What kind of tests are best for evaluating cardiac and/or cardiovascular health?

[Vastness]

I think I am in relatively good health, but I have taken stimulants more often than I would like - both those with well documented cardiotoxicity and those generally considered to be fairly benign, but which may still perhaps cause adverse cardiovascular effects over a long enough period.

Because of this, and also because I just find these kind of objective measures of health quite interesting, I would like to get some kind of test done to check the health of my heart. However I am uncertain what test would give me the most useful information. I have read that ECGs cannot spot everything and may not worth bothering with if you don't already have some clear symptoms. I know there are various other tests available, but I am unsure which of them would be best - and also which would even be an option, as I suspect some at the more cutting edge may be out of my price range.

So I would appreciate some input from anyone who has some knowledge of this area - whether that is because you have actual training in a relevant field, or because you yourself have decided to seek out such a test for similar reasons, and would be happy to share the results of your own research.

 

[Jaredborgetti]

Im so sorry nobody answered your question in time, I hope you read this.

An ECG is a good option because its really cheap, while its main use is to detect irregular heartbeats it can also spot some things like left ventricular hypertrophy, the best option for you would be an echocardiogram, that way your heart can be analyzed completely, both its shape, if there is any enlargement, condition of your heart valves, blood flow, pressure, etc....
I dont know in the US but in my country this procedure cost about 150$ US dollars, if you would like to test yourself at home, you could get a pulse oximeter, a decent stetheoscope and an automated blood pressure monitor, preferrably an OMRON since their cuffs fit both very small and large arms, all these things would cost you about 100$ dollars in my country and I think these are BASIC tools any drug user should have, you can monitor yourself for a while with the pulse oximeter, to look for any irregular heartbeats or skipped beats and how well you are saturating oxygen, with the stetheoscope, you can look for some tutorials on youtube for cardiologists, to detect any abnormal sounds or valve issues, this might sound hard but its really not its very easy and this can tell you if blood is circulating correctly and if valves are in good shape, furthemore, with the BP cuff you should always at least once a week measure your BP and make sure you are in range, anything below 140/80 is good but ideally 120/75 would be ideal, if you are over this you might want to get it under control, with the BP cuff you can take your blood pressure at both of your arms and also at the ankles, the numbers should be roughly similar between both arms, and with your ankle and arm measurement, look for an Ankle-brachial index calculator online and imput your measurements, this is a good test to check for arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis.
Take care.

 

[Vastness]

Thank you for your response! Apologies also for the delay in acknowledging your reply.

I actually do already have an OMRON blood pressure monitor, I totally agree with you about this being a fundamental HR tool for any responsible drug user (at least, those who use drugs known to mess with heart rate and blood pressure). I have not yet got a pulse oximeter but based on your advice I will definitely get one. The only piece of kit you recommend I am less sure about is the stethoscope, as I'm not sure how confident I would be trying to interpret these sounds, but I'll give it a go at some point nonetheless.

Wasn't aware of the Ankle-Brachial index so thank you for that, gave that a try and seems mine was around 1.06, so all looks good. Resting (brachial) blood pressure generally hovers around 120/70 or slightly below.

Had an echocardiogram just the other day and all looks normal apparently, I was informed I have a slightly leaky mitral valve, but the doctor was keen to stress it was likely genetic, and not of any clinical significance, especially in the absence of any symptoms. He did say if I was concerned then maybe in 5 years time or so I could have another echo, to see if there has been any progression, but was keen to stress that it was nothing to be concerned about and I should not need to make any lifestyle changes because of it (although he did of course advise not to take any more harmful stimulants! Of course this was something I already intended to try my hardest not to do).

Anyway so that has been reassuring for now, thank you again for your very helpful advice.