heart pounding.

[rykerjem]

After  took 42 pills of levaquin my body blew apart like a bomb.. On top of all the pain I got all over the body neuropathy pins and needles. During this time on days the neuropathy calmed down the heart would pound non stop. also at first when I ate. Now the neuropathy has broken I am left with a heart pounding. It is not that high but it feels like a volkswagon running on one cylinder.. Sometimes if it goes high I go into severe panics as it feels like I am running full blast inside.. holter monitor shows nothing, heart looks good. Only way to sometimes try and ease it is to lie down. Once I stand it starts pounding.. I am totally disabled by this. I cant walk more than a few feet. It is the most horrible feeling.. I am wondering if it Is related to the sensory neuropathy as sometimes it alters with the pins and needles all over.
I have seen so many doctors, no one can help me.. I am just hanging on as I can not live in this agony. The all over body pain is severe but I cannot do this symptom. I tried a beta blocker, nothing. I am unable to take any meds really since the levaquin and it also flipped my entire temperature system over.. autonomic? If you can atleast give me an idea where to go as I cannot keep going into terrors nor live with this pounding.. my thyroid shows normal but one extreme time is happened I was in a hyperthyroid storm. This is now everyday 247.  I am mentally sane, but these terrors make me feel off the edge. I was fine prior to all the levaquin for mere bronchitis.. it happened when my nerves blew out!

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

i am so picky about what i take, i try to take same meds i know about, been having stomach troubles so called dr ask for a med i always take,belladonna, dr decided to change it up. i didn't even get it , i will be calling her back tomorrow to get my reg med lol, i hate new meds and new side effects it scares me to take new med, with the way our hearts are we have to be so careful to make sure it don't add to our bump hearts

[achillea]

Fluoroquinolones can be indeed be bad news.  Doctors receive relatively little pharmaceutical instruction (relatively being the operant word), and since reactions such as we have described are comparatively rare, they are unlikely to run into them.

But they exist, and sadly, I think patients must--must--be proactive about prescriptions.  Ask your docs about meds they prescribe:  "Why am I being given a somewhat iffy fluoroquinolone as opposed to another antibiotic?"  "What are the known side effects?"

It puts a (probably) unjustifiable load on lay people, but what's the downside?  I have a lot of friends who don't even know the *names* of their prescriptions, nor WHY they are taking them.  It seems like way to ask for trouble.

[MichelleP_3811]

Sounds like that med is bad news.  

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

I took that drug one time, made me have really bad panic attacks, didn't sleep for 24 hours only took one 700 mg never took again dr said drink lots water to wash it out

[achillea]

Unfortunately, the listed side effects of levaquin do include 'pounding heart,' cardiac arrhythmias, neuropathic effects such as 'changes in how you sense touch/pain/temperature/vibration/body position' (to say nothing of tendinitis--which it gave me--and tendon rupture).

Here is the FDA's own 'black box' warning about Fluouroquinolone-induced neuropathy:

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm365050.htm

They also provide you with a phone number to call to report adverse effects, and I encourage you to do this, since it may help other patients.

I have not been able to find much specific information on how to treat these side effects.  HOWEVER, since you are suffering especially from a problem of the nerves, it seems to me that a logical doctor for you to see is a good neurologist.  I do mean a specialist, not your average GP, since you are dealing with a fairly rare condition.  Neurologists excel at treating several types of pain caused by damaged nerves.  They can also treat psychological pain caused by physical disorders.

I hope you find some relief.

Please do tell us if you learn something helpful.

[MichelleP_3811]

You should really think about posting this to the doctors forum.  We are only patients here and can only give you advice and nothing more.  I am not sure you will be able to get much medical advice online either way but posting to the doctors forum may help get you pointed in a better direction.  I will say if you had a thyroid storm once then that could indicate you have a thyroid problem that needs addressing.  Thyroids storms are incredibly dangerous and not to be taken lightly.   It could be one of the reasons you are having the fast heart rate.  Please think about seeing an endocrinologist to get a comprehensive evaluation of your thyroid because levels and fluctuate pretty wildly.  

As for your symptoms I suggest trying to drink lots of water and see if that helps you feel better as well try to find some stress relief like yoga or meditation or even just learning to do deep breathing.  It sounds a bit like your symptoms are causing some anxiety which will definitely compound the problem.  You state that your heart rate isn't all that elevated so try to keep it in perspective that your heart can handle it.  The calmer you can approach your issues the better your body will tolerate them and the better you will feel.  I do hope you can find some answers.  You may want to post this in the thyroid section as well and see what kind of response you get because it sounds like your issue is likely due to something outside the heart and not an issue with the heart.  I wish you the best of luck sorting this out.  Take care and feel better soon.