Anyone with Tachycardia?

katerz86

I have it, due to an autoimmune disease. It cannot be controlled until the disease is under control.... 6 months to a year....

What caused yours? How have you been working around it?

Cardio? Weights? Programs? Tricks?

My resting heart rate is 120.

jorbjorb

just curious. how old are you? maybe stay away from working out until it goes away? what does your doctor say?

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Sorry to hear that. I was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia. I went in for cardio ablation but the issue was too close to the AV node, which would have required a pacemaker if they "missed" with the ablation so I was medicated for it instead. Following a weight loss of 90lbs, my symptoms completely went away and I have not been on medication for 5+ years.

I don't know what caused mine. Could have been genetic, excess weight, etc. Not really sure. I wish I knew. I am currently undergoing testing for autoimmune issues (not because of the tachycardia) so it's interesting to me that yours was caused by something autoimmune. I wonder if mine was related too.

My episodes did not seem to be caused by exercise, but I did have more episodes if I had too much caffeine or was under stress. So my advise would be to limit those things.

As for exercise, speak to your cardiologist and get the okay before you do anything that would elevate your heart rate. I was able to do pretty much anything with tachycardia and even ran a couple of half marathons without issue, but like I said, my episodes were not caused by exercise.

Best of luck!

chichi2130

Why can't it be controlled in the meantime? I also had tachycardia due to an autoimmune disease, but I was put on beta blockers while we were getting everything else under control. I wasn't allowed to do anything more than take a leisurely walk until my heart rate was within a safe range.

katerz86

Thank you for your comments.

I have Graves disease, I'm 28. It has cause hyperthyroidism, it is genetic, but nobody else in my family has developed it. They have me on Methimazole but have not put me on beta blockers (yet? I think they should...). If I try and walk at 3.5 on the treadmill my heart rate jumps to 175 and I vomit and feel like I'm going to die. I can walk slowly, but then my muscles fatigue from lack of oxygen and I shake for the rest of the day...

Reading that back to myself.... maybe I shouldn't be doing cardio. LOL

I seem to be okay, for the most part, in the weight room... Can I still get decent fat burn without cardio?

chichi2130

I also have Graves disease, am 28, and am on methimazole. Are you me?

You really should be on a beta blocker like propranolol. It's dangerous to maintain a resting heart rate that's that high. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and now I'm maintaining good thyroid levels with the methimazole. I was on propranolol for about a year and, while I was on it, my endocrinologist didn't want me exercising AT ALL. I wasn't allowed to do anything more than go for walks and he didn't want me to change my diet while things were settling. It was tough, but I enjoyed not dying...

He said it was too dangerous with the high heart rate. I suggest asking your doctor about trying a beta blocker and whether exercise is a good idea right now.

katerz86

Maybe I am you. o.0

I was diagnosed at the end of August. My Endo. did not mention anything about not exercising and has not even mentioned beta blockers, I've heard about it from others. Maybe I need a second opinion...

Did you gain weight not being able to exercise?... I'm fearful of that.
How long did it take you to "normalize"?
Being 2 years, are you at 100% now?

If I cant exercise, I have to modify my diet...

chichi2130

So, before I was diagnosed, I unintentionally lost a bunch of weight - somewhere in the area of 25lbs. 25lbs for me was a lot. I looked sickly. I had to be eating like 3000 calories/day, but it's part of the disease. A lot of what I lost was muscle. My legs would burn from walking up a single flight of stairs, not to mention being out of breath from the high heart rate. I even starting having trouble swallowing because my body was just eating all my muscles.

Once my levels starting coming back to normal, I gained back that 25lbs (plus another 5 or so, just for fun...), but it was mostly fat, so I looked heavier than when I had more muscle. It wasn't a good time looking so big, but I was physically feeling better. Graves can really take a toll on your body.

My endo describes me as an ideal case, and I would say it took about a year and a half to "normalize". My methimazole dose hasn't changed since May (I think?). I started out 2 years ago with 30mg/day and now I'm down to 2.5mg/day. My endo is hoping we can get me into remission, but we'll see what happens.

I was on propranolol for just about a year. It's something you have to be weaned off of, so once you're on it, you need to keep taking it until you work with your doctor to come off. It was hard to do cardio while on propranolol. It's supposed to keep your heart rate down, so I wasn't able to get my heart rate above about 120bpm. It was awful, but better than having a resting rate of 120 (or sometimes 150-170 in my case).

Once I came off the propranolol and got the go-ahead to exercise (I also had an ECG to make sure my heart wasn't damaged by the high heart rate), I started running. I wasn't a runner before, so this was completely new to me. Within 6 months, I went from couch to running a 5-mile race. At that point, I decided I was close enough to 100%.

chichi2130

Also, as far as diet, talk to your doctor. My endocrinologist literally said, "if you're eating cake every day for dinner, I want you to continue to do that." Obviously I was not eating cake every day for dinner, but it was more important to get my levels back down to normal and diet/exercise can change what your methimazole dose should be.

katerz86

Wow. That's amazing...

I don't know what to say...

I just can't go backwards... I can avoid cardio if I must but I can't stop the weight room.... I just cant...

And now I don't think I want beta blockers... LOL

chichi2130

Well, the good news is that strength training is usually recommended for people with hyperthyroidism because it will help maintain your muscle mass, which will help maintain bone density. Hyperthyroidism can cause osteoporosis, so this is obviously important, especially as a woman.

The way I looked at my Graves disease was not to think of it as something that's happening to me. It's now part of me. I will never not have it. Even if I do go into remission, those antibodies will always be in my blood. There will always be a chance for it to flare up again. What I had to do is understand how to take care of my "new" body. I can now read my body better than most people. I know about where my thyroid levels will be before I even have bloodwork done. I can tell by how well/poorly I've been sleeping, how my hair feels, what my periods are like, what my bowel movements are like (sorry for TMI), etc.

Don't be afraid of the beta blockers. They won't be forever and they're not what may cause you to gain weight. If anything, they will allow you to safely exercise. I'm not a doctor, but I very much believe you should be on them right now.

katerz86

Thank you for the insight. Hopefully I have the same understanding and control as you one day. I will look into the beta blockers.

Dawmelvan

I have it. On beta blockers and I exercise including cardio....ask your doc? Others have noticed exercising helps believe it or not.

katerz86

Do you walk or run? I cant run, my heart rate is too high.

RllyGudTweetr

A combination of medication and weight caused mine; I lost 15 pounds (more than that by now) and do 40+ minutes of walking, and it's down to a resting rate in the 80s, which I call a victory compared to 115.

ElizabethMaryam

chichi2130 wrote: »

You really should be on a beta blocker like propranolol. It's dangerous to maintain a resting heart rate that's that high. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and now I'm maintaining good thyroid levels with the methimazole. I was on propranolol for about a year and, while I was on it, my endocrinologist didn't want me exercising AT ALL. I wasn't allowed to do anything more than go for walks and he didn't want me to change my diet while things were settling. It was tough, but I enjoyed not dying...

He said it was too dangerous with the high heart rate. I suggest asking your doctor about trying a beta blocker and whether exercise is a good idea right now.

^^^^^ this. I took propranalol immediately after my diagnosis until they addressed the Graves' disease and lowered my heart rate. I hope you get things addressed soon

Kalikel

Remember that your doctor is treating you, not a bunch of other people. What is right for other people is not necessarily right for you. That's why we have doctors.

Google searches and other people's experiences are great to read. Support is wonderful, especially from those with similar issues...but they have zip to do with how YOU need to be treated.

Follow your doctor's advice.

WhitneySpeicher

Also a 28 year old with Graves disease that was diagnosed around the end of August. Freaky

Please ask your doctor about taking a beta-blocker. It's not for forever, but it helps protect your heart. A (resting) heart rate that high can damage your heart if its left that way. I was also put on a beta blocker (toprol first, then switched to propranolol which worked better for me).

I was also instructed to do no exercise more strenuous than walking; if I swam, it had to be very very gentle but my doctor preferred that I did not. He told me exercise while my thyroid levels were so high would put me at risk for heart failure (weakened heart muscle). When I was briefly on methimazole, the exercise restrictions were really only going to be for about 2 months until the methimazole had brought my thyroid levels to normal. After that I was going to be able to exercise even though he thought I would be on methimazole for about a year or year and a half.


However, I had a serious reaction to methimazole after a few days so I had to take radioactive iodine for treatment instead. I had that 4 weeks ago, and am feeling normal now and expect to be hypothyroid in the next 2 weeks. I'm actually weaning off my propranolol (hope to have my last dose tomorrow night!) and will probably start Synthyroid after my next set of labs in a week and a half. I'm really hoping I'll be cleared for exercise by my doctor then as well.

I didn't have any special instructions on my diet though.

Good luck! Graves sucks, but you can get through this.

nuvimi

I have it too (origin unknown). I join the chorus of people suggesting that you need an extended release beta blocker. I'm on metoprolol, which I like a lot, but I'm at the lowest dose. When I was on a high dose of it, I hated it and it made me gain weight. Verapamil, even on a low dose, did the same (and also didn't help anything). Get a second opinion if you don't feel like your doctor is being thorough enough. Are you seeing a cardiac arrhythmia specialist? You probably should.

katerz86

Thanks!

All my doctor has done is put me on the Methimazole and that's it. I have not seen a cardiac arrhythmia specialist. there has been no discussion of it. Maybe I should seek a second opinion, if for nothing else, peace of mind.

I'm okay at the gym so long as I avoid cardio and give a bit of an extra rest between sets. Stairs however.... we're not friends at this point in time.

lmarshel

katerz86 wrote: »

Wow. That's amazing...

I don't know what to say...

I just can't go backwards... I can avoid cardio if I must but I can't stop the weight room.... I just cant...

And now I don't think I want beta blockers... LOL

You have to think about things long-term. You say you don't want to go back, but Graves' is a VERY serious disease that can have real health consequences if you don't treat it and/or follow your doctor's advice.

I was diagnosed with Graves' back in 2007. I was treated on Methimazole off and on until last year, when I had the RAI procedure to kill off most of my thyroid. Immediately prior to having the procedure, I could not be medicated and was advised not to do exercise of any kind. I was in that position for about 3 months. Then I had the procedure and had to wait until I developed symptoms of hypothyroidism before receiving hormone replacement.

Prior to having RAI, I lost over 50 pounds and 5 sizes. I was feeling great, but after becoming hypothyroid I gained back 15 pounds. I'm working now to get those off, but I wouldn't change anything I did. My overall health is so much more important than that number on the scale. And yours is, too! Work with your doctor and make sure they are aware of all the symptoms you're experiencing. If your RHR continues to be over 110, I would contact the doctor's office to leave a message. That's a symptom you do not want to leave for the next appointment.

Best of luck!