Does anyone know is long-qt something that would always be detected on an EKG and that a cardiologist would automatically tell you about? Is it transient or permanent?
I am about to start Diflucan. I see a cardiologist who is completely Lyme-illiterate. He also is very careless and has admitted to me that he never even read my 30 day monitor reports. I have read the reports. Although my sustained arrhythmia didn't occur during that time, SVT, PVC's, atrial runs, PAC's and sinus tach did. He's also told me to take medications against black box warning directions so I have limited trust for his judgement. Any advice here is appreciated.
Ideally I need a new cardiologist. Problem is I probably will get an even worse one. I'm in my 20's with no structural heart damage. I have a feeling most will laugh me out of the office and force anti-anxiety meds or anti-depressants on me. Anxiety/depression is NOT causing my heart issues. I never even wanted to go to a cardiologist in the first place. Other doctors keep making me nervous when they hear the arrhythmia's in person and strongly suggest calling the cardiologist or going to get an EKG right away. I would prefer to ignore it.
So I have uncontrolled heart arrhythmias and fainting from low blood pressure. Two pretty serious warning signs of side effects to certain meds as well. How will I be able to tell if any further palpitations/arrhythmias and fainting are my normal heart symptoms or long QT or Torsades from diflucan?
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
I don't know. Are you on Magnesium? Arrhythmia is indicative of Magnesium deficiency and a lot of drugs can lower our magnesium, including Diflucan which is one of the fluoride drugs. I forget how many fluorides Diflucan has specifically but what happens is the fluorides bind with the Magnesium in our system.
I would get on a good Magnesium immediately, one like "ReMag" guaranteed to get into the cells. I am not giving you medical advice. Your cardiologist should be on board with this, too.
You can get a Magnesium RBC test from request a test and you don't need a doc. It's $49.00. Doc may give serum test which is useless as only 1 - 2 % of our Mg is there.. So RBC Mag test is what's needed.
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
After you get results you may want to join this group to interpret or see if you levels are high enough. Sometimes the "range" the lab uses can vary. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MagnesiumAdvocacy/ Posted by lax mom (Member # 38743) on :
SVT alone is miserable. I had that during my pregnancy.
There are only so many tools in the toolbox for dysautonomia, so he's kind of limited in regards to meds without black box warnings.
I've never had a Dr of any kind point out the warnings either. I'm currently on several that I'm sure have those black boxes. Oh well, they're helping me.
I think your best bet is to find a Dr from the dinet website. Otherwise, your going to keep finding Drs who don't know much about what you're dealing with.
I would think long QT would be something that's picked up on an EKG since it's congenital.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
DITTO what "girl" just posted! Get the rbc test and check out the mag group.
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
Yeah it wasn't a matter of prescribing a med with a black box warning. It was that he was telling me to take it at night when it has a black box warning against taking it at night/after lying down because of supine hypertension. He insisted at night was the time to take it. He was unfamiliar with the medication and prescribed it incorrectly as confirmed by another cardiologist/EP.
I take a ton of magnesium. I used to take up to 3000mg of citrate or malate per day with no GI side effects. I have IV's of magnesium regularly and it still runs slightly low on the standard serum test. I've tried hawthorne as well.
For SVT I've only tried Toprol so far. It will work or a few weeks, give me side effects like severe depression, nightmares, difficulty breathing, cold/dead feeling limbs, etc. Then shortly after the side effects stop, my arrhythmia's return extremely strongly. I've raised the dose several times in the past few months and it's just not working.
I don't know why I'm so afraid to try Diflucan. I'm usually a risk taker and have never been worried before. I trust the prescribing doctor's judgement. I just feel incredibly weak overall and don't know how much longer I can take these symptoms. It's only a matter of time before I faint in public. I feel like I'm going to end up hospitalized very soon. I'm losing all my strength and my drive to try things as well.
Lately I've literally been occupying my mind as best as possible during the day. When I get home I immediately take whatever I have to go to sleep (melatonin and herbs) so that I don't have to feel my symptoms. Sleep and after a glutathione IV are my only breaks.
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
You are low on the SERUM test? I would definitely get some ReMag Summer. Worth a try! Low Magnesium is not good. I would be hesitant to try the Diflucan, too. :/
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
ReMag supposed to be absorbed 100% on a cellular level. Other Mg's only absorbed something like 4 - 12%.
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
Yes, I was at 1.7 last week the day after an IV and tons of oral magnesium. Range was 1.8+ so not too low.
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
Are you on other drugs that lower Magnesium? Why do you think your Magnesium's low?
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
I was on Toprol and midodrine at the time. I had stopped florinef when the arrhythmia's got out of control. Just started Nystatin, haven't started Diflucan yet.
I think I don't absorb things orally which is why my magnesium is low after huge oral doses, I don't get GI side effects from anything, and other medications don't work either like the beta blockers and oral antibiotics.
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
ReMag is absorbed even if you have leaky gut. That is crazy you don't get the laxative from the others. Very interesting.
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
I am sorry you are having to go through that. Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
The serum blood test rarely picks up a mag deficiency .. so you must be REALLY LOW!
I used to take tons of mag and never got results like I have from the ReMag. It has changed my life!
Heart palps are gone. I have A-fib but have not had an issue in about a year now.
Sporanox may be a better option for you than the Diflucan.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I don't think an EKG can be certain, always. Not if the QT "hiccup" does not happen to occur during the test.
History, symptoms, also key in diagnostics for QT stuff but it can be caused by toxicity, not always by a genetic factor or other reason (though good to rule those out).
There are many ways to address this yourself it it's "transient" and caused by lyme or low magnesium. I would not do a test but just start taking it and judge by how you feel.
DO YOU STARTLE EASILY
DO YOU PASS OUT
Those are key questions. If you do not, that's better than if you did, of course. The PBS HEART series explains why I ask that. And see the alarm clock article in the Cardiac thread. You might rethink that if you have one.
Some detail here about long QT - some PBS video segments . . . but being low in magnesium can be a major "trigger" of that, too.
Excess toxic overload, as well. Liver support really matters but I'd trust a LL doctor's advice and if they think you need to see a specialist, perhaps they would know the best one to see.
No you do not need to test before taking it but it would give you a baseline if you wanted a # and then after a couple of months you could test again if you wanted to see how much you've improved.
I can have heart palps, take the Remag and within minutes if not seconds the palps are gone. Worth every penny!
But your first bottle will last a while for the fact you start slow. Our body is not used to absorbing all that Magnesium. GOOD STUFF.
I'm getting all my friends and family on it and everyone loves it. Sleeping better for the first time in ten years -which I didn't think was possible. So thankful!
Posted by kgg (Member # 5867) on :
So, what did you decide? Yes, a long QT interval would be picked up on an EKG. There are other betablockers that you could try if Toprol is not the answer for you.
If you are not confident in your cardiologist, perhaps it is time to seek out a different one?
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
I would like to find another one. Unfortunately due to my age and gender, most cardiologist will probably be worse than my current one and dismiss my symptoms as anxiety or depression with no treatment.
I haven't decided anything and I need to decide today. I have had several VERY Lyme-knowledgeable doctors tell me to stay on the meds. The cardiologist acts like the beta blocker is purely a convenience for me and is not medically necessary. I don't even know what diagnosis I'm taking it for. I assume SVT. He has not heard the sustained rhythm in person though or seen it on an EKG.
I know Toprol is what Dr. H. recommends and I may get worse side effects from a different one. What should I do? Wait out these side effects? The depression is pretty severe. It's not something I will be able to deal with long-term. Toprol isn't working fantastically but I get a lot worse with arrhythmias when off it and magnesium does not stop them anymore except in an IV which I don't have access to (no PICC).
Posted by girl (Member # 18022) on :
![[Frown]](frown.gif)