Lexapro Bradycardia?

[nobo]

I got a script for lexarpro and started taking 5mg daily for about 7 days. right as it started to work on my anxiety I began to notice that my heart rate would get down to the lower 50s when i am laying in bed trying to sleep. i have had many ekgs and blood tests recently and my doctor said i am healthy. When i stopped taking lexapro for about 24 hours it went back up into the 60s. Should I stop taking it? Sorry if i have the wrong forum. Thank you for any help.

 

[wezface]

Mention it to your doctor. I've heard of tachycardia with TCAs but I've never heard of this, which of course does not mean it's not possible. It's also quite possible that once you get stable and used to the drug it will stop, so just shoot your doctor a note and ask him/her about it in my opinion. As long as you're not getting anything like serious orthostatic hypotension or bradycardia taking you below like 40 bpm or just feeling lousy, you should be okay.

 

[nobo]

thank you for the reply. i will try to leave him a message on the phone - but it takes like 24 hours to get a call back. i hope i can keep taking it. anything is better than using klonopin and getting hooked on that stuff. my blood pressure is normal. i keep close tabs on it. i do feel kinda lightheaded for a few seconds when i stand up from bed - but tbh i have always had that - especially if i am not eating well. strangely enough some google searches say that anxiety can cause low heart rate. seem odd to me - I have always had an elevated pulse when panicked. i dont feel bad though - just panic a little when i take my pulse and realize it is lower than normal.

 

[deos68]

depends on you and your life style athletes can have a bpm of 40 and be perfectly healthy normal ranges are 60 to 100
given that you got checked out and the docs said you were fine, why put anymore thought into it ?
lexapro among many other drugs in its class will do that
many people who get scripted lexapro usually take it for gad and depression
makes sense taking something like a ssri to keep the heart rate down, the worlds most common symptom with anxiety is a fast heart rate of 100+
but honestly if you feel fine stop checking your pulse all your gonna do is scare yourself
and no you shouldnt do anything before talking to your doc first it could be a simple side effects since you just started taking it
many side effects from ssri's come on strong during the first week or 2 after the initial dose but they do subside

 

[nobo]

depends on you and your life style athletes can have a bpm of 40 and be perfectly healthy normal ranges are 60 to 100
given that you got checked out and the docs said you were fine, why put anymore thought into it ?
lexapro among many other drugs in its class will do that
many people who get scripted lexapro usually take it for gad and depression
makes sense taking something like a ssri to keep the heart rate down, the worlds most common symptom with anxiety is a fast heart rate of 100+
but honestly if you feel fine stop checking your pulse all your gonna do is scare yourself
and no you shouldnt do anything before talking to your doc first it could be a simple side effects since you just started taking it
many side effects from ssri's come on strong during the first week or 2 after the initial dose but they do subside

thanx i will talk to the doc and stick with it. i was already feeling lexapro curb my symptoms after a little over a week. my main bothersome symptom is shortness of breath when i get stressed. its nice to have a non benzo stop that sensation

 

[deos68]

yeah consider yourself lucky many have a hellish couple of weeks before the side effects go away
honestly dont worry about it mine goes down a lot also and my heart is fine
but think about it laying in bed not active if anything you should be concerned if you were laying down and your bpm was high not the other way around
just given your concern and the way you labeled the low bpm as its official medical term leads me to believe you have a bit of health anxiety also
trust me if they are telling you that everything is ok shut the door and never look back
i know it all to well it becomes a vicious cycle of checking your bp and heart rate ...ever stood back and asked yourself why your checking it so often?
youre gonna be fine bud just take it easy and let the medicine do its thing

 

[nobo]

yeah consider yourself lucky many have a hellish couple of weeks before the side effects go away
honestly dont worry about it mine goes down a lot also and my heart is fine
but think about it laying in bed not active if anything you should be concerned if you were laying down and your bpm was high not the other way around
just given your concern and the way you labeled the low bpm as its official medical term leads me to believe you have a bit of health anxiety also
trust me if they are telling you that everything is ok shut the door and never look back
i know it all to well it becomes a vicious cycle of checking your bp and heart rate ...ever stood back and asked yourself why your checking it so often?
youre gonna be fine bud just take it easy and let the medicine do its thing

i totally have health anxiety. it started after going to the er for the first time ever. they told me i had a lung disease (ILD). and then they did another xray in another visit and said the first was over exposed - that i dont have it. it is like the experience opened a pandoras box. and thanks for the comforting words. i can see how worrying about health 24x7 could mess up my life.

 

[deos68]

i totally have health anxiety. it started after going to the er for the first time ever. they told me i had a lung disease (ILD). and then they did another xray in another visit and said the first was over exposed - that i dont have it. it is like the experience opened a pandoras box. and thanks for the comforting words. i can see how worrying about health 24x7 could mess up my life.

misdiagnosing is very common always keep that in mind and again they said you dont have it
why worry and stress about it? instead party your ass thanking your lucky stars you dont
and no i get it i also have health anxiety also i once wasted a week of my life googling and going to docs to find out i dont have anything wrong with me lol
i also have bad anxiety so i can relate to the hyperventilation its kicking my ass right now
googling and going to docs is the worst thing to keep doing if they already told you nothing is wrong
and yes stressing about your health 24/7 have can dam well cripple you
good thing you started lexapro again if you feel fine of lexapro keep taking it and enjoy the therapeutic benefits it provides
just chilllllllllllll and plan on what your gonna do once the medicine fully kicks in... vacation? new job? family? plenty of beautiful things in this world to think about rather than a low bpm and anxiety i know it can be scary but there has to be a compromise somewhere

 

[nobo]

i wish i could turn off my brain or press a button and erase my worries. i hope lexapro will help do away with my health anxiety. thanks again for the kind words.

 

[nobo]

i wanted to report back that i have been back on lexapro at the full 10mg dose. i figured out that it was klonopin that caused my low heart rate - i was taking it as needed when my anxiety would spike. after stopping it my heart rate returned to normal. what was really worrying me was shortness of breath that was in fact related to panic attacks and or gerd. with prilosec and lexapro for about three weeks i feel 100 percent for the first time in maybe three years. no more obsessing about every pain. no more gasping for air. no more panic induced pvcs. no more dial a nurse at 2am asking about feeling dizzy or chest pains. an ssri is probably something i have needed my whole life. it is amazing how much better i feel. but not in a manic way or high way - i just feel healthy and not worried. and not short of breath.