What Causes Heart Palpitations And Headache Inspite Of Taking Tramadol?

Posted on Thu, 8 May 2014

Question: I've been taking 400mg tramadol/ day for chronic pelvic pain. I have been taking 300mg bupropion for post natal depression daily two. Yesterday I had heart palpitations , a headache, dizziness, slurred speech and my pain was worse. I went to a and e but they didn't ask about drugs I was taking. After an ok ecg they sent me home. I'm starting to feel this way again. And I keep seeing a flashy light to my right every so often. Could it be my meds? What should I do? Just an update. I had an ecg which was normal and my bloods are all normal. Just a 110 heart rate. Yesterday I fainted, I was walking into the living room. I dont remember falling, but woke up on the floor quite giddy and confused. This morning I had a horrible headache. It was really throbbing all over my head. I could see funny blurry coloured dots in my vision so I presumed it was a migraine and went to lie down. I got out of bed and brushed my teeth because it tasted like metal then I went to get a drink and I felt really scared and i had this feeling it was as if someone had got hold of my head and was trying to pull it off. I felt weak and shaky so I sat down on the sofa. Next thing I had woken up on the floor and had wet myself. All the sofa cushions were on the floor too do I must have fallen back first I suppose. I have no idea how much time had passed but it wasn't more than half an hour, probably just minutes. So I washed my self down and got changed. I noticed I was bleeding from one nostril, not much just a trickle. I have slept ever since. I still have a headache but I have just slept all day. I feel quite a lot better now, my heart rate is down to 86ish. Could this be my meds? It's never happened before.

Follow up: Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (6 days later)

Sorry but could some one answer please?

Answered by Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan (34 days later)

Brief Answer: ? Seizure ? Migraine Detailed Answer: Hi there... Thanks for writing in. The possibilities I can think of are : 1. Anxiety/Stress/Depression 2. Migraine 3. Electrolyte imbalances 4. low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) 5. side effect of bupropion 6. Seizure I would advise you to get the following investigations done Hb (Hemoglobin) FBS (fasting blood sugar) PPBS(post prandial blood sugars) TSH (thyroid function test) Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 levels Were all the above blood tests done? In a small percentage of individuals, bupropion can cause migraine , seizures etc. Please talk to your doctor regarding this. If all the investigations are normal, then it would be appropriate to get a CT scan of the head. For the post natal depression, I would definitely recommend that you sign up for yoga classes. Deep breathing exercises would help you to relax and combat stress and depression. Yoga might help treat your chronic pelvic pain as well. However, results are not immediate.But in the long run it might be beneficial for you. If it is ok with your physician, then start regular exercise 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Exercise releases endorphins which makes you feel good. Hope this information was helpful to you. Regards, Dr. Divya Kuttikrishnan

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