problems with heart

[DaisyLove]

Hi everyone Im new here and would really appreciate your help.
I have been battling anxiety for 10 years now.
The last 6 months have probably been the best of my condition however things have massively took a turn for the worst and I dont know where to turn.
I take medication venlafaxine 37.5mg x1 daily which is a super low dose that i have slowly tapered down to over the years. I have started a new job this year which is quite demanding. I have always worked quite demanding jobs to make money to live a lifestyle im happy with.

Regularly I can feel my heart beating like its struggling so i quit smoking and drinking and things got better but when i take my medication i feel rotten from it and my heart feels like its poorly is the only way to describe it. In the night i get pins and needles in my left arm. I get feelings in my legs like my circulation slows down. I have a mixture of fast and slow heart rates and irregular beats. Sometimes it makes me shake really bad and my heart feels like its screaming for me to go and lie down.

I tried running everyday after work and ended up taking out a loan to have an echocardiogram test done. The doctor said all my valves were working fine eventhough i was convinced that there was something wrong. im convinced that something isnt right due to all the symtoms i have. surely it cant be normal? I think now that they need to check my arteries and see if they are clogged but i dont think the doctors will do that due to the risk it entails for an unlikely diagnosis.

Now i have started to get the shortness of breath. I have just been to thailand which was traumatic as there was no air and i really struggled to breath and i ended up in hospital twice. i was worried i had a heart condition which was bringing on the breathlessness? Apparently anxiety can cause a change in breathing pattern tho and its nothing to worry about?

I dont know what to do about medication and whether to change. I worry everytime im working and i need to take it as when im sat at my desk i feel so poorly. taking the medication in the morning makes me feel ill with my heart. my anxiety now is so high though and im having lots of negative thoughts about myself and feel painfully unhappy.

How do i get out of this mess? is my heart problems something to worry about? is the breathlessness anxiety or related to a heart problem? and what to do about medication?

please help

[countrygirl]

The echo has ruled out any strutural abnormality of the heart and they are very very good scans nowadasy so you can rule out the heart structure causing any problems.
Can your tablets cause any of the symptoms you are experiencing. All drugs can have side effects as my GP points out even at low doses and everyone reacts differently to them. It sounds as if you have been on this drug for some time so have you had these symptoms for all this time or are they new to you? If you have reduced the dose of drug after a long time on it then this can cause a host of symptoms as well?
Have you had an ecg of your heart to moniter its rhythm, 24 hr moniter ecg's are incredibly common and easily arranged via your Dr and would cover the nightime as well where you think your heart is causing a problem. If this was okay or you have already had one of these then your symptoms are not caused by an abnormal heartbeat.
Having changes in heartbeat either fast/slow or missed beats are classed in almost all cases as normal just a variation of normal.
Thats the practical answered! but the biggest thing is to discuss your worries and your medication with your GP.

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your problem.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

[DaisyLove]

hi countygirl

thanks so much for your reply. im coming to terms with that its my medication and nothing sinister. its hard when im at work and im shaking and feel like my heart is going to pack in or jump out of my chest. i just dont know how t deal with it. i want to change but my brain has now gone all numb and nothing seems real and i feel in such a state. doctor has suggested that i up the dose again to try and stabalize my mood. i feel petrified that this brain numbness is a permanent damage from the venlafaxine. i feel so unwell. cant even think straight. have you ever experienced this?

[white1989]

Daisy,

as you had just replied to my post I came to take a look at your articles, and I really sympathise with you. if you read my first post, you will see that I suffer with really similar symptoms to everything you've mentioned in this post! mine all started about 3 years ago and things have got better/worse all the time since. at the moment im having real difficulties with breathing, every day I feel like I just can't catch a breath, I have to breathe really deeply I end up yawning loads (awkward at work) and I get loads of ectopic heart beats, palpitations, feelings like my heart is about to pack in completely!! the other day I was in the supermarket with my partner and we had to leave immediately, I got about 15-20 'thud' beats in my chest and I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack! have you ever experienced this? life is a real battle with these types of things as I feel very few people understand and I don't really 'look' ill therefore I can't be ill...frustrating to say the least! hang on in there and feel free to drop me a message if you want to chat or compare symptoms! hope you start to feel better soon xx