Tachycardia with hot flashes

[jothenurse]

Along with my panic disorder, the major symptom (along with feelings of unreality, dizziness,) is my rapid heart beat. I have noticed that when I get hot flashes (which has been a lot lately), that my heart starts pounding. Then of course, I panic, which just makes it go faster. Any other women experience this? I've had a lot of trouble with tachycardia, and have had several EKG's and a 24 hour monitor. It has come back tachycardia, rapid heart rate (up in the 160's) but they feel it is from panic attacks. I know I do get panicky with these, and anytime I feel my pulse go up, when I'm walking up stairs or doing some exertion, I can get scared and then my heart starts pounding. But I do know with the hot flashes, my heart rate can really go fast. Anyone else experience this?

[kayleigh]

hi i dont really sudder with the hot flushes but i get the dizziness like im on a boat.....do you also feel sometimes that your head is swelling ??
x

[paula lynne]

Hi Jo, Ive had the same for about 12 monthes, about to under go some blood tests, as my gp thinks I may be peri-menopausal (Im nearly 40), its a horrible feeling. Im sweating buckets and kicking off the covers and opening windows, hubby is shaking and shivering with cold! x

[jothenurse]

I'm 56 and I have had the hot flashes for a couple of years, but they have become really nasty. I too, at night, will wake up very hot and sweating and have to take the covers off, and then in a couple of minutes I'm cold. This increase pulse though because it is part of my anxiety also, is very scary.

[paula lynne]

It is, I understand. Also, if I need the loo in the night, I get up, walk about 4 feet, and my heart is banging out of my chest.......horrible. I know where youre coming from x

[blueangel]

Hi Jo

I found this to be a real problem with hot flushes (flashes); they would almost immediately cause tachycardia and/or palpitations, which I found really unpleasant as I've always been twitchy about getting tachycardia.

I went on HRT in the end as I was getting 2 or 3 dozen hot flushes a day, and my (male) GP said that he would take them in the same circumstances as the risks from them are very small compared to the benefits I would get from taking it.

[jothenurse]

Do you have any side effects from the hormone replacement?

[blueangel]

Hi again Jo

The main problem I had with the HRT was getting a progesterone that didn't make my PMS symptoms too bad, but I think that's down to me being sensitive to progesterone, rather than it being a downside of HRT. The main thing I found was that it stopped the hot flushes and palpitations within a few weeks; it doesn't happen immediately as I guess that the hormone levels have to build up in your body.

[jothenurse]

Thanks for your reply.