Can't feel my heartbeat

[Brody2017]

For as long as I can remember I've always had a very noticeable heartbeat. I also have pulsatile tinnitus so it just makes me more acutely aware of my own heartbeat. But one day a few weeks back I woke up and couldn't feel my heartbeat anymore and the tinnitus had just magically disappeared. My chest just feels empty all the time and it proper freaks me out. I still have quite bad health anxiety and even when I excerise or have a panic attack I can't feel my heartbeating. Anyone else ever experience this?

[Brody2017]

I have, had Cbt, various different medications, herbal remedies, mindfulness, meditation all the conventional routes. I know it sounds like a bizarre thing to be anxious about but the only way I can describe it that it's like a gut instinct that something feels very off. I've been checked out by docs, ecg, physical exam, blood tests all came back normal

[Brody2017]

I stopped having it because whilst I was having it my doctor had me on a benzodiazepine at the time and my brain was so dulled I couldn't learn any new behaviours because my brain wasn't taking anything in. So I tapered the benzo and came off it with a view to starting Cbt again in the next couple of weeks. Obviously coming off the benzo increased my anxiety but I didn't think it could cause sensory perception issues like this? Probabrly wrong to be fair

[Brody2017]

Ativan. They kept me on it for to long. 5 months total

[Brody2017]

Definetley. If I could go back and tell myself not to take that medication I would. Really messes up the body. I did have a thought on this heartbeat issue but it may sound a bit stupid. I was thinking it could be a defense mechanism in a way like my body is in such a constant state of alarm my brains just trying to protect me by taking away some of the sensations that cause it... I don't know probabrly not but its nice to think my brain would actually do something to benefit me for once rather than just plague me with anxiety all the time

[Brody2017]

You have to be capably receptive to Cbt for it to work which never would have happened on a benzo. As long as your proactively seeking to make a change with anxiety and not letting it rule your life anything would have at least a small chance of working depending on the person and how well they respond to it. Anythings worth a try and it beats taking those little hell tablets every day

[Hidden in reply to Brody2017]

hey were you able to find a solution to this??? I'm LITERALLY experience the SAME EXACT issue... I don't know why but it happened out of nowhere and its been like this for a couple weeks. I've since increased my uptake of vistaril which kinda relaxes me a bit. but I still ultimately feet like somethings off.. I'm used to feeling my heart pound..

[Tanya31]

I have the same problem. Sorry for my English, I am from Russia and I am not very good at English. I feel emptiness in my chest and that feeling makes me crazy and I want to panic. That started 3 months ago. I was in bed and a thought came to my mind "Why I don't feel my heartbeat?". So I checked my pulse and it was so weak, and I started to panic. Now I think every day about heart. Even when I do some activity or walk quickly I don't feel my heart. I pay so much attention to this feeling.

[makeitrich3 in reply to Tanya31]

I feel this same sensation!!!!

[makeitrich3 in reply to Tanya31]

Have you investigated and figured out what the issue is?