View Full Version : Panic attacks - causing my atrial fibrillation?
Hi, I'm 32 yrs old and have suffered on and off with panic attacks for the past 5 years. The panic attacks or threat thereof are now more or less constant. My 3 children are 4 yrs, 2 yrs and 9 mths. The frequency and severity of the panic attacks progressively worsened after each child. Following the birth of each child my consultations have become more frequent and extended. My GP and more recently a consultant are now diagnosing extended post-natal depression with panic attacks.
Following the short term prescription of anti-depressants after each child I am now at the point where I have been prescribed with anti-depressants for a minimum of one year and more likely two to three years. However - and here's the crunch - I have also recently had 2 episodes of AF in the early hours of the morning. Each time I ended up in hospital after seeking advice by phone from our health service (I live in Scotland).
Following admission I had ECG monitoring, thyroid tests etc but they could not find anything wrong with my heart. After about 4 hours my heart went back into normal sinus rythym spontaneously. I am now waiting for an echocardiogram and 24hr ECG as an out patient.
The bottom line is that on top of the ever present fear of my panic attacks these recent episodes of AF, which were only 3 wks apart, have really frightened me. Dramatic as it may sound to some I now live in mortal fear of another attack and hate being left alone, especially with 3 dependent babies and toddlers.
On top of the long term anti-depressants my consultant has now also had to prescibe a muscle relaxant for night time to help me sleep. He has also doubled my dose of anti-depressants.
Please, can someone tell me if my panic attacks have triggered my AF or is it a completely separate problem. Even hearing from similar sufferers and sharing experiences would be of some comfort.
Many thanks
Jo
Hi Jo
Whilst tachycardia either in short bursts or prolonged episodes are very common in panic as well as all sorts of palpitations and ectopics, fully documented and diagnosed AF is not.
It is possible that the adrenalin produced during a panic may have an effect on the sino atrial node or further down the conduction pathway and is triggering the AF or it may possibly be coincidental. Your cardiologist is the one to take the lead from here.
Have you been on your current medication for some months now and are at steady dose ?
If your consultant thinks a muscle relaxant is of benefit then for self help you may well see a large benefit from taking up an active relaxation such as yoga or meditation.
If you are alone with 3 infants/toddlers I know this will be hard but may be worth exploring.
Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com
Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?
Jo--
Funny that you should post this as I just read an article about AF in my Grandma's cardiologist's office last week.
Research now is proving that approx. 85-90% of all anxiety sufferers develop atrial fibrillation. There is now advanced research going on and even a new branch of medicine called "behavioral cardiology" being designed to specifically address this type of issue.
I do know that my dad has AF--has had for years, and his dr's have told him that it is really nothing to worry about you. AFib doesn't hurt you, VFib does. Hope it helps?
Brandy
Brandy,
If you could source that article for me or remember what journal it was in I would be grateful as I would be very interested in reading it as I've not seen that research so far.
Of all the anxiety and sufferers we have here, we have a high incidence of the common palpitations but very few real diagnosed AF.
The palpitations we all have is a mild type of very intermittant AF but not the continual sort that Jo is referring to.
Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com
Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?
<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Research now is proving that approx. 85-90% of all anxiety sufferers develop atrial fibrillation</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
God I hate statistics, I produce stats in my job all day and I know that on tweak here and or one tweak there can change a statistic entirely.
Where do they get those conclusions, if a panic sufferer (like me ;)) reads that I think...great that will be me then but the new improved panic sufferer (me again ;)) knows that there is no way on this earth that statistic can be correct why - they are not reporting the mitigating circumstances for example:
If your study is based on 100 people with AF - those figures suggest 85-90 people have panic attacks. So is that having panic attacks, have had panic attacks or have occasionally or once had a panic attack. Are these 100 people on med, not on meds, have in the past had meds? Have these 100 people got hereditary heart problems? Have they other medical problems, are they males or females...bla, bla, bla.
I just thought I should post this in-case anyone reading suddenly know fears that they will be one of those 85-90% - YOU WILL NOT BE.
The only two true statistics in life are 100% - you will be born and you will die and there are NO mitigating circumstances here.
Sorry Jo
Rant over - poor you, no wonder you are feeling streesed at the moment. It is horrid when you wake at night with a racing heart, I had this for months before I ever had a proper daytime panic attack.
Try not to live in fear though, easier said than done I know but you will just be fueling the anxiety.
I know you will feel better if you start to get some proper rest and sleep.
Take care.
Angie
Hiya
Im so sorry you are feeling bad at the moment.This site is fantastic for support though,i hope it helps you:)
Can you tell me what AF is/feels like please?
Hunny xx
Thanks everybody for your comments - they have helped. Hunny - just to answer your question about what AF is/feels like, it is when your heart goes irregular and can one minute beat at say 90bpm and then be racing at 170bpm and it stays in this rythm for hours or sometimes days. You are just aware of your heart going slow then really fast - it is a horrible and frightening sensation. I have had a racing heart on countless occassions and missing beats, palpitations etc over the last 5 years but this was different so perhaps it is a seperate issue which of course makes me even more anxious than before! I havent really considered relaxation groups but could look into evening groups when my husband would be at home to look after the kids. I have only been on my anti-depressants for 7 weeks (only one of these weeks on the double dose) so I guess I will have to be patient until they start taking effect properly. And until I have all my tests carried out I will probably continue to worry excessively (knowing me)!
jayaar
Meg,
I will try to find out what the name of the publication was that I read at the Dr.s office. I didn't post this to scare anybody---that was not my intent. I fully realize that statistics are just that--statistics. I am not stupid and I know that sometimes these percentages are based on a small "target" group and they can be swayed either way with a number of different variables.
What interests me so much about this is my dads condition. His doctors and family have thought that he has suffered from anxiety for a long time, and that that in itself may be the cause for the different heart things that he presents with. Just curious that he has palpitations, vtach and atrial fib at times and that the Docs think that he has anxiety.
I will let you know what I find out.
Brandy
Thanks Brandy. I'm interested.
Meg xx
Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com
Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?
ItWillPass
18-11-05, 03:38
Hi Jo-
I can really relate to what you said. I also have had two bouts of A-fib. It is very scary. Both of my episodes they think were caused by vommiting, and an electrolyte imbalance. I do not think anxiety causes a-fib tho. I think it is the other way around... experiencing a situation like a-fib will cause extreme anxiety... anyway... PM me any time....
Hi
Im with meg on this one after several years of working in cardiology i have never heard of AF being caused by anxiety, but i do know that controlled af is not serious and indeed AF is a very common condition controlled very well by digoxin. I too would find the article very interesting
I just want my life back
nell
x
Hi every one,
The comments you post are very helpful. I am forty years old and have recently gone in to AF resulting in a trip to hospital and electric cardioversion to correct it. I have suffered with palputations since i was 17 , normally fast heart beat once or twice a year controlled with in seconds through controlled breathing. I can say that all these episode i have had have been at stressful times in life. However if i have been exercising and have a palputaion then it is beyond my control, i can not bring it down hence the electric cardioversion, after this hospital visit i went down the diip in constant fear it would happen again, i was diagnosed with suffering from anxiety and placed on 10mg tablets a day things started to get better , but seemed to get a lot of acid in the stomach and daily taking a big gulp of air as if a episode would repeat, it did not until Sunday out on my bike finished riding then had a attack, went into full panick mode all the usual suspects tapping feet , cold sweats , light headed and ended up in AF again 10 weeks after my last visit,in hospital this time given tablets to revert the AF 6 hrs later no joy, i finally fell asleep in the ward and my heart reverted back to its normal rythmn. I do think you can make yourself worse, i doctor is now talking about surgery to correct the AF but i feel it is my Anxiety that causes it , that is why it reverts to normal when i sleep ( ie relaxed). Does anyone else have this problem , my worst episodes are after exercise and when bending down . I have had echo cardigram 24hr tapes everthing is fine.
Thank you for your comments.
Regards
Lee
PS if anyone knows of groups in the midlands area i would be gratefull.
yeah exactly, I get a.f after exercise and bending down at times. v-strange.
Its strange though as I can be in a controlled atmosphere, the gym for example, and can push quite hard and although I get a few palps I can control this.
At work is a different story, I work on a golf course, and in winter months, I walk the golf course doing alot of labour, and inbetween working get alot of palps, which have sometimes turned into a.f.
Viscious circle, I have been given medication, but reluctant to use it as I dont want my heart to re-wire itself and get used to the medication resolving the problem!!!!!!!
Still seeking a cure, or reason, I normally get around 2-3 a.f episodes a year, this has happened for around 5 years now, I'm now 26!!!
candycandoo
06-12-09, 23:35
I also have had a similar experience. I'm 35. I had panic attacks in my teens after my Mum's death which I resolved. Reacently I've had 2 episodes of what I believe to be AF although it had stopped by the time I was monitored. I also had a full blown panic attack each time, triggered I think by my scary heart rythm. A bit of a chicken and egg situation though, I'm still confused and very worried about it happening again. I also have 2 young children.. 2 and 8. The doctor at hospital said I had been drinking too much and that I should seek help for that even though I told him I only drank half a bottle of wine 5 nights a week. That made me quite angry as lots of people drink alot more than that with no ill effects. I was in too much of a state to argue though. I will be seeing my GP soon to chat about this. I am taking no medication. I am under the care of a cardiologist (I had started to experience palpitations) who had found a slightly underactive area of my heart, he does not seem to think this is significant. My Mum died from sudden death cause 1. MVP (which I haven't got) 2. Cardiac Arrithmia. I've stopped drinking the wine and am trying to relax! Any ideas on this subject would be gladly apreciated x
Hi, I can relate certain episodes of a.f to drinking alcohol, but have also had them without the consumption. I wouldnt get an episodes whilst drinking, but more likely to happen the day after!! ( as though its part of a hangover). So maybe you will find the palpitations decreasing if you dont drink wine.
I love a drink now and then, but in the grand scheme of things I would happily stop drinking if I KNEW i WOULDNT GET PALPS OR A.F EPISODES.
new years resolution to exercise more regularly, and relax more.
In the last year or so I have started getting a rapid heartbeat after drinking almost every time. Sometimes it's not until the next day, other times the same night. At first it was only if I had been out drinking late at the pub or whatever, but now it seems that I only need a few sips of beer or wine to trigger it. It goes away after a while.
Not that this helps you much, but I thought I would share my experience. The thing that stands out, I guess, is that while half a bottle of wine isn't that much, for me it would now trigger a rapid heartbeat that I either didn't have or didn't notice before.
BornWorrier
30-12-09, 10:49
Jo--
Funny that you should post this as I just read an article about AF in my Grandma's cardiologist's office last week.
Research now is proving that approx. 85-90% of all anxiety sufferers develop atrial fibrillation. There is now advanced research going on and even a new branch of medicine called "behavioral cardiology" being designed to specifically address this type of issue.
I do know that my dad has AF--has had for years, and his dr's have told him that it is really nothing to worry about you. AFib doesn't hurt you, VFib does. Hope it helps?
Brandy
Hi Brandy
Are you sure it wasn't that 85-90% of AT sufferers had anxiety? This would make more sense. I find it impossible to believe that virtually all anxiety suffers will go on to get AT.
For example: if we said that 100% of women with pre-eclampsia were pregnant, this WOULDN'T mean that 100% of pregnant women get pre-eclampsia.
Therefore, even if 90% of AT suffers had anxiety - it would still mean the vast, vast majority of us will never get it.
For anyone worrying now - don't :) AT is not harmful, just unpleasant, and easily rectified. Our not-very-esteemed former PM Tony Blair had it, and was cured in one morning at hospital. Anyone remember that?
Sorry, as I'm writing, I can't remember the name of the lady posting this problem - but I'm sorry you're having to go through this, hon. But it will be sorted and you don't need to worry about being taken from your babies. Won't happen :) xxx
NeverRelaxed
01-01-10, 03:16
my GP thinks I have this..Although he treats me like an idiot...And when I said I wanted medication that specifically targets the anxiety im going through he said there was ni such drug!!! he pushed SSRI's...but I really dont wan tto be on this type of drug for months and months...:( from what ive read it doesnt sound like I have A-fib...I hope the cardio doc can confrim this.
NeverRelaxed
01-01-10, 03:19
Hi Brandy
Are you sure it wasn't that 85-90% of AT sufferers had anxiety? This would make more sense. I find it impossible to believe that virtually all anxiety suffers will go on to get AT.
For example: if we said that 100% of women with pre-eclampsia were pregnant, this WOULDN'T mean that 100% of pregnant women get pre-eclampsia.
Therefore, even if 90% of AT suffers had anxiety - it would still mean the vast, vast majority of us will never get it.
For anyone worrying now - don't :) AT is not harmful, just unpleasant, and easily rectified. Our not-very-esteemed former PM Tony Blair had it, and was cured in one morning at hospital. Anyone remember that?
Sorry, as I'm writing, I can't remember the name of the lady posting this problem - but I'm sorry you're having to go through this, hon. But it will be sorted and you don't need to worry about being taken from your babies. Won't happen :) xxx
tony blair had SVT and underwent surgery for said condition...BUT! even SVT isnt considered serious from wht ive researched...And invasive surgery is always the last option in all cases.
Hi, just a quick comment.i have read recently that persistent panic attacks over a number of years can be a contributing factor to a.f. I can completely relate to this. But not a lot of info with this statement to back it up.
Hi, just a quick comment.i have read recently that persistent panic attacks over a number of years can be a contributing factor to a.f. I can completely relate to this. But not a lot of info with this statement to back it up.
I've read that anxiety and panic attacks contribute to all sorts of heart conditions (AFib included). The other way around is also true. By the way, I've had a handful of what I would call "full-blown panic attacks" that have sent me to the ER. This "acute episode", as I call it, is often preceeded by generalized anxiety, bloated stomach, urgency to evacuate, dizziness, rapid breathing, etc. However, when I'm experiencing the full-blown panic attack (the "acute episode"), my heart starts racing and pounding hard all of a sudden in a seemingly irregular way as if it were jumping out of its place - I feel like I'm going to faint at any moment, nausauted and sometimes I feel a chest pain (that may or may not irradiate). Are these symptoms compatible with AFib? I'm asking because whenever I finally get into the ER these "acute" symptoms are already gone for the most part and the ECGs come back normal with tachycardic BUT sinus rhythm. Thanks for any help.
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