New issue really upsetting to me... Bradycardia (Slow Heart Rate)

This has been going on the last few days my heart rate is all over the place, my resting for the last couple of days has been in the 50's normally i have been in the 70-80s. I am no athlete so i can't say it is due to being overly healthy. I wonder if having a rapid heart rate throughout my taper has hurt my heart in anyway? I do not have palpitations or anything like that just an extremely slow heart that beats hard. I hope that this has something to due with benzo w/d, but can't seem to find any literature on the matter. Just wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced this, or if i should go to the doctor/cardiologist to get this checked out..

 

 

Dane

Dpete, this happens to me all the time. One day it is high...the next day super low. I hear it is a sign of withdrawal. I know pretty scary. On the days that it is high I have very strong heart palpitations. On the days it is so low I am so weak can't even function. Hang in there. but I have asked this question before and have got responses saying all part of withdrawal. Hope things get better for you.

Hi Dpete!

I haven't heard of the condition you mentioned but I will say that throughout my taper and before, when I had developed an inter-dose w/d to the klonopin, I did notice my heart seemed to be straining... I remember that my BP always appeared to be high or off and I would go to the nurse's station at the workplace to get my BP checked. On the days I felt my worst, I always noticed the lower number would be low and my pulse rate to be high. On my best days, the bottom number would be higher and the pulse lower. It was consistently like that the whole time and I never quite knew what to make of it except that obviously my system was out of adjustment or my stress level high... I think that if this is a concern for you, seeing a doctor and getting it checked out is a good idea. It never hurts to have peace of mind! I even ended up having a echocardiagram done on my heart... My Mom had this done on her's and it turned out that she has a heart fibulation. Also, my grandfather died of a heart attack, so with this history, I was able to convince the doctor to allow me to have the test done on mine. The good news is that my heart was/is just fine and once the testing had come back showing this, it was one less thing for me to worry about! I also think Dane that unless you have a history or pre-existing heart condition, your's is probably just fine also!

 

Not sure if it's normal but I have bradycardia.

 

Had it before wd so nothing new for me but is bothersome at times. The doc gave me a 24hr holter test which recorded my pulse at 38 in the early am while asleep. They want me to go to sleep clinic to monitor my oxygen levels while sleeping. When i run long distance I notice my heart rate always goes down for a few days after so it could be exercise related. In general my resting pulse is about 42-58.

 

I have been told that pulse is highly variable depending on age, athletic conditioning, gender, weight, and genetics. I would get checked out for peace of mind if your worried about it. Also, do you have sleep apnea or take beta blockers for blood pressure? 

Hi Pange....Hear problems do run in the family. Both parents have a pace maker. My brother died suddenly back in 2004 at the age of 46 from heart problems . Two weeks before he passed away had a complete physical and they said his blood-pressure was like a 20 year olds. He was in great shape and then died suddenly. My twin brother has to be on heart medication. I just have noticed that my heart palps have all began and the blood-pressure issue from when I was on Xanax and big time since withdrawal. I will keep an eye on it and see how it all goes after I am fully recovered from this whole withdrawal thing. Thanks you are always such a great help.

Dane,

I have tachycardia....prior to this a long time ago and off and on during this "adventure".    I have alot of experience with doc appts and research on heart stuff from my own experience.  Usually it is benign.  If you are really worried go to the doc's and get it checked out.  It's worth making  you feel better.  It's probably just w/d as it seems that really affects heart rate.

Take care,

M

Hi putter!

Thanks you are always such a great help.

Thank you for your kind words!

My Mom's condition seems to be a stress response or perhaps a sensitivity. She was going in for an operation to remove a damaged gall-bladder. When they gave her an anesthetic, her heart started to beat irregularly. Eventually, she got tested for this and that's when they discovered the fibulation. According to the testing that was done on my heart, I don't have the condition... at least not yet. It is true that my grandfather died of a massive heart attack. I asked my Mom more about his health and lifestyle and it turns out he was an alcoholic. He was mainly a social drinker, going out to the local bar after work to drink with friends and coming home after having too much. Unfortunatley, he probably continued this without paying much attention to the damage he was doing.

My Father has recently passed away also and one of the causes of death on his record lists 'hypertensive heart disorder'. I don't know much about heart disease on his side of the family, but I do know that my dad suffered heavily from depression, stress, and life style issues... He basically just gave up on living.

So sorry to hear about your brothers passing... I know how it feels to loose a close one.

I did develop some heart palps as I went through w/d but these rarely, if ever, are a problem for me now.

Anyway, putter, I do wish you a strong and healthy heart!! Hoping you and others here have lots of good windows this week!

Thanks Pange......You have really helped me out. I hope you have a wonderful up-coming week. Are you feeling pretty good now from all of this?

I will just say I had a TERRIBLE heart rate for a few months into w/d.. very high- high as 170.. Then it got lower- went to like 130 which is still bad, then started to go down under 100.. general rule of thumb is 60-100 for proper heart rate from all I am told and read. Not like u will croak if u are a bit over or under it. Anyway, lately, for a while, the heart rate is normal- just checked it today after eating and it was 83.. Without question a w/d issue. It balances out for sure. God Bless, Bob

I know this is old thread, but anyone have the same problems?

Are you taking any calcium and or magnesium supplements?

Calcium makes the contraction of your heart stronger, magnesium makes the relaxation longer. Read more about it on internet and try to figure our where your body is at.

bump

i had pounding heart beats from benzos and then over time they went away. my heart is in the 60s and 70s depending on anxiety levels.  now that it has been 17 mo off it rarely does it anymore, but sometimes it does. it soon goes away.

 

for peace of mine you could have your cardio doc check it out but seems like w/s to me.

In nursing school I learned that if you get really nervous your HR can drop becuase your autonomic nervous system goes into overdrive to try to calm you down. Some people when they get nervous have HR go DOWN instead of up. It's a protective mechanism and will not hurt you. If it worries you, though, go to the doc for a second opinion. 60-90 BPM is 'normal', but its fine to stray a little outside of that

I had the similar problem, during tolerance withdrawal my heart rate was high, close to 100, BP also high...had chest tightness and all that a lot of times too. As I tapered and jumped it has started to settle down, now the BP is almost always 120/80 and HR around 60-70, don't even feel it pound anymore like before... and drops below 60 during the night (although I don't sleep much unfortunately). I was an athlete before so my pulse was usually around 60 or lower, so I guess its a good sign.

 

So don't worry too much, I think its perfectly normal.

Old thread sorry for bringing it up but I'm getting the same issue tapering from diazepam.

 

My heart beats very slow, and it feels like it's struggling to beat sometimes.

 

It's getting me worried I'm constantly worried it's just going to stop and ill go into cardiac arrest.

I still have it at 17.5 months out.  Drives me crazy!  Hoping it gets better.

 

I take a beta blocker for my BP. It slows the heart down. Which is fine. But I also have really acute hearing from withdrawal, and for weeks now I can hear my heart thumping and thudding in my ears, especially when its quiet. I realized the other night that its actually not my heart I am hearing, its the sound of the blood whooshing in the little arteries in my ears! I dont know why, but that thought was kind of relieving.

eastcoast