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Dermatomyositis - tachycardia symptom
Hi, folks. Aside from the typical symptoms of Dermatomyositis (purple/reddish rashes on knees, knuckles, and face), muscle pain, and fatigue, I also have some other symptoms that I wondering if others with this condition experience as well.
I get episodes of sinus tachycardia that can get up to 150-160 upon waking. I can't eat any kinds of heavy carbs like breads or baked goods or it causes/exacerbates the racing heart. When I am in these episodes, I notice that I belch A LOT, my rashes are darker, and I feel more muscle fatigue. I think there is some kind of correlation with not eating enough the day before that also triggers this. The heart itself checks out fine via EKG and echo, so the docs say that this is secondary to other processes occurring in my body.
I am in the midst of finding an immunosuppresant that works for me without intolerable side effects. I am wondering if those of you who have had the tachycardia found relief on an immunosuppressant?
Looking forward to your responses!
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Simethicone helps me with afib and heart rate close to 200 during episodes. Belching relieves pressure, I believe. I have lupus but have never connected it to heart issues. Interesting.
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1 ReactionI have what’s called Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST) associated with lupus and think this is common with some autoimmune disorders. It’s different from SVT ( supraventricular tachycardia) as SVT has a very sudden onset and stops suddenly. A holter monitor is a good test, ordered by a cardiologist. There are medications to prevent the fast heart rate, which can be quite uncomfortable. I take a daily beta blocker which helps tremendously. These lower BP some so caution if BP runs low. Any triggers that you discover should be avoided such as caffeine and you should have your thyroid levels checked just to be sure you don’t have high thyroid hormone levels. This association of tachycardia and autoimmune diseases is more common than recognized. I hope your Dr will consider preventative medicine for you if you want it.
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3 Reactions**Update: I have started taking Myfortic (the alternative to the usual mycophenolate) and I have noticed that it has greatly reduced my resting heart rate and has lowered how high my heart rate goes during tachy episodes. I had a theory that the tachycardia was inflammation related - I guess this proves it.