Anxiety related to my heart

[gshanereid]

Hey my name is Gary  I recently took a product called N.O. Xplode a weight lifting supplement. One night I read on the internet it can ruin your liver. I immediately threw the supplement in the trash. A couple weeks later I was still doing nothing but worrying about what I may have done to my body and I started noticing I was having heart palpitations. The heart palpitations then made me think I had done terrible irreversible damage to my heart. All I did was worry and think I was gonna die of a heart  attack or heart disease. I was very active and did a very intense workout up until this point. When I started my palpitations I stopped my work out fearing I would have a heart attack during exercise. I went to the doctor due to irregular and rapid heart rate. He told me I had high anxiety and needed to stop worrying. It worked for a couple days but then the heart palpitations came back and I worried even more. I went back to a different doctor and she told me the same thing, she did an EKG on me and said my heart was normal. I am mostly worried about the irregular and skipped beats. My heart even speeds up when I eat. My doctor finally prescribed xanex but I am still having anxiety with it. I also want to add both the doctors told me I was having severe Panic Attacks. Anyways these past two months have been terrible and I have a constant fear of dying of a heart attack. Will somebody please give me some reassurance. Please....

[M4Y0U]

There are many tests you can do to be sure everything  normal.

· Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)

· Holter monitor: A Holter monitor records a continuous EKG rhythm pattern (rarely a full EKG) for 24 hours or more. These monitors are used for suspected frequent rhythm abnormalities, especially ones the wearer may not recognize by symptoms. They are more expensive than event monitors.

· Event monitor: An Event monitor records short term EKG rhythm patterns, generally storing the last 2 to 5 minutes, adding in new and discarding old data, for 1 to 2 weeks or more.

· Cardiac stress testing: Cardiac stress testing is used to determine to assess cardiac function and to disclose evidence of exertion-related cardiac hypoxia

· Electrophysiology study: The electrophysiology study or EP study is the end all of eletrophysiolgy test of the heart. It involves a catheter with electrodes probing the endocardium, the inside of the heart, and testing the conduction pathways and electrical activity of individual areas of the heart.

You can also have some imaging do.

· Coronary catheterization
· Echocardiogram
· Intravascular ultrasound
· Positron emission tomography
· Computed Tomography Angiography
· Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI )

I doubt you really need even 1 of all those tests but at least you about all the tests that can be done know and if you are worried consult you doctor and ask and the possibilities of futher investigations.

As for the physical activity issue, once you will have ruled out any physical illness regarding your heart your anxiety will disapear while doing physical activity. Gym nowadays are equipped with cardiac sensor and defibrillator in case someone have a heart attack. So if you are worried keep a close monitoring of your heart to stay into an acceptable BPM range. I sugest you buy a portable cardiac pulse monitor for you physical activities so you always know when you approach a dangerous heart rate.

Talk to your doctor about what is your cardiac limit and what is the safe zone and mention that you want to engage in cardiovascular work out.

Best regards,
M4

[gshanereid]

Thank you so much for your reply. When I try physical exercise it seems to trigger panic attacks so that is a problem for me. I feel most of my anxiety comes from worrying too much that I have a serious heart condition. I don't think I do because if I lay down during a panic attack/heart problem, it seems to go back to normal pace within a minute or two. Any other suggestions related to exercise? Or do you think I do have a heart problem. I have had an EKG and they said it was normal, but I also read those aren't always accurate.

[M4Y0U]

Hi there,

Rapid heart beat is a very common symptom of anxiety and almost, if not all, anxiety sufferers experience rapid heart beat.

You said the Xanax which is by the way a short-acting drug of the benzodiazepine class used to treat moderate to severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and is used as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with moderate depression. You should avoid taking it as a long term treatment.

What i recommend the most with people suffering from anxiety is;

Number 1: Physical activity; physical activity will make your body produce a lot of hormones that helps regulate the body and mind and it is essential for us human being to be active since we were just make like this, we are a machine and a machine need to work. If you do a lot of cardio work out your heart will be more healthy as it will need to beat less often for the same amount of blood delivered to the body meaning a lower heart beat at rest and better general health. If you are doing weight lifting it's ok but don't forget cardiovascular training.

Number 2: Healthy diet; In pretty the same way physical activity will help you , healthy diet will do wonders to for you anxiety since you will feel more healthy and happy about it and this applies to the hormones production too. Don't forget that healthy diet is crucial with physical activity to supply the body with what it needs to maintain good performance.

Number 3: Talk therapy with a good therapist that will help you with you anxiety.

And as a final word, stay way from energy drinks and other stimulants those could increase your anxiety. Keep it natural, mother nature have everything in her bad to keep us healthy. You are made from the same 22 minerals we can find in the ground of earth.

Hope this will help you.

Best regards,
M4