Anxiety and fast heartbeat?

[Nickybhf]

Hi all,

Just wanted to ask if anyone finds it difficult to distinguish the difference between anxiety and rapid heart beat. I look after my mum, she has several conditions including atrial fibrillation. She sometimes has episodes of a rapid heartbeat but is taking bisoprolol- 3.5mg a day. Recently, she has been saying more and more that she cannot relax and just feels restless and anxious as it feels like her heart is beating quite fast and doesn’t settle for a good few hours. She has been prescribed Phenergan to take as and when she gets too restless. It sometimes helps but takes a while to be effective. Does anyone else experience these types of symptoms? When I ask mum how she’s feeling, she says she cannot describe it but says she cannot relax. I’m so confused as I can’t tell whether it’s anxiety or a rapid heartbeat. Today, she said she’s felt restless since early morning, and felt like she has a fast heartbeat. I spoke to GP this afternoon, he advised me to keep an eye on the pulse rate and if it’s continuously high, he could increase the bisoprolol to 5mg.

[Tos92]

I have a very similar issue to your mum. My last episode was yesterday night. I feel like I cannot relax as a result of my heart beating too fast. For me, it mainly seems to be triggered on rest and comes in waves. I at least have one episode every week. I have noticed a lack of sleep and stress can contribute to it. Has she been under more stress than usual lately?

I check my pulse rate with my Apple Watch or oximeter when I get these episodes so your doctor has given you good advice to monitor her heart rate. If you make a note of the readings, it can help you work out a pattern in terms of frequency and any potential triggers. If she’s on new medication for the heart rate, this may also contribute to it as well. Might be worth reading the patient information leaflets of her medication.

All the best to you & your mum.

Tos

[Nickybhf in reply to Tos92]

Thank you so much for your reply, hope you’re okay. I think lack of sleep could definitely be a trigger. Mum isn’t really under a lot of stress, well I am constantly asking if she has worries or concerns. She definitely struggles to sleep though, she rarely has a good nights sleep to be honest. Since she was diagnosed with AF, I noticed her sleep pattern is so disruptive. She’ll sleep for a bit, then says she’s struggling to sleep.

I will definitely start making a note of the readings. I think alongside this, I might try and work out what the previous nights sleep has been like.

Hope you also feel better.

[Elsabounre in reply to Nickybhf]

Has her Doctor prescribed any sleep aid..or muscle relaxant..Melatonin could probably help or a small dose of Valium..these do mot seem to have many interactions with most meds

[Nickybhf in reply to Elsabounre]

The doctor hasn’t prescribed and sleep aid but the tablet he has given for anxiety says ‘can help to sleep’, although he’s said only take it as and when needed.

[Danceawaytheblues in reply to Tos92]

I find lack of sleep is the trigger for my episodes of AF. I spoke with my GP who prescribed a sleeping pill for me, it has made my life a bit easier. I am 78 and always though older people slept better as they age. 😉😉😉

[Nickybhf in reply to Danceawaytheblues]

Oh that’s definitely good to know. Do you still get episodes of AF when taking the sleeping pills?

[Danceawaytheblues in reply to Nickybhf]

I never get them at night and rarely during the day. I think that a good night`s sleep definitely helps me get through the day better. I hope that your Mum finds answers soon. I want to add that I have had two episodes of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, apparently caused by stress. Best wishes Marianne.

[Nickybhf in reply to Danceawaytheblues]

Thank you so much.

[Jeans1234]

When your heart is beating fast, ie over 100bpm it naturally makes you feel anxious. The best thing to do is drink a glass of water, sit or lie down, and take deep breaths.

[Nickybhf in reply to Jeans1234]

Thanks, will try this.

[sandandkev]

Hi do you have a pulse oximeter,you put it on a finger?? I have AF and have had to get my head around it,it's very common,is she on blood thinners too? It isn't a nice feeling as it feels like your heart is going to jump out of your chest,I try and do breathing exercises,slowly breathing in through nose and out through pursed lips,it does help

[Nickybhf in reply to sandandkev]

Hi,

Yes, we have the oximeter, mum is also on blood thinners. It’s odd that she has times when she seems fine, Then when she has these episodes, it can go on for days. The breathing exercises seem like a good thing to try. Thank you

[andreasuperstar]

yes in fact I was exactly like this through the night with no explanation. I have a history of SVT , which has suddenly worsened and I also get tachycardia . I’ve been referred to an electrophysiologist and about to have a loop recorder . The past year they’ve tried to pin it on anxiety as the cause at A&e but they fail to understand that whilst it causes severe anxiety when symptoms occur , I struggle to accept anxiety is the cause . I’m on bisoprolol, sertraline and diazepam. I asked to go on HRT to rule out or rule in hormone issues but is been unchanged in the past year . I don’t have the answer other than to say it’s not always anxiety , sometimes the heart just misbehaves and we get these weird adrenaline surges and chemicals released which can make you feel so strange . Sometimes I feel like waves of weird feelings come over me and I’m burning from the inside out and that might collapse . I can feel sick and clammy . Other times I think tachy is about to happen but I just online your mum , really restless and almost as if I’m about to have a panic attack . It’s very strange to describe and quite hard to get taken seriously but the electrophysiologist and cardiologist don’t blame it all on anxiety and I’m hoping to get more definitive answers through my loop recorder . A&e have not been helpful unfortunately. I’m in therapy for cardiac ptsd after a terrifying SVt episode but that’s not really changed my physical symptoms. I find a lot of support on some arrhythmia Facebook groups I’m on . Has your mum got a Kardia app? You can do an ecg which might help to add insight to what’s going on . If restless and it’s due to an adrenaline surge , my dr said it’s best to actually keep moving / do something as a way to dispose of the adrenaline. I hope your mum is ok , tell her she’s not on her own as many of us can identify with how shes feeling x

[Nickybhf in reply to andreasuperstar]

Thank you for your reply. I find it difficult to accept that it’s anxiety, but when I read the symptoms of anxiety, they are so similar. I can definitely understand and relate to how your saying it’s strange to describe, when I ask mum, she says I can’t describe the way I’m feeling so then I question mum and ask if it’s her heart beating fast or something she has on her mind. As a carer, I just want to try and understand and help. It’s difficult when mum doesn’t know how to describe the symptoms. The burning you mentioned sounds familiar too as suddenly mum says it’s too hot and she says open the doors or window etc even when it’s really cold!

We haven’t got the Kardia app but I will look into it.

Can I just ask, what is the loop recorder?

Thanks for replying and hope your symptoms improve.

[andreasuperstar]

it’s an implantable device that is the only long term way of monitoring the heart, particularly useful for those of us who have sporadic /difficult to capture symptoms. The adrenaline surges that come from the heart do mimic classic anxiety symptoms but most of the time I know this is a physical symptom and not anxiety . It’s a minefield . It can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, thyroid issues, anaemia, low B12, exercise , caffeine , nicotine , alcohol , not drinking enough water , sudden changes in blood pressure , dysautonomia/POTS. Sometimes there is no discernible cause it really is just a faulty electrical pathway that can be unpredictable or triggered by an ectopic best . I was told to drink 2-3 litres of water a day and up my salt intake because my bp is very low . I feel sorry for your mum because it can be annoying , troublesome but sometimes scary .

[Nickybhf in reply to andreasuperstar]

Yes, it’s so difficult, even though I look after mum, I feel helpless when she’s feeling like this. I did speak to a different GP a couple of months ago, he said a lot of older people seem to have anxiety issues and sort of blamed age to feeling anxious. I didn’t really think that was true. Mum also is anaemic but does take iron tablets. You mentioned about the water intake, mum is on a restriction with fluids but I sometimes think could this be causing dehydration.

[andreasuperstar]

I would say the best thing you can do is offer reassurance and learn about vagal manoeuvres. My boyfriend is a huge help to me , without him I’d panic everytime it happens . He helps to distract me . Sometimes I can feel unwell for a while after these episodes . It’s tiring when your heart has a tachycardia episode . If she ever faints , has nausea or really bad indigestion or chest , shoulder pain , that’s time to get to A&E. the Kardia can help identify certain arrhythmias and lets you know heart rate . Sometimes checking mine offers reassurance but sometimes it worries me . All ecg work off an algorithm so they’re not always 100 per cent accurate and need a human to interpret them . They can be good to capture episodes that you might want to show her dr .

Kardia device that you put your index and middle finger on for 30 seconds

[Nickybhf in reply to andreasuperstar]

Aww, I’m glad your partner helps to distract you. That is exactly what I try and do with mum, I talk to her to try and keep her distracted. I did see something about the Kardia, I spoke to my sister about this and we were concerned that mum may feel more anxious if we were using a device like this, although I think it might be worth getting one if she feels bad. Thanks for your reply