After moving to Maryland, I took my time finding a new family doctor. It wasn’t until I got a call from my old practice in Myerstown that I realized I should schedule an appointment. I have a thyroid condition that requires some monitoring, although I have been on the same amount of synthetic thyroid hormone for a few years. I needed a new prescription, so it was imperative to find a new doc.
I had my first appointment with a new doctor on Tuesday. My heart rate was elevated. An EKG was ordered. Blood work in addition to the normal thyroid tests was ordered. Five tubes of blood later, I was back at the doctor on Thursday. My heart rate was still elevated. Sinus tachycardia and a referral to a cardiologist.
What the what? All of my other blood work was fine. It wasn’t my thyroid. Why on earth would I have sinus tachycardia if I wasn’t hyperthyroid?
Well, the answer is likely Wellbutrin.
I started the drug in May and never really followed up on it since I generally felt fine. It did its job and dissipated my “anger ball” that existed in my chest. Little did I know that it was making another thing in my chest go crazy. A little Google research and that was the only conclusion I could come up with.
So I quit. Cold turkey.
A few days into it, I’m fine. My heart rate at rest has been pretty consistant around 84, which I think is much better than 127. I quit Thursday night, and told the cardiologist, who ordered an echocardiogram tomorrow just to be sure. I have that appointment tomorrow, but if they don’t find anything, I swear I’m just going to cancel all my other follow up appointments.
I’m fine, and while I know it’s better to be safe than sorry, I know my body pretty well, and I know that I’m pretty much fine.
One of the reasons it took me so long to try an antidepressant was my aversion to putting strange things like that into my body out of fear that the side effects will be harmful. This doesn’t help matters.