Jason_X

Mine is typically low. 5000 iu/day did not bring my levels up at all. 7000/day brought it up a little. I’ll take 10,000/day if I haven’t taken it in a while. I seem to recall reading a study claiming that vitamin D supplementation was useless, but noticed that they only supplemented ~500/day if I remember correctly. It looked like a study designed to fail. On the other hand, I also remember reading a study claiming that vitamin E supplementation was useless. I then found articles on the Life Extension website that explained that most Vitamin E supplements were the alpha version of E, which they considered to be worse than taking nothing at all. I don’t know enough about vitamin D supplements to know whether there would be problems with the supplemental forms of it.

I tried the pills and years later I tried the patch. I was unbearably tired without much relief from tachycardia. Like the other poster said, we have unpredictable sensitivities. I can’t take Benadryl, but it’s perfectly fine for almost everyone else. You won’t really know unless you try it.

I did growth hormone injections for a while almost 20 years ago. It GREATLY reduced my intolerance for exercise. I could exercise like a normal person for a while. However, it was VERY expensive and the price tripled, so I had to discontinue treatment. I was paying out of pocket with an out of state doctor that was not covered by insurance. I then went to a mainstream local endocrinologist (covered by my insurance) with the hope that he’d by sympathetic and encouraged by my positive results. He strung me along for a while, but would not consider growth hormone. I finally gave up.

MikeO, Thanks for the info! I tried Metformin years ago and it seemed to aggravate my tachycardia and insomnia. However, I'm on Berberine now and I'm tolerating it fine. I keep lowering my carbs, but I haven't tried going completely carb-free. More exercise would be great, but I can't tolerate more than a little exercise these days without increased heart rate for 12-24 hrs and certain insomnia. I've tried some mild intermittent fasting and find it very unpleasant. If I try one, I'm leaning towards Tirzepatide over Semaglutide since it seems to be more effective with slightly reduced side-effects.

Does anyone here have any experience with either of these? My understanding is that these these are medications that are approved for treating Type 2 Diabetes, but many doctors are prescribing them off label for weight loss. My fasting glucose and A1c levels are borderline pre-diabetic and have been steadily getting worse despite improving my diet. My doctor is open to trying either of those medications. I have inappropriate sinus tachycardia (treated with Ivabradine (Corlanor) and low dose Bystolic), and I’ve also noticed that my symptoms seem to get worse if I eat anything that causes my blood sugar levels to bounce. I’m wondering whether my heart rate (and related symptoms) might be better controlled if my glucose metabolism were better controlled. My insomnia (related to the tachycardia) has gotten worse over the years as my fasting glucose and A1c levels have deteriorated. This is my primary motivation for looking into this. It’s a serious issue for me and affects every aspect of my life. One concern is that both of those meds can slow stomach emptying. I already have mild (stage 1) gastroparesis, and this may make it worse.

My sleep quality tends to be absolutely terrible. I’ve always been an extremely light sleeper. Here is what helps for me: CPAP machine: A sleep study didn’t detect apnea, but it did show several Respiratory Effort Related Arousals (RERAs). Light snoring will wake me up before an apnea occurs. I LOVE my CPAP device. My sleep quality improved dramatically from it, but did didn’t fix everything. I use my CPAP even if I take a nap. Avoid Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Carrageenan, autolyzed yeast extract, and Torula yeast. They are all pretty much the same thing in that they contain free glutamates. All will increase my heart rate and destroy my sleep quality. Meds to slow my heart rate: Corlanor (Ivabradine) and Bystolic: I will not sleep well with an elevated heart rate. Both of these meds degrade my sleep if taken in higher doses, but a small dose is definitely helpful if my heart rate is up. Amitriptyline: I can’t take it anymore because it speeds up my heart. However, it used to work REALLY well in tiny doses. The smallest pill is 10 mg, and ~2.5 mg was enough to improve my sleep significantly. I used to break it up. Gabapentin: 100-300 mg. This stuff also GREATLY improves my sleep quality. It’s supposed to be safe in that it’s virtually impossible to die from an overdose from it. It is commonly prescribed in doses >1000 mg/day for nerve pain. It’s also used in high doses for seizures. I know someone who takes +2000 mg/day. However, it seems to lower my mood with time, and I have horrible withdrawal if I discontinue it too abruptly. I’ve spoken to two doctors who have never had this reaction from their patients, though I’ve seen others report similar withdrawal symptoms online.

I tend to have problems in the morning. I have stage 1 gastroparesis (along with inappropriate sinus tachycardia), and I’ve attributed the morning problems to my stomach quickly emptying out over-digested food that’s been sitting there all night. It can be frustrating because my stomach is uncomfortably slow most of the day, but the lower digestive system is much too fast in morning. I try to make sure that I’m up and moving around for about an hour before I leave the house. That gives my digestive system a chance to flush anything out while I’m near a bathroom. It’s less convenient while traveling.

I've been on Corlanor for years. It's MUCH better for reducing heart rate than beta blockers. I suspect that it reduces sleep quality a little, but that's the only side effect I'm aware of. I'm a guy, and I'm not aware of pregnancy issues. My insurance refused coverage for undisclosed reasons despite my heart doctor's very vocal insistence. They told him it was because it was because of "off label" use, but he says that virtually all of his prescriptions are technically off-label. I live in the US, so I order mine through a Canadian pharmacy.

I frequently have issues with pounding heart sensation even though my heart rate is low (<70 bpm). I have very low anxiety, but it makes it hard to sleep. I take Corlanor and Bystolic to help control heart rate, and it does seem to reduce the sensation of pounding, but not completely. (typo fixed)

FYI: I get the Ivabradine from Canada for ~$40 per month at 7.5 mg twice/day. The generic Bystolic is about $13 month at one 2.5mg tablet once/day. I actually break the Bystolic in half and take in divided doses (1/2 in morning, 1/2 at night).

Your doctor may be unfamiliar with using Canadian pharmacies. It's completely legal and the doctor simply FAXes the prescription to them. I just happened to come across a doctor who does this so that his patients are able to afford Ivabradine. I later transferred to another doctor (for logistical reasons) and the new doctor was fine with the Canadian pharmacy. Bystolic is supposed to be cardio selective at doses less than 10 mg/day and presumably would not be a significant risk to asthma. Both acebutolol and metoprolol exhibit less selectivity at higher doses as well.

I live in the US, but I get my Ivabradine and Bystolic (Nebivolol) from a pharmacy in Canada. It's about one-tenth the cost of what they charge in the US. My cardiologist will FAX the prescription to them. My insurance refuses to pay for both Ivabradine and Bystolic unless I have actual heart failure. Acebutolol made me incredibly tired and severely disrupted my sleep.

I don't know if it's direct or not. I just know that it the resting rate drops, the pounding and fatigue drops. I have extra Bystolic pills available for whenever I need something beyond the usual daily dose of Ivabradine + Bystolic. I've tried lost of beta blockers and Bystolic. is the one that has the fewest side effects. I've seen several cardiologists over the about 30 years who were clueless about this issue. Some of these were highly recommended cardiologist. When I finally found a cardiologist that knew what I was talking about, he said "Those cardiologists were plumbers. I'm an electrician." I think that the key to finding an effective cardiologist is to find one that is an electrophysiologist.

I was just going to make a similar post tonight when I saw yours. My heart pounds if the resting rate is elevated the tiniest amount. I feel pounding if the resting rate is around 70 or above. The pounding is worse the higher the resting rate. Any sensation of pounding means I get severely disrupted sleep. I'm a VERY low anxiety person, so it's not anxiety. I take Ivabradine (Corlanor) 7.5 mg twice daily, and Bystolic 1.25 mg twice a day (1/2 of a 2.5 mg tablet). This helps quite a bit, but it still disrupts my sleep even my resting rate is even near 70. Tonight, I feel it pounding and it’s only 68. I tried propranolol a long time ago. It did a great job of slowing down my heart, but I felt terrible and it severely disrupted my sleep. Bystolic seems to be the beta blocker with the least disruptive side effects. I can drink a LOT of coffee without any significant heart rate elevation, but a single glass of wine (or beer) or a half tablet of Benadryl will shoot it up to 75-80 bpm and I’ll feel terrible and extremely fatigued, but I can’t sleep. Monosodium glutamate or carrageenan will set me off too. I just checked my blood pressure and it’s slightly elevated (131/77). I’m not sure, but I’m beginning to suspect that slightly elevated blood pressure may correlate with the sensation of pounding and insomnia. Cardiologists tends to say "it's only mildly elevated. It shouldn't be bothering you." I wonder if I should take some Benadryl before my next visit. Edit: I also have stage one gastroparesis and a removed gall bladder.

I did pretty well. Male in my mid 50s. Slightly overweight. Taking Lisinopril for mild high blood pressure. Some kidney damage from taking PPIs in the past (to address GERD because of gastroparesis) Infected in early July 2022, so likely the BA.5 strain. Three Pfizer vaccines, with the most recent on in December 2021. I never had a fever. Symptoms: Stuffy head. Mild cough. Fatigue that started a few days after the initial symptoms. The fatigue lasted 1-2 weeks and faded gradually. I was concerned about heart symptoms because I have inappropriate sinus tachycardia, but it wasn't a problem.