Hi guys:

Just wanted to ask you "panic ladies" in the know - last night I took a new Magnesium pill - Magnesium Citrate (400 mgs) from the Natural health store - I so take Magnesium Oxide (250 mg twice a day) but I had heard that the body did not absorb it as much as Magnesium Citrate- anyway I was awoken by my heart racing - which started me having a panic attack etc. - having learned from you ladies I did not go to ER - because I have had these occasionally and I know that they subside - what is interesting is that I never get heart racing episodes during the day (only very rarely will I get a skipped heart beat) so I was wondering what could be causing this - could it be the raised Magnesium (400 mg) all at one time - or could it be that sometimes I can't breathe through my nose and so I end up breathing through my mouth and so I could have a random episode of sleep apnea - what do you wise ladies think?

Also - has anyone had episodes of the above - waking up with a racing heart and then get nervous and having a panic attack etc. --- To the ladies who did not drive to ER - What do you do to get rid of it and go back to normal heart beat?????I would love to know- as I said before, I'm so glad I did not go to ER - I would have felt very foolish - I have not gone to get this checked out by my doctor as I don't wish to worry about it - I know its probably hormonal - I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks in my 20s and 30s and they checked me out and it was fine - Also now that I think about this I am going through some stress (worrying about two different issues) and also I have been googling all kinds of health stuff on the web - so maybe all this day stress is coming out at night - I was just wondering why I did not have racing heart problems in the day -

Looking forward to your replieshttp://www.power-surge.com/php/forums/style_images/3/folder_post_icons/icon1.gif

Lara

Hi Lara,

I don't think it has anything to do with the magnesium?.....maybe you were subconsciously thinking about taking something new before bed and worrying about the effect?

I have woken many times, either by a bad dream or just because my nasal passages were too blocked up, and then had heart racing and a slight panic, so I think that is all it was I'm sure...these darn hormones make us have awful symptoms, I'm sorry you are experiencing this, but be rest assured its not anything to worry about.

caz

lara...I have had this on and off for almost 4 years now. It got bad again after I stopped some hormones I was trying last summer into fall...so bad I drove myself to the ER as it happened 4 times in about 6 hours and it happened during the day which it never did before. I went to a cardiologist, same one who saw me when it all started, after my ER visit last fall. The did an echocardiogram and put an event monitor on me which did show the rapid heart rate in the middle of the night which they call sinus tachycardia but the dr. said it wasn't coming from my heart but from somewhere else . I do have PAC's and PVC's which I've know about since my mid 30's and I feel those all the time. I highly suggest that you do go and get yourself checked out. It most likely is hormonal but anything unusual should always be investigated by a dr. I worry that women here get symptoms and chalk everyting up to perimenopause and menopause and there is really something else going on. A few women have told their stories here. Go to the dr. and get a work up, please.

Hugs,
Karen

Hi Karen:

Thanks for the quick reply - question for you - where is the tachycardia coming from if not from your heart? also when I did have my panic attacks in my 30s I did go and get an ekg and an echo and they were all fine - actually I have never really had pacs or pvs - just feeling that my heart was pounding or racing - and I do think its because my nose is stuffed up and I stop breathing - I don't wish to go get a "work up" as to be honest I do think doctors like to get you nervous with all their tests etc. I think I am in good health - I have good cholesterol levels and also good blood pressure - also if I went for a test and they found a false negative result that would send me into a tizzy - that has happened to me once regarding another part of my anatomy - No I think I should just chill - and post on this wonderful board LOL - but thanks for your concern.

Best

Lara Falcon

Hey Caz:

Its comforting to know that you have had them too and you are still alive LOL - can you tell me how you got rid of them - I know that I have been obsessing a lot with my body and its functions for the past two weeks - I read a very wise comment on another website - that we should stop obsessing with our bodies and not think about them too much - this women got rid of her anxieties that way

Thanks again

Lara

I used to get the racing heart episodes lasting 20 minutes or so during the day and night. It was caused by fluctuating hormones. I started progesterone cream and the racing heart episodes went away for the most part. Then I started getting skipped beats really bad a couple years after starting the P cream. I stopped the P cream and started on the Vivelle Dot and the skipped beats (knock on wood) have so far subsided. I have been through echocardiagram, stress test, 30 day monitor and all was fine with my heart so I feel strongly that the trigger is hormone shifts and/or low estrogen in my case.

When I was getting the racing heart episodes I would splash COLD water on my chest, neck, face, and arms and that would shorten the time considerably. When going out to ball games, picnics, traveling, etc I always carried a little spray bottle of water I kept cold in a small cooler.

Hope this helps some!
Happymom

Karen, I absolutely agree with you. For anyone suffering from palpitations, I would definitely wear an Event Recorder for 30 days. There are various places that the palps can be coming from, usually benign, however; sometimes the palpitations stem from somewhere in the heart that needs intervention (eithor with meds or a procedure). By wearing the ER, they will be able to trace where in the heart the palps are orginating from, an EKG or any kind of echo does not detect this.

Hugs,
Karen

Hi Lara

I used to get these when I suffered menopausal symptoms. They became less frequent and stopped when all the other symptoms subsided and went away. I'm pretty certain in my case it was just another hormonal effect. It's very alarming I know - waking with a jolt, rapid heartbeat and feeling like your body wants to go on a ten mile sprint!

I read one explanation on this forum that it happens in response to a drop in estrogen. Apparently the adrenals produce a small amount of estrogen and when the ovaries produce less, the adrenals might try to make up the shortfall. When releasing estrogen however, they also release adrenaline. Why this should only happen at night however, I don't know! Another explanation that I saw discussed concerned the vagus nerve.

I found eating late at night sometimes meant I woke with tachycardia. All I could do to make it go away was wait unfortunately. I often wondered if it would help if I actually did go for a run in the middle of the night to use up the adrenaline!

Sometimes I woke with tachycardia and sometimes a panic attack - the two did seem different strangely enough, although of course racing heart can also indicate a panic attack. I did have panic attacks during the day as well, but not tachycardia without the awareness of panic, or not noticably anyway.

I do still, sometimes, wake with a raised heart rate now if I'm particularly stressed about something - although nowhere near as high and persistent as when I was in the thick of the peri and meno symptoms. I don't remember this ever happening in response to stress pre menopause however.

Shebee,
I have been plagued with this off and on. Finally discovered that sometimes it's caused by my reflux acting up. I never felt the burning in my throat that some people have, so didn't realize that could be it until my cardiologist told me. It explained why it would start with a vengeance when I laid down at night--apparently the reflux was triggering the vagus nerve and causing the palps and racing heart and lying flat facilitated the acid refluxing into the esophagus. Sleeping on an incline with the upper body higher helped a lot when I was dealing with this.

But I have to say that through a lot of trial and error, I realized magnesium was making it worse! Which I couldn't believe at first since it's known to help with many types of heart palps. I suspected it was making it worse, but didn't believe it until I read a couple posts from a couple women who said that mag definitely makes them worse. Then I realized that mag has a relaxing effect and it was relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter too much, allowing the stomach contents to reflux up and trigger the palps. Reflux often is a problem with the loss of tone of the LES, so it makes sense that it would worsen that. So try using just calcium and no mag, since that is supposed to restore the tone of the LES and allow it to close all the way.

Sariah:

INTERESTING - what you said about acid reflux - I wonder if that is the case - I have been taking 2 tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar along with my Vegetable Juice pretty late in the evening - maybe that is triggering it - but also yesterday the higher dose of Magnesium and my panic attack was too big of a coincidence - I have taken Magnesium Oxide twice a day along with Calcium (250 mg) I have never taken 400 mg in one dose - I will continue to take Magnesium because I am going to get my pressure checked at my doctors on Wednesday and I have heard that Magnesium lowers blood pressure - have you heard that too.

thanks for the input

Shebee,
I would stop the ACV for now, I've noticed if I take too much acid (hydrochloric acid, all forms of citrate minerals, etc) it will trigger the reflux and the palps. Some people need much less ACV than others and if you decide at some point to go back to it, try less and use in earlier in the day.

The reflux thing surprised me, since from what I know about it, most people have clear symptoms along with the burning. I did find that you can have it without any of the usual symptoms and found a lot of articles and posts showing that it does trigger heart issues. I would notice symptoms were worse about an hour after eating and also when I would lie down.

Yes, mag lowers bp quite well. It relaxes the vessels, but also relaxes the LES. Maybe just take no more than 200-250mg/day early in the day. After you get your bp checked, then maybe try not using that or the ACV for a week or so and see if you get relief of the palps. Then try adding back the mag by itself for a couple weeks and see if the heart stuff happens again. Once you see how that is affecting you, then try the ACV for a week or so and see how that affects you.

Actually I still get some on occasion....so they are not fully gone!

Mine is probably due to anxiety...and the fact that my adrenals work too hard at night, so the response about the adrenals working overtime when the ovaries stop working is probably true....I am on an adaptogen for my adrenals, not sure if it is having any effect yet, this is my 10th day on them, so I guess time will tell.

I agree with the obsessing thing too...I have been bad with obsessing!....I now do meditation twice a day and go to a class weekly, which seems to be helping somewhat.

Try thinking positive thoughts and rise above them!!!

let us know how things are going.

caz

Caz, I cannot remember which medical practitioner told me this but it has really helped with palps at night. You will naturally have more palps if you sleep on your left side. You will notice them much more because something about laying on your left side causes the heart to be stimulated more when you sleep on that side. I noticed a big difference when I would switch positions and realized most of my heart palp episodes would happen when sleeping on my left side. The doc told me it was something about being in the left side recumbant position that can cause harmless but bothersome palps. Try switching sides and see if that helps. Also, I was told to take a deep breath and bear down and that would slow my heart rate down. Good luck Debra

Deb,
You are so right. I figured this out on my own a couple years ago when the palp h**l started. I hate that I can't sleep on that side. But I have noticed that if my reflux is under control, I can sleep on my left side without a problem. So something about digestive issues makes the vagus nerve more sensitive to position

Thats right Sariah, The Vagus nerve. It had been quite a while since my doc told me about that. Thanks for reminding me...and yes, when my reflux is bad, it really irritates the palps. Just one non stop party right? lol

Debra,
I had never heard of the sleeping positions. I get palps alot when I lay down, especially when I wake up very early and need to go back to sleep. The left side is my favorite so that's not good for me. I will try the right side tonight. Thanks for the info....
char

i myself breath deep breathes in and out - in thru the nose and out the mouth- into a paper bag- some how breathing in the air you exhale- which contains carbon dioxcide is suppose to help- try it- it mite help- couldnt hurt !!!

Hullo Lara,

Believe it or not, I woke up on last week on Wednesday morning at 2am with my heart racing and all the symptoms you described - and I also took a calcium magnesium supplement for the first time just before going to bed. I am convinced that something in that supplement caused this reaction. It was a liquid vitamin supplement called CAL-MAG from Biometics. It had 400mg of magnesium citrate and 1000mg of calcium citrate. Because it was in a liquid form and is absorbed more quickly than other vitamins, I felt a reaction almost immediately. My heart beat increased and I felt breathless, nauseous and a tight feeling in my chest - not what I expected at all.

I must add that my son takes these products and has had none of the negative side effects that I experienced.

Anyway, since I am in the full throes of peri-menopause, with hot flushes and night sweats, I know that my body chemistry has gone haywire. I'm definitely staying off all supplements and I'm going to follow the low glycemic diet in Dr. Northrup's book, The Wisdom of Menopause.

Debbie

Hi Debbie:

Welcome to the Club !! LOL

Actually the day after I had this delicious experience I went online and spent all day researching palpitations, racing heart etc. and got assurance that night-time racing heart is generally anxiety and once you face what you are anxious about you can tell yourself its only anxiety and roll over and go back to sleep - I know we both had taken magnesium before bed which may have contributed to that - but I have had these racing heart experiences at night before - however now as soon as I get woken up with the racing heart thingy I hold my stomach muscles tight for a few times and they go away like magic - I also tell myself its anxiety and its not anything wrong with my heart - try this technique - it may work for you

Lara Falcon

lara

I used to have this quite often, went to the ER several times, workup, etc. Nothing wrong. Now I rarely have these as I am a few yr=ears post meno and everything seems to be calming down. However, on the ocassion that I wake up fully panicked with a racing heart, I splash cold water on my face, neck and wrists and either go for a little walk( to use the circulatin adrenalin) or pick up a funny book or watch something on tv. usually lasts 20 minutes to an hour or so. I have live through it before and just tell myself I will again.
Hope this helps


hugs
ladybugmom

[quote name='larafalcon' date='May 15 2009, 11:17 AM' post='284673']
Hi guys:

Just wanted to ask you "panic ladies" in the know - last night I took a new Magnesium pill - Magnesium Citrate (400 mgs) from the Natural health store - I so take Magnesium Oxide (250 mg twice a day) but I had heard that the body did not absorb it as much as Magnesium Citrate- anyway I was awoken by my heart racing - which started me having a panic attack etc. - having learned from you ladies I did not go to ER - because I have had these occasionally and I know that they subside - what is interesting is that I never get heart racing episodes during the day (only very rarely will I get a skipped heart beat) so I was wondering what could be causing this - could it be the raised Magnesium (400 mg) all at one time - or could it be that sometimes I can't breathe through my nose and so I end up breathing through my mouth and so I could have a random episode of sleep apnea - what do you wise ladies think?

Also - has anyone had episodes of the above - waking up with a racing heart and then get nervous and having a panic attack etc. --- To the ladies who did not drive to ER - What do you do to get rid of it and go back to normal heart beat?????I would love to know- as I said before, I'm so glad I did not go to ER - I would have felt very foolish - I have not gone to get this checked out by my doctor as I don't wish to worry about it - I know its probably hormonal - I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks in my 20s and 30s and they checked me out and it was fine - Also now that I think about this I am going through some stress (worrying about two different issues) and also I have been googling all kinds of health stuff on the web - so maybe all this day stress is coming out at night - I was just wondering why I did not have racing heart problems in the day -

Looking forward to your replieshttp://www.power-surge.com/php/forums/style_images/3/folder_post_icons/icon1.gif
I have experienced these heart racing episodes at night. After much research I have found that Motherwort tincture works the best to calm them down. I keep it on my night table with a small glass of water. 15 to 20 drops in the water. It really helps. I discovered this in Susun Weed's book on menopause.

I just started having these heart palps/panicky feelings waking me up in the middle of the night. Just realized I just began taking a mag capsule and took one each of the days that this happened. Here I thought I was doing the right thing.

mood_swinger

I've always though magnesium was the right things for these funny heart palps, or racing. I know it does work well for some people, and mostly for ventricular arrhythmias, but it finally dawned on me that I would get the heart pounding and/or racing the nights I would take the magnesium, or take an epsom salt bath. And a woman posted on a thyroid website that mag was causing the heart things, and that taking calcium helped her. So I stopped the mag, only take it now in a 2:1 cal/mag ratio, or just take calcium, and I'm fine.

I also found that even slight dehydration for me will cause my heart to pound.

Also, reflux can trigger heart things.