this time is my heart rate!!! I know very well that Cipralex would cause an increase in heart rate and so does Anxiety and panic attacks! but instead, my heart rate all of a sudden is @ 60 to 65 all the time! I've never been on such low heart rate before - and I didn't do anything to earn it.

I have many medical equipment at home including a portable ECG and a sleep study unit. I decided to hook myself on the sleep study unit and stupidly enough forgot to disable the auto-alarms. Slept and it buzzed my life when it started tweeting saying my heart rate was 45!! This number is a number I NEVER saw in my whole life - and since this alarm (about 20 hours ago) uptill this moment and I am in a state that only a person sitting next to me would know or understand!

The meds I take are: Pantoprazole (PPI for acid-reflux) , Xanax sometimes up to 2 MG daily, and Cipralex 15 MG!

If you have the slightest idea of a help, please do as I need it badly!

Thanks,
~Zac


P.S. I had an Echo for the heart about 3 weeks ago and it was 100% normal. Abdomen ultrasound, chest x-ray and full blood test.

[crystal17]

Hi Zac, just wanted to write a quick reply to say you're not on your own and there are lots of people on here who can (and I'm sure will) relate to you and hopefully help you through your worries...

I think our heart rates can be quite variable and the one thing I do know for sure is that the more we are aware and study it, the more it plays on our mind and we notice every slight change.

Have you ever been diagnosed with health anxiety and/or offered therapy for it?

---------- Post added at 21:26 ---------- Previous post was at 21:24 ----------

Edit...also just wanna say 2 things: is it at all possible that the sleep study unit is sometimes not 100% accurate? :winks:

AND the fact that all those tests came back normal is a hugely reassuring sign I would think.

[hopefulbutscared]

I have been diagnosed with health anxiety! The therapy I had was my meds - people talking me out of it never worked with me..

All I am concerned about now is my low heart rate! (or at least thats what I am concerned about now).

Thank you VERY much for your reply, you cannot imagine how much it means to me.

~Zac

[harasgenster]

A heart rate of 60-65 is very good for you and your heart does go a lot slower when you're asleep.

My resting heart rate was 60 during a period when I was extremely anxious (I noticed because sometimes it would beat in synchrony with the clock...) and then went quite randomly up to 90 or so a few years later when my boyfriend tested it with a gadget he had on his phone.

A couple of years later, same gadget, back to 60.

Sometimes these things don't seem to make sense, but the important thing is: 60 is very good for you.

Also, I have twice gone into shock during medical procedures, which is where your heart starts to go extremely slowly and the resulting low blood pressure stops blood from getting oxygen to the brain. On both occasions, I was extremely unwell - as in, I was held upside down by my feet, with doctors around me and an oxygen mask until I recovered.

If your heart was going so slowly it was of concern, you would know about it. I really, really don't think it can be going too slowly, particularly as I can't think of any reason why that would happen.

I know it feels strange to have a slow heartbeat when you're anxious, but it's happened to me loads of times before. The heart rate of 60 is probably doing you a world of good - it really is good for you! - maybe focus on that? This is good news!

[hopefulbutscared]

A heart rate of 60-65 is very good for you and your heart does go a lot slower when you're asleep.

My resting heart rate was 60 during a period when I was extremely anxious (I noticed because sometimes it would beat in synchrony with the clock...) and then went quite randomly up to 90 or so a few years later when my boyfriend tested it with a gadget he had on his phone.

A couple of years later, same gadget, back to 60.

Sometimes these things don't seem to make sense, but the important thing is: 60 is very good for you.

Also, I have twice gone into shock during medical procedures, which is where your heart starts to go extremely slowly and the resulting low blood pressure stops blood from getting oxygen to the brain. On both occasions, I was extremely unwell - as in, I was held upside down by my feet, with doctors around me and an oxygen mask until I recovered.

If your heart was going so slowly it was of concern, you would know about it. I really, really don't think it can be going too slowly, particularly as I can't think of any reason why that would happen.

I know it feels strange to have a slow heartbeat when you're anxious, but it's happened to me loads of times before. The heart rate of 60 is probably doing you a world of good - it really is good for you! - maybe focus on that? This is good news!


You're an angel! Thanks a million.

My concern was relating my heart rate to Cipralex - and whether it caused it.

[harasgenster]

You're an angel! Thanks a million.

My concern was relating my heart rate to Cipralex - and whether it caused it.

Glad I helped! Never know if I'm making health anxiety worse because I don't relate to it as well as other types of anxiety (never suffered health anxiety).

You've taken Cipralex before and been fine so I think it must be a coincidence.

[hopefulbutscared]

Thank you for the help really -

Wondering if anybody else went to something similar to what I am going through?

Thanks,
~Zac

[badassweasel]

I'm on Citalopram 40mg and I'm 37 and 29.7st , my resting HeartRate as I type is 62bpm and my lowest is 59
I think it's a good thing really to be honest as long as you feel ok (apart from HA) sooner a normal RHR than a high one :)