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Do i have heart problems? Adderalll used to give me tachycardia and arrhythmia?

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bertstarebluelight

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Sep 7, 2013
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Hi,

I'm just wondering if I have heart problems that I need to see a doctor for.

Regarding my history of abuse, i've had schizophrenia/amphetamine induced psychosis from a half gram dose of mdma/meth (don't even know what was in it...). that was around a year ago i think. Minus the fact that everyone's face looked insanely distorted into demonic figures, coupled with thought disorder, delusions, and auditory hallucinations, my heart was racing at, i'm guessing, around ~220bpm from the panic.

Also, when i drink alcohol nowadays, my heart beats a little fast, I didn't measure exactly but it is definitely harder than normal. Is this normal?

annd.... the past 4 months, i've been using adderall. 20mg is no problems, but 40mg and 60mg gave me heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, and a racing heartbeat of 130bpm-175bpm. But the weird thing is, this only happens on the "comedown", i.e. when the euphoria goes away. Even when i'm in the "euphoric" state, my heart beats fast (~100bpm i think), but i don't get irregular heartbeat until the "comedown".

On the comedown, i get EXTREMELY light headed/dizzy when i stand up/sit down (almost to the point of fainting), my heart rate shoots up even more, etc.. and some times i get somewhat paranoid as well, but I can usually fix the paranoia with antioxidants and multivitamins. But i do get mood swings and insomnia as well. The paranoid comedowns aren't really evident unless it's 60mg, but i do have minor heart problems even with 40mg.

Also, every time i smoke weed i have panic attacks now. Heart races to 180bpm, and beats HARD. you will see my heart beat -- my shirt moves up and down.

my main concern is, why do i get tachycardia (racing heart) and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) on adderall comedowns? Even when I take hot showers my heart starts racing like at least 140bpm... is this normal??

I'm obviously not doing any more drugs but I want to know if I've done any permanent damage to my heart. The main thing is the adderall COMEDOWNS giving me irregular heartbeat and racing heartbeat... why on the COMEDOWN? Like, ~7 hours after the initial dose. EVERY single time, and i've done adderall like 40 times so it's not a fluke or anything. It's not from panic or anxiety either, i'm usually extremely calm and studying and i just notice my heart skipping beats then doing double beats, and also racing


EDIT: Just wanted to add that i have minor OCD which is exacerbated with any amphetamines, but i don't think this contributes to my heart problems

PS: to anyone trying to quit coke or meth or adderall or caffeine or weed, please look into l-tyrosine supplements. It helps A LOT with the fatigue from withdrawl symptoms and makes quitting MUCH easier.
 
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First off I'll preface this by saying you will only be able to truely find out what's wrong with your heart by going to a doctor who will likely perform tests to find out exactly what, if anything is wrong with you. I highly reccomend getting a check-up as it's impossible to diagnose over the internet.

I don't have any answers for you but I just wanted to let you know your not alone, I've gone through a very similar situation minus the schizophrenia and my case isn't as extreme as yours. When I was about 13 years old my friend puled out his prescription adderall bottle and explained to me how these could get you high. Long story short I had no idea what the hell I was taking and I ended up munching 8-9 30mg capsules in a 6 hour period chasing an MDMA type buzz being that that was my favorite substance at the time and the high dose adderall provided a similar buzz. Anyways I was thrown into the WORST psychosis of my life (duh....240-270mgs of amphetamines as a 100lb 13yo with zero tolerance :\). Spent all night having horrible hallucinations that I won't go into but in the morning I was seeing RC sized, transparent helecoptors flying towards me trying to attack me so I got up to run and my heart felt like it was going to explode, instantly puked my guts out and fainted. Mom took me to the hospital where I spent some time running away from what looked like two orbs in a double helix formation but eventually was strapped down and put to sleep.

Anyways besides tremendous visual static/snow and minor hallucinations that persisted for months I developed an extreme intolerance to stimulants like you. Nowadays (I'm 21 now) I still can't tolerate stims in the exact same way as you. I feel great for the euphoric phase and it eventually dies into the faint, heart about to explode when getting up top fast disgustingness from most stimulants. Reading this post makes me wonder if I too have some sort of permanent damage.

Cannabis makes my heart race as well but not extreme and I've noticed this before the incident, though admittedly not exactly how bad it was. I'm afraid I don't have answers but considering getting checked out myself. The comedown from what would be maybe an average to slightly above average dose of stimulants for someone else leaves me bed ridden with palpitations, hypertension/tachycardia, and that unpleasant "can't stand without feeling like I'm going to faint" feeling. I hope things turn out fine for you, for now lay off the drugs for a while and give your heart a break. It didn't really change the way I feel after taking stimulants but who needs something that's only gonna make you feel like death? I'll probably never be able to take one again unfortunately.
 
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall#Physical:

...Cardiovascular side effects can include irregular heartbeat (usually increased heart rate)...
Click to expand...

Palpitations are a known side effect of adderall, so unless you're having significant symptoms while sober don't worry.


If you are experiencing symptoms while not under the influence of drugs, it's not necessarily indicative of a heart problem. There are many possible causes of irregular heartbeat:



Amongst the causes are:

As already pointed out, internet diagnosis isn't going to happen for you but based on your description it seems likely to me that your symptoms are drug related.

Palpitations can be very alarming but often harmless. However, if you are experiencing chest pain then definitely get checked by a doctor. They will most likely listen to your heart using a stethoscope and perform an ECG to check for heart function irregularities; it's a quick and easy examination which can prevent serious health complications.
 
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I can't speak for the op but in my case I've seemed to have developed a complete intolerance of practically all stims (and a few other drugs as well) excluding empathogens. I'm aware that adderall and most stims can cause palpitations but not at the small dosage levels and to the seriousness as they do in me and I think the op developed a similar intolerance after the 500mg meth/mdma (whatever really as it wasn't tested) overdose. Average doses that should cause no problem and haven't in the past cause extreme reactions that feel borderline dangerous. Seems like the smallest things set my heart off in bad ways, definately NOT normal or anxiety related. I would agree that some sort of checkup should be done, I know I'll be getting checked out in the near future. Thanks for the links too :).
 
Personally I wouldn't underestimate the ability of certain drugs to cause palpitations, even in very small amounts. But you should get checked if you're worried even a little.

As it happens, I'm having an ECG soon because of my occasional chest pain which seems to be becoming more frequent. The doctor told me it's probably nothing to worry about but definitely should be investigated.
 
Please go to a doctor!

There is absolutely no way for anyone here to diagnose you and giving advice on possible medical conditions is borderline against the.rules not to mention immoral since no matter how much we've read we don't truly know the facts about you or heart problems in general.


For the record my second piece of advice is to stop using all drugs until you get this taken careof. Maybe its simply anxiety, maybe its damage from drug use Or maybe its something else but one thing is CERTAIN: drug use will NOT help.

Please stay safe, be smart, see a Dr. And take out easy with the substances. For the record even weed AND alcohol have not just depressant effects but also stimulant effects such as increased heart rate.
 
Definitely possible the Adderall caused it. I used to do a lot of coke, & then one day boom, i became allergic. Literally one day i did coke and it was fine, the next i did a little & almost died. Your body has just had enough of stimulants. Listen to what its telling you.

And go to the doctor. I cant even have caffeine now-more than half a can of Coke and my heart starts racing.

Be safe. xx
 
Yes go to the doctor and tell them about how you take Adderall and other stimulants. You will not get in trouble and the only person who can diagnose you is a doctor or medical professional.
 
I'm going to close this as to avoid bad medical advice potentially being given.
The only sound advice here has been givrn : stop using and see a medical professional! Let us know what the Dr says if you'd like. I hope you're OK!
Feel free to: (If you'd like..)
-PM me
-Start a new thread in SL for support with stopping using stimulants/drugs in general.
-Start a new thread in TDS to discuss feelings about physical damage from drug abusem
 
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