villen Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Hi!I am new here and have some questions. First, I have been suffering from anxiety and stress and a "sensitive" nervous system for five years. Been on 50 mg atenolol this period, which has worked well and I have lived a pretty normal life. I started getting POTS (or IST)symptoms about a year ago after becoming deconditioned and having an injured leg. My symptoms are mainly (and I know many of them are anxiety related):-pounding heart all day long (resting heartrate appr.75-85)-tachycardia-weak legs-tingling-fatigue-pounding heart upon standing-pounding heart and tingling in the body when just moving an arm, leg, turning over in bed-food/alcohol intolerances-pounding heart after a meal-exercise intolerance-dizziness when standing up-heat intolerance-sleep problems-pains-panic attacks-generalized anxietyI have read that betablockers can actualy cause POTS in some patients, and my psychiatrist means this is the case for me. I have lost weight lately, and think that my bloodpressure has become lower than normal. I am only on a low dose atenolol now, but sometimes I have bp readings down to 95/60. My normal pressure is 120/80. When I stand, I usually have a bp on 110/70 in general, but this can vary. It happens more often when I am very tired and had lack of sleep. I am afraid to stop taking the bb, and that my heart will race wildly. But my psychiatrist says that the racing heart is just a compensatory effect from the heart due to low blood pressure. Can he be right? Can the pounding heart be a compesatoric effect? Before this I was able to work out hard 4 times a week, and was in a good shape. I eat healthy, small meals and try to avoid to much carbs. Do you have any good advice for me? Does this have to be a lifelong condition? Is it harmful? Why is the heart pound SO hard every single day?Is it due to adrenaline overflow?? I had a holter and echo a few months ago -everything normal. My doc says its ok for me to taper off the betablocker and see if it helps...I am just afraid my heart will go crazy...Could this help on the constant pounding feeling? I read somewhere here on the board that the pounding comes when the blood pressure is a little to low and the heart tries to compesate with a harder beat....Could POTS appear after a a long stressful period? I get so scared when I have the symptoms, and feel like I am dying every day..I know that many of my symptoms are "normal" in a sensitized body/anxiety state, but many of the symptoms I find it hard to only blame the anxiety. Hope you are doing well. Villen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Hi,Welcome aboard,It would be a good idea to see a specialist like a cardiologist or neurologist and do a TTT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villen Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Hi,Welcome aboard,It would be a good idea to see a specialist like a cardiologist or neurologist and do a TTT.I was at the cardiologist in october. He didn`t say much about my symptoms (just that it wasn`t harmful and that I have a normal heart with a normal rhythm (with a tendency to sinus tachy) Don`t know if there are many docs who have heard of POTS here in Norway I think the fainting patients are taken more seriously...but I don`t know. My doc and psych.blame it on the betablocker. I know I have anxiety, so many of my symptoms can be due to this. But I also have many POTSy symptoms. And I sure didn`t have any of these symptoms bedore after a very stressful months a year ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted February 25, 2008 Report Share Posted February 25, 2008 Hi,You need a diagnosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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