Is it Anxiety – or herxing??

[Lizz]

Hi all – I need your insight with what is going wrong with me lately. I have RA , it is primarily in my knees, wrists and hands. I finally had bloodwork that showed RA last Nov. , that's when I got the “official” diagnosis. I found this Board and all of you over two years ago and started mino 5/07 200 mg M,W,F . I'm also on sulfasalazine, and 4mg of pred, probotics and Ultra Inflaminix. My test scores are dropping and lately I have been feeling alot better. Here's the RUB…..elevated heart rate. My resting rate is suddenly over 100 beats per minute all the time. At bedtime , it's a ticking TIME BOMB! Sleep has been a problem lately. I went to my GP had an EKG, ( normal ) and he reviewed my meds and said I have anxiety. REALLY? He gave me a prescription for Xanex. I did bloodwork for thyroid-waiting result.

Question – has anybody seen this problem with these drugs, including the mino? Could this be part of herxing? I think with herxing, any part of the body is possible. Excluding the normal stresses we are all under every day, does anybody have any ideas what this is? Believe me, I don't have a freak-out personality so I don't buy what the GP said. Many thanks..

Lizz RA 11/07 see above

[amyid]

Hi Liz,

I have RA also, and like you it effects mostly my hands, knees and wrists.  I also have dealt with anxiety for a while.  It doesn't affect all people who have it  the same way(what does, really?)  For example, I have what most would call a “type-A” personality, my sister is very laid back and hard to agitate.  However, we both have suffered with generalized anxiety.  (And we are both able to control it most of the time without medication)  However, when my medical issues are “not under control” there are times when my anxiety gets the best of me.  Long term meds aren't the answer for me, so I take the lowest possible dose of Xanax.  I rarely need it but when I do it is very helpful.  (also if you are worried about dependency, my Dr. said at the lowest dose the avg. person would need to take 6-8 a day for 6 weeks, and even then could be weaned off fairly easily). 

Coincidentally, my anxiety shows itself with…you guessed it…increased heart rate.  I have had the EKG, ultrasound of the heart, blood work etc.  I even saw a cardiologist at one point (that was from an allergic reaction to an allergy med that caused problems with heart rate) he told me that anxiety can cause strong physiological reactions that frequently manifest as a high resting heart rate.  As long as your physician is ruling out other possible issues with blood work, testing, etc.  You may want to see if the Xanax could help.  This is just my opinion.  Depression (which some people are more prone to — others it is anxiety- they go hand in hand).  is a real factor in RA.  In Chapter 16 of Scammel's book “The New Arthritis Breakthrough”, Depression and other Psychological issues are discussed.  These are organic in nature and a result of the RA,  not a freak out personality or other mental problem.  Don't deny yourself some relief or beat yourself up anxiety turns out to be an issue for you, too.  You are obviously one smart and tough cookie to be fighting your RA as you are!!

Best of luck to you!

Amy

DX Rheumatoid Arthritis- 3/2008, Began AP 8/2008-continued various forms of AP through present. It's long and complicated- have a question re: my protocol, just ask 🙂

[richie]

Hi
First place to look in my opinion is Ultra Inflamx –It contains L-Lysine which has been linked to elevated cholesterol and triglycerides and it also contains Quercetin which is shown in studies to interfere with estrogen and thyroid hormones —A prudent measure is to see a cardiologist –Incidentally a 100 resting heart rate is really nothing to get too nervous about —BUT if your sleeping heart rate goes even higher –then a cardiologist is for you
Richie

[Lizz]

Amy- thanks for the advice regarding the xanax, I'm going to try it. I read your post re: Ida Grove and thought how great it is for you and others like JBJBJB to share your experiences – it is so helpful for others. I am starting my IV's soon, I only have to travel 2 hours and I will see how that goes.

Richie- I will stop the Ultra Inflaminix for a few days and see if it makes any difference in how I feel – thanks for your good advice! Good health to all!

[amyid]

Lizz,

I'm glad my post re: my trip to IA was some help.  Feel free to private message me anytime if you have more questions about it.  I hope your heart rate issue is resolved and you get some relief soon.

You'll be in my thoughts! Hang in there!

Amy

DX Rheumatoid Arthritis- 3/2008, Began AP 8/2008-continued various forms of AP through present. It's long and complicated- have a question re: my protocol, just ask 🙂

[Maz]

[user=48]Lizz[/user] wrote:

Here's the RUB…..elevated heart rate. My resting rate is suddenly over 100 beats per minute all the time. At bedtime , it's a ticking TIME BOMB! Sleep has been a problem lately. I went to my GP had an EKG, ( normal ) and he reviewed my meds and said I have anxiety. REALLY? He gave me a prescription for Xanex. I did bloodwork for thyroid-waiting result.

Hi Lizz,

Just wanted to let you know that I've experienced pretty much the same as you. I know I have thyroid involvement (hyperfunctioning nodules that run on high every now and then until they burn out and a common precursor to Hashimoto's), but my Tsh is always within normal range. However, when these nodules are acting up, they do tend to make my heart race and for anxiety levels to increase. That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that the microbial soup that is RA tends to play havoc with all the endocrines….the adrenals, sex organs, pancreas, thyroid, pituitary….you name it. One goes out of whack and the whole cascade shudders with the ripple effect. So, anxiety could well be the result of chemical changes within the body due to microbe infestation of the glands (i.e. not to do with heart malfunction, but affecting it) – mycoplasma infection of the thyroid is one such suspect. An imbalance in ovarian hormones can also play a huge role in anxiety levels and racing heart….and this imbalance is pretty common with a lot of women with RA.

Being on AP can stir things up, too…shaking up the microbe's little nesting places. As Amy mentioned, Brown talks about depression as being a very clear indicator of rheumatoid disease, often presenting along with fatigue long before overt disease symptoms. Some of the symptoms of a herxheimer are increased fatigue and depression (along with exacerbations in joint pain). As anxiety is also a manifestation of depression and assuming infectious causes, then it's very possible anxiety is tirggered during herxing.

I seemed to be particularly prone to palps after I introduced azithromycin into my protocol….every 4 or 5 days after my dose, I'd regularly experience the racing heart, along with skips and jumps and flipflopping. This has abated over time, so I feel pretty confident that it was due to die-off.

As long as all the tests come up negative (bloodwork, EKG, ultrasound, 24 or 48 hour heart monitor, etc) and there's nothing to be concerned about with regard to cardiac function, then the palps are just one of those things…harmless in and of themselves. I know how concerning they can be, though :(….when I have had them, they are pretty scary and feels like your heart is going to jump out of your chest….especially when quiet in bed at night. This, alone, increases the anxiety in a kind of downward spiral…the palps begin…oh no, what's happening?…palps get worse….geez, my heart is going nuts…more palps, etc. I try to just breathe through it, now, on the odd occasion when it happens and wait it out till they settle down.

I'm a pretty easy-going, calm person, too, so it bothers me that anxiety is generally though to be the product of a stressed, fearful mind, when there are so many chemical reactions going on in the body that could easily be the culprit. It's no failing if one needs an anti-anxiety medication to get through this period, but the good part is that it's probably only going to be a temporary measure until the bugs are suppressed enough to allow normal functioning of those body parts affected.

This is all surmise on my part, based on what I've personally experienced, but if it's any help at all, my palps and episodic bouts with anxiety have decreased as I've improved on AP….still there on occasion, but not nearly as bad as in the beginning.

Hope this passes for you soon, too, Lizz!

Peace, Maz

[Lizz]

Maz- thanks to you and Amy, it's nice to know you're not alone out there! I'm going to breathe deep, take the xanax when needed and heed Richie's advice about the UltraInflaminix. I also think your heart rate can go up, temporarily, due to pain.I know it also make the old blood pressure go up also. The little buggers we are all dealing with have such a profound effect on our bodies and our minds, this whole experience has me more resolved to not let it beat me! Thanks to all of you! Lizz

[Maz]

[user=48]Lizz[/user] wrote:

… it's nice to know you're not alone out there! …. The little buggers we are all dealing with have such a profound effect on our bodies and our minds, this whole experience has me more resolved to not let it beat me!

 

Lizz, soooo true and you're definitely not alone!!! We're all in this together and it's just great to be able to have a place to share this stuff. 🙂 Hope the relaxation techniques, Xanax and cutting out the Ultrainflammax helps….if not, perhaps an alternative would be to ask your doc about a small dose of a beta-blocker, instead of the Xanax, to slow the palps and associated anxiety. At my worst, I took half a Toprol tablet (12.5 mg) for a few months and it corrected the skips and racing heart – worked well as a temporary bandaid, considering it was a small fraction of the amount normally prescribed for people with high blood pressure.

Peace, Maz 

 

 

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