Low Resting Hr

[andybonse]

Hello,

Sometimes my resting heart rate is 70, sometimes its 50.

How can I take Midodrine when its 50 as this will slow it down more right?

I am wondering if I need a pacemaker and 50 is not normal?

I've told my cardio before my resting hr is low and he said it is fine....

So many contradictions with this crap! Im fuming lol.

[Science girl]

I'm not sure about your meds question but if it makes you feel better my husband has low hr like you and he doesn't have POTS! Also his cycling friends hr goes below 50! My goes as low as 56 but is mostly 60 lying down but I have POTS.

[andybonse]

I have POTS too,

My dads is 49 lol. I guess it must be normal then.

[lejones1]

I have a low resting heart rate too, usually low to mid 50s, but sometimes when I'm not feeling well it might be higher. Sometimes I have periods where it drops below 50 and I feel kind of tired and out of it - not sure why, but I haven't had it in a while so I try not to think about it! I also asked my cardiologist and he said it was good thing...so I guess I'll believe him. I was in pretty good shape before getting sick so I guess it makes sense. My dad has a low HR too so maybe you're right, maybe it's a hereditary thing!

[andybonse]

mine can be 47 laid still in bed, but any movements it goes up to 60 lol.

I wonder if I can use Midodrine with a low hr?

[s-pot]

I believe POTs meds may have lowered my resting HR over the last while too. Im on Fludro and have taken Mido in the past.

A recent stint in hospital on Holter for 6 days showed my resting HR dipping down beween 43-50 in the evenings but if I got up off the chair to go to the loo it would fly back up to 90-100.

Low HR is defo not to do with fitness levels or genetics with me I never had a resting HR this low, my usual was 60-70....just another new mystery of POTS it seems!

Personally my own experience with Mido was it dropped my heart rate so when my HR is going that low now its been ruled out as a drug of choice.

My postural tachycardia has been severe enough recently and causing a bad flare but cannot take a Beta cos the HR is dropping so low later in the day so that option is out. Tried to up the Fludro and I retained water a developed serious headaches so had to drop back again. So im out of options really at the moment.

I do wonder what it is thou that is dropping the HR so low.....makes me feel like muck (worse than usual) in the mornings.

So im really as clueless as you are with this one Andybose!! Just thought id share a similar problem!!

[arizona girl]

Hi all, Well here is my experience with this particular problem. Certain bp meds can stay in the body too long and drop you to low when you go to sleep at nite. When this was happening with me when on atenenol I'd sometimes go into the 40's. I would have a terrible nite sleep and would wake up biting my lip with my arms and legs rigid and in terrible pain with a headache. I believe the rigid tightened muscles was my body's way of trying to move my blood because I was pooling with such a low heart rate.

The other factor is what is happening with your bp when going supine to standing. I turned out to not only have a rise in heart rate, but a huge rise in bp. BTW, which was missed because I was starting in the 50's and only hitting the high 90's-110's (a huge swing but not caught as easy as those with normal hr that then goes 120 and up) I was classified as hyperandrenergic pots with syncope after a ttt and then a supine to standing catecholamine blood test. My norepi almost tripled on standing. Also my BP would continue to rise the longer I was upright and quickly dropped when supine.

Dr. Grubb who diagnosed me switched me to labetalol a short acting low dose alpha beta. I couldn't use clonidine as my body in the past had an addictive reaction to it requiring more and more to keep me down. The labetalol has been very effective, I can take more or less of it as needed. I also avoid bp drugs a few hours before bedtime. I don't drop so low at nite now.

However, my dysautonomias are due to several factors including cvid, hashi, UCTD, small fiber autonomic neuropathy as a result of those conditions, pcos, and lichen. Managing and treating all these co-factors has improved my autonomic function, but it is a tuff juggling act and I'm certainly not free of pain, fatigue or able to skip down the road yet. We do the best we can with my treatment plan. My hope is that we've stopped the decline and I will continue to see improvements, be they small or hopefully large.

Hang in there all. The diagnostic process the disbelief, long waits for doctors and results can be the most stressful part of managing this. You will though eventually be on the other side of this, hopefully sooner then it took me.

Those of you with low blood pressure and hypotension on standing, may have to use a very different treatment plan then those of us who have a rise in BP. Many meds just treat symptoms which is great, as long as you don't have dysautonomia secondary to a primary illness. Meds may control symptoms for a while but may also cover up symptoms of an underlying illness. They can also be used well in conjunction with treatments aimed at primary cause. But, figuring that out is the hard part as many illnesses can effect the autonomic nervous system. Don't quit until you are satisfied you and yours doc have figured it out and you feel you are being managed as well as can be expected. Stay Strong!

Take care all!

[Racer]

Many things can affect resting hr beside meds, so it is probably a bad idea to compare hr. A doctor would most likely consider your history while deciding if your resting hr is okay. Currently My normal resting is around 50-60, but with 5mg midodrine it goes into the 40's while sitting. During a recent stay in the hospital my hr went into the mid 30's while sleeping, and the nurses found it alarming. So for me, I only take the midodrine when I am going to be upright. It would probably be a bad idea if I took midodrine and went to sleep!