Hi I Have A Question, My Pulse Fluctuates A Lot,

Posted on Wed, 16 Oct 2019

Question: Hi I have a question, my pulse fluctuates a lot, tonight it’s ranging from 50-60 last week it was in the 40’s to 50’s in the doctors because I had anxiety on Saturday last it was on 155 bpm and I was worried, I’m taking erythromycin anti biotics for an I rection in my nose and throat, will I be ok is it serious?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (4 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome to 'Ask A Doctor' service!

I understand your concern and would like to explain that it is common for heart rate to slow down at night and during sleeping.

On the other hand, heart rate variations are more pronounced in young individuals. Surely, anxiety plays an important effect on vegetative nervous system activation and hence, also in a heart rate increase.

I would recommend performing an at-rest ECG, while continuing your antibiotic therapy, just to be sure that no QT interval prolongation happens due to erythromycin.

Hope to have been helpful to you!

In case of any further questions, feel free to ask me again.

Kind regards,

Dr. Ilir Sharka
cardiologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ilir Sharka (16 hours later)

Thanks for that, I would have to go to the hospital for an ecg though and I’m too anxious to go to the hospital that’s how severe my anxiety has gone, should I be taking erythromycin if I have a cough that sounds a bit chesty green phlegm, and because I had not now but it comes and goes a swelling of my nose where the skin becomes infected, and I’m low in energy too

Follow up: Dr. Ilir Sharka (1 minute later)

Could I stop taking the erythromycin is it really required/ necessary for what I have? And will it really help?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
My opinion as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello again!

Let me explain that there is no reason to be anxious, as no any dangerous or life-threatening condition is present.

There are several medications that can be utilized for treating an upper airways infection; Erythromycin seems to be a relatively old drug with several potential adverse effects.

In order to define the most appropriate strategy for your recurrent nose and throat infection it would be necessary to check some lab tests, like:

- complete blood count,
- PCR,
- antistreptolysin (ASLO) test,
- paranasal sinuses X ray study,
- throat microbiological culture,

May be a penicillin could be a more safe alternative for your upper airways infection. Anyway it should be guided by the test results.

So, you may stop Erythromycin and discuss with your doctor for the alternative treatment.

Wishing you good health!

Regards,

Dr. Iliri

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar