Palpitations anxiety

[BirdByBird]

I've had palpitations nearly every day for almost 15 years. I can't believe it's been that long. I might get a few days free of them here and there but mostly it's a daily thing that interrupts whatever I'm doing and keeps my anxiety levels high - which I know is a vicious circle.

I've had them checked out a few times and they are apparently benign. I'm not on any medication for them. I was once but the side effects from the meds made me feel just as bad in different ways so I came off it.

I definitely get more bouts of them, more regularly when I'm stressed and highly anxious, but they also tend to bother me when I'm seemingly calm too. Maybe after so many years of being anxious and so highly sensitised, I'm never really all that calm?

They really get me down, they stop me from doing things, they certainly stop me feeling at ease.

Anyone else suffer with palpitations? Any advice welcome. I'm so sick of feeling like this. If it's not one thing, it's another.

[vbp123]

I also suffer from palpitations, which brings anxiety and makes me feel out of control of my own emotions.

It is scary and awful and it also happens unexpectedly...

So annoying, can not stand it...

It always scares me that it might be something wrong with my heart (however ECG, ultrasound proved that everything is ok).

Try to ignore it and take them as part of your condition.

Wish you best of luck.

[BirdByBird in reply to vbp123]

So sorry you struggle with palpitations too. How long have you had them for? Have you managed to identify anything that makes them better or worse?

For me, if I'm stressed, if I get too hungry and then eat a big meal, if I'm over tired, hormonal fluctuations, when I get angry, when I'm highly anxious - all of those things can bring them on badly.

So i guess I really need to focus on really truly getting myself into a very stable secure pattern of being as calm as I can possibly manage.

[vbp123 in reply to BirdByBird]

Hi again,

yes, very similar pattern...I have noticed that my heart skips a beat or jumps ( that is how I can explain the sensation) when I am angry or excited, or worried. Sometimes it comes out of the blue. I also get very fast beat of my hart just before drifting to sleep( for about 30seconds or so). It makes me jumpy and restless.

You have asked how long did I have them. Probably for about 2-3 years or so. I do take 20mg -40mg of prapranolol. It seems to help me with them a little and also calms me down.

It is difficult to stay calm suffering from anxiety but I try to be positive ( I have 2 young children), so I need to be strong for them too.

All the best

The hardest for me is not being able to talk about it. I feel that people do not really understand how draining anxiety is. That is why I found this platform, so I am not alone in this.

Keep strong

[Minnie87]

Yes!me!

My heart has always taken the brunt of my anxiety.i get a racing heart(up to 150 most mornings) skipped beats,thuds,flutters.the list goes on.i too have had 20 ecgs,monitor in hospital,blood tests,24 hour heart monitor and a chest x Ray and apart from tachycardia it was all normal!its so annoying and frustrating.

I think certain things do make them worse.

I don’t drink any alcohol or have caffeine or fizzy drinks and rarely any fried food.i do think most of it is adrenaline though.i really do.and an over sensitive nervous system.i can’t imagine being free of them.i first had them at 19 and now I’m 31 x

[BirdByBird in reply to Minnie87]

oh poppet, I totally know how you feel. I feel like i'll never be free of them too. I look back to before I started having them, when I was about 28 years old, and envy myself back then as I didn't have them blight my whole life.

Like you, I'd have to say that it's mostly adrenaline and a highly over sensitised nervous system that causes them 99% of the time. I just don't know how to stop feeling like this. I think I need a life overhaul in order to tackle it. I rarely drink any alcohol, I don't ever drink coffee, if I do it's de-caf and even that can make me feel spiked! And even tea makes me feel jumpy. If I have a lot of chocolate or a coca cola, that can cause them to happen too, so I try to steer clear of those things in excess.

I think the first and most important step is to truly believe the medical professionals when they say that it's harmless. And so whenever they happen, not to respond with fear - which I often do even though I've experienced all types of palpitations thousands of times over the years now. The bad ones (I had a sudden run of them twice yesterday) cause my adrenaline to surge, which makes it worse and leaves me feeling shaky and scared that they'll happen again...

It's such an awful cycle. But please know that you are not alone.

[vbp123 in reply to BirdByBird]

Hi. Just reading your post makes me understand that I am not alone in this. It is scary and frightening, upsetting and stops me from making plans or go on trips. Ahhhh

I wish papls would stop and I am sure health anxiety would too. But it works the other way, which is hard. The sensations are so real that it is automatic that we respond with fear.

[Minnie87 in reply to BirdByBird]

Thank you so so much for that amazing reply.i really really appreciate it xx