anxiety? heart palpitatons gerd and fear of medication

[theworrierjay]

so for about two to three weeks now I have been extremely nervous more than usual and experiencing more palpitations and unable to eat, i'm afraid to take my lorazepam 0.5mg because of the palpitations I have had palpitations in the past but not this bad I have been to the hospital several times over the past couple of weeks. I need to know if its ok to take my lorazepam and if anyone else experiences palps and if they are dangerous.

[theworrierjay]

i'm starting to notice all or most of my symptoms are anxiety related, mostly from my GERD I have taken omeprazole n the past and had a very bad reaction to it, I have also noticed after I  eat  I get palpitations and anxiety and heart burn, im glad to say though I think this is all related to stress and anxiety my grandfather passed away in april and him and I were very close and im worried about dying. I have been to the hospital several times and all my ekgs come back ok and so do my labs!

[MidwestGal2015]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss :(

My anxiety is related to the unexpected death of my Mother who was in her 40s (among other things from my past), so I definitely understand the fear of death. For me, it's more a fear of pain & suffering and being alone. Specifically, I have obsessive thoughts about getting sick. I'm working on this fear with my therapist.

My triggers for GERD are stress, eating large meals, eating too fast, laying down after eating, & too much caffeine.

[MidwestGal2015]

A few weeks ago I started experiencing heart palpitations. I am convinced it was related to my very high anxiety. Anxiety/stress is also my #1 trigger for GERD symptoms (I believe you're asking about that too? Your post title says GERD, but your paragraph does not). I am working with two Dr's to decrease my anxiety & reduce my GERD symptoms. I am very petite, but am currently taking Pantoprazole 20mg 2x/daily (morning & evening). It seems to be helping reduce GERD symptoms quite a bit. No adverse reactions. However, finding the right anxiety medication is a whole 'other ballpark. I'm very sensitive to a wide variety of medications in that realm.

[TheLightSeeker]

You could be sensitive to GABA  and Lorazepam (even at  0.5 mg) enhances the effects of  your current levels of GABA to a degree, but it would be difficult to attribute your increased  palpitations only to Lorazipam

Irregular electrical impulses causing palpitations can be due to an imbalance of electrolytes. Look into dehydration, thyroid issues, diabetes, certain meds which can affect electrolyte balance.
Other risk factors for palpitations are: caffeine, alcohol, illicit drugs,smoking, anxiety, stress, etc.
So there may be some things you can change to help alleviate your symptoms.
You should also consider wearing a heart monitor, so you can verify your heart's activity.
Most likely your doctor would dismiss any concerns you have, as it not a life threatening situation in most cases.
Best wishes,
Niko