T
TADPOLEdrummer
Guest
It certainly sounds like a panic attack. I'm not a doctor or anything, but
from what your describing it seems to be panic attacks.
Believe it or not I have MVP to :O)
My mom has to take medicine for it, but mine is mild enough to be controlled
by diet and exercise.
I read a book many years ago (I'll have to find it but I can), on MVP and
it said that to a large degree MVP and panic attacks go together.
That many people with MVP also have problems with panic attacks.
Like I said that was a long time ago, and information on the link between
the two may have changed by now...but after this post I'm going to do some
research and see what I can find.
I've found the only thing in this world that made me feel like I was dying,
was a panic attack. It's the worst feeling in the world.
And if your heart goes wacky on you from time to time, that isn't a good
feeling either.
If your doc. has prescribed you paxil and xanax and you still are having
problems with attacks, I wouldn't hesitate to go back and tell him so. He
may suggest increasing your paxil, or maybe trying another anti-anxiety med.
I hope you get to feeling better soon.
If you didn't get to feeling better soon though, I would let him know.
Sincerely~
Ally
"Oklahoma" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Preface: I am a 24 year old male, nonsmoker, non-drug-abuser, in
> generally good health.
>
> Once or twice a month, usually after I have just gone to bed, I will
> awaken with a queer feeling, and I will succumb to what could be
> described as a "panic attack":
> My heart rate accelerates quickly from around 65 to around 195+, and I
> begin to feel "tingles" in my extremities. My mind begins to race at a
> fever pitch, seeming to scream out vividly "I am going to die now,"
> and I begin dashing around the house--checking my pulse with the
> kitchen clock, clutching at the nearest telephone as I fight back the
> urge to call 911 (I've made this call several times, and they tell me
> I am fine; very embarrassing). Finally, I often begin dumping cold
> water on my head, frantically trying to stop my heart from its
> terrifying, jackhammering gallop.
>
> This can go on for half an hour or more: my heart, pounding away, at
> or near 200 BPM, as "wave" after "wave" of what I suppose is
> adrenaline surges through my body, driving my heart to beat faster and
> faster, harder and harder.
>
> Eventually, these episodes do seem to run their course. My heart rate
> comes down, and my arms and legs--which moments before had been
> violently trembling--calm down and feel, suddenly, leaden. My
> mind/body in general feels like a blown fuse.
>
> I am terrified I am going to have a heart attack during one of these
> "episodes." I do not think it can be healthy for someone's heart rate
> to essentially triple within 60 seconds, and then stay at the 190-200
> BPM level for half an hour.
>
> Which brings me to the point of this longwinded (sorry) post: Should I
> be concerned about these episodes?
>
> I have consulted the family doctor, and he has felt all along that I
> am having a clear cut case of panic disorder. This is supported by the
> fact that I have been having these "episodes," in varying degrees,
> since I was 15. (my first panic attack was drug related, and was a
> "classic" case).
>
> Nevertheless, I have "badgered" him into giving me several tests,
> which are as follows:
>
> EKG -- Multiple times in Dr.'s office. Multiple times by EMT's who I
> have summoned to my house. Multiple times at Emergency Room, when I
> have driven myself during a particularly "bad" spell.
>
> ECG--One Echo test. It turned up very mild MVP with no leaks and no
> regurgitation. Otherwise, my heart is "sound" according to the
> cardiologist who read the ECG for my family doctor.
>
> 24-hour Holter Monitor--One time. This test turned up nothing, save
> for the fact that my pulse routinely dips into the low 50's and upper
> 40's at night.
>
> Blood Tests--Various, all normal.
>
> 24 Hour Urine Collection--This test is designed to check for tumors on
> adrenal glands. It came back normal.
>
> Chest X-ray--Normal.
>
> My Dr. insists that my heart is fine, and as such he never refers me
> to a cardiologist. I asked him about a "stress test," to which he says
> in essence, that my panic attacks themselves are functioning as stress
> tests--which I routinely pass.
>
> He prescribed me Paxil, and a small dose of Xanax for emergencies.
>
> At what point does one accept a diagnosis of panic disorder?
> Should I have more tests?
> If so, what tests do I need to have done so that I can have peace of
> mind about the health of my heart?
> Is it safe for my heart to beat as fast as it does during these
> episodes?
>
>
> One other factor is this: I appear to have dysautonomia (sometimes
> referred to as Barlowe's syndrome, MVP Syndrome et cetera). In fact, I
> am pretty well convinced of this. I have been taking 50 mg of Atenolol
> since I was 18 because my pulse was so sensitive to "adrenaline," (at
> the time, if I walked up a flight of stairs, my heart would be
> pounding out of my chest). This drug has been a miracle, but my
> "attacks" have not been affected by it.
>
>
> Please help.
>
> Thank you.
> Steven
from what your describing it seems to be panic attacks.
Believe it or not I have MVP to :O)
My mom has to take medicine for it, but mine is mild enough to be controlled
by diet and exercise.
I read a book many years ago (I'll have to find it but I can), on MVP and
it said that to a large degree MVP and panic attacks go together.
That many people with MVP also have problems with panic attacks.
Like I said that was a long time ago, and information on the link between
the two may have changed by now...but after this post I'm going to do some
research and see what I can find.
I've found the only thing in this world that made me feel like I was dying,
was a panic attack. It's the worst feeling in the world.
And if your heart goes wacky on you from time to time, that isn't a good
feeling either.
If your doc. has prescribed you paxil and xanax and you still are having
problems with attacks, I wouldn't hesitate to go back and tell him so. He
may suggest increasing your paxil, or maybe trying another anti-anxiety med.
I hope you get to feeling better soon.
If you didn't get to feeling better soon though, I would let him know.
Sincerely~
Ally
"Oklahoma" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Preface: I am a 24 year old male, nonsmoker, non-drug-abuser, in
> generally good health.
>
> Once or twice a month, usually after I have just gone to bed, I will
> awaken with a queer feeling, and I will succumb to what could be
> described as a "panic attack":
> My heart rate accelerates quickly from around 65 to around 195+, and I
> begin to feel "tingles" in my extremities. My mind begins to race at a
> fever pitch, seeming to scream out vividly "I am going to die now,"
> and I begin dashing around the house--checking my pulse with the
> kitchen clock, clutching at the nearest telephone as I fight back the
> urge to call 911 (I've made this call several times, and they tell me
> I am fine; very embarrassing). Finally, I often begin dumping cold
> water on my head, frantically trying to stop my heart from its
> terrifying, jackhammering gallop.
>
> This can go on for half an hour or more: my heart, pounding away, at
> or near 200 BPM, as "wave" after "wave" of what I suppose is
> adrenaline surges through my body, driving my heart to beat faster and
> faster, harder and harder.
>
> Eventually, these episodes do seem to run their course. My heart rate
> comes down, and my arms and legs--which moments before had been
> violently trembling--calm down and feel, suddenly, leaden. My
> mind/body in general feels like a blown fuse.
>
> I am terrified I am going to have a heart attack during one of these
> "episodes." I do not think it can be healthy for someone's heart rate
> to essentially triple within 60 seconds, and then stay at the 190-200
> BPM level for half an hour.
>
> Which brings me to the point of this longwinded (sorry) post: Should I
> be concerned about these episodes?
>
> I have consulted the family doctor, and he has felt all along that I
> am having a clear cut case of panic disorder. This is supported by the
> fact that I have been having these "episodes," in varying degrees,
> since I was 15. (my first panic attack was drug related, and was a
> "classic" case).
>
> Nevertheless, I have "badgered" him into giving me several tests,
> which are as follows:
>
> EKG -- Multiple times in Dr.'s office. Multiple times by EMT's who I
> have summoned to my house. Multiple times at Emergency Room, when I
> have driven myself during a particularly "bad" spell.
>
> ECG--One Echo test. It turned up very mild MVP with no leaks and no
> regurgitation. Otherwise, my heart is "sound" according to the
> cardiologist who read the ECG for my family doctor.
>
> 24-hour Holter Monitor--One time. This test turned up nothing, save
> for the fact that my pulse routinely dips into the low 50's and upper
> 40's at night.
>
> Blood Tests--Various, all normal.
>
> 24 Hour Urine Collection--This test is designed to check for tumors on
> adrenal glands. It came back normal.
>
> Chest X-ray--Normal.
>
> My Dr. insists that my heart is fine, and as such he never refers me
> to a cardiologist. I asked him about a "stress test," to which he says
> in essence, that my panic attacks themselves are functioning as stress
> tests--which I routinely pass.
>
> He prescribed me Paxil, and a small dose of Xanax for emergencies.
>
> At what point does one accept a diagnosis of panic disorder?
> Should I have more tests?
> If so, what tests do I need to have done so that I can have peace of
> mind about the health of my heart?
> Is it safe for my heart to beat as fast as it does during these
> episodes?
>
>
> One other factor is this: I appear to have dysautonomia (sometimes
> referred to as Barlowe's syndrome, MVP Syndrome et cetera). In fact, I
> am pretty well convinced of this. I have been taking 50 mg of Atenolol
> since I was 18 because my pulse was so sensitive to "adrenaline," (at
> the time, if I walked up a flight of stairs, my heart would be
> pounding out of my chest). This drug has been a miracle, but my
> "attacks" have not been affected by it.
>
>
> Please help.
>
> Thank you.
> Steven