Endpoint_Null
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2025
- Messages
- 7
Hi all,
Did something fairly silly two months ago and overindulged in stimulants. I took a fairy high dose of coke one night, and had a bad comedown that left me feeling depressed and unsatisfied the next day. So the next night, I tried to properly try speed for the first time (amphetamine sulphate, Americans keep thinking I mean meth - I have not and never will touch meth), and had an excellent time for about 12 hours - until my comedown, at which point due to a combination of accidentally taking a high oral dose to "finish up" that hit me unexpectedly all at once, and the general strain my body was under, turned into a nightmare 12 hour ordeal with tachycardia and chest discomfort that had me feeling like I was about to heart attack out. Eventually I got taken to the emergency room, where I was hooked up to an ECG and told that my readings were fine and I was free to go home - although by this time the acute symptoms were wearing off as the last of the speed was finally getting out of my system.
Was hoping that that would be a lesson learned and the end of it, but over the next few weeks I started getting noticeable heart palpitations - both in the form of a heavy heartbeat, and in the form of occasional "skipped beats" or other pulse abnormalities that last for the space of a heartbeat. I had been calling these PVCs as they fit the description best of what they feel like, but I later did a 24 hour monitor that didn't report any such events, so I'm unsure if "PVCs" is accurate... at the very least some sort of bizarre transient heart palpitation; single thuds in my chest that feel like they drive the breath out of me, almost sucking it out of my lungs from the inside. Incredibly distressing. This was rare at first, but the frequency has gradually increased until now it's common for me to feel this several times a day to varying degrees.
As you imagine this freaked me out a hell of a lot, so I have been to my GP and been sent for multiple cardiac workups. I also paid independently for a private assessment. I've had two echocardiograms, three ECGs at this point... I did a 24 hour heart monitor which as I mention found very little, even when I was feeling symptoms, which confused me (although the palpitations I had on the day of the monitor were fairly minor, such is my "luck"). The results of all these tests have been that my heart is structurally normal... my electrical activity typically looks normal... and the opinion I've had from multiple cardiologists/doctors at this point is that even if I am feeling occasional sporadic PVCs or ectopics, this is within what is considered the "normal range" of such events for people, and that many people have a lot more such events and don't even notice them.
Of course this doesn't really answer why I am noticing them, or what exactly changed after the speed incident that may have lead to this happening to my body. I have mentioned my drug use to the doctors and they haven't been able to give me much clarity. The best anyone can seem to suggest, going by research I've done and the advice of my doctors, is that perhaps I have "irritated" the part of the autonomic system that regulates my heartbeat, and also that this may be exacerbated by anxiety (I have OCD and other anxiety disorders - not fun with this!), and also external triggers. I have noticed that caffeine, and certain other substances like cannabis, or the day after doing psychedelics, can seem to make the PVCs more likely. Other triggers include being tired, temperature changes such as when showering, or certain types of physical motion. However none of these are a sure thing and avoiding these triggers doesn't stop the palpitations from happening. They are often just entirely random and unpredictable.
I'm starting to try to get into a mindset of being at peace with the fact that this may be a thing my body just does now. I am of course still investigating medical causes, but the chorus from all of my doctors has been fairly unanimous - that as I have a structurally normal heart, palpitations like these should be harmless. The frequency of individual events I'm talking about is well within "normal" ranges, even though they're apparently weirdly noticeable to me, and apparently many people have measureably more irregular hearts in a manner that is considered to be medically "normal". I've asked about exercise, strenuous activities, they say it should all be fine.
But of course it's much harder to get an idea of any risk profile around substance use, because the opinion of the medical establishment is that the only answer to questions about drugs is "don't take them".
I'm aware that there are risks to all drug-taking. I've been very conscious about that and have chosen to take certain risks willingly, because I live a lifestyle where I believe I get more from consciously taking certain risks related to substances than avoiding them categorically. That has still remained true since I have developed these new symptoms. It's difficult to talk about this as people tend to feel I'm foolish even wanting to touch substances after having such a negative outcome, and while there is any uncertainty at all about anything to do with my heart, but the fact is that I want to continue living the life that I have been, and that includes a degree of recreational substance use. Given that in every other context I am told that my test results indicate that what I'm experiencing is fully benign and I am okay to continue all activities normally - I would also want to continue that part of my life! I'm young and I deserve to live as much as anyone else, god damn it.
I am probably going to stay away from coke - but I was already planning to cut that out regardless, as it was starting to have some pretty unpleasant psychological side-effects that outweighed the enjoyment of it, but I still fairly regularly smoke weed, explore myself with psychedelics, and sometimes party with MDMA. I won't categorically rule out other substances either - hell, I would probably try speed again, albeit at a more sensible dosage.
But I can't say I am not more anxious now about my substance use, especially as, like I say, it's hard to find good information out there about if I now have any sort of increased risk profile from "normal range palpitations (maybe PVCs) that are unusually noticeable". There are communities out there dedicated to symptoms like these, but they are all about trying to eliminate them through wellness routines, dieting and by cutting things out. Caffeine, alcohol and even certain minerals are scary in those spaces, and if you ask about MDMA use for instance they will look at you as if you have three heads and start ranting about addiction and how I'm inviting cardiac death upon myself. (Meanwhile, the one time I rolled since this whole thing started, it actually seemed to eliminate my symptoms for a full 36 hour period following taking the drug, at least perceptually).
I've also searched around these forums, and found one thread from someone with a similar symptom pattern to mine. The replies were once again predicting doom and gloom in terms of increased risk from taking substances while experiencing occasional PVCs, and repeatedly pointing out that substances can worsen such symptoms. I am of course aware that doing stimulating substances isn't going to help calm my heart any time soon, but frankly that's not what my main concern is. My concern is not substances making my palpitations worse, it's the extent of any increased risk of severe adverse reactions to substances due to these palpitations. If I am getting occasional PVCs, which are benign in all other contexts and are occuring in the context of a totally normal cardiac physiology, does that increase my risk of having some sort of cardiac event when taking particular substances, and if so by how much?
Has anyone actually done any research into this? Would anyone with medical knowledge be willing to hazard an actual opinion instead of just giving me boilerplate advice about abstinence? I would prefer some good old fashioned practical harm reduction.
I'm not going to stop doing drugs, but I at least want to know how nervous I should feel about that and what degree of extra caution I should be taking, if any (again, these are symptoms that have been labelled "fully benign" by multiple doctors, and that it's "just scary" but "not actually physically dangerous" - so maybe I am just letting my anxiety overthink this with relation to drugs as well? Or maybe not!).
Or, feel free to call me an idiot in the comments, I guess, as was the vibe last time I tried to discuss this on a public forum.
Addendum: One of my doctors also raised the prospect of prescribing me beta blockers to try and reduce palpitations symptoms (my choice, apparently). I understand that these are contraindicated with various substances, so I would probably stop taking them and let them clear my system for a couple of days if I knew I was going to be taking, for instance, some sort of contraindicated stimulant. However the advice I've read online about exactly which substances are contraindicated with beta blockers is a bit murky, and again seems to be poisoned by many sources taking an "abstain from all drug risk at all times" attitude, so if anybody had a more reliable reference they could direct me to for interactions with those specifically, I would appreciate it.
Did something fairly silly two months ago and overindulged in stimulants. I took a fairy high dose of coke one night, and had a bad comedown that left me feeling depressed and unsatisfied the next day. So the next night, I tried to properly try speed for the first time (amphetamine sulphate, Americans keep thinking I mean meth - I have not and never will touch meth), and had an excellent time for about 12 hours - until my comedown, at which point due to a combination of accidentally taking a high oral dose to "finish up" that hit me unexpectedly all at once, and the general strain my body was under, turned into a nightmare 12 hour ordeal with tachycardia and chest discomfort that had me feeling like I was about to heart attack out. Eventually I got taken to the emergency room, where I was hooked up to an ECG and told that my readings were fine and I was free to go home - although by this time the acute symptoms were wearing off as the last of the speed was finally getting out of my system.
Was hoping that that would be a lesson learned and the end of it, but over the next few weeks I started getting noticeable heart palpitations - both in the form of a heavy heartbeat, and in the form of occasional "skipped beats" or other pulse abnormalities that last for the space of a heartbeat. I had been calling these PVCs as they fit the description best of what they feel like, but I later did a 24 hour monitor that didn't report any such events, so I'm unsure if "PVCs" is accurate... at the very least some sort of bizarre transient heart palpitation; single thuds in my chest that feel like they drive the breath out of me, almost sucking it out of my lungs from the inside. Incredibly distressing. This was rare at first, but the frequency has gradually increased until now it's common for me to feel this several times a day to varying degrees.
As you imagine this freaked me out a hell of a lot, so I have been to my GP and been sent for multiple cardiac workups. I also paid independently for a private assessment. I've had two echocardiograms, three ECGs at this point... I did a 24 hour heart monitor which as I mention found very little, even when I was feeling symptoms, which confused me (although the palpitations I had on the day of the monitor were fairly minor, such is my "luck"). The results of all these tests have been that my heart is structurally normal... my electrical activity typically looks normal... and the opinion I've had from multiple cardiologists/doctors at this point is that even if I am feeling occasional sporadic PVCs or ectopics, this is within what is considered the "normal range" of such events for people, and that many people have a lot more such events and don't even notice them.
Of course this doesn't really answer why I am noticing them, or what exactly changed after the speed incident that may have lead to this happening to my body. I have mentioned my drug use to the doctors and they haven't been able to give me much clarity. The best anyone can seem to suggest, going by research I've done and the advice of my doctors, is that perhaps I have "irritated" the part of the autonomic system that regulates my heartbeat, and also that this may be exacerbated by anxiety (I have OCD and other anxiety disorders - not fun with this!), and also external triggers. I have noticed that caffeine, and certain other substances like cannabis, or the day after doing psychedelics, can seem to make the PVCs more likely. Other triggers include being tired, temperature changes such as when showering, or certain types of physical motion. However none of these are a sure thing and avoiding these triggers doesn't stop the palpitations from happening. They are often just entirely random and unpredictable.
I'm starting to try to get into a mindset of being at peace with the fact that this may be a thing my body just does now. I am of course still investigating medical causes, but the chorus from all of my doctors has been fairly unanimous - that as I have a structurally normal heart, palpitations like these should be harmless. The frequency of individual events I'm talking about is well within "normal" ranges, even though they're apparently weirdly noticeable to me, and apparently many people have measureably more irregular hearts in a manner that is considered to be medically "normal". I've asked about exercise, strenuous activities, they say it should all be fine.
But of course it's much harder to get an idea of any risk profile around substance use, because the opinion of the medical establishment is that the only answer to questions about drugs is "don't take them".
I'm aware that there are risks to all drug-taking. I've been very conscious about that and have chosen to take certain risks willingly, because I live a lifestyle where I believe I get more from consciously taking certain risks related to substances than avoiding them categorically. That has still remained true since I have developed these new symptoms. It's difficult to talk about this as people tend to feel I'm foolish even wanting to touch substances after having such a negative outcome, and while there is any uncertainty at all about anything to do with my heart, but the fact is that I want to continue living the life that I have been, and that includes a degree of recreational substance use. Given that in every other context I am told that my test results indicate that what I'm experiencing is fully benign and I am okay to continue all activities normally - I would also want to continue that part of my life! I'm young and I deserve to live as much as anyone else, god damn it.
I am probably going to stay away from coke - but I was already planning to cut that out regardless, as it was starting to have some pretty unpleasant psychological side-effects that outweighed the enjoyment of it, but I still fairly regularly smoke weed, explore myself with psychedelics, and sometimes party with MDMA. I won't categorically rule out other substances either - hell, I would probably try speed again, albeit at a more sensible dosage.
But I can't say I am not more anxious now about my substance use, especially as, like I say, it's hard to find good information out there about if I now have any sort of increased risk profile from "normal range palpitations (maybe PVCs) that are unusually noticeable". There are communities out there dedicated to symptoms like these, but they are all about trying to eliminate them through wellness routines, dieting and by cutting things out. Caffeine, alcohol and even certain minerals are scary in those spaces, and if you ask about MDMA use for instance they will look at you as if you have three heads and start ranting about addiction and how I'm inviting cardiac death upon myself. (Meanwhile, the one time I rolled since this whole thing started, it actually seemed to eliminate my symptoms for a full 36 hour period following taking the drug, at least perceptually).
I've also searched around these forums, and found one thread from someone with a similar symptom pattern to mine. The replies were once again predicting doom and gloom in terms of increased risk from taking substances while experiencing occasional PVCs, and repeatedly pointing out that substances can worsen such symptoms. I am of course aware that doing stimulating substances isn't going to help calm my heart any time soon, but frankly that's not what my main concern is. My concern is not substances making my palpitations worse, it's the extent of any increased risk of severe adverse reactions to substances due to these palpitations. If I am getting occasional PVCs, which are benign in all other contexts and are occuring in the context of a totally normal cardiac physiology, does that increase my risk of having some sort of cardiac event when taking particular substances, and if so by how much?
Has anyone actually done any research into this? Would anyone with medical knowledge be willing to hazard an actual opinion instead of just giving me boilerplate advice about abstinence? I would prefer some good old fashioned practical harm reduction.
I'm not going to stop doing drugs, but I at least want to know how nervous I should feel about that and what degree of extra caution I should be taking, if any (again, these are symptoms that have been labelled "fully benign" by multiple doctors, and that it's "just scary" but "not actually physically dangerous" - so maybe I am just letting my anxiety overthink this with relation to drugs as well? Or maybe not!).
Or, feel free to call me an idiot in the comments, I guess, as was the vibe last time I tried to discuss this on a public forum.
Addendum: One of my doctors also raised the prospect of prescribing me beta blockers to try and reduce palpitations symptoms (my choice, apparently). I understand that these are contraindicated with various substances, so I would probably stop taking them and let them clear my system for a couple of days if I knew I was going to be taking, for instance, some sort of contraindicated stimulant. However the advice I've read online about exactly which substances are contraindicated with beta blockers is a bit murky, and again seems to be poisoned by many sources taking an "abstain from all drug risk at all times" attitude, so if anybody had a more reliable reference they could direct me to for interactions with those specifically, I would appreciate it.
