I have been having symptoms of a slow heart beat .some times I wake up dizzy feeling my heart beat beating slow .I have seen my pulse on a finger oximeter. I have a reading of 42 sometimes 50 I have been taking atenolol for 8 years 50 mg for heart pelps. i have been to the emergency room had a ecg xray blood test all normal could anxiety be causing this ?
Hi, thanks for the question. I can understand what you must be going through. Anxiety is a condition where person has increased heartbeats, increased pulse, sweating, tremors, restlessness, feeling that something bad is going to happen or he/she is going to die etc. All these symptoms are due to increased autonomous nervous system activity. As I have already explained that in anxiety states there is increased heart beats and palpitations. Anxiety states don't lead to reduced heart beats. In your case the reduction in heart rate may be due to Atenolol. Atenolol is known to reduce the heart rate. Also feeling of dizziness after getting up may be due to a condition called as postural hypotension wherein there is reduction in blood pressure when person gets up from sleeping position. This again is caused by Atenolol.