Anxiety with a slow heart rate

[Perpetual]

Hi guys,

I have noticed in the past couple or months (especially the past two) that I regularly experience panic/anxiety with a low heart rate. I will give a short back story before asking my question.

I’m not very fit, but also not unfit. I have had an anxiety disorder for quite some years now, and while I can manage it much better today, it also takes a bigger toll on my energy level.
I stopped taking Zoloft over a month ago (tapered off in 5 months) and my anxiety levels seem to be going up.

My resting heart rate is around 62bpm. This is regarded as having healthy heart, even though I feel the opposite (tired, weak, pain in legs, headache).

Today I felt unwell in the supermarket, which made me quite panicky and on edge. I left, got my bike, and went to sit somewhere on a bench. My heart rate was 63bpm, which always seems worrying to me at those moments. Then later at home, when I was also feeling on edge, it was 58bpm. As soon as I saw that (I have a fitbit) I got numerous weird feelings: dizziness, warm feeling through my body, and lightheadedness.

Does anybody experience a similar thing?

Thank you

[NoraB]

From what I can gather, this drug can cause a lower heart rate, and something to do with a 'metabolite' - which stays in the body for about 22 days after you stop taking it - so it could be this.

Or your Fitbit might be on the blink?

Tbh, wearing Fitbit isn't a good idea when you have health anxiety. I gave mine away!

My heart rate dropped into 'normal' a few months ago, and it was weird because I'm used to it racing. It's been racing for years. Heart tests were fine, but I had been taking magnesium regularly - so I'm putting it down to that because magnesium is known as the calming mineral that a lot of us are deficient in.

I get new heart symptoms checked out- it's just common sense.

[Perpetual]

From what I can gather, this drug can cause a lower heart rate, and something to do with a 'metabolite' - which stays in the body for about 22 days after you stop taking it - so it could be this.

Or your Fitbit might be on the blink?

Tbh, wearing Fitbit isn't a good idea when you have health anxiety. I gave mine away!

My heart rate dropped into 'normal' a few months ago, and it was weird because I'm used to it racing. It's been racing for years. Heart tests were fine, but I had been taking magnesium regularly - so I'm putting it down to that because magnesium is known as the calming mineral that a lot of us are deficient in.

I get new heart symptoms checked out- it's just common sense.

Thank you for your reply.
It could indeed have to do with the medication, I haven’t looked at it that way. I also read that anxiety can cause a slower resting heart rate due to fatigue (I think).

The fitbit wasn’t wrong, because I counted the same. But I did return it today, because indeed, it was giving me more anxiety.

I went to the doctor last week and she suggested a blood test and a cardiac event recorder, but I didn’t ask about the slower heart rate, this was for the palpitations.

[jray23]

My heart rate will go down to 50-55 when resting. 45-50 when asleep. I typically experience a lot of heart anxiety myself so when I see a low reading I sometimes do feel like you described. I've been checked out several times, always they say my heart is perfectly healthy. So just being in the 60s is not necessarily a warning sign.

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[Perpetual]

My heart rate will go down to 50-55 when resting. 45-50 when asleep. I typically experience a lot of heart anxiety myself so when I see a low reading I sometimes do feel like you described. I've been checked out several times, always they say my heart is perfectly healthy. So just being in the 60s is not necessarily a warning sign.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

Thank for reacting!
I will meditate on the thought that it is perfectly fine and should not by itself give me any problem

[NickyUK79]

my resting heart rate is like 80

[panic_down_under]

My resting heart rate is around 62bpm. This is regarded as having healthy heart,

While a resting heart rate of 60-100 bpm has traditionally been thought to be normal for adults a growing number of studies are indicating this is too high and many cardiologists now believe the standard should be revised to 50-75 bpm.

even though I feel the opposite (tired, weak, pain in legs, headache).

These are unlikely to be because your heart rate is around 58-63 bpm. Headache is more likely to be due to high blood pressure than heart rate. The resting heart rate is not necessarily a guide to BP. Discontinuing the sertraline (Zoloft) may have caused an increase in your BP. SSRIs and other serotonergic ADs may lower BP a little by dilating blood vessels (although they can have the opposite effect too) and also through their anticoagulant properties.

As soon as I saw that (I have a fitbit) I got numerous weird feelings: dizziness, warm feeling through my body, and lightheadedness.

Which are all typical anxiety symptoms.

[Perpetual]

While a resting heart rate of 60-100 bpm has traditionally been thought to be normal for adults a growing number of studies are indicating this is too high and many cardiologists now believe the standard should be revised to 50-75 bpm.



These are unlikely to be because your heart rate is around 58-63 bpm. Headache is more likely to be due to high blood pressure than heart rate. The resting heart rate is not necessarily a guide to BP. Discontinuing the sertraline (Zoloft) may have caused an increase in your BP. SSRIs and other serotonergic ADs may lower BP a little by dilating blood vessels (although they can have the opposite effect too) and also through their anticoagulant properties.



Which are all typical anxiety symptoms.

I am a bit late with my reply, but thank you for answering. The information you provided is much appreciated. My BP has always been on the lower end, but has increased slightly over the past years. I don't measure it myself, but at the GP it's always around 125/80. It used to be much lower, around 90/60.

[NoraB]

I’m not very fit, but also not unfit.

This sounds like Bake Off when Matt Lucas (as Boris) says, bake in tents if you must, but also, don't bake in tents.