How obvious is heart damage from stims (amphetamine etc)

[bhap]

over the last year I've been using research chemicals quite often and at the end amphetamines a couple times in high doses

I'd take the research chemical ethylphenidate and consume up to a gram on each session (~24 hours), i mighta done that about 10 times

There were 2 occasions where I stupidly did 1 gram or perhaps a bit more of amphetamine base in 1 night, amphetamine base is notoriously unpure but taking over a gram is still a stupid amount in one session, (this is the bit that scares me the most because I started getting bouts of light headedness a few days after stopping)

Anyways, about a month ago after an hour bikeride I started feeling extremely fatigued, light headed and I had bouts of breathlessness, even when sat down a couple times, my doctor said it's anxiety but I failed to mention my drug use over the last year

I ceased all drug use about 6 week ago and my symptoms have all subsided (no light headed, no chest pain, no breathlessness) BUT when I run my heart pounds pretty hard to the point where I can feel it pounding in my chest, I havn't really done any intense excercise since that bike ride about a month ago because I'm scared I've got heart damage.

I am a bit of a hypochondriac and I've been obsessively researching heart failure symptoms and I keep checking my pulse and listening for my heart pounding when doing any exertion but I feel I have messed my heart up since doing activities like running up the stairs make me a bit more tired than usual and I can feel my heart pounding

bottom line, how likely is heart damage from doing stims maybe every 2-3 weeks for the last 18 months, and I mighta consumed like a gram of ethylphenidate every session, maybe like 10-15 times over the last 18 months, and at the end I consumed 1 gram of amphetamine base on two occasions

needless to say I am 100% done with stimulants, last time I took any stims was 40 days ago

Should I go to the doctors and get heart tests or am I getting too paranoid?

 

[tocooperate]

id say you have the right amount of fear and concern for your health as i am going through a similar struggle, ive managed to avoid polydrug abuse but the amount perscription stims i take is getting to be quite unreasonable. truth be told, im at the point now where i feel barely a fraction of the emotional turmoil and depression i experienced when i tried going sober the first time. the first time is *always* the worst, you simply cant be prepared for something like that. the heart, however, is a very resilient thing- it will take your abuse for decades before you should really be worried about chronic conditions. with your drug usage id be more concerned about acute episodes or overdose (thankfully you're done thoough! :-D). be easy on yourself, dont push your workouts beyond a comfortable session.

heart damage aside, recently, ive started noticing more curious symptoms outside of simply being out of shape. i too have not done any true aerobic exercise in at least a year- on top of which i smoke and on my 2 weeks off between refills, im just hitting the sugar and caffeine for dear life.

ive noticed signs of poor circulation for sure. swelling of fingers and toes.. frequent urination which gets me up at least twice in the middle of the night (this is during the *off* weeks so i cant attribute it to diuretic properties of the medication). sometimes the combination of symptoms sounds alarmingly like early warning signs of diabetes.. its in the family.. so yea i share your fears, i think also guilt for our addictions plays an amplifying role here.

 

[bhap]

Thanks for the reply. I'm bumping the thread to hopefully get some insight from some more people

Over the last two months I havn't really felt dizzy or lightheaded at all - hopefully this rules out heart failure slightly as you'd imagine it wouldn't just go away

Although I still feel tired quicker when exerting myself and recently I've been feeling some throbbing ache where my heart is that lasts about 2 seconds, then goes away for 10 seconds and then returns for 2 seconds etc. That happened for the last 2 days and I'm worried that could indicate some cardiac issues

 

[herbavore]

I think that you would feel a lot better if you get yourself thoroughly checked out by a doctor. If he or she gives you a clean bill of health you will know that it is your own mind giving you something to focus your worry on and that will be the problem to tackle. If that turns out to be the case, try getting into a mindfulness class (or just read what you can about it and begin to put it into practice) as it can work wonders for obsessions, over-thinking and anxiety.

 

[Dresden]

You're getting too paranoid. You are probably just out of shape for bingeing on drugs for the past year or whatever during which time I bet you never or rarely took the time to get some proper exercise, no?

 

[Erikmen]

I think that you would feel a lot better if you get yourself thoroughly checked out by a doctor. If he or she gives you a clean bill of health you will know that it is your own mind giving you something to focus your worry on and that will be the problem to tackle. If that turns out to be the case, try getting into a mindfulness class (or just read what you can about it and begin to put it into practice) as it can work wonders for obsessions, over-thinking and anxiety.

Exactly. Suggest you seek for medical support/advice.
It may give you some peace of mind as it seems you are too anxious.
I believe that by doing this, you'll be done with the suffering and provide you with options.