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I’m An 18 Year Old. Always Been Physically Healthy And
Question: I’m an 18 year old. Always been physically healthy and fit but, if I’m being honest, I’ve done a lot of drugs. I’ve drank more than I care to acknowledge, I smoked weed from the age of 12-16, I’ve done ecstasy (MDMA) three times, LSD five times, Shrooms four times, and quite a decent amount of cocaine. Oh, and I’ve vaped and smoked cigarettes throughout all of this. In January of this past year (2020) I couldn’t go to bed one night because my heart was racing. I had a panic attack the next day and took a bunch of tests. My troponin was elevated, .05 being the highest it ever got. Last time I took a test back in XXXXXXX it was at .03. I’ve had strange intermittent chest pains that come and go. Some are intense, others aren’t. The ones that are intense always seem to come and go. The intense ones usually last seconds at most, but almost always less. They’re so intense that I feel like if they lasted any longer I’d be having a real heart attack. All of this is complimented by an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia (my heart skips beats quite often), and I want to think it’s anxiety chest pain. I’ve taken a CAT SCAN, MRI, had a Holter Monitor attached to me as well as a stress test and all came out normal according to the doctors. Like, just now I had a really intense chest pain that resulted in a tingling sensation across my chest starting at the left side and rippling outwards. It was as if my heart was contracting too hard and it squeezed. Most of my chest pain is in my left side. I’ve had countless panic attacks and been so stressed out that I’ve had to come to terms with dying at the age of 18 because of an unexpected heart attack. I have a written will. I don’t want to die. Right now, as I’m laying in bed, I can feel each individual heart beat if I focus in. Any idea of what the problem is? Unstable angina? Coronary Artery Failure? Hypertension? Can someone please help me??
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome to Ask a Doctor service!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms could be related to the drugs that you have been taking.
You should know that these drugs can lead to temporary myocardial ischaemia and cardiac arrhythmia, especially in the first hours after taking them.
I would like to directly review your test reports, if you could upload them.
As the Holter monitoring, cardiac stress test, chest CT scan have resulted normal, there is no reason to panic about sudden death, as these tests are very reassuring about any cardiac issues.
The unstable angina and coronary artery disease can be excluded by a normal stress test . Hypertension can be diagnosed with a simple blood pressure monitor. So, I think that these issues have been excluded, considering your performed tests.
Regarding the fact that you can hear every heart beat when you focus, this is not a concerning issue, as it can occur in healthy sensitive persons, especially in those who are thin and tall.
Another issue to consider is checking your thyroid hormone levels for possible thyroid gland dysfunction.
At the end if all your tests result normal, you should also consider anxiety as the possible cause underlying your complaints.
You should know that anxiety can mimic this clinical situation, and it is also triggered by the illicit drugs that you have been using.
So, I would strongly recommend you to avoid these drugs and trying alprazolam 0.5mg in case you have any complaints.
If it helps relieve your symptoms, you should consider anxiety as an important factor underlying this situation.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
I remain at your disposal for any further questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr.Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist
.
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome to Ask a Doctor service!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms could be related to the drugs that you have been taking.
You should know that these drugs can lead to temporary myocardial ischaemia and cardiac arrhythmia, especially in the first hours after taking them.
I would like to directly review your test reports, if you could upload them.
As the Holter monitoring, cardiac stress test, chest CT scan have resulted normal, there is no reason to panic about sudden death, as these tests are very reassuring about any cardiac issues.
The unstable angina and coronary artery disease can be excluded by a normal stress test . Hypertension can be diagnosed with a simple blood pressure monitor. So, I think that these issues have been excluded, considering your performed tests.
Regarding the fact that you can hear every heart beat when you focus, this is not a concerning issue, as it can occur in healthy sensitive persons, especially in those who are thin and tall.
Another issue to consider is checking your thyroid hormone levels for possible thyroid gland dysfunction.
At the end if all your tests result normal, you should also consider anxiety as the possible cause underlying your complaints.
You should know that anxiety can mimic this clinical situation, and it is also triggered by the illicit drugs that you have been using.
So, I would strongly recommend you to avoid these drugs and trying alprazolam 0.5mg in case you have any complaints.
If it helps relieve your symptoms, you should consider anxiety as an important factor underlying this situation.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
I remain at your disposal for any further questions whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr.Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist
.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much, Doctor.
Just to preface, I’ve been sober from all of these substances since January. I just got one more question and it’s about the troponin. I read that troponin only releases when the heart has endured trauma or damage. I need to get it checked again but should I be concerned about a .03 level?
Just to preface, I’ve been sober from all of these substances since January. I just got one more question and it’s about the troponin. I read that troponin only releases when the heart has endured trauma or damage. I need to get it checked again but should I be concerned about a .03 level?
Brief Answer:
My opinion as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Thank you for the additional information!
These levels of Troponin are concerning when coupled with changes in the ECG. But, the levels should be interpreted according to the lab normal ranges ( normal ranges differ from lab to lab, depending on the sensitivity of the test).
Anyway,considering all your performed cardiac tests, I don't think that you should worry about it!
In my opinion the elevation of troponin in January could be related to the drugs that you have been taking.
Try to focus on your anxiety and see if your situation improves.
Hope to have been helpful!
Let me know in case of further uncertainties!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
My opinion as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Thank you for the additional information!
These levels of Troponin are concerning when coupled with changes in the ECG. But, the levels should be interpreted according to the lab normal ranges ( normal ranges differ from lab to lab, depending on the sensitivity of the test).
Anyway,considering all your performed cardiac tests, I don't think that you should worry about it!
In my opinion the elevation of troponin in January could be related to the drugs that you have been taking.
Try to focus on your anxiety and see if your situation improves.
Hope to have been helpful!
Let me know in case of further uncertainties!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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