Anxiety for full 24 hrs. with chest pains of course

[Smile]

I always get chest pains from my anxiety and because it’s been so many years I have learned to stop freaking out that I’m about to have a heart attack.

But recently I went to a doctor for the first time in over two years and he said my heart rate was high (tachycardia) and prescribed metoprolol which is a beta blocker just until our next visit to see if that helps lower my heart rate.

I am really sick of taking so many medications and I’m trying to wean myself slowly off one after the other so taking another medicine did not excite me at all. Plus, a major issue for me is that you need to take it every 12 hours and my sleeping patterns are not the greatest so I don’t have a time when 12 hours will work for taking it. So I decided not to take it right now

My appointment is in a week but with my full on anxiety with chest pain‘s today, I’m just wondering if I should give in and try taking it at least until doctors appointment.

My original plan was to take a Xanax on the day of the appointment, do mindfulness and try to be as calm as possible in order to prove that it’s not tachycardia but I am so nervous about the doctors visit that I just don’t see how it’s gonna work out.

Has anyone taken metoprolol for anxiety and do you think I’m messing around around with my health by not taking it or any other suggestions/advice would be really really grateful!

Sorry for the long post

 

[scout86]

Has anyone taken metoprolol for anxiety

Did the doctor actually prescribe this for anxiety, or for the tachycardia? (Which is probably caused by anxiety, but who knows.)

I've never taken any medication, so I can't answer your original question. Chronic tachycardia isn't a good thing and should be dealt with. But, taking a lot of medications isn't great either and the more someone is taking, the more chances there are for drugs interact ways that aren't helpful. If you can actually get your heart rate down without the drug, that seems like a good thing, to me. But you might also want to talk to your doctor about what medications you're on, to see if there are some changes you should make. If you doctor still thinks the tachycardia needs treatment, maybe you should discuss alternative therapies with her or him, so you're both the same page.

 

[The Albatross]

Mindfulness... yeah okay but I'd say "My original plan was to take a Xanax on the day of the appointment" is really not a good idea at all.

You have a blood pressure cuff and if so are you monitoring it several times a day?
Once I had industrial chemical exposure that caused elevated BP and pulse, and was almost incorrectly diagnosed but because I tracked it for 30 days (about a week before the ammonium hydroxide leak was resolved & for 3 weeks afterwards) was able to rule it out. Another time was when a doctor was trying to peg me nocturnal hypertension with my apnea diagnosis... I did the same thing and provided it at a second appointment both times and avoided a misdiagnosis for that as well.

I will also though say... that a friend was attributing quite a lot to stress and anxiety. On investigation however she did have hypertension and hypertension can and does present often times to what people attribute to "stress or anxiety". She pursued it responsibly and is doing well with the medications.

So yeah... it may be worth doing a med trial as well.

I think I'd spend some time on this bit: "a major issue for me is that you need to take it every 12 hours and my sleeping patterns are not the greatest so I don’t have a time when 12 hours will work for taking it. So I decided not to take it right now"

It's not time consuming to take a 2x/Day med as its prescribed and it's odd that you say "I don't have a time when 12 hours will work for taking it."

 

[Smile]

Did the doctor actually prescribe this for anxiety, or for the tachycardia? (Which is probably caused b...

He prescribed it for the tachycardia but agreed with me that there’s a good chance it can be from anxiety

Mindfulness... yeah okay but I'd say "My original plan was to take a Xanax on the day of the appoi...

I agree with you on certain things. My T said said the same thing as you re not taking xanax on day of bc it can mask something.

But to explain my “12 hour dosage” phobia: my mom had open heart surgery a few years ago and I was her full time nurse (I was way too for it but that’s besides the point). One of the drugs she was told to take exactly every 12 hours was metoprolol. I remember the stress of taking a dose mistakenly a 1/2 hour later.

I’m way too young to be having heart issues. So this is freaking me out. To say the least. If I decide to take it at 7 pm then I MUST take it at 7 am. And I’m sick right now and trying to get some sleep!
That’s my explanation

 

[The Albatross]

A phobia is a phobia... however, it is up to you if/whether you choose to be responsible and consistent with that which is necessary to your own health. It is not beneficial to conscript your past remembrances and your mother's experience as a reason to be avoidant about your own health. Like you said, "I'm way too young"... so choose wisely.

 

[scout86]

I remember the stress of taking a dose mistakenly a 1/2 hour later

Was that stress from something bad happening, or from worrying that something bad might happen?

 

[Smile]

Was that stress from something bad happening, or from worrying that something bad might happen?

...[/QUOTE]
That’s part of what drives me crazy is that I, nor my mom, can remember! I know I could just ask my doctor now... but I wont

 

[scout86]

I'm going to take a guess and say it was probably from worrying. I don't think anything bad would happen in this case. If the dose comes late, with a drug like this one, I'm pretty sure what happens is "nothing". Because it's not in your system to work. If you took the dose early, or forgot you'd taken it and took another, then you might get magnified effects, but taking it late is only going to hurt in that it's not working during the time between when it's been metabolized and when you take the next dose. They, ideally, want it to be working 24/7.

It would probably be in your own best interest to talk this over with your doctor. (We want you around here, you know?)