Please help. Has anybody ever experienced this after cocaine use?

[xstalkrx]

First, let me give you a bit of background information. SWIM is a 21 year old male and I has been using cocaine for about 1 year. SWIM would consider his use as recreational. Over the past year there would be months where SWIM would not even touch the drug. Then, months when SWIM was using, SWIM would do about 6 lines on just one day of the week and wouldnt touch it for at least another week. However, this month, SWIM has used once a week for 4 weeks. This is where SWIM's problem started....

Last wednesday after being out almost all night using cocaine and drinking alcohol, SWIM came home and began coming off of the drug. The next day, at about 5 pm, SWIM's heart rate shot up without warning to 120 beats per minute. Needless to say, SWIM was freaked out but decided to wait it out and eventually it went down to 80 beats per minute.

However, every once in a while, SWIM will think about it and it can cause the heart to go back up to the 120 beats per minute. SWIM decided to go to the emergency room where they gave SWIM a EKG and did some blood and urine work. They said the EKG showed an abnormal rhythm with my heart. The blood and urine work actually showed up negative for cocaine and everything else just 4 days after having used.

SWIM left the emergency room with a diagnosis from the ER doctor. He said SWIM has heart palpitations. They also told SWIM that the effects of the cocaine could still be effecting SWIM's system even though blood and urine showed up negative for cocaine. It has been about 6 days since SWIM used cocaine. SWIM feels like I have swallowed a bunch of diet pills. I feel drained.

SWIM is hoping that his heart palpitations will eventually stop. If not, SWIM will be getting referred to a specialist to have an echogram done on his heart.

Please, if anybody has any insight on this matter, please help. Will SWIM's heart palpiations stop? Will the effects eventually leave his system? Did SWIM just get a bad batch of cocaine? SWIM is desperate for help.

Reputation Comments on this post:

may want to edit "I" to swim in second sentence :)

[Richi]

Originally Posted by xstalkrx

Last wednesday after being out almost all night using cocaine and drinking alcohol, I came home and began coming off of the drug. The next day, at about 5 pm, my heart rate shot up without warning to 120 beats per minute. Needless to say, I was freaked out but decided to wait it out and eventually it went down to 80 beats per minute.

This is the first bit of information that set off an alarm in my mind. Word on the street is that mixing stimulants and depressants is very, very dangerous.

Please, if anybody has any insight on this matter, please help. Will my heart palpiations stop? Will the effects eventually leave my system? Did I just get a bad batch of cocaine? I'm desperate for help.

If swiy are an otherwise healthy person, swim thinks that the palpitations will stop if they were caused by the cocaine, especially mixing it with alcohol. Swim doesn't think it was a bad 'batch' of cocaine, just try to using for a while and wait to see if the problems clear up. Swiy's doc knows best.

[dcrn]

Read what SWIM wrote to SWIY in the cocaine/crack forum. No need to panic. SWIY will be fine. Count on it.

[JaWill88]

if swim think about a shot of cocaine too much and dwells on it his heart seems to race a little for a few minutes, but not much. it's kind of strange. swim hates injecting cocaine but cant stop doing it. swim hates it with a passion but damn, it's the biggest rush in the world.

[dcrn]

Originally Posted by betsym

It is the rush which makes injecting cocaine so addicting. Swim has also gotten "excited" when thinking about a shot of cocaine and hated doing it as well but managed to get it under control. Having had several close calls, swim would get a panicked feeling when thinking about shooting up but would want to do it anyway. That's when one knows that an addiction is forming. Even now, swim can feel an increase in heart rate if she has a flash back to when she used to do it. It's all about the rush but the panic keeps swim from wandering back into doing that again. Swim's heart rate once stayed at 140 for 2 days after using and she had to go to the emergency room to get it back down. Panic made it worse because she thought she was going to die. So the first thing to do is not panic, which isn't easy but necessary. If swiy's heart rate doesn't straighten out, then by all means, go to a specialist. If the docs found an abnormal rhythm, don't ignore it. Arrhythmias are a serious matter. Palpitations on the other hand can be caused by the panic and the cocaine use itself and can subside on their own after the crisis passes.Arrhythmias may develop and not subside meaning swiy would have to be put on medication or even eventually have a pace maker.Swim doesn't think that will happen to swiy but wants to stress the importance of being careful. Injecting cocaine, or anything else for that matter, can cause endocarditis, an infection of the heart lining , which can be fatal and arrhythmias can be fatal as well. Having said that, swim totally agrees with swiy that injecting is the biggest rush in the world, or at least as far as swim knows, although some would say that heroin is. But swim hates anything that speeds her heart rate up to the point of causing panic and paranoia, making her feel like she's jumping out of her skin, and injecting cocaine definitely does that. There is simply no safe way around it. Mixing it with downers, alcohol, opiates, or any combination to prevent it is very dangerous and lots of people have died from doing just that. Doing so can definitely cause arrhythmias because of the mixed signals the heart receives from being sped up and slowed down at the same time. Swim would try to avoid it by injecting less cocaine and, although making the rush less intense, her heart rate wouldn't go up as high either.Swim found that her heart rate shooting up so high that she would panic, not knowing if she would live through it or not, is what gave her palpitations afterward and that sounds like what is happening to swiy. Relax...literally. When swiy feels his heart rate go up, start breathing slowly and deeply and think about something else, anything but doing coke, and if swiy's heart rate goes down significantly, it's probably not something to worry about. The fact that swiy is worried about his health enough to ask for help and go to the doctor shows him to be an intelligent person who wants to be responsible and know what's going on. Others have had the same thing happen to them so swiy is not alone in his reaction. Be safe. Swim hopes this helps ease swiy's mind a little bit.

If the heart rate slows down significantly YOU SHOULD be worried. SWIK died from ignoring his heartbeat... the beat had less than 40 beats a minute.

[chemlove]

Mixing alcohol and cola isn't always the smartest idea, though many do it. I know for my friend SWIM he is usually clean w/in 3 or 4 days tops when it comes to cola, unlike things like mary jane that stay in your body fat. Cola tend to exit the body kinda quickly.

[xstalkrx]

SWIM believes everything is going to be fine. SWIM's heart rate now stays around 72-76 all day long unless SWIM eats. If SWIM eats then SWIM's heart rate stays around 85 for an hour or two.

The tingling feelings in SWIM's face, lips and arms are now rare occurances.

SWIM will still be seeing a doctor and cardiologist just to be on the safe side.

Should SWIM be exercising at this time? I think SWIM will wait another week or so to start exercising regularly like SWIM used to. SWIM is an avid weight lifter and runner and is angry that he allowed this mess to interfere with his life.

[xstalkrx]

Also SWIM has been having a slight pressure in his head...almost like sinus pressure. Should SWIM be particularly worried about this? At first SWIM was worried it might be stroke.

The pressure feeling in SWIM's head might really be a sinus problem but is careful not to rule anything out.

SWIM wishes to thank everyone for their help so far.

[dcrn]

SWIM will give you the best advice and trust me SWIM has been right where SWIY is right now. YOU WILL BE FINE. IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD. SWIM was a Hypochondriac (Someone who constantly thinks something is wrong with them and are fearing the worst)...Just chill, relax, enjoy your life..and leave all the worrying to the doctors. Did SWIM forgot to mention - STOP COCAINE... and SWIM has one word for SWIY and it's PERMANENTLY

[xstalkrx]

SWIM thanks DCRN.

SWIM has gotten a lot...lot better. No raises in pulse for like 3 days now. Blood pressure numbers are perfect and resting pulse is between 68-72. Anxiety must have declined a lot because SWIM has his appetite back again.

However, SWIM did notice that sometimes SWIM can feel his heart beating in his chest and sometimes he can't. When SWIM can feel it in his chest, it usually stays like that for 30 minutes or so and then goes for several hours where SWIM cant feel it. SWIM would prefer NOT to feel his heart beating in his chest. It scares SWIM.

SWIM is hoping that one day he will not feel his heart beating in his chest for any amount of time during the day.

[xstalkrx]

Post edited.

Yesterday was a great day...until about 10 pm....SWIM started getting a bit harder palpitations than normal, which caused SWIM to freak out and SWIM's pulse jumped to 90 and he started getting tingly. This lasted for about 1 -2 minutes.

Right now, SWIM has no palpitations, but who knows if they will return. This is a nightmare. He really wantrs get back in the gym and start lifting weights but is afraid to do it before seeing a doctor. SWIM is trying to get in to see a cardiologist now.

[dcrn]

SWIM can feel his heart beat all the time and at this point he doesn't know if that's good or bad. But a heart is one big muscle so SWIM assumes if you feel like it's beating in the chest area it's nothing to worry about.

[xstalkrx]

OK I had an interesting experience tonight during the super bowl.

It has been 1.5 months since I have even had a drink of alcohol because of this whole ordeal. I have been running 4 miles a day...for about 4 days each week for the last 1.5 months. I feel great during the runs and I have not had a panic attack for 1.5 months as well. However, from time to time I can FEEL my heart beating at its normal rate. This still bugs me when I take notice of it.

I had 1 beer tonight while I was watching the game. As I was sitting on the couch, even before I started drinking, I could feel my heart beating in my chest. It was beating in a normal rhythm...its just that I could feel it.

Right before I finished off the beer I felt my heart rate rise. It jumped to about 100-110. I started to panic. I excused myself from the group and filled a glass of water from the sink. Before I returned back to the couch, my heart rate had already slowed back down.

Did the alcohol cause my heart to palpitate up to 100-110 beats per minute...or was it my mind? I fear my heart rejected the alcohol? I dunno...my heart rate dropped back down so quickly...but I felt like I was on the brink of panic and my heart started beating harder and harder...and faster and faster...

I REALLY hope that there will be a day when I can have some drinks and relax like old times....or at LEAST ONE BEER!

[Felonious Skunk]

I think you're getting psychosomatic heebie-jeebies, brother.

Don't take this as belittling your concerns, I'm not.

But if you're doing 4 miles/day several times per week and your EKG's and CBC's are coming back normal, then in all probability you are just freaking yourself out. It's normal to feel your heartbeat if you focus your attention on it in a particular way.

The body is a pretty rugged machine. Try to take it easy and relax.

[moda00]

I agree that panic and fear mentally can affect physical functioning and basics like heart rate, blood pressure, etc.. (mind and body are very connected). But swim knows how disconcerting this feeling is, and she cannot bring about this feeling just by concentrating on her heart. It is distinct and has only happened a few times, after especially long/intense cocaine binges, and once after consuming way too many X pills (probably 4-6 over the course of the evening- they were an assortment of different pills and she thought some of them were bad because she wasn't feeling the effects, so kept popping them, then realized her heart was pounding away and it was all she could feel/hear, and her eyes were super dilated- she likely consumed way to much mdma and/or adulterants/speed, but wasn't feeling the effects due to doing it several times in a week and tolerance etc. Swim would recommend trying deep breathing and other relaxation techniques when swiy starts feeling this.. but she'd also recommend seeing the cardiologist and getting the echocardiogram and stress test, or whatever they recommend, just to be safe. Swim had blood tests show heart damage after an overdose that involved cocaine/crack and several depressants (alcohol, heroin, possibly benzos- she doesn't remember..) She was told to get these tests done but put it off because she was scared, but had it done eventually and was quite relieved to find for sure that the damage had not been lasting. She thinks having this reassurance could be helpful to swiy. Also, it is possible that drinking alcohol brings back the fear and sensation of the day this originally started (on some subconscious level, both mentally and physically) and can cause recurrence of symptoms. Reassurance that things are okay (which I think and hope they are) may help with that; also like I said relaxation/deep breathing. But if it comes down to it maybe best to take a break from drinking for awhile, switch to non-alcoholic beer or soda if swiy is very concerned or can't seem to avoid these effects.

Best of luck!!

[xstalkrx]

moda00,

the cardiologist gave me a echocardiogram and a stress test...followed by a second echocardiogram right after the stress test. he said everything was fine and that everything looked good. but ya....the 1 beer i had 1.5 MONTHS after this all happened.....freaked me out and jumped my heart rate up.

is anxiety beatable? will there ever be a day when i can have a few drinks and just be able to relax and have fun like everyone else?

[moda00]

xstalkrx,

I am so glad to hear that everything is fine and back to normal. It sounds like swiy is keeping himself healthy and has recovered well.

Yes anxiety is beatable..

For some, techniques like deep breathing, meditation, etc. can work wonders.

Another way people deal with situational or learned anxiety and phobias is behavioral modification type therapy known as systematic desensitization or counterconditioning.

By slowly exposing yourself to a (perceived as threatening or dangerous) stimulus without eliciting a negative response, you can reprogram your brain and stop associating fear and panic with certain objects or situations.. It is a humorous image, that of a therapist doing this desensitization therapy with a bottle of beer, lol, but I understand the feeling of wanting to be able to have a beer or two with buddies- that is perfectly legitimate. No one deserves to have panic attacks or unnecessary anxiety.

The way they do something like this is to start with the least threatening "version" of the stimulus- for example, to put you in a similar situation as the anxiety-producing one but without the threatening stimulus itself, or to evoke the threatening stimulus while creating a positive physical and mental state to eventually associate with it. You slowly working towards your goals (reducing panic response) while maximizing physical and mental comfort- possibly using muscle relaxation, relaxing set/setting, guided imagery, the presence of a comforting friend or trusted professional, the knowledge that you are in control and can choose to remove yourself from the negative stimuli at any time (for example, a safe word to take a break from the therapy)- and taking as much time as needed to do so comfortably.

If, say, someone is afraid of leaving the house and going out in public or dealing with crowds, they might say start with walking around their own neighborhood, or driving around but not going anywhere crowded or public, then maybe eventually going to a grocery store late at night when few people are there to minimize fearful stimulus, and then progress to going when it's busier.. or progress from doing it with a support person to doing it alone, etc.

Or they might start by even just thinking about or looking at pictures of the stimulus in a safe and comforting environment- for example, if someone is afraid of spiders, they would start by maybe thinking about spiders or looking at a picture of a spider while in a safe and comforting room, with a trusted therapist or friend, and repeating positive affirmations and relaxing their body.. then progress to say a video clip, to maybe seeing an actual spider.. see how this works?

You could seek therapy for this, or work through it on your own. Part of it really is mind over matter- convincing yourself that your body is healed and that you don't need to worry (but in this case, it is not an irrational fear- swiyou have reason to be afraid due to one's past experience, and while the experience was dangerous- mixing drugs, doing too much, which swiy knows now not to do- alcohol still carries risks. So the trick may be to accept that there are some risks and that swiyou still needs to be careful and not feel invincible- but to realize that drinking socially and in moderation is not going to hurt swiy in the way that s/he fears, as happened in the past when swiy mixed cocaine and booze.)

It seems this is like a Pavlovian type reaction- ie. when the dog isn't directly actually around any food, but he still salivates when the bell rings, because, while the bell is objectively completely irrelevant to the food, it is associated with it due to his past experiences. So if the dog salivating in response to food is an unconditioned response (a natural reaction to this situation) to an unconditioned stimulus. But when they ring a bell every time they feed the dog, the bell (generally a neutral stimulus) comes to be the conditioned (learned) stimulus, and the salivation resulting from the bell is considered the conditioned response.

To apply this to swiy's situation-- While alcohol alone in moderation did not cause swiy's past bad experiences (and swiy probably had plenty of times drinking without any problem whatsoever), it did play a role in the recent situation, and therefore is a "trigger" and now a "conditioned stimulus" in swiy's brain for these fears or negative memories. The panic and heart racing reaction is a conditioned (learned) response to the stimulus of alcohol since alcohol was involved in the frightening events of the night you describe. If swiy can "reprogram" his brain in a way that is safe, by taking the time to teach himself that there is no need for the two stimuli to be linked, it could help him to avoid these symptoms.

One other option in some cases of severe anxiety is medications, but honestly in this case (not a doc or medical professional in any way, take this as the advice of another swimmer) swim personally feels that it is as simple (well, not simple necessarily, but worth doing..) process of re-learning and re-training the brain and body to realize that drinking a beer is not supposed to be associated with cardiovascular symptoms in an otherwise very healthy person. Especially because the drugs most commonly prescribed would likely be inappropriate in this case- SSRIs have their own risks and side effects (can actually increase anxiety in some cases, although several are now being used for that purpose..) and are usually a long term, ongoing treatment for more generalized anxiety anyways. Benzodiazepines are very dangerous to mix with alcohol as they are both depressants, and can cause blackouts, slowed respiration, poor judgment, etc. Likely to cause more problems than they solve here. Plus, in this case, meds would likely prevent swiy from addressing the root of this, and will be a temporary solution rather than a permanent one, which if done right, swim believes desensitization has the potential to permanently resolve this problem.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thougtful and well reasoned post - your seem to have a lot of experience in this area

[xstalkrx]

Moda, thank you so much for your time and words.

I will say that my anxiety is more generalized. There are some stimuli that bring out more of a response from me (alcohol), but my general anxiety level is definately higher than normal. I am assuming that this is why I am able to feel my heart beating when I sit still at almost anytime of the day. Others have suggested that my general anxiousness is the cause of my heartbeat awareness. The heartbeat awareness, by itself, used to drive me to panic attacks. Not anymore...but still I feel my heartbeat and it's bothersome. I feel that if I couldnt feel my heart beating at all...then my anxiety would be COMPLETELY GONE. You see...in the mornings when I wake up...the first thing I do is check to see if I can feel my heart beating in my chest. If I CANT FEEL IT...then my day is off to a great start. If I CAN feel it...well....that sucks.

I definately understand all of the desensitizing stuff you were talking about.

It's funny because I just returned from a meeting at the restaurant where I work....and they were showing us the new wines we will be offering. Just seeing the wine bottles made me slightly MORE uneasy. I was already generally anxious, but like I said, some things like alcohol can cause an increase.

I will find some breathing techniques online and try to beat this by myself. After another month or so....I dunno we'll see.

Also...on a different note...and a slightly weird note at that....my BM's have been a different color than normal for the past month now since this ordeal started. Another indication of anxiety I do believe...as my diet has been picture perfect since the scare.

[Fight Club]

^^^^^^
Might want to get that checked. Internal bleeding can cause a dark stool.

[xstalkrx]

well its actually tan in color.

[xstalkrx]

ok i went to a hockey game last night and had 4-5 beers..got a nice buzz...and didnt have any heart troubles. got up this morning and ate and still no heart troubles. so last night was like a gamble for me. i needed the re-enforcement that my heart wasnt the problem and that it was all in my head. i think this proves that pretty well. now if i can just learn to "tune out" my heartbeat in my chest. feeling my heartbeat in my chest when i am trying to sleep is very annoying.