Quick Question About Propranolol Reduction?

[mischamoonlight]

I’ve been mildly dizzy or lightheaded since I was at the hospital too, on and off. Could be being back on the slow release my body is adjusting still and now being on the AD meds. Since starting that. I’ve felt a little jelly legged or shaky. It feels like a nervous shaking ya know? I’m hoping that wears off.

I know I read symptoms related to PVCs that if you get dizziness and stuff but I don’t want to freak myself out more ya know. Would the lightheaded/dizziness be related to the PVCs? Or is it the anxiety and maybe the medications I’m on?

[panic_down_under]

I feel a little hot, but it's warm in general too. My heart is not racing,

...I did have a very soft and urgent bowel movement,

Both feeling warm and the bowel issues are fairly typical initial SSRI side-effects caused by an increase in serotonin activity. They will diminish after a while as the body adjusts by down regulating serotonin synthesis and expression. If you have diarrhoea then loperamide (Imodium) is usually very effective.

I know I read symptoms related to PVCs

I know it's hard, but you need to stop doing this. Not only doesn't it tell you anything useful it is making them worse.

Would the lightheaded/dizziness be related to the PVCs? Or is it the anxiety and maybe the medications I'm on?

Almost certainly anxiety possible heightened by the sertraline.

[mischamoonlight]

@panic_down_under Hi, yeah my bowel is okay today but I’m still feeling jittery, my legs, arms and back mainly have that jelly feeling or shaky I guess is a way to describe it.

I know, it’s so hard, I keep thinking about them, even when I’m not having one. I often think “how many am I having a day? What if I’m having thousands, how could that be normal? What if I start having thousands everyday? Surely that means something terrible is about to happen?” Etc etc and I think that’s my main anxiety at the moment is, when I get a few in a row for maybe half an hour or an hour or a day when I get them frequently and it can take until later that night for them to settle down, it feels like it’s permanent and that I’ll keep getting progressively more and more until it’s dangerous.

I think I also did the terrible thing of reading on Reddit and seeing a thread or forum, and everyone in it was talking about PVCs and all the heart related things that can be possible with PVCs.

They talk about burdens and frequently and I honestly don’t know what mine is, I only know when I’m feeling them. When I had a bad episode, I felt a few every minute, then it would subside after a while to one every minute, then it was every couple minutes and then slower and slower they’d subside and an hour would pass without one, then two, etc etc. I still get a handful at certain times, like something I’ve eaten, sometimes after being active, walking, etc, to sitting or in the car etc. Some can be on and off most of the day and settle at night, some can be rare during the day and come at night. This has been the cycle last 2/3 weeks mostly, but before they were less frequent, so I’m 2 weeks back on the beta blocker and 2 days on the AD.

That Reddit threads/forum is where I started thinking did I need an echocardiogram, a chest scan, or like. 48hr or 2 week holter monitors, people saying about seeing electrophysiologist. I’d never even heard of something like that until I read that thread/forum. So I spiralled and kept reading and kept worrying that my ECGs weren’t enough, that the bloods weren’t enough, that it’s been 3/4 months since I had a 24hr holster monitor, that it was too long ago etc etc and so that’s how my cycle continues because even I admit I can be obsessive overthinking and fixate on things. None of the doctors I’ve seen in the last 2/3 weeks, not even my own have suggested anything more in terms of testing.

I wish I wasn’t like this, and this is honestly the worst I’ve been in years in terms of fear and being scared. I’m trying day by day, it really is taking longer this time which is why I’ve started the AD medication, hoping it helps, and with the PVCs as well as that has been my main worry and fear because of feeling them and worrying of them increasing, doing damage, etc etc. Think this is why I now have a anticipated anxiety when I’m going to eat or I’m sitting in a certain position, or exercising, or being active, it’s the anticipation it’s going to trigger a never ending amount of them.

Sorry that was very long, I tend to ramble and repeat myself, but hope you got what I was saying.

[mischamoonlight]

Yesterday I barely felt any PVCs, a handful at most and sparsely. This morning, when I woke up, I’ve had them for about an hour or so, couple come together, then one on it’s own, then it goes like that. Sometimes a few for a few minutes, then every couple minutes, then spaced out but yeah, this is the fear I’m living with now, that I have a day I feel mostly none, then the next day their persistent. And I was anxious yesterday, like a little on edge but as I said, didn’t even have that many, very few.

This morning, they’ve started again. This is what I’m worrying about that these will keep increasing over time, that I’ll eventually have more and more and that’s terrifying. I try distract myself but when I feel a twitch or anything in my chest, it sets me off. I don’t feel normal anymore since this recent episode happened. Everything feels surreal.

[panic_down_under]

They talk about burdens and frequently and I honestly don't know what mine is,

And there's your problem. You're reading stuff with no understanding of whether it applies to you and are just winding up your anxiety for no reason. And then you seem to be spending all your time in a hyper vigilant state just waiting for the least sign of a deviation in what you imagine is supposed to be a regular as clockwork heart rhythm when in fact the heart not only beats chaotically, but needs to do so to remain healthy.

I don't feel normal anymore since this recent episode happened. Everything feels surreal.

It is surreal because you have made it so by turning what is a normal molehill of irregular behaviour into a virtual Everest of fear without any basis.

Instead of spending most of your day constantly checking do something constructive with your time. Yes, it's hard, but the more effort you put in the less hard it becomes. Only you have the power to alter your situation.

[mischamoonlight]

@panic_down_under Hi! It is, I will agree it’s done nothing but make me worse. I had another breakdown today and was just at the doctors, he went over my records, and read all my hospital stuff back to me. My ECGs were all normal, he said sinus something was normal etc. He said special bloods were done for the heart and they came back normal too. My mum was there and she heard everything because l, the way I am right now, I keep forgetting everything.

But yeah, he took my blood pressure was normal 118/83. He listened to my heart and he said I had cardiac anxiety. A very bad cardiac anxiety. To give the sertraline time to work. That I’ve had all the tests necessary and everything is fine.

I think I’ve maybe being having a slight breakdown, but I don’t know what’s brought it to this point. This doctor has sent for the therapy as an emergency because of my severe anxiety because of how long I’ve been waiting to be seen. I even told him how even eating has become anxiety, the fear of eating because of them too so yeah.

I’ve a lot to work through, I know how bad things have gotten. Thanks for always replying and commenting and being so helpful. It means a lot.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I hope I wasn't too harsh on you in your other thread. I just get a little frustrated sometimes when people keep triggering their own anxiety by looking stuff up about it online, when everyone keeps telling them not to. But I do want to make it very clear that I'm really sorry you're going through this and I do fully understand.
I've had heart anxiety probably since I was a teenager, and I'm 41 now! I believe at it's core, all my anxiety comes from my heart. And I also developed a huge fear of eating last year, which caused me to become underweight. I'm still eating half portions most of the time, but I am up to eating a full day again. I haven't lost any weight in a year, I just haven't gained any either. But at my worst I was on a liquid diet and was too petrified to eat anything solid. For years I had a racing heart after eating and I had gotten used to that. But last year at one point it went up to 180 and stayed there for a long time. It took everything in me not to go to the emergency room. But after that, my GP did put me on Propranolol and my heart hasn't raced after eating since. It's been a year now. But the fear or it happening is still there, which is why I still eat everything in halves. I feel so stupid eating half a bowl of soup that takes 4 bites to empty, but I'm too afraid to do more. So I get everything you're saying!

I really just want to prevent you from ending up like me, where you eat like a lunatic! My friend's toddler eats a bigger plate than me which is very confronting.
I hope the sertraline works for you. I unfortunately couldn't handle the side effects. I can't take any AD medication as I don't tolerate them. I have to just learn to power through the symptoms.
Big hugs to you. Heart anxiety is terrible! But I'm sure you'll come out on top of this

[mischamoonlight]

@Sparkling_Fairy Not at all! Don’t worry, honestly. I totally get it, and I’m a frustrating person to get through to, believe me, my own family would feel the same. Yeah, I’ve had heart fears since I was really young too, sometimes it was other stuff along the way but that is how the doctor I seen yesterday told me I had a cardiac anxiety.

I started the sertraline on Sunday, half dose of 25mg. Not sure how I like them yet, have been a bit shaky and jelly legged, but dizzy and had bowel problem for first couple days. Really tired today, so it might just be exhaustion from the amount of panic and stress I’ve put myself under the last few days too. I’ve an appointment with my own doctor Friday to discuss my medication, so I’ll see how I feel on them until then. Beta blocker is great honestly, never had anything bad with the slow release.

Yeah the eating started to become an issue for me too, but sometimes I get it sometimes I don’t. I’ll work through that, but yeah, I’ll see how I am on the sertraline until Friday, and if I want to stay on them. But I have been moved forward for therapy, it’s just a long process but they’re trying to move me up because how bad I’ve been lately.

Honestly, you weren’t harsh at all, I’d be frustrated too because I can often repeat myself and not take things in properly and go into a vicious cycle. This has been the worst episode I’ve had in years, and I’m hoping I won’t need to be on these meds for a long time and can cope with things myself. But I do like hearing from you and others, I never take anything in a bad way, I know people are just trying to help, so don’t feel bad in any way honestly 🤗

[mischamoonlight]

One thing I’m concerned about is the Sertraline krka 25mg currently and the half-beta prograne 80mg slow release. Does it cause any bad interactions? Like slower heart rate or low blood pressure or anything I should be worried about? I’m seeing my doctor Friday morning so I’m going to ask as well but I was worried about the dizziness I get sometimes and if that’s being caused by it. Sorry again for asking so many questions.

I rand my local pharmacist and asked about these and she said they are okay to take together. I think my heads just very messy at the moment and I worry taking any new type of medication or any sensation I get. I feel so shaky, that’s only started since I started the 25mg Sertraline krka on Sunday. I just have this fear now of it making my heart really slow with the beta blocker.

I never asked about my Eltroxin 50mcg I take for my hypothyroidism either. I’m really trying my best not to panic here but I’m feeling a bit scared. I just don’t want another thing to be frightened of, worrying that my heart will go too slow with these medications or that it’ll set it off on a bad rhythm. I mean what about the PVCs?

[mischamoonlight]

I gave in and googled again and made myself worse. It started showing stuff about interactions with propranolol, and low blood pressure, bradycardia and a qt prolonged thing or something to do with the heart and it’s kind of set me off. Theirs was loads of stuff about making the propranolol produce more in your body. My whole body feels shaky and I think I’m having some sort of breakdown or something.