# Thyroid Related Heart Issues



## searchingforanswers (May 9, 2007)

Four years ago at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. I remember the first day my thyroid started acting up. It felt like something broke inside of me. My resting heart rate went from 62 to 110 beat per minute. After a month or so I was put on Beta Blockers to slow down the heart rate. I enjoyed being super lean and being able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. 
As part of my treatment, I chose to have my thryoid radiated. Although I feel better than I did at that time, I never again felt "right" or the same. I have since put on an extra 20 lbs that will not leave me. I work out 5 days a week and it stays on. I have finally accepted it as the new me.

About a year ago my heart started showing some warning signs. I started having chest pains that ran down my left arm. After months of tests, including doing a treadmill and EKG test and seeing a cardiologist, I was given a clean bill of health. They couldn't find anything wrong with me. In their opinion, I was in good shape. They blamed it on stress. Although I do have a potentially stressful job, it is the same job that I have been doing for 15 years and it never bothered me before.

About 6 months ago, the chest pains stopped but my heart started missing beats but usually only a beat or two each day or so. Ocassionally it got scary. About 5 months ago, I woke up one morning and my heart was missing one out of every 10th or 20th beat for about an hour. I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the emergency room. After being monitored with an EKG for an hour I was let go. It had returned to normal on its own. They gave me Ativan (Anti-Anxiety) and Tenormin (Beta Blocker). I didn't use either of them. I didn' feel like I needed to be sedated and I didn't feel a beta blocker which is normally used to slow down a heart rate was best for a few missed heart beats. After that my heart still misses a beat or two every now and then but I have learned to live with it. Usually it happened at night in my sleep.

Recently, my body automatically woke me up out of a deep sleep where I jumped out of bed holding my heart. I had missed two or three beats in a row. Basically my heart stopped for a few seconds. Yikes! Luckliy with a few deep panicked breaths it returned to normal. I was freaked out for a few hours but then went back to sleep. Still I refused to take the Ativan.

Has anyone had these symptoms? Where you able to cure them? If so, how?

My medication is currently 1.75% mg of Synthroid. My recent lab test showed my TSH at .1 which is just outside of the 0.2-5.5 normal range. The lower the number, the higher the metabolism. I am guessing that my problems may be due to being over medicated. I hope that is the case. Because living with heart related issues is scary. You never know when it might get life threatening. I certainly appreciate each day and enjoy everything a lot more than I used to.

I belong to Kaiser, Although I see an endrocrinologist I often wonder if there is someone who is more specialized in dealing with my problems? I would be willing to switch health care providers in order to get better medical treatment.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share advice or experience with me.


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

Irregular skipped heart beats (palpitations or - Heartbeat sensations; fast heartbeat; irregular heartbeat - skipped beats or sensation that the heart has stopped for a second; heart pounding or racing; rapid heart rate; racing heart; tachycardia) are common complaint in patients with hyperthyroidism.

I had rapid heart, pounding/racing for years, however after doing RAI for Graves' it stopped. Although, I still have have some skipped and stopped heart beats. I also have MVP, so don't kmow if they are due to hyperthyroid or MVP, or maybe both.

I do know that the heart is very sensitive to even small changes in the levels of thyroid hormones. There is increasing evidence that even small changes in levels of thyroid hormone may be associated with measurable changes in how well the heart functions. Unless the reason for your TSH of .1 is suppressed due to cancer, could be the reason you are having these problems. I don't understand why you or your doctor would want TSH that low, it certainly doesn't contribute to weight loss or prevent weight gain.

Common Causes are; Exercise, Anxiety, stress, fear, Fever, Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, diet pills, Overactive thyroid, Anemia, Hyperventilation, Low levels of oxygen in the blood, Medications such as thyroid pills, asthma drugs, beta blockers, or anti-arrhythmics. (Medications to treat an irregular heart rhythm will sometimes cause a different irregular rhythm). Mitral valve prolapse, a condition in which the valve that separates the left upper chamber (atrium) from the left lower chamber (ventricle) of the heart does not close properly and Heart disease.

A person is more likely to have an abnormal heart rhythm if there is known heart disease at the time the palpitations begin, Significant risk factors for heart disease, An abnormal heart valve, An electrolyte abnormality -- for example, low potassium.

Reducing stress and anxiety can help lessen the frequency or intensity of heart palpitations. Try breathing exercises or deep relaxation (a step-by-step process of tensing and then relaxing every muscle group in your body) when palpitations occur. Practicing yoga or tai chi on a regular basis can reduce the frequency of palpitations.

Also, keep a record of how often you have palpitations, when they happen, how long they last, your heart rate at the time of the palpitations, and what you are feeling at the time. Take this with you to the doctors, the information may help your doctor figure out both their seriousness and their underlying cause.


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## Painintheneck (Sep 23, 2011)

I have Graves Disease and was hyper for years before I was diagnosed. My fault because I had no money and no health insurance (I was a member of the working poor and didn't qualify for any help because I made so much money)
My heart used to beat so rapidly that you could feel the mattress move at night. I also had chest pains, although mild.
After diagnosis of Graves, it was discovered that the many years of hyper took it's toll on my heart. I now have three leaking valves, and the right side of my heart is slightly enlarged.
I had RAI and am now hypo, tired and fat. I take an ace inhibitor and a beta blocker for my heart. They want to keep my heart rate slow due to the valve damage. I experienced lots of palpitations at one time. I was working a full time job and it was getting worse. I quit working and the palpitations decreased in frequency.
I notice stress, physical and emotional really affect my heart. Some times more so than other times. My husband is a horses behind, and that doesn't help. Cardiologist put me on a low dose Xanax at bedtime, that helped a lot!
Sometimes when I drift off to sleep, I feel like my heart has stopped or skipped some beats and it startles me awake gasping for air. This doesn't happen every night. I also get chest pains, mainly on the left side. I have some cervical disc issues and have concluded (after several trips to the er) that the chest pain is a muscular issue since there is a large muscle group that extends from the neck area to the chest. My disc problems affect my left side mainly.
I did develop a small heart murmur in my early teens. My mother suspected that I had contracted rheumatic fever around age 13 (long story with that) Cardiologist even asked if I had ever had rheumatic fever since he thought my heart valves were in bad shape and thought that the heart rate alone wouldn't have created that many problems.
If I were you, I would research that beta blocker. I know it seems silly to take a drug that you only feel need once in a while. But I do notice if I have missed a dose of mine. I think it's one of those situations where you didn't realize you felt bad until you feel better. I also think that beta blockers are a prophylactic drug. You can't just take one when the palpitations start. It needs to be in your blood stream as it changes some type of chemical level in your blood. Seriously, research it. It could help with the palpitations issue.
Palpitations are very scary and anxiety producing. We are all taught that left sided chest pain extending to the arm is a warning of heart attack. But so many other things mimic it. I have finally come to terms that I am not dying every time I get a chest pain. Unfortunately, if I ever do have a heart attack, I am not going to know it!!
Being sick sucks.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Painintheneck said:


> I have Graves Disease and was hyper for years before I was diagnosed. My fault because I had no money and no health insurance (I was a member of the working poor and didn't qualify for any help because I made so much money)
> My heart used to beat so rapidly that you could feel the mattress move at night. I also had chest pains, although mild.
> After diagnosis of Graves, it was discovered that the many years of hyper took it's toll on my heart. I now have three leaking valves, and the right side of my heart is slightly enlarged.
> I had RAI and am now hypo, tired and fat. I take an ace inhibitor and a beta blocker for my heart. They want to keep my heart rate slow due to the valve damage. I experienced lots of palpitations at one time. I was working a full time job and it was getting worse. I quit working and the palpitations decreased in frequency.
> ...


Welcome to the board!










How very kind of you to share your experience with us and it is true; untreated Graves'/Hyper is devastating to the heart.

I also have heart damage due to being fluffed off for years (it's all in my head) and no medical intervention because of that.

What thyroxine replacement are you on and how much? What do your most recent thyroid labs look like? Please post the results and the ranges if you would like to do so.

We need the ranges as different labs use different ranges.

Are you able to engage in physical activity such as walking?


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