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Suggest Treatment For Arrhythmia After Taking Methamphetamine
Question: Friend had meth. Now has arryrhmia. Bp is 131/101. Heart rate skips between 130!and 90. Gave him 1mg Zanax. He has pvc ( benign). Sometimes takes metoprolol for it. 100 mg. Should ingive him the metoprolol? Hes been like this for about 2 hts now.
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that it is important to determine the type of cardiac arrhythmia ( if it is a benign or life threatening arrhythmia, exclude atrial fibrillation or cardiac ischemia) in order to make the proper treatment decision.
You should know that meths is a stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to adrenaline and noradrenaline rush in the patients blood, which may be the cause of severe cardiac arrhythmia and even coronary artery spasms ( leading to coronary artery ischemia).
So, the problem is much more complex and can not be resolved at home with just metoprolol and Xanax ( especially considering his age and the duration of his symptoms).
For this reason, I recommend bringing him to the nearest ER service for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- a resting ECG and cardiac enzymes
- a chest x-ray study
- some other blood lab tests ( complete blood count, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests, fasting glucose).
A close monitoring of his blood pressure and heart rhythm is needed. He may need intravenous treatment or conversion in case of atrial fibrillation.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask me again whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that it is important to determine the type of cardiac arrhythmia ( if it is a benign or life threatening arrhythmia, exclude atrial fibrillation or cardiac ischemia) in order to make the proper treatment decision.
You should know that meths is a stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to adrenaline and noradrenaline rush in the patients blood, which may be the cause of severe cardiac arrhythmia and even coronary artery spasms ( leading to coronary artery ischemia).
So, the problem is much more complex and can not be resolved at home with just metoprolol and Xanax ( especially considering his age and the duration of his symptoms).
For this reason, I recommend bringing him to the nearest ER service for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- a resting ECG and cardiac enzymes
- a chest x-ray study
- some other blood lab tests ( complete blood count, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests, fasting glucose).
A close monitoring of his blood pressure and heart rhythm is needed. He may need intravenous treatment or conversion in case of atrial fibrillation.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Feel free to ask me again whenever you need!
Kind 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
Answered by
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