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Today I've convinced myself I have a heart disorder


[Mr...]

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Just need to get some fears and anxiety off my chest. I have struggled with this for years to a minor degree but withdrawal had amplified it all X 1000. Any insight or advice warmly appreciated.

 

 

My heart keeps going what seems like too slow for extended periods. It feels strained, like it's barely managing each heart beat.

 

It flutters sometimes. Spasms and erratic rhythms in my chest. I don't know if this is even my heart or gas or stomach muscles or tension sometimes. But I always assume it's my heart.

 

Or sometimes it gets stuck in a fast rhythm. It'll be 60 then suddenly go to 110 and stay there until I cough.

 

It frequently skips beats.

 

Often I'm dizzy and sometimes I feel a electrical jolts pulse through my body. Often my body feels numb and tingly.

 

I get really dizzy in the shower and so dread and avoid it. The same when I use the toilet.

 

 

I'm aware that almost all of this can be caused by anxiety and withdrawal. But for some reason it feels incredibly convincing that it's something wrong my heart.

 

 

I find myself becoming more and more vigilant to small sensations in my body. Rarely one heart beat goes by that I'm not aware of. I'm there, checking, noticing, feeling every single heart  beat. I have almost a continual apprehension that my heart will stop or enter some deadly rhythm. I'm waiting. Watching. Monitoring.

 

When anything unusual happens like a skipped beat, I feel a huge surge of anxiety - is it evidence that I will die shortly? Is my heart giving out due to exhaustion and not sleeping for several days ?

 

 

It extends to interfering with my rest too. I'm afraid to sleep and not to sleep. When I try to sleep, I become aware of my heart and fear it will stop or enter a deadly rhythm while I'm asleep.

 

When I stay awake, I fear that my heart will give out due to exhaustion.

 

When I'm very tired and enduring intense withdrawal anxiety, these thoughts and monitoring behaviours get out of control and spiral into intense fear.

 

 

When I walk, I fear that my heart will stop due to exhaustion.

 

 

I feel a great deal of fear. I'm aware that this is all likely withdrawal and anxiety. I'm aware that it's health anxiety. But somehow I can't seem to stop the cycle. I'll distract myself, but when I skip a heart beat, my body startles in the same way it would from an external noise. I feel helpless to this kind of sensitivity that fuels health anxiety. I'm struggling to get out of the cycle.

 

So, that's off my chest, my biggest fear.

 

 

I'd be so so appreciative for some advice about facing and overcoming this. I feel very caught in a loop of worsening fear apprehension and suffering. I know its not good for healing. It slows it down through added stress. But I don't know to help it.

 

Warm regards,

 

Mr eggplant aka anxious wreck

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If you have health insurance, you can go get your heart checked out, it will put your mind at ease.  Many people don't have health insurance.  I don't know if you do, but if so, just go to see a cardilogist.  They can only help you, not hurt you.
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If you have health insurance, you can go get your heart checked out, it will put your mind at ease.  Many people don't have health insurance.  I don't know if you do, but if so, just go to see a cardilogist.  They can only help you, not hurt you.

 

Thank you.

 

I do plan to do this, but for the last few weeks I have been too unwell to leave the house. I've basically been stuck in a dark room and the prospect of even a shower has been too overwhelming this week.

 

I don't think I can leave my room most of the time, due to exhaustion and hypersensitivity... So making it all the way to a busy hospital for tests feels beyond me. A long way beyond me.

 

It's ridiculous, but I feel quite trapped. Too unwell to leave home, and too unwell to get out of it for any tests that would be reassuring.

 

Actually I suppose it's the same fear - I fear that if overexert or overstimulate myself by going to a noisy environment far from the safety of my house - when I'm already exhausted,  then my heart will give out  :crazy: ... I don't know when I became this ridiculous

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I am so sorry to hear that, I understand.  Do you think you could ask a friend or relative to take you?  I know hypersensitivity is an issue for you, but if you went maybe it would put your mind at ease.  I have heart issues too, these things can be scary sometimes, similar to what you described, especially the flutters.  What you've described may be anxiety driven, but it'd be best to check it out with a cardiologist if you can.  On a brighter note, heart is a very powerful organ designed to carry us through many, many years of life.  That keeps me going.
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I am so sorry to hear that, I understand.  Do you think you could ask a friend or relative to take you?  I know hypersensitivity is an issue for you, but if you went maybe it would put your mind at ease.  I have heart issues too, these things can be scary sometimes, similar to what you described, especially the flutters.  What you've described may be anxiety driven, but it'd be best to check it out with a cardiologist if you can.  On a brighter note, heart is a very powerful organ designed to carry us through many, many years of life.  That keeps me going.

 

Thanks for your kindness again.

 

How are you doing at 10 months off ?

 

How were your heart symptoms during and since your taper ?

 

 

Yes a relative could take me but honestly it feels like too much right now ... Busy waiting rooms... Explaining it all when in an anxious state... Going back and forth for tests.... It's too much right now... It's embarrassing but I haven't managed to face getting in the shower for 5 days due to sensory overwhelm. I just pattern myself down with a wet cloth ... Some stinky benzo withdrawal beast.

 

 

I did have a basic ecg a few weeks ago that was fine. And 6 years ago I had an echo that was fine and a stress test that was fine.But the anxious part of my mind says they will only catch something if they monitor it for several weeks. That there's something underlying they missed or that developed since then.

 

Then benzo withdrawal symptoms are used as evidence to justify this extreme fear.

 

 

I guess I'm fairly confident than anxiety has a strong influence both on the symptoms and my reaction too them. My heart seems a bit "irritable" in withdrawal, it does some weird things, but that's probably normal.

 

I suppose I'm wondering if anyone could recommend any techniques, books etc about dealing with this kind of health anxiety ...?

 

Or maybe some reassurance that slightly erratic heart symptoms are the norm in withdrawal ?  :-\

 

 

Warm regards and hope you are well today,

 

Mr eggplant aka anxious eggplant aka hypervigilent eggplant of fear

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I understand how you feel, I've been in exactly the same situation. I have lived in a dark apartment when I have counted my heartbeats at all times. What also scared me was getting worse when I was going to bed. Then I got even more anxiety because it felt like the heart would jump out. Just taking me to the bathroom, or doing the very least, made the heart beat very hard.

Unfortunately, this is a very common, and scary, symptom of the withdrawal that is included in Ashton's manual.

 

I also have all the understanding that it seems completely impossible to seek medical care. My home, and my couch, has long been my only security zone, so it was completely unthinkable to have my heart checked.

It's a very bad comfort, I know, but it's getting better and better over time. Slowly but surely, it will be better. Do you know someone who has a blood pressure cuff? Then you can check your blood pressure and pulse at home in peace and quiet. I did, and I was sure it would be disastrous, but everything was normal. Then I felt calm.

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You and me... I saw a cardiologist, got a 24 hour Holter and an echocardiogram. I can feel my premature atrial contractions (PACs) since i started tapering off. Chest pain, coughing, choking, i wake up and i feel like i stooped breathing. The cardiologist even questioned the wisdom of getting off Klonopin, why do it if it makes me so uncomfortable. Because i feel i should, long term it will be better for me.

Of course if you have symptoms you should see a physician, but i want you to know that I’ve been having this problem for over a month now. I do the 4-7-8 breathing and listen to an audio book by a neurologist who discovered the opioid receptors in the brain, not sure if i can post titles in here so i won’t. It helps some. I try to eat healthy (no gluten or high histamine or sugar) but i think it is unrealistic to try it all at once. So i have some granola wih milk and it calms me down briefly. Wishing you a smooth recovery. 

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Just need to get some fears and anxiety off my chest. I have struggled with this for years to a minor degree but withdrawal had amplified it all X 1000. Any insight or advice warmly appreciated.

 

 

My heart keeps going what seems like too slow for extended periods. It feels strained, like it's barely managing each heart beat.

 

It flutters sometimes. Spasms and erratic rhythms in my chest. I don't know if this is even my heart or gas or stomach muscles or tension sometimes. But I always assume it's my heart.

 

Or sometimes it gets stuck in a fast rhythm. It'll be 60 then suddenly go to 110 and stay there until I cough.

 

It frequently skips beats.

 

Often I'm dizzy and sometimes I feel a electrical jolts pulse through my body. Often my body feels numb and tingly.

 

I get really dizzy in the shower and so dread and avoid it. The same when I use the toilet.

 

 

I'm aware that almost all of this can be caused by anxiety and withdrawal. But for some reason it feels incredibly convincing that it's something wrong my heart.

 

 

I find myself becoming more and more vigilant to small sensations in my body. Rarely one heart beat goes by that I'm not aware of. I'm there, checking, noticing, feeling every single heart  beat. I have almost a continual apprehension that my heart will stop or enter some deadly rhythm. I'm waiting. Watching. Monitoring.

 

When anything unusual happens like a skipped beat, I feel a huge surge of anxiety - is it evidence that I will die shortly? Is my heart giving out due to exhaustion and not sleeping for several days ?

 

 

It extends to interfering with my rest too. I'm afraid to sleep and not to sleep. When I try to sleep, I become aware of my heart and fear it will stop or enter a deadly rhythm while I'm asleep.

 

When I stay awake, I fear that my heart will give out due to exhaustion.

 

When I'm very tired and enduring intense withdrawal anxiety, these thoughts and monitoring behaviours get out of control and spiral into intense fear.

 

 

When I walk, I fear that my heart will stop due to exhaustion.

 

 

I feel a great deal of fear. I'm aware that this is all likely withdrawal and anxiety. I'm aware that it's health anxiety. But somehow I can't seem to stop the cycle. I'll distract myself, but when I skip a heart beat, my body startles in the same way it would from an external noise. I feel helpless to this kind of sensitivity that fuels health anxiety. I'm struggling to get out of the cycle.

 

So, that's off my chest, my biggest fear.

 

 

I'd be so so appreciative for some advice about facing and overcoming this. I feel very caught in a loop of worsening fear apprehension and suffering. I know its not good for healing. It slows it down through added stress. But I don't know to help it.

 

Warm regards,

 

Mr eggplant aka anxious wreck

 

You just described my life.

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You just described my life.

 

:thumbsup: Then may this reassure us both, anonymous forum friend.

 

We must stop listening to the insane salesman of our mind. It's selling us a good story, but only a story. :crazy:

 

Wishing you less suffering soon  :smitten::-*

 

Warm regards, mr eggplant aka anxious wreck

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  • 2 weeks later...

hey I also convinced my self I had something wrong with my heart, so much so that it was giving me even more anxiety and the craziest heart palpitations. Went to a really good cardiologist, he checked my heart and I wore a 24 hour EKG, everything came out perfectly fine. It's just freaking anxiety and it's symptoms. He said he could give me a beta blocker for the attacks but that I don't need it.  I mean ever since getting it checked out my anxiety has been very low and I don't worry even if i do get a palpitation. It still sucks but the anxiety isn't there like it used to be. Go get it checked out!

 

This will all go away once we heal. Stupid symptoms, I hate them all.

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Thank you all. I'm going to get some tests as well - while I think it's withdrawal, it's good to have peace of mind.

 

 

Strangely a lot of people seem to have slowed heart rate in withdrawal. I've read a great deal of threads now. This is slightly paradoxical, because usually withdrawal is associated with anxiety, which is associated with higher heart rates.

 

 

I have one possible theory that it's to do with cortisol and stress hormones. Benzos cause significant cortisol suppression. The body will oppose this by raising it. Upon tapering, benzo cortisol-suppression effects start to reduce, leaving physiologically higher cortisol levels than normal levels. Excess cortisol and other stress hormones can sometimes lower heart rate, paradoxically. Both directly and indirectly through mechanisms such as impairing thyroid function. The work of Ray Peat is quite interesting when it comes to this.

 

 

An interesting experience I had was having a cortisol stimulation test (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACTH_stimulation_test). Before the test, my heart rate was 60 and regular. Soon after the injection and consequent rise in cortisol, my heart rate dropped dramatically to 40. It then rose gradually back to 60 in the few hours after the test. I commented on this to the doctor, who said he didn't know or it wasn't relevant. But it stuck in my head as interesting that an increase in cortisol or precursory hormones had produced bradycardia. Likewise, in withdrawal it might be a case of high rebound cortisol suppressing heart rate. until it moves back to a physiological equilibrium similar to before the introduction of the benzo.

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  • 2 months later...

Same situation here. I am really exhausted so going for tests is daunting. However, the anxiety was killing me , so I took an Uber to an urgent care down the street the other day. They did an EKG and yes I have palpitations, but no its nothing to worry about. Also my CBC blood test and thyroid panel came back normal. I am struggling right now with weakness, fatigue and anxiety mostly.

 

I do have to say that the tests put my mind at ease temporarily, but now i'm anxious because I think I should get more tests done. And then down the same ol rabbit hole. This is Health Anxiety at its finest. Every ailment I thought I had has come back negative. Thankfully!

 

Benzo withdrawal can produce awful symptoms that nobody can understand. Some people bleed through their skin, can't walk etc... all benzo related.

 

So try not to worry too much and go get tested if you can to get peace of mind.

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  • 5 months later...

Hello,.

 

I understand what you're going through, both with health related anxiety and heart irregullarities. Its truly amazing how we can convince ourselves of some pending event or undiagnosed condition. I can tell you gas can certainly cause discomfort near is the heart and fake palpitations,  but I do get regular heart palpitations as well.

 

One of the main things a cardiologist told me years ago, before benzo withdrawals, when was having palpitations nearly constantly , was to get more sleep. Exhaustion seems to compound the issue. I know it's easier said than done when you have racing thoughts and a nagging internal pessimistic doctor in your head.

 

Instead of fixating on my thoughts and perceptions of my body when I lay down, I work on aknowledging them, recognizing that they are thoughts, they are normal and then letting them pass by instead of feeling i need to analyze each one.or trying to stop or suppress them. Rather my goal is to acknowledge them, observe them, and then let them float off. It takes practice and effort and guided meditations may be helpful.

 

Sending you positive calming vibes.

 

 

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I had a heart situation today, my heart stopped beating for about 4-5 seconds, I literally felt the life draining out of me momentarily, and also terrible pressure, as though my whole body was being crushed into the ground. I wasn't anxious about it per se, I just surrendered and went with the flow, I knew adrenals would kick in.  They did, and I literally felt the revival, but with terrible fear, as though there was current going through my body. I had to pick up the pieces and go.  It happened before, it was 1.5 years ago. 
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after reading all the post im kinda relieved im not the only one who lives in a totally black out room  and cant leave the house  with health anxiety sometimes its really bad but most days its manageable  hang in there  i still need to start a taper myself and get off this devil drug
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  • 2 years later...

Hi mr Eggplant!

 

Sounds like you are very attentive/hyper vigilant to every single symptom or event that happens to your body. This is perfectly normal. I am also unconsciously paying attention to every tiny detail regarding the heartbeats.

 

There are many things you can do to ease your mind. You mentioned that you are not comfortable getting out of the house. So, you can go online and order an automatic blood pressure cuff and a pulse-o-meter to check your heart rate at any time. With this being said, you can check your BP anytime of day or night, just to calm yourself that as long as your BP does not fall outside the high or low recommended pressure (as long as you keep it between 100-160 for the dyastolic and 60-90 for the systolic, you should not worry so much about your heart. Also, the pulse fluctuates a lot throughout the day, but in withdrawal and anxiety it can easily go from 70 to 120. Rest assured that it’s in passing, and it always finds its way back down to 70. The flutters you mentioned can easily be from stomach spasms, body tremors, muscle spasms... all easily due to withdrawal. Also, you can buy a pulse oximeter to check the level of oxygen if you feel short of breath. As long as it’s above 92%, you are getting plenty of oxygen, and therefore another reason to calm yourself.

 

I saw a cardiologist just to ease my mind, and he mentioned a few things:

- Typically, a heart condition can be recognized if you get discomfort or out of breath while exercising or climbing stairs... if it happens when u r not physically doing anything, it is most likely anxiety.

- Typically, a serious heart condition may lead to other serious symptoms which in turn may lead you to the ER... if you are feeling faint but not exactly ever fainting, if you are feeling dizzy, but never actually falling, these types of things may not signal a serious heart condition.

-Typically, a heart attack or something similar does NOT get better with time... so if you are experiencing anxiety type symptoms, which are intermittent, usually those do not signal a serious heart condition, as those get worse with time.

 

Think of all the days, weeks, even months that withdrawal symptoms occur... if the symptoms are intermittent, and do not cause other more serious symptoms, do not stress yourself as it’s probably anxiety from withdrawal.

 

I hope this helps in some way to ease your mind even if for a little while.

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Yep me too. My heart goes from bradycardia (slow) to tachycardia (fast) constantly. My Fitbit said my heart rate was 36 for a few hours today... I am not an athlete. I was diagnosed with afib early last year. I’ve never had heart problems before wd. I’ve been hospitalized twice because of my heart and in ED probably 5 times because of it. I’ve had every test done and apart from 2 afib occasions they can’t find anything wrong. Was put on a beta blocker but too dangerous with bradycardia. I get chest pain and palpitations every day.

 

The only thing that has helped is drinking electrolytes every day. I don’t always notice them since I started using them every day.

 

Try some and see if it helps you.

 

It’s a really common symptom xx but best to get checked to put ur mind at ease x

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  • 4 weeks later...
So crazy to hear someone else is dealing with this too, what you described is exactly what is happening to me. I’ve got to a cardiologist and everything looks fine but I did show some irregular rhythm on my holter meter but the doc said it want dangerous. Even with that information I still can accept that I’m ok. I’ve been off klonopin for a year and half but recently had to take some because of a major panic attack in which I couldn’t get my heart rate down and was too scared. I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this too because I know how terrible it is and I hope that it passes for both of us soon.
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  • 4 weeks later...

I was very similar to OP and was convinced something major was wrong. Especially when I have bad insomnia nights. My heart would beat so hard or feel weak to the point of palpitations like crazy

 

Until I started a magnesium that changed all of that for me for the better!

 

InnovixLabs Advanced Magnesium, 150 Capsules, High Absorption Magnesium Malate & Magnesium Glycinate, Highly Bioavailable Chelated Magnesium, 210 mg per Serving, Soy & Gluten-Free, Non-GMO & Vegan https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QSR9D9I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MSFAEH07N6A7S25PBDJM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Here’s the link. I take one on the morning and one at night

 

It completely eliminated my heart issues

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