Heart rate/Blood pressure, Anxiety/Panic related?

[ButterflyGirl82]

Are they connected?

At the beginning of the month I noticed for three days my heart was beating fast, not like abnormalish, but like I had just gone running, but hadn't.
So I had the doctor do an EKG earlier this month , because he thought it was a little fast and my blood pressure wasn't high but a little higher than normal. He didn't really tell me much after, but it isn't like he seemed worried about it. A week or so later I went to ER for headaches, and they checked my vitals and didn't think much of it. When I went in it was a little high then after I had a CT and it was negative they checked my vitals again and things went back to normal. Of course at this time I had been on atenolol for my mitral valve prolapse palpations (because I was tired of feeling them off and on) for a day or two.

Then the next two doctors visits a week or two later my blood pressure was normal etc.

However now and then this past two or so weeks I have the same like I had been running heart beat off and on all day. I've been having a lot of anxiety, body tension, tension headaches, and tight left side of my neck. I was just checked by the neuro and he has me on medicine for tension headache, muscle relaxant , anti inflammatory. So Ive just been home under stress and anxiety for the past 8 months and just today started back with school.

If I try to think of positive things or cry and tell my mom all my fears after an hour I feel really calm and my heart rate seems to go down to normal. It especially helped after I took my once a day medicine for tension headache with codeine (it says it has something for anxiety), I felt virtually no anxiety and my heart rate stayed pretty normal. I just panic a lot lately and am not sure why.

I think I might be overwhelmed stressed etc and I dont get much sleep.. I constantly check my pulse rate and I'm sure that only makes it go faster. I'm also see the cardiologist this Friday, but was panicking that I needed to see him sooner.

Anyways anyone else experience this with their anxiety?

[ButterflyGirl82]

Oh Ive also gotten into the terrible pattern of wanting to see the doctor if any little thing goes wrong. Ive just been so worried about my headaches thinking all sorts of bad things it could be, also my heart concerns me a lot.

My parents don't want me to go to a psychatrist or get on psych drugs yet...I don't think I want to either, I'd rather be on vallium or something that works instantly when I really need it.

I know I go through major anxiety spells when Ive had far too much time to myself and or my health is giving me problems.

[shaggy82]

Im sorry, but i didnt understand the whole message (im norwegian hehe) but i understood the thing about heart rate.

I can only tell you that i have the same thing. That was also why i got my first panic attack. In june 2007 i had 3 weeks of fast heart rate and (i dont know the english word) when you feel your heartbeat.
One night it all stopped suddenly. And i thought my heart stopped. So thats why i got attack.

Now its different allmost from day to day. There is no connection between my thoughts and my heart rate, but still its unstabile.

Some days its high, some days i dont notice it.

I also used to check my pulse all the time, but that only made me worse. When i finally told my self that i have anxiety, there was no need to check my pulse. So now i feel much better. I forget my "problems" much faster if i dont check it. When i feel bad, i try to change positions, channel or anything to make me ignore my heart. And it works for me..

These few days (5-6) have been better than ever. I no longer think that something is wrong. And gradually, day by day, i get better.

I also, like your parents, hope you can stay away from drugs. I dont think drugs can cure or help anxiety. If you really had problems with your heart - you need drugs. If you only THINK you have problems - you dont need drugs.

Take care:)

[BlueSkies]

Are they connected?

At the beginning of the month I noticed for three days my heart was beating fast, not like abnormalish, but like I had just gone running, but hadn't.
So I had the doctor do an EKG earlier this month , because he thought it was a little fast and my blood pressure wasn't high but a little higher than normal. He didn't really tell me much after, but it isn't like he seemed worried about it. A week or so later I went to ER for headaches, and they checked my vitals and didn't think much of it. When I went in it was a little high then after I had a CT and it was negative they checked my vitals again and things went back to normal. Of course at this time I had been on atenolol for my mitral valve prolapse palpations (because I was tired of feeling them off and on) for a day or two.

Then the next two doctors visits a week or two later my blood pressure was normal etc.

However now and then this past two or so weeks I have the same like I had been running heart beat off and on all day. I've been having a lot of anxiety, body tension, tension headaches, and tight left side of my neck. I was just checked by the neuro and he has me on medicine for tension headache, muscle relaxant , anti inflammatory. So Ive just been home under stress and anxiety for the past 8 months and just today started back with school.

If I try to think of positive things or cry and tell my mom all my fears after an hour I feel really calm and my heart rate seems to go down to normal. It especially helped after I took my once a day medicine for tension headache with codeine (it says it has something for anxiety), I felt virtually no anxiety and my heart rate stayed pretty normal. I just panic a lot lately and am not sure why.

I think I might be overwhelmed stressed etc and I dont get much sleep.. I constantly check my pulse rate and I'm sure that only makes it go faster. I'm also see the cardiologist this Friday, but was panicking that I needed to see him sooner.

Anyways anyone else experience this with their anxiety?

I always have high blood pressure when i am at the dr or er for some reason. As comfortable as it makes me it tenses me up as well raising my bp. I am always checking my pulse as well which i would agree with you i doubt it makes it better.
I also have a a huge fear with my heart. My chest pains cause most of my anxiety and every chest pain i feel like its going to be something serious. I am always in fear that im going to have a heart attack or something of that sort. The more i check it the worse it gets. But i def know what your going through and it sucks. I still havent been able to see a cardiololgist which i think it would ease my mind but all my other test came back fine so my dr. sees no reason to send me.

Hope things get better and know your not the only one!

[ButterflyGirl82]

Im sorry, but i didnt understand the whole message (im norwegian hehe) but i understood the thing about heart rate.

I can only tell you that i have the same thing. That was also why i got my first panic attack. In june 2007 i had 3 weeks of fast heart rate and (i dont know the english word) when you feel your heartbeat.
One night it all stopped suddenly. And i thought my heart stopped. So thats why i got attack.

Now its different allmost from day to day. There is no connection between my thoughts and my heart rate, but still its unstabile.

Some days its high, some days i dont notice it.

I also used to check my pulse all the time, but that only made me worse. When i finally told my self that i have anxiety, there was no need to check my pulse. So now i feel much better. I forget my "problems" much faster if i dont check it. When i feel bad, i try to change positions, channel or anything to make me ignore my heart. And it works for me..

These few days (5-6) have been better than ever. I no longer think that something is wrong. And gradually, day by day, i get better.

I also, like your parents, hope you can stay away from drugs. I dont think drugs can cure or help anxiety. If you really had problems with your heart - you need drugs. If you only THINK you have problems - you dont need drugs.

Take care:)

Thank you for taking the time to respond. It was very helpful. I do think it is getting better for me. So far I've only had one big attack today instead of being upset all day etc. I hope it gets better as days go on and I finally realize "Im still here" so it must just be anxiety.

[ButterflyGirl82]

Are they connected?

At the beginning of the month I noticed for three days my heart was beating fast, not like abnormalish, but like I had just gone running, but hadn't.
So I had the doctor do an EKG earlier this month , because he thought it was a little fast and my blood pressure wasn't high but a little higher than normal. He didn't really tell me much after, but it isn't like he seemed worried about it. A week or so later I went to ER for headaches, and they checked my vitals and didn't think much of it. When I went in it was a little high then after I had a CT and it was negative they checked my vitals again and things went back to normal. Of course at this time I had been on atenolol for my mitral valve prolapse palpations (because I was tired of feeling them off and on) for a day or two.

Then the next two doctors visits a week or two later my blood pressure was normal etc.

However now and then this past two or so weeks I have the same like I had been running heart beat off and on all day. I've been having a lot of anxiety, body tension, tension headaches, and tight left side of my neck. I was just checked by the neuro and he has me on medicine for tension headache, muscle relaxant , anti inflammatory. So Ive just been home under stress and anxiety for the past 8 months and just today started back with school.

If I try to think of positive things or cry and tell my mom all my fears after an hour I feel really calm and my heart rate seems to go down to normal. It especially helped after I took my once a day medicine for tension headache with codeine (it says it has something for anxiety), I felt virtually no anxiety and my heart rate stayed pretty normal. I just panic a lot lately and am not sure why.

I think I might be overwhelmed stressed etc and I dont get much sleep.. I constantly check my pulse rate and I'm sure that only makes it go faster. I'm also see the cardiologist this Friday, but was panicking that I needed to see him sooner.

Anyways anyone else experience this with their anxiety?

I always have high blood pressure when i am at the dr or er for some reason. As comfortable as it makes me it tenses me up as well raising my bp. I am always checking my pulse as well which i would agree with you i doubt it makes it better.
I also have a a huge fear with my heart. My chest pains cause most of my anxiety and every chest pain i feel like its going to be something serious. I am always in fear that im going to have a heart attack or something of that sort. The more i check it the worse it gets. But i def know what your going through and it sucks. I still havent been able to see a cardiololgist which i think it would ease my mind but all my other test came back fine so my dr. sees no reason to send me.

Hope things get better and know your not the only one!

Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Yeah, I do the same things too. It is so fustrating to always be conscious of your heart rate through out your body and to always be freaking out about it. I can remember having anxiety or panic attacks when I went on a trip with my cousins to vegas. My parents stayed behind and I was fine until I started to think what if something happened to my heart etc. I mean I know there are doctors and hospitals there, but my parents would be four or so hours away. So my parents had to drive out there and pick me up. After that for the rest of the summer I would get that anxiety feeling rising in my chest everytime I'd try to go out somewhere. Then school started and I had a hard time being alone there, but I eventually got over it.

I think my mitral valve prolapse condition always stays in the back of my mind, and I've heard people with MVP get panic/anxiety attacks easier or something. I'm going to ask my cardiologist about that. Cause I remember being 8 or so and at a dance competition just sitting there and I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was pretty scary. So you never know I guess.

[Johan]

The same thing happened to me a while ago. I was off my anxiety meds for a while - big mistake - and went back to the Doctor after feeling extremely anxious again. The doctor also did the normal BP and everything, and mentioned my BP was quite high, and my pulse was like 100bpm resting. This realy freaked me out, however the Doctor explained that anxiety can cause an increase in the heart rate, and because of the stress over the heart rate, that causes the Blood Pressure to rise.

I went back on SSRI's (Serlife) and the Doctor also prescribed some beta blockers to help with the fast pulse. I still get the occasional fast pulse, but only when im realy anxious and stressed out.

The doctor also mentioned that some mild exercise and following a healthy diet can help alot

I'm feeling tons better. Hope it helps to know that there are other people experiencing the same problem.

Johan

[shaggy82]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. It was very helpful. I do think it is getting better for me. So far I've only had one big attack today instead of being upset all day etc. I hope it gets better as days go on and I finally realize "Im still here" so it must just be anxiety.

Yeah, thats what changed it all for me. Im not saying its easier, or more comfortable now, but i dont get attacks at least. And when i used to get attacks i couldnt stop thinking that something was really wrong. That my heart WAS troubling. But after several attacks i found that i wake up the next day like nothing had happened. And gradually i kinda saw that im still alive. If my "heartproblems" suddenly came june last year, i would surely be much worse now. So when i saw that this wasnt dangerous, it took maybe 1 month, and the attacks stopped. And what helped me, was to read. To learn alot about what happened in my body. Why did it tinkle in my arms? Why did i have problems in my tummy the next day etc

Then i could use this to not get attack the next time. Im not saying im cured, but somehow, the attacks stopped.
I have never taken medicin for this, and i refuse to try. I believe that anxiety is sensations - not symptoms - so medicin dont help. It may take away fast pulse, but i generates something else, wich you will be as scared of as the fast heart rate.

I hope you get better! Please keep us updated if something happens:)

[James44]

I used to have a heart condition that would bypass all nerves in my heart and make my heart rate jump to 250 bpm. That on top of my anxiety problems made things horrible, i finally got my heart problem fixed. I still have an increase in heart rate when i start to have an anxiety attack but its not nearly as bad. I know what your going through and its not fun at all, just hang in there ;)