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Bradycardia


valliali

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Do you guys experience bradycardia with your dysautonomias? Since becoming "sick," over a year ago, I have never seen my pulse below 80, even while on 200mg beta blockers per day. I am usually tachycardic, and find a pulse rate of 80 to be a nice break.

Yesterday, about 1/2 hour after eating lunch, I had a very odd reaction. Sudden panic, tremoring, and blood pressure skyrocketed. My heart was pounding, and I thought it was racing, but when I used my blood pressure monitor, it indicated a heart rate of 58. I know this is not unusually low, but like I said, I have not seen my heart rate below 80, and very rarely below 95, in over a year. When the episode ended, my heart rate when back up to about 85, blood pressure went down, and I felt more "normal."

I mentioned that I had just eaten because I think I have heard that gastrointestinal problems can cause bradycardia? Or that it can cause a vagal nerve response, but I am not sure what that is.

The odd thing is that since then, my heart rate has been so much slower than normal. This morning, after being up and walking around for awhile, it was at 55, and recently it's been staying at about 63. I would sure rather a slower heart rate than the faster ones, but am very confused why this is happening.

For the past month, I have been having a lot of abdominal issues. I feel a deep pressure in my upper abdomen, my pulse is sooo strong there, and I get incredibly bloated after eating. My boyfriend says I look five months pregnant, and I am a fairly smallish person.

Just wondering if anyone has these issues? Or knows of a connection between gastrointestinal problems and bradycardia?

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Guest Sandy Sims

Maybe you should check the side effects of your Beta blocker meds. Sometimes takes a few days or weeks at lower doses for effects to be fully felt. What you describe was my response to Beta blockers--at first a cure--then not so.

Online this drug info lookup can be done free at drugs.com and several other sites.

Also, have you had a glucose tolerance test? Or any blood sugar testing done? Reacting to food with major changes of BP/pulse could be from sugar issues--some of those can be made worse with some meds.

Any person can buy a finger stick testing machine at any pharmacy--instructions are simple--results easy to understand. Most machines even offer a download function to give info to your doctors.

Hope this helps,

Sandy

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Ernie, your heart rate gets as low as 30?!?! You have really crazy swings in your vitals. How often? I'm so sorry you have to deal with that.

Is that likely due to hyperadrenergic POTS? What kind of GI issues do you have?

I hope that you are finding some relief with treatment. I notice your signature says you are involved in a study, I hope that provides you some answers!

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I do get bradycardia, and I think it's fairly common with POTS. My heart rate when I'm sitting or resting is usually around 45 (sleeping goes into the 30s). But, when I'm on medication, it's always low; when I have a tachycardia episode, it may go up to 100-120, but on meds I don't hit the high rates I was getting before meds (180-200 range). So what concerns me about what you've described is that your tachycardias are really high compared to your bradycardias, and also that you don't usually HAVE bradycardia. If you had this more frequently, then I think it'd be easier to say it's just POTS and don't worry, but since it's new, you should probably get it checked out. Also, it sounds like this symptom is bothering you -- when I get bradycardic, most of the time it doesnt' affect me. In very extreme episodes, I"ll get very cold and unable to think clearly. But in my day-to-day life, a hr of 45 isn't even noticeable. If you notice symptoms in addition to hr, then it's worth getting attention for.

I also get bradycardic after eating -- I have slow gastric emptying and GERD, but also after you eat, especially a bigger meal, your body sends more blood to your digestive system to help deal with the food. If you already have low blood volume, this will obviously aggravate your symptoms. Even if you're not, it can still cause bradycardia because of changes in where the blood volume is increasing/decreasing.

I hope you find some relief!

jump

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Hi,

I don't know how often my HR goes in the 30s but it happend when I was in the hospital and the doctors had cut some of the meds I was taking.

Everyday I have HR swings every time I stand up. I have a very severe case of hyperadrenergic POTS.

I am being investigated for Chron's disorder. I have not done all the testing yet.

It's going slow with the research. So far, we know that more than 50% of my family has the disorder and it is a stress on our body to be upright.

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I also get some bradycardia.

My range of "normal living" includes heartrate range of 32-180. Only when sick did I see rates higher.

I desperately NEED my compression in the morning to raise bp and lower hr.

If I get the bradycardia, it is usually in the evening. It is then I will remove any compression I am wearing.

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Thank you all so much for your replies.

My heart rate is still wayyyy lower than it ever has been, but it is in the 50s so I know that this is not alarming for any immediate issues, especially since many of you experience heart rates in the 40s and even 30s.

I am still a bit concerned though at how suddenly this came on. Two days ago, my heart was going along its business at a resting rate of 95, frequently jumping up to close to 200 with any type of movement of excitement. This has been "normal" for the past year. Then the day before yesterday, same thing until the afternoon when my heart started pounding really hard, and I felt panicky so I assumed I was having a panic attack, and I took my blood pressure and heart rate because I was certain my heart would be going rapidly, as it usually does in response to panic. It was in the 50s. And it is still in the 50s. When I move around, it continues to accelerate into the 100s, but upon resting, immediately goes back to the 50s.

This has me in a bit of a pickle because it is so sudden and so unusual.

I am worried that something happened to my heart that has done permanent damage. Can something suddenly go wrong with the electrical signaling - for good? Or something to the sinus node? I am reading a bit on sick sinus syndrome, and it is terrifying. I am just not sure that it can come on all of a sudden?

I really want to take my beta blockers, as they are the only medication that gives me a bit of peace from these symptoms, but have not taken them since my heart has slowed. I am worried to continue on them if I am having a serious heart problem.

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Going off 200 mg of a beta blocker could easily be causing your strange symptoms!!

I only take 25 mg, and if I forget a dose my heart goes completely completely wacky.

It probably isn't safe to just stop a medication that your body is used to without first talking to your doctor. I believe usually when people come off BB's they have to taper off slowly to avoid side effects.

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Good call, jump! I should have clarified. I have only taken 200mg of beta blockers a few times with doctor approval. I am prescribed 200mg a day, but have only been taking 25-50mg per day. I was just mentioning that even when I did take 200mg, which knocked me on my butt, my heart rate still didn't drop below 80. I haven't taken a beta blocker for a month now, since moving to the east coast, because I've had such trouble breathing in this weather. I didn't seem to have any side effects from stopping the bb, and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be having any now after all this time. It seems entirely unrelated to beta blockers to me.

I have also noticed that now, since my heart rate has suddenly decreased, my blood pressure is now increasing dramatically. Normally when I stand it drops, now it is increasing from a typical 90/50 to about 135-140/90. Is this odd?

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Disclaimer: I have not been officially diagnosed with dysautonomia, even though I am positive that I have it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have bradycardia. I had to get a pacemaker 2 1/2 years ago. My resting heart rate is around 40 bpm without the pacemaker. I did not feel well even with my heart rate in the 50s, so I had the pacemaker set to go no lower than 60 bpm.

I would be concerned, too, since your resting heart rate was usually so high.

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valliali,

i have been on a 200mg bb as well, for quite some years (coming from 300 where i felt most comfortable considering hr but so very very tired that i decided to decrease) until just a few months ago when my hr's lowered to 40-44bpm. as i felt very uncomfortable (not being able to do anything but lay in bed) i lowered (after i discussed with my doc of course) to 150mg. that made my hr come up to 50's and even back to 60 now and then. i feel much better, though not what it was (which wasn't very much btw :):) ). i don't know where this change is coming from just try to keep it in control.

whenever you worry about your hr or other serious conditions, it is okay to check with the others here, but please do not forget that you should see your doctor.

take care,

corina :)

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