Couple questions about palpitations

[Hiker in Hawaii]

Hi,

1. How often do some of you get palpitations and/or an increased heart-rate?...Daily, couple times week, month, etc?...My worst episodes are when i seem to have an increased heart rate (90-110bpm) for several hours...I've been thru the ringer w/testing (EKG's, echo, blood work, chest x ray, 6 visits to cardiolgist since 2009)....All tests came back normal...

2. Does anyone take an anxiety medicine?.....My regular physician mentioned some, one was called Venlafaxine, another was Adavant?? (think that's it), that would be an option, but I haven't tried either yet, and he hasn't prescribed one....But those were a couple of the choices....

[tom_h]

I forgotnto mention that she's going back on Paxil as soon as the Tamoxifen treatments are over.

[tom_h]

I'll take a shot at your #2.  My wife suffered for many years from anxiety neurosis.  She eventually overcame it with a lot of counseling and Paxil, an SSRI drug.  She was happy as a clam, and doing great on a maintenance dose of Paxil until a routine mammogram revealed early breast cancer.  Two surgeries and radiation, and she in great shape.  Then we start Tamoxifen, an anti-cancer drug for breast cancer for the next 5 years.  All was going well until we heard news report that Tamoxifen and SSRI's like Paxil don't mix well. "Stop the Paxil immediately!", she was instructed.  Alternatives? .....enter Venlafaxine. It's an SNRI and doesn't interact with the cancer medicine.  She dialed back on the Paxil and ramped up on the Effexor.  The first couple of months weren't good; sudden tears, occasional incoherence, mindless babble, more tears.  We were just about to stop it when the symptoms vanished!  Today she's really good.  She has a year and a half of Tamoxifen left.  While the Effexor is ...effective, she claims it's nowhere near as good as Paxil was in taking the edge off the occasional twinge of anxiety.  Another drug she takes for anxiety is alprazolam.  This is taken as required.  I occasionally take a dose, and it mellows you out good.  Paxil combined with Xanax, two good drugs for anxiety.

[bbxx]

Dont get me wrong, there are some people that just have to have them or they literally can not function, or they are a danger to themselves or others. I am thankful for the meds being there for those who truly need them. I just want others to know there are risks. You may have no problem at all, but you also may. So research. I have found that most of the people taking drugs, will encourage others to take them. Most doctors will push them.
My doctor actually refuses to prescribe it anymore after watching his patients go through so much trying to get off it. If you research them, you will  learn most peoples bodies get use to them, and so after a while you will have to up the dose. Then when its upped as high as can be, and no longer working, you go off it, and may experience withdrawal, but then they put you on a new type and you are facing possible new side effects, and the routine continues. My advice (and I am not a doctor) is to try everything non drug related. Anyway, just research and ultimately if you decide you really think the benefits outweigh the risks, then so be it. FYI, I dont judge anyone on the meds if they choose to be. I just want everyone to know in advance there are risks.

[Hiker in Hawaii]

I have read about some rather awful side effects w/venlafaxine....My MD said he's had pretty good results w/other patients w/that drug...But even without knowing your story, I was heistant about trying venlafaxine.....I hate the idea of taking medication....The only thing i take is 5mg. of Crestor to try to raise HDL (other lipid levels are good, HDL is usually in 34-37 range)

[bbxx]

Well if you knew my story you would know I hate the drug venlafaxine (effexor) and have no interest in taking anything remotely related to the company that made it, or any other brand of drugs that mess with the brain.
Long story short, I was on it 11 years for CFS.
My cardiologist told me to get off it asap, and since going off it I have severe vision and balance issues.
I hate drugs now, but in fairness, most people are not permenantly destroyed by them, but there are people damaged by them too. Research for yourself, dont listen to me or to someone in favor of it. Research the people who love it and the ones that curse it.
I have pvcs daily and the amount varies.
Low day test revealed over 4,000.