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racing heart
- Thread starter catboogie
- Start date
coltsfan715
New member
I had the same thing occur not to long ago - a few months ago right after I got off IVs.
I went to the ER cause they were so bad ... and then to the doc. They gave me a Holter Monitor but it came back showing nothing was wrong.
My doc said that it could be Albuterol if you take that. He said low potassium levels can also cause your heart to race. Due to that Albuterol can also be an issue because he said Albuterol can leech potassium out of your blood. Thus if your levels are low it can cause the heart racing.
Also if you have been in the hospital recently and had a PICC line or anything you may want to call your doc. I know they told me that it could have been caused by a blood clot due to my IV - they ran several tests (EKG, CTScan on my lungs, Xrays and so on) everything came back normal. I just wanted to mention though rare that could be possible if you have been on IVs recently.
Also I did want to add that one thing that showed up in my blood work from my ER visit was my potassium levels were low - I had done my albuterol shortly before going to the ER with the palpitations. They gave a few days worth of potassium supplements and that helped. Now I have increased the amount of bananas I eat daily and other healthier foods and the heart racing has minimized a great deal.
I know it is scary at first, but you can talk to your doc about it and figure it out. I just wanted to throw some things out there that I had experienced, been told and found out during my ordeal.
I was experiencing them after inhaled meds and when I would lay on my left side mostly.
Lindsey
I went to the ER cause they were so bad ... and then to the doc. They gave me a Holter Monitor but it came back showing nothing was wrong.
My doc said that it could be Albuterol if you take that. He said low potassium levels can also cause your heart to race. Due to that Albuterol can also be an issue because he said Albuterol can leech potassium out of your blood. Thus if your levels are low it can cause the heart racing.
Also if you have been in the hospital recently and had a PICC line or anything you may want to call your doc. I know they told me that it could have been caused by a blood clot due to my IV - they ran several tests (EKG, CTScan on my lungs, Xrays and so on) everything came back normal. I just wanted to mention though rare that could be possible if you have been on IVs recently.
Also I did want to add that one thing that showed up in my blood work from my ER visit was my potassium levels were low - I had done my albuterol shortly before going to the ER with the palpitations. They gave a few days worth of potassium supplements and that helped. Now I have increased the amount of bananas I eat daily and other healthier foods and the heart racing has minimized a great deal.
I know it is scary at first, but you can talk to your doc about it and figure it out. I just wanted to throw some things out there that I had experienced, been told and found out during my ordeal.
I was experiencing them after inhaled meds and when I would lay on my left side mostly.
Lindsey
I have been going through the same thing currently (along with some other symptoms) - the latest suspicion is a heart tumor, but apparently these are extremely rare. See the post I made called Right Atril Mass if you want to read more. I agree with everyone else - you should definitely get it checked out!
Amy
37 w/CF
(forgot to sign in)
Amy
37 w/CF
(forgot to sign in)
I have this everyday. Whenever I focus on it, my heart seems to race. I've also been told its my 2 treatments a day of albuterol.
I also had heart palpitations and talked with both a psychiatrist friend and my cardiologist about it. I had an ECHO. All was fine. My psychiatrist told me it could very well be stress. I told her I hadn't been stressed at the time the really bad racing and palpatations happened (as a matter of fact, I had just gotten OVER some VERY stressful things), and she said it is normal to feel this way and it will just kinda happen. Kinda like when you're done with a big test for school or presentation and you let your guard down and you get a bad cold. Its the same with your heart. You finally can let your guard down and BAM! You have palpitations or racing. And, its not even instant or when you'd expect it. Mine was the same night the stressors were releived, but the doc said it can happen weeks after stress is removed and be completely out of the blue.
So, don't stress too much. If a heart monitor would help, go for it. Peace of mind is usually a great remedy. Otherwise, I'd suggest just keeping an eye on it. And, see if it happens around treatment times or when your "guard" is down. Try to pinpoint the cause and you'll probably find it on your own. I would say if it isn't accompanied by pain or any other warning signs, you're probably just stressed or have leftover meds in your body or something benign like that.
FYI: My resting HR has always been around 100.... I've had numerous tests done and all came back ok. Sometimes there is no explanation for these things. Just freaky.
I also had heart palpitations and talked with both a psychiatrist friend and my cardiologist about it. I had an ECHO. All was fine. My psychiatrist told me it could very well be stress. I told her I hadn't been stressed at the time the really bad racing and palpatations happened (as a matter of fact, I had just gotten OVER some VERY stressful things), and she said it is normal to feel this way and it will just kinda happen. Kinda like when you're done with a big test for school or presentation and you let your guard down and you get a bad cold. Its the same with your heart. You finally can let your guard down and BAM! You have palpitations or racing. And, its not even instant or when you'd expect it. Mine was the same night the stressors were releived, but the doc said it can happen weeks after stress is removed and be completely out of the blue.
So, don't stress too much. If a heart monitor would help, go for it. Peace of mind is usually a great remedy. Otherwise, I'd suggest just keeping an eye on it. And, see if it happens around treatment times or when your "guard" is down. Try to pinpoint the cause and you'll probably find it on your own. I would say if it isn't accompanied by pain or any other warning signs, you're probably just stressed or have leftover meds in your body or something benign like that.
FYI: My resting HR has always been around 100.... I've had numerous tests done and all came back ok. Sometimes there is no explanation for these things. Just freaky.
... I also wanted to add that since its happening when you are waking up, could it be your blood sugar? I know a racing heart is also a big sign of hyperglycemia... I get that a lot too. Maybe check your sugars. Its odd it woud go away, but sometimes my glucose drops and comes back on its own. And, the fact your sleeping means it can go pretty low. Just an idea.
sarabeth87
New member
Whenever I do albuterol in a neb, my heart races and I get really jitterey and feel week. I know use the inhaler and that doesn't really happen anymore.