Tachycardia?

sarah307
sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey MFP! Anyone been diagnosed with tachycardia that could help me??????

I have posted about my Heart Rate before... I cannot get a hold of both of my general family doctors and my psychiatrist (the one who prescribes me my ADHD medication) won't be in her office until Tuesday....................but I would really like some immediate advice/comments/similar experiences.

I believe I have Tachycardia, but I also tend to be a hypochondriac. LOL I recently bought a HRM and this is how everything (my rapid heart beat) came to my realization.

My Information:
*My Resting Heart Rate this morning was 95. (taken right in the AM, before my feet hit the ground..)
*I decided to sit for 30 minute the other day with my HRM just to see. (i understand this is not the purpose of my HRM) and my heart rate jumped from 110-150.
*The past three days or so, I have been taking my HR manually several times throughout the day and it is ALWAYS over 100.
*My blood pressure is usually low [98/60]. Average being 120/80. Just saying that is normal BP for me.
*I exercise regularly, this is why it concerns me.
*I take medications. One is a stimulant for ADHD, which is what I think is causing my rapid heart beat.
*Today, I went for a walk and did a few sprints. My HRM said my heartbeat was 208+ beats per min (FROM ONLY DOING A ONE MINUTE SPRINT)... I had to do a 15 minute cool-down just to get my HR back down to 150.

*Normal is 60 bpm - 80 bpm. And I have learned that usually well-trained athletes heart rates are lower. 50-60. I am no well-trained athlete, but since I work out regularly - I figured it should be at least NORMAL/AVERAGE.

******Just wanted to know if anyone has been diagnosed with Tachycardia and if it sounds like I could have it.
******Also want to know if anyone takes Vyvanse, which is the drug I take for my severe ADHD and has had problems with HR.

Thank you everyone so much! I just am not a patient person and cant wait till Tues!

I did all of my pulse readings manually and with my HRM. I believe it is accurate.
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Replies

  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    I don't actually know anything about tachycardia, but I'm curious to know if you feel like your heart is racing or is it a surprise to you when you check it? Also, have you increased your caffiene intake? Maybe that has increased your sensitivity to your ADHD med.
  • GooneyAngel
    GooneyAngel Posts: 90
    Since your medication is a stimulant, it very well may be the reason for your tachycardia. Normal HR range is 60-100.....anything over 100 is considered tachycardia. Please talk to the prescribing MD about the side effects of your meds...........I hope this helps!
  • fidgekitty
    fidgekitty Posts: 43
    Everyone's resting heart rate is difference, norm is between 60-100, although 90 is high normal for having only sat up or you were just laying in bed. However, factors that could cause a high HR at rest:

    - elevation, the higher you are, especially if you're not quite acclimated, the harder your body works
    - you're hypoglycemic, so first thing in the morning, after a night of "fasting," your blood sugar is low
    - you sat up too quickly and had a little syncope episode, which will cause your heart to compensate for the sudden drop in pressure by upping your heart rate.

    I've never heard of someone being diagnosed with Tachycardia, but I'm still in school so it's definately possible I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm familiar with using it as a symptom to describe an illness/injury and hypoperfusion (shock). If you're truely worried though, definitely see a doctor!
  • fidgekitty
    fidgekitty Posts: 43
    lol and I totally forgot the meds, that can absolutely affect your resting HR, if you do a hardcore-all-out sprint, don't be surprised if you see a massive jump in heart rate, and HR monitors aren't as acurate when being jostled or bumping, like immediately after or during a sprint.
  • heathhumble
    heathhumble Posts: 178
    Hi,my suggestion would be to "INSIST"that you get in to see you your primary care physician,explain to them over the phone whats going on "if you haven't already'. you may need to have your meds adjusted and poss see a cardiologist and wear a halter monitor for 24 hrs. If all else fails and you experience the rapid heart rate go to the emergency room and they can do a EKG on you and lab work.Good luck to you.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I don't actually know anything about tachycardia, but I'm curious to know if you feel like your heart is racing or is it a surprise to you when you check it? Also, have you increased your caffiene intake? Maybe that has increased your sensitivity to your ADHD med.

    I do not drink caffeine AT ALL because of this medication and haven't had caffeine for over three months. and I do feel like my heart is racing and have felt like that for a few months.. I just realized that it might be a problem when I got my HRM and checked it.
  • lustris
    lustris Posts: 152
    Norms for HR are 60-100/bpm. a resting hr of 95 is considered slightly elevated but still in the normal ranges. I would trust your manual radial pulses over the HRM, just make sure you take them for the full minute. Write down every time you take it, what you are doing, and the reading and take it in with you when you see a Physician. You mention you tend to be a hypochondriac...the anxiety of thinking there is a problem will actually raise your hr...sometimes significantly. :) Definitely go and see the Dr as soon as possible though.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
    You can walk into any pharmacy the pharmacist can give you great info on the med you are taking. I second the advice to insist on seeing a doctor right away, though. Your heart is nothing to play around with.
  • FitproLola
    FitproLola Posts: 10
    So I couldn't help but read your post. I am currently studying tachycardia and more importantly you should see your doctor that prescribed the vyvanse as soon as possible. As much as we think that those negative effects aren't going to effect us, you might be experiencing some of them and might even need to lighten your dosage. If you get a chance, check this out...

    http://www.vyvansesideeffects.com/

    Lustris is right on with the info, too!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    First of all, relax. Tachycardia is simply a heart beat above 100, so every single one of us who works out and gets our heart rate over 100 is tachycardic while we are exercising. I'm also often tachycardic while resting due to my asthma medication. If it is medication induced, it's usually not a big deal. The only time tachycardia is a problem is when there is an underlying heart issue or it is caused by a heart issue that speeds up the electrical signal in the heart even at rest. From the sounds of it, the medication is causing your issues, so I wouldn't stress out about it until you talk to your doctor and they can make sure you have no other underlying heart conditions. The medication you are on is an amphetamine and one of the major side effects of amphetamines is increasing heart rate. Because they are known to increase heart rate, as long as your doctor clears you of other heart issues, you can still workout but you can't judge your calorie burns or exercise level by a heart rate monitor. They will over estimate calorie burns because the heart rate will be high even if you aren't burning extra calories. You should use a rate of perceived exertion scale to judge how hard you are working. The one I like is a 1-10 scale where one is laying down doing nothing and 10 is "OMG I'm about to die!" hard work. You want to work at a 5-7 on that scale.
  • hbrekkaas
    hbrekkaas Posts: 268 Member
    Everyone's resting heart rate is difference, norm is between 60-100, although 90 is high normal for having only sat up or you were just laying in bed. However, factors that could cause a high HR at rest:

    - elevation, the higher you are, especially if you're not quite acclimated, the harder your body works
    - you're hypoglycemic, so first thing in the morning, after a night of "fasting," your blood sugar is low
    - you sat up too quickly and had a little syncope episode, which will cause your heart to compensate for the sudden drop in pressure by upping your heart rate.

    I've never heard of someone being diagnosed with Tachycardia, but I'm still in school so it's definately possible I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm familiar with using it as a symptom to describe an illness/injury and hypoperfusion (shock). If you're truely worried though, definitely see a doctor!

    I have tachycardia...specifically Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycarcia. Basically it means that for no reason my heart rate will jump up fairly high and then even out again. I have worn the 24 heart monitor, had a heart ultrasound, numerous EKGs, and met with a cardioligist, all by the ripe old age of 23.


    Maybe just relax with exercising until you see your doc on Tuesday? You've probalby lived with it for awhile without knowing about it, I"m sure you'll be fine until Tuesday. Really you probably don't even need to stop exercising until then, but if it makes you feel better you could.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Hi,my suggestion would be to "INSIST"that you get in to see you your primary care physician,explain to them over the phone whats going on "if you haven't already'. you may need to have your meds adjusted and poss see a cardiologist and wear a halter monitor for 24 hrs. If all else fails and you experience the rapid heart rate go to the emergency room and they can do a EKG on you and lab work.Good luck to you.

    Thank you very much for your reply. This helps me a lot. I had similar thoughts but wanted to confirm them and not just think i am being a hypochondriac :) haha. Like i said, I have tried calling TWO of my primary physicians but they are out of town. ( i have two because i kind of live in two places )

    I am going to school for Radiology, so I learn about stuff like this all the time. and I think it's called the Holter monitor test. maybe at clinics, i'll give myself an EKG.. haha JUST KIDDING JK JK JK !!! :)

    I will let you know how things go.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    So I couldn't help but read your post. I am currently studying tachycardia and more importantly you should see your doctor that prescribed the vyvanse as soon as possible. As much as we think that those negative effects aren't going to effect us, you might be experiencing some of them and might even need to lighten your dosage. If you get a chance, check this out...

    http://www.vyvansesideeffects.com/

    Lustris is right on with the info, too!

    thanks! and yes, i am the type of person that does my research on all my meds ! so thanks!
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Norms for HR are 60-100/bpm. a resting hr of 95 is considered slightly elevated but still in the normal ranges. I would trust your manual radial pulses over the HRM, just make sure you take them for the full minute. Write down every time you take it, what you are doing, and the reading and take it in with you when you see a Physician. You mention you tend to be a hypochondriac...the anxiety of thinking there is a problem will actually raise your hr...sometimes significantly. :) Definitely go and see the Dr as soon as possible though.

    agreed!! Thanks for your reply!!
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Thank you everyone for your replied! This has helped me verify my thoughts and helped A LOT. so glad I have you guys to help me out, as I have zero support outside of MFP! Thanks everyone :)

    I'll update how I'm doing.
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
    I'm a heart patient and I suggest you should see your doctor and possibly a cardiologist. The heart is nothing to fool around with. Give your doctor's office a call to find out what to do.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I'm a heart patient and I suggest you should see your doctor and possibly a cardiologist. The heart is nothing to fool around with. Give your doctor's office a call to find out what to do.

    I agree. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I am actually going to head up to my Pharmacist and ask some general questions right now. Since I cannot get an appointment with my general doctor. Thanks.
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    sorry DP
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    I post here normally, but this response is from my boyfriend who also read over this forum post and took an interest, so this is his opinion as a medic:

    The preface is that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, if this person wants medical advice, they should call 911 or go to their closest emergency room.

    To say that you have tachycardia isn't inherently dangerous. "Tachycardia" in and of itself is just any heart rate over 100 bpm. The origins and etiology of that tachycardia are more important than just having a heart rate that is barely above 100. A resting heart rate of 95 is acceptable for any normal adult; anything between 60-100 is considered to be a "normal" resting rate. Having a resting rate 110-150 might be benign and normal variant, or it could also imply some other pathology/etiolgy that would require halter monitoring. Also, depending on how the heart rate is taken manually, the number might be skewed. The best method is to take it radially over the course of a minute.

    Take that 120/80 average number out of your memory, throw it away, and never think of it again. It's a baseline "comparative" number that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to being low. And a blood pressure of 96 systolic is honestly pretty decent for a physically conditioned individual. A pulse pressure of 38mmHg is basically the same as that 120/80 anyway, and with a mean arterial pressure of 72mmHg, it doesn't concern me. It generally takes 60mmHg to adequately perfuse coronary arteries (which get perfusion during diastole, or when the heart is resting) and other vital organs.

    Depending on your age and physical conditioning, a heart rate of 208 while doing sprints (or intervals, which looks to be more the case) is entirely plausible, and likely to be a result of exertional instead of pathological. The usual rule of thumb is 220 minus age to determine if a tachycardia is extrinsic or intrinsic in nature, and even then it's relative. I can't say much else without actual ECG results, and that's really where the answer is going to come from, and I don't think a halter monitor is out of the question should the tachycardias persist.

    Also, if this is a new medication, perhaps it is a catalyst (or even the causative agent) for the tachycardic episodes.

    It's actually hard to take a medication as pescribed and have it kill you. Lots of people take lots of medications all the time and none the worse. What I will caution is with extremely fast tachycardia causing chest pain or respiratory distress. That IS a life threat and an ambulance is needed IMMEDIATELY.
  • fidgekitty
    fidgekitty Posts: 43
    I post here normally, but this response is from my boyfriend who also read over this forum post and took an interest, so this is his opinion as a medic:

    The preface is that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, if this person wants medical advice, they should call 911 or go to their closest emergency room.

    To say that you have tachycardia isn't inherently dangerous. "Tachycardia" in and of itself is just any heart rate over 100 bpm. The origins and etiology of that tachycardia are more important than just having a heart rate that is barely above 100. A resting heart rate of 95 is acceptable for any normal adult; anything between 60-100 is considered to be a "normal" resting rate. Having a resting rate 110-150 might be benign and normal variant, or it could also imply some other pathology/etiolgy that would require halter monitoring. Also, depending on how the heart rate is taken manually, the number might be skewed. The best method is to take it radially over the course of a minute.

    Take that 120/80 average number out of your memory, throw it away, and never think of it again. It's a baseline "comparative" number that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to being low. And a blood pressure of 96 systolic is honestly pretty decent for a physically conditioned individual. A pulse pressure of 38mmHg is basically the same as that 120/80 anyway, and with a mean arterial pressure of 72mmHg, it doesn't concern me. It generally takes 60mmHg to adequately perfuse coronary arteries (which get perfusion during diastole, or when the heart is resting) and other vital organs.

    Depending on your age and physical conditioning, a heart rate of 208 while doing sprints (or intervals, which looks to be more the case) is entirely plausible, and likely to be a result of exertional instead of pathological. The usual rule of thumb is 220 minus age to determine if a tachycardia is extrinsic or intrinsic in nature, and even then it's relative. I can't say much else without actual ECG results, and that's really where the answer is going to come from, and I don't think a halter monitor is out of the question should the tachycardias persist.

    Also, if this is a new medication, perhaps it is a catalyst (or even the causative agent) for the tachycardic episodes.

    It's actually hard to take a medication as pescribed and have it kill you. Lots of people take lots of medications all the time and none the worse. What I will caution is with extremely fast tachycardia causing chest pain or respiratory distress. That IS a life threat and an ambulance is needed IMMEDIATELY.

    As an EMT and Health Information Administrator student, I second all of that.
  • go2grrl
    go2grrl Posts: 190 Member
    I was having crazy readings on HRM, much like you describe, that were far and few between last year. When they started happening closer together, I finally mentioned it to my doctor and turns out the "subclinical hyperthyroidism" I was always diagnosed with was a little more serious. Igot the all clear from cardiology so there's nothing wrong with my heart. You might also insist on a full thyroid panel and rule out any sort of thyroid nodules.
  • fidgekitty
    fidgekitty Posts: 43
    I post here normally, but this response is from my boyfriend who also read over this forum post and took an interest, so this is his opinion as a medic:

    The preface is that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, if this person wants medical advice, they should call 911 or go to their closest emergency room.

    To say that you have tachycardia isn't inherently dangerous. "Tachycardia" in and of itself is just any heart rate over 100 bpm. The origins and etiology of that tachycardia are more important than just having a heart rate that is barely above 100. A resting heart rate of 95 is acceptable for any normal adult; anything between 60-100 is considered to be a "normal" resting rate. Having a resting rate 110-150 might be benign and normal variant, or it could also imply some other pathology/etiolgy that would require halter monitoring. Also, depending on how the heart rate is taken manually, the number might be skewed. The best method is to take it radially over the course of a minute.

    Take that 120/80 average number out of your memory, throw it away, and never think of it again. It's a baseline "comparative" number that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to being low. And a blood pressure of 96 systolic is honestly pretty decent for a physically conditioned individual. A pulse pressure of 38mmHg is basically the same as that 120/80 anyway, and with a mean arterial pressure of 72mmHg, it doesn't concern me. It generally takes 60mmHg to adequately perfuse coronary arteries (which get perfusion during diastole, or when the heart is resting) and other vital organs.

    Depending on your age and physical conditioning, a heart rate of 208 while doing sprints (or intervals, which looks to be more the case) is entirely plausible, and likely to be a result of exertional instead of pathological. The usual rule of thumb is 220 minus age to determine if a tachycardia is extrinsic or intrinsic in nature, and even then it's relative. I can't say much else without actual ECG results, and that's really where the answer is going to come from, and I don't think a halter monitor is out of the question should the tachycardias persist.

    Also, if this is a new medication, perhaps it is a catalyst (or even the causative agent) for the tachycardic episodes.

    It's actually hard to take a medication as pescribed and have it kill you. Lots of people take lots of medications all the time and none the worse. What I will caution is with extremely fast tachycardia causing chest pain or respiratory distress. That IS a life threat and an ambulance is needed IMMEDIATELY.

    As an EMT and Health Information Administrator student, I second all of that.

    Oh, and I want to stress the statement about taking manual radial pulses, TAKE IT MANUALLY! lol, automatic HRM's can be so off, as well as automatic BP monitors, especially when moving (like in the back of an ambulance, jogging, even walking). I've gotten insane readings from the smallest thing from automatic HRM and auto-BP machines, so just take the time to feel for the radial pulse (or corotid if you have trouble finding it in your wrist) and count for 60 seconds. With tachycardia, one of the the things we fear is ventricular tachycardia, where your heart is beating so fast, the chambers of your heart can't adequately fill up and perfusion is compromised, which can eventually fatigue the heart and cause cardiac failure or arrest. While 90 bpm isn't at that level, if you start experiencing symptoms like chest pain or even discomfort, arm pain, upper back pain, nausea, respiratory distress, or diaphoresis, play it safe, call an ambulance.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I post here normally, but this response is from my boyfriend who also read over this forum post and took an interest, so this is his opinion as a medic:

    The preface is that I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, if this person wants medical advice, they should call 911 or go to their closest emergency room.

    To say that you have tachycardia isn't inherently dangerous. "Tachycardia" in and of itself is just any heart rate over 100 bpm. The origins and etiology of that tachycardia are more important than just having a heart rate that is barely above 100. A resting heart rate of 95 is acceptable for any normal adult; anything between 60-100 is considered to be a "normal" resting rate. Having a resting rate 110-150 might be benign and normal variant, or it could also imply some other pathology/etiolgy that would require halter monitoring. Also, depending on how the heart rate is taken manually, the number might be skewed. The best method is to take it radially over the course of a minute.

    Take that 120/80 average number out of your memory, throw it away, and never think of it again. It's a baseline "comparative" number that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to being low. And a blood pressure of 96 systolic is honestly pretty decent for a physically conditioned individual. A pulse pressure of 38mmHg is basically the same as that 120/80 anyway, and with a mean arterial pressure of 72mmHg, it doesn't concern me. It generally takes 60mmHg to adequately perfuse coronary arteries (which get perfusion during diastole, or when the heart is resting) and other vital organs.

    Depending on your age and physical conditioning, a heart rate of 208 while doing sprints (or intervals, which looks to be more the case) is entirely plausible, and likely to be a result of exertional instead of pathological. The usual rule of thumb is 220 minus age to determine if a tachycardia is extrinsic or intrinsic in nature, and even then it's relative. I can't say much else without actual ECG results, and that's really where the answer is going to come from, and I don't think a halter monitor is out of the question should the tachycardias persist.

    Also, if this is a new medication, perhaps it is a catalyst (or even the causative agent) for the tachycardic episodes.

    It's actually hard to take a medication as pescribed and have it kill you. Lots of people take lots of medications all the time and none the worse. What I will caution is with extremely fast tachycardia causing chest pain or respiratory distress. That IS a life threat and an ambulance is needed IMMEDIATELY.

    As an EMT and Health Information Administrator student, I second all of that.

    Oh, and I want to stress the statement about taking manual radial pulses, TAKE IT MANUALLY! lol, automatic HRM's can be so off, as well as automatic BP monitors, especially when moving (like in the back of an ambulance, jogging, even walking). I've gotten insane readings from the smallest thing from automatic HRM and auto-BP machines, so just take the time to feel for the radial pulse (or corotid if you have trouble finding it in your wrist) and count for 60 seconds. With tachycardia, one of the the things we fear is ventricular tachycardia, where your heart is beating so fast, the chambers of your heart can't adequately fill up and perfusion is compromised, which can eventually fatigue the heart and cause cardiac failure or arrest. While 90 bpm isn't at that level, if you start experiencing symptoms like chest pain or even discomfort, arm pain, upper back pain, nausea, respiratory distress, or diaphoresis, play it safe, call an ambulance.

    Thank you. for all the above posts. and this is NOT a new medication. Been taking it since January. and I do have chest pains every now and then. and I DO take my RADIAL pulse several times throughout the day. Thanks!
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I was having crazy readings on HRM, much like you describe, that were far and few between last year. When they started happening closer together, I finally mentioned it to my doctor and turns out the "subclinical hyperthyroidism" I was always diagnosed with was a little more serious. Igot the all clear from cardiology so there's nothing wrong with my heart. You might also insist on a full thyroid panel and rule out any sort of thyroid nodules.

    Thanks. I have hypothyroidism and take medication for it. I had my thyroid panel checked about 3 weeks ago and everything was normal.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I should also update that I went and talked to my pharmacist today since I could not get a hold of my two general doctors or psychiatrist.

    The pharmacist also told me that it'd be fine to wait until Tues when I can talk to my psychiatrist on the phone. see what she says..then go to my general doctor..then see if they want me to go to a cardiologist...
  • cutmd
    cutmd Posts: 1,168 Member
    Seems like you have been getting some good advice. Tachycardia is not a disease, it's a symptom. As others said, it can happen from exercise, drugs, hyperthyroidism, infection, stress/anxiety, dehydration, arrhythmias, etc. As an ER doc I can say the others are right about getting concerned if you get chest pain or shortness of breath, but perhaps most importantly light-headedness or passing out. I would definitely have your doc take a hard look at your amphetamines, and would consider only engaging in light activity until you get a checkup.
    First of all, relax. Tachycardia is simply a heart beat above 100, so every single one of us who works out and gets our heart rate over 100 is tachycardic while we are exercising. I'm also often tachycardic while resting due to my asthma medication. If it is medication induced, it's usually not a big deal. The only time tachycardia is a problem is when there is an underlying heart issue or it is caused by a heart issue that speeds up the electrical signal in the heart even at rest. From the sounds of it, the medication is causing your issues, so I wouldn't stress out about it until you talk to your doctor and they can make sure you have no other underlying heart conditions. The medication you are on is an amphetamine and one of the major side effects of amphetamines is increasing heart rate. Because they are known to increase heart rate, as long as your doctor clears you of other heart issues, you can still workout but you can't judge your calorie burns or exercise level by a heart rate monitor. They will over estimate calorie burns because the heart rate will be high even if you aren't burning extra calories. You should use a rate of perceived exertion scale to judge how hard you are working. The one I like is a 1-10 scale where one is laying down doing nothing and 10 is "OMG I'm about to die!" hard work. You want to work at a 5-7 on that scale.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Seems like you have been getting some good advice. Tachycardia is not a disease, it's a symptom. As others said, it can happen from exercise, drugs, hyperthyroidism, infection, stress/anxiety, dehydration, arrhythmias, etc. As an ER doc I can say the others are right about getting concerned if you get chest pain or shortness of breath, but perhaps most importantly light-headedness or passing out. I would definitely have your doc take a hard look at your amphetamines, and would consider only engaging in light activity until you get a checkup.
    First of all, relax. Tachycardia is simply a heart beat above 100, so every single one of us who works out and gets our heart rate over 100 is tachycardic while we are exercising. I'm also often tachycardic while resting due to my asthma medication. If it is medication induced, it's usually not a big deal. The only time tachycardia is a problem is when there is an underlying heart issue or it is caused by a heart issue that speeds up the electrical signal in the heart even at rest. From the sounds of it, the medication is causing your issues, so I wouldn't stress out about it until you talk to your doctor and they can make sure you have no other underlying heart conditions. The medication you are on is an amphetamine and one of the major side effects of amphetamines is increasing heart rate. Because they are known to increase heart rate, as long as your doctor clears you of other heart issues, you can still workout but you can't judge your calorie burns or exercise level by a heart rate monitor. They will over estimate calorie burns because the heart rate will be high even if you aren't burning extra calories. You should use a rate of perceived exertion scale to judge how hard you are working. The one I like is a 1-10 scale where one is laying down doing nothing and 10 is "OMG I'm about to die!" hard work. You want to work at a 5-7 on that scale.

    Yes, Thanks. I understand all of this. (from years of different medications and going to school,etc) I know it is most likely from my amphetamines. Going to talk to my psychiatrist Tuesday (hopefully)! I do get light headed/dizzy but that is also because i am hypoglycemic. I only get chest pains with working out really hard or if I am going through withdrawals from a different medication. I understand tachycardia is a symptom and it is just rapid heart beat, but since mine has been a constant rapid heartbeat is why i was mainly concerned. Thanks everyone again :)
  • weofui
    weofui Posts: 9
    The meds have my vote. I take Adderall daily for severe inattentive ADD. My resting heart rate is usually around 80, bursts of vigorous exercise (like a sprint) generally boost that to around 190, and over 200 with exercise isn't all that uncommon for me. Obviously, you should still talk this over with your doctors asap... just don't worry yourself to death in the meantime. :)


    *Insert standard "I'm not a doctor" boilerplate here. ;)
  • mbeach1977
    mbeach1977 Posts: 275 Member
    I was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia. First noticed it in middle school, As I got older and got pregnant with my first baby, it got much worse and had to be on tons of of heart meds and had EKGs and echo's once a month. After my first was born I had an electrophysiology study with s-node ablation done.

    Talk to your Dr!
  • Brandon74
    Brandon74 Posts: 453 Member
    Wow, I have Ventricular Tacychardia. I was born with Tetratology of Fallot and have had it repaired a couple times.

    I actually had a V-Tach on Valentines Day ( Funny isn't it?) while working out at the gym. Long story short...my heart rate was over 200bmp for about 4 hours. I had to get an ICD put in my chest since I have a heart condition already. They set it up so that if my heart rate got up to 186 the defribilator would go into effect and correct the arythmia problem.

    They feel that I should be able to lead my normal lifestyle and workout like I was. My exercise tolerance has never been normal, but I still do what I can and rest when I need too.
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