Some quick thoughts on heart medications and their surprising effects on emotions and anxiety.
Some of you may know I’ve had heart troubles for a decade or so now, and after my heart attack last year I was put on a bunch of medications for a variety of symptoms and issues. Two of these are Perindopril and Noten, which regulate blood pressure and attenuate the range of speeds your heart can beat. To put it another way, it’s a tough thing to suddenly discover your heart doesn’t speed up when you need to climb a hill or a bunch of stairs. Your legs for example just ‘power down’ as they don’t get blood through them at the right rate so you just end up waiting mid flight to regain the power to climb those stairs.
Today at the dentists, I discovered the same can be said of stress responses to fear and anxiety too. I’d noticed that since I’d walked in and sat down in the waiting room, my hands were trembling. Hmm, that’s odd I thought; sure, I’m here for a tooth extraction, which is scary, but I feel calm. Why are they shaking? Maybe my blood sugars were low or something, because I simply didn't have any other symptoms to cross check it with and make an educated guess as to what it was all about.
It wasn't until I’d sat in the dentist’s chair getting stabbed with anesthesia that it suddenly struck me - it must be basic terror, but my mind isn't processing it because my heart rate hasn't changed, nor has my breathing pattern. Maybe the medication was preventing my vascular system reacting in the normal way to adrenaline? I don’t know. It’s made me wonder about all the other times when my body hasn't reacted as I expected to similar stimuli.
