Heart race symptoms and conditions

I'm a 30 yr old healthy male. I went to the ER, and then the Dr., about 4 weeks ago after waking up with intense pain in the veins of my right arm and having pounding palps. I had just been told some extremely stressful news the night before, so I was pretty sure this was blood pressure & stress related. ... EKG showed Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, so that's what the Dr's assumed was the problem. I never knew what it was called, but I've had my heart race due to WPW many times since I was a young child .. this did not seem to be related. This was just pounding.

The cardiologist put me on 50mg of Toprol XL daily to control the WPW - even though that wasn't acting up. I left confused. Pharmacy issued generic Metoprolol Succinate mfg. by Sandoz.

I didn't want to be on meds, so I didn't take it for the first few days, hoping that I would return to normal. After all, I just woke up with this all of the sudden.. I had been fine the day before. Palps continued, though, so eventually I relented and started taking the meds.

The first two or three weeks were filled with ups and downs. Exhaustion, palpitations and anxiety would come and go.

This past weekend things got really bad. I began having anxiety attacks -- I think that's what it was, I'd never had one before -- and my vision was totally screwed up. I couldn't focus on anything and was sensitive to some lighting. Black text on a bright white screen (lcd monitor) was especially hard to read. I was completely in a dazed & confused state. Loud noises and crowds were bothering me... which was awful, considering it was my best friend's wedding. Also had headaches, lightheadedness & loss of appetite. These side effects came and went on Friday & Saturday and were pretty constant on Sunday & Monday.

I decided to quit Toprol cold-turkey on Sunday. I have been 2 days without. I have used L-Theamine to reduce stress and keep my blood pressure steady. It seems to be working. I also began taking CoQ10 today after reading some good things about it here.

My vision & mental focus is beginning to improve after 3 days of disabilitating problems. Anxiety has also improved. I even attempted to "get back to normal" at work today, but had to leave after only an hour of strenuous exercise in the heat. Vision problems returned, anxiety set in. It's like riding a really freaking scary roller coaster, except with a legitimate fear that this thing might kill you.

I will update this as time goes by, to let you all know how things worked out for me. I'm really hoping to be mostly back to normal in another day or two, since I haven't been on for very long. Hopefully this will be of help to someone in the future. Damn, I Wish I had never gotten on this stuff.

Well, I'll share my story with you, and feel free to comment or ask any questions. I had been taking Yasmin for about 3 years. For the majority that time, I was in college (UCLA) while my long term boyfriend and family were back in the Bay Area. I was extremely depressed, which I presumed to be because I missed my boyfriend, and school was very difficult, etc. However, I had terrible anxiety, to where whenever I went to class, walked the campus, etc, I would have trouble looking up, for fear of making eye contact with others. To ask a question in class made my heart race. I would get terrible lumps in my throat that I could not get rid of. I used to be really outgoing, friends with everyone. But at UCLA for two years, I barely made new friends (maybe 3-5), blaming it on being too busy with my studies. Pretty extreme anxiety. As a child, I was a gymnast and suffered from OCD at one point, probably due to the anxieties of a very strict, mature schedule at such a young age. I guess I've been anxious in some way or another during my whole life, however I feel it was WAY worse during the course of being on Yasmin. I have also suffered from depression in my life, but the worst times were during high school, and during the past few years while on Yasmin. I am not saying I blame Yasmin for these things, but I definitely think it made them worse. I also have been having terrible mood swings, crying spells (to where I felt like I was going crazy), and not feeling like “myself”. I did take a break from the pill after I broke up with my boyfriend, and felt WONDERUL, woke up in a great mood, ready to take on the day, instead of forcing myself to try to start the day happy (which rarely worked). It has been a CHORE to be happy and grateful for my wonderful life (family, friends, good job, own apt., dog) for the past few years.

I stopped taking Yasmin 3 days ago (Sunday the 13th was my first day off of it) and already feel more normal, balanced and myself. Happy, hopeful, more relaxed. Of course this could be “placebo effects”, but I now myself really well, am very in tune with my emotions, etc., and I definitely feel different. I am not rhuminating either, which was another effect.

Does anyone have a similar story? Thanks! -Cassie

I have Bipolar Type II, since I was 12. I'm 52 now. Undedicated I'm a Rapid Cycler with psychotic depression. I was diagnosed at age 40, after worse and worse symptoms. So I have been on meds since - many different "cocktails" some effective and some not so effective.
My doc put me on Seroquel a couple of years ago and it has worked very well to "quell" the mood swings. But... I started to gain weight immediately! Lots of weight. I had been 118 my entire adult life, and within months weighed 148! My family accused me of not exercising, but no, it was the Seroquel alone. Also, it knocks you out, so I could only use it at night. The 500 mgs would first make my heart race and thump in my chest then put me to sleep. At times it was scary. Then in the morning I'd wake up feeling hungover and fuzzy brain for several hours. It also made my appetite crazy, craving carbs, which made the weight gain harder to control. So even though the drug worked for the bipolar, it made me absolutely miserable because of the weight.
Now after a few years I have had it!. A month ago I began weaning myself from it. A word to those who cold turkey the drug: you'll experience bad symptoms. I'd go down 25 to 5o mgs per week, monitoring my moods VERY carefully, and am now at 200 mgs per day. The weight loss was immediate and in that one month I've lost 15 lbs an still losing but now much slower - but still losing. Wow.
I meet with my doc in two weeks - hope she's not mad at me, but I'm doing OK. I'm on enough meds so they seem to be doing the job. (The least amount to do the job is the goal anyway.) Hopefully I can go off of Seroquel completely and get near my old adult weight.
BTW, my doc mentioned last appointment that Geocodone could be a non-weight gain substitute for Seroquel.

I just started taking Lisinopril 20 mg. again after initially it made my heart race and gave me palpitation. I have only started taking it again 3 days ago and I have a red blotchy rash on my arm. It doesn't itches but looks gross.
I think I need to change my meds.

I've been on Toprol for many years due to the Synthroid medication makes my heart race and the Toprol slows it down. I've gone on the generic Toprol, the Metoprolol Tartrate and since I've gone on that, I've notice a lot of hair loss. I never dreamed this med would cause hair loss. Then I read that sheet that comes with the med and it said hair loss is one of the side effects. Has anyone else experienced this? My hair is coming out a lot and it's scary.

I just started Yasmin 6 days ago. I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and depression. I am also on Wellbutrin. Since starting Yasmin I have had severe nausea, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, and pain in my joints. I actually feel like I have the flu all day long. I am glad that I found this site and know that there are others who have similar symptoms and it is not just in my head. I have tried ortho-tricyclen and didn't tolerate that either, it made my heart race.

ventolin makes my heart race and I feel anxious with mild nausea

I been on Flecainide for three weeks now for arrythima(SVT). I haven't really felt any side effects, sometimes I do get a stomach ache. I sometimes feel flutters, but not near like I use to, I feel like this medication keeps my heart rate normal, and it keeps me from going into an SVT attack, where my heart is racing like crazy. Hopefully, this medication will continue to help me, because its so scary to have your heart race!

This drug made my heart race, my head spin and my skin blotchy. I felt as if I was viewing and hearing the world through a long tunnel. I have taken it twice for the swelling associated with the gum grafts and had the same reaction each time.

Hill-

I had the same chest pains. Sometimes it felt like it was in my lungs, sometimes, it felt like it was my heart, and sometimes I couldn't tell where it was coming from it just hurt. Everyone kept telling me it was panic attacks. I'm sure I had a few of those too as I have had an amazing amount of anxiety since starting Yasmin, but I knew it was something more. I take a baby asprin everyday to make sure I don't get clots. I have had ekg's and chest x-rays and nobody has found anything. I have had major fatigue, dizzy spells(almost blacked out), stomach pains...the list goes on. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. I will tell you that I have been off the pill for about 5 days now and I still have a lot of anxiety but some of the chest pain has gone away. I'm hoping it continues to get better and fast!

Chrissy-

I too had the heart race thing. Although my heart only got up to 120 bpm. At first it would just pound really hard and feel like it was going to jump out of my body. Then it would get faster and faster. When it seemed to subside the chest pain would come. It really freaked me out. I've been really afraid of blood clots. I had some weird sensations in my legs.

Guest-

I have had the worst hot flashes that have not gone away yet. One minute I'm cold the next minute I am so hot and I am stripping off sweatshirts and things trying to cool down. It's the worst! I did also gain weight, but not sure how much of it was the pill and how much was me not working out anymore because I have been so fatigued.

Hope this helps all! Five days off the pill and counting! :)

I'm so happy i'm not alone....So happy....!
I have depression,and anxiety and panic,all together...I started this pill a month ago...It's been a horror,a nightmare!
Sometimes i feel i'm gonna die,i can't sleep,i'm shaking like a leaf.Head aches,vomiting,and dizziness.I'm so disoriented sometimes.Today is my sixth day of the second month.I almost called 911.I know it's sound pathetic,but i can't go on like this.I will quit.Because that's not a life...
Before i was on Diane-35,but my doctor changed to YASMINE.
I really don't know why...
These are my symptoms and i have many moore...
Moodswings,chest pain,insomnia,sweating,abdominal pain,diarrhea,my heart race,...etc.I didn't go out from the house since 2 weeks.I don't know how i'm gonna feel ,that's my bigest fear,but i don't wanba take this pill anymore...

Thanks for EVERYBODY

I was on 25mg after three heart attacks and 5 x cabbage in 2004, at age 40. Some 7 months later I can feel my heart race in late afternoon and evening and the doctors raised it to 100mg. I and/or have, nausia, ache, grumpy, sleepy and all together depressed.

I also have many of the above mentioned side effects. The most disturbing being the depressed feeling and anxiety along with head sweating and flushed face. I also can feel my heart race/pound.