heart problems and anxiety ???

Question

In the past I've had what I call flopping of my heart. It feels as if my heart stops beating for a fraction of a second then beats again. All my EKGs, have been normal. I wore a 24 hour holter monitor and the cardiac dr said I have irregualar hearts beats but nothing at my age (34) is done for it. He prescribed some medication to slow my heart down but I haven't taken any and don't plan to. I'm afraid of meds. And why would I want to slow my heart down. My family doctor told me it was just anxiety, this same doctor told me my abnormal pap smear was also just anxiety. (no i can't change doctors, i have no insurance and see the county doctors who don't want to spend the county's money on unnecesary test) I want piece of mind.

Answer 1

If you have irregular heart beats then you need to take the medication that the doctor prescribed. Why are you afraid of meds? the doctor is trying to save your life. Are you more afraid of dying or of meds? The doctor that said it was anxiety could have been right but there are still irregular heart beats. Knowing that it could be caused by anxiety isn't doing anything to stop it. And you would want to slow your heart down if it was beating too fast. Its pumping too much. Think about if you were to run a marathon but instead of running at a good steady pace you were just racing through the whole way. You would be so tired and worn out at the end. Thats kinda like your heart. its gonna get tired.

Answer 2

I am an MD. What you are experiencing is either PAC's or PVC's or both. A study of normal healthy college students showed that ~98% have at least one PVC/day. PAC's are even more common. It is not considered a problem until you develop some sort of underlying heart disease. In that case, medication can be given. There are some factors that can make them more frequent, such as stress, anxiety, caffeine, electrolyte imbalances, hyperventillation, and nicotine and carbon monoxide consumption.
If you are really concerned about your heart, (and most people really aren't, they just say they are), then you will pursue a heart healthy lifestyle, such as no smoking, eating a low saturated fat diet and exercising and keeping your weight down to normal levels. If you have only enough fortitude to do one of these, and not the rest, then non-smoking is the most heart healthy thing you can do. But if you are like most people, then you will value your tobacco far more than you value your health, sorry to say.

Answer 3

I too have an irregular heartbeat and it scares me so much at times. I also have a very high anxiety level. So, I take Zoloft for my anxiety, and metropol for my heart. It does slow the heart down and that is what you want to do. I described my beat as feeling like butterflies in my chest and in my throat. It is a scary feeling. Take your meds honey, don't be afraid. You will find that it will not take long for you to feel like a million dollars. As for the pap test---never heard of anxiety causing that. I would definitely have that rechecked. Tell your doctor to humor you and do another test and find out what is wrong. Good luck

Answer 4

I am so happy, it was only a 35 minute drive ( 70 minutes total) but absolutely no sign of anxiety or panic i shopped till I dropped - brilliant! I will now go for the next stage DUAL CARRIAGE way, probably at the weekend, with my husband accompanying me first then the solo drive, if successful the final stage of driving on motorway

Beat Anxiety And Panic Attacks Naturally?

Answer 5

You need to have the exact diagnosis from your doctor. If what you have is called PVC's or PAC's - (premature ventricular contractions and premature atrial contractions)...which I have - I do take heart medicine for the condition and it controls them fine....but it is a known fact that stress has a direct "line to your heat"... Talk to you doctor. There is no way a doctor would tell you an abnormal pap is due to anxiety - get a second opinion on that one.

Answer 6

Yup--all this could be mere(!?) stress and anxiety.

Even my dentist went through the heart monitor thing and found it was just stress.

I used to get something like this, but I could feel it was my chest wall muscles spasming, not my heart, since my pulse was regular.

They're probably right--a lot of minor irregularities don't need treatment unless they get worse with age. Some just eventually go away.

Answer 7

i also have the same problems and i found out that i have h.b.pressure tooand that was part of the cause.
having a abnormal pap is not good. i have endometerisois and i have had 3 paps and had a very bad infection because the community doctor didnot do anything about it.that is why i now have cancer.

Answer 8

I HAVE ANXIETY ALSO AND ITS NO FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS ITS BEEN REALLY BAD. I TAKE A MEDICATION JUST FOR THAT, CALLED CLONEZEPAM OR KLOPIN AS NEEDED AND IT TAKES THE CHEST PAIN AWAY!!! I HAVE BEEN ASLEEP AND BEEN WOKEN UP TO THIS PAIN. I HAVE HAD EKG'S AND IT'S ALL BEEN GOOD. MY SISTER HAS THE SAME THING. HURTS LIKE YOU WOULD THINK IT WAS A HEART ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE BUT I AM ON SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY AND HAVE MEDICAL AND MEDICARE, I GO TO KAISER AND ITS WORKING OUT FOR ME!!!!!! I GO TO THE COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH DEPT FOR ALL OF THE PSYCHIATRIC MEDICAL STUFF BECAUSE MEDICAL WON'T COVER KAISER PSYCHIATRIC HEALTH DEPT. WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE THEY SUCK...

Answer 9

Anxiety does cause heart problems stress also yu have irregular heartbeats and i have rapid heart rate i have been put on medication for high blood pressure i see a cardiologist i also suffer from stress and anxiety

Answer 10

My first thought was to tell you to change doctors but you said you can't. It sounds like anxiety but I would want to be sure. I still say get a second opinion.