Palpitations
 

It appears that I might have a serious problem. I've recently clued in to some symptoms I have been experiencing and its rather alarming. I'm a student and I've been drinking somewhat regularly for about two years. There have actually been periods where I'm drinking up to two liters of vodka a week for stretch of three or four weeks. I always drink at least four liters of water in a sitting and have become rather adept at avoiding any hangover effects. I always drink at night, alone, and I never measure.

Recently I experienced something that I did not attribute to alcohol. I woke up with the most hellacious feeling. No nausea, no headaches, just the most indescribable jangley, jittery feeling with a racing pulse, heart palpitations, shaking, and chest constrictions. This went on for at least five days. I've been to the doctor and I have no detectable problems. Initially, I attributed it to my ridiculous schedule and a completely confused circadian rhythm. I drank again after nearly a month of no alcohol, and here I am again.

Does anyone know what is actually happening physiologically? What causes this feeling and why is it happening now? Why not the other times? There are thousands of people online with this same question. I'm an engineer and I would love to know. Is it some type of vitamin deficiency as a result of the alcohol? I recently stopped taking a heavy multi-vitimin because I thought it was contributing to the insomnia and this happened shortly after.

But I *can* say, I'm done. This s**t is for the birds. I don't chemically need it, it's more of a crutch. I have trouble sleeping and it's so simple to just pull from the bottle and go to bed with that smooth warm feeling. But heck, seizures, delerium tremens, dementia, or this ridiculous feeling?

Nah, I don't need it that bad!

Welcome to SR :)

It could be many things but from my experience panic attacks are one possibility if there's no discernible physical reasons (I presume you were honest with your doctor about your drinking habits)...but a professional diagnosis is always best.

I recommend you get a referral to a psychologist - perhaps you even have one on-campus?

D

(((gazwsxedc))) - Welcome to SR!!

though I can't give medical advice, here, I can tell you that, yes, several vitamins become deleted with excess use of alcohol. Did you tell your dr. how much you drink? If you didn't, I'd go back and tell him. They can do simple blood work to see if anything is out of whack.

This is a great place for support if you want to quit drinking. I'm an RA (recovering addict) and have some serious sleep issues (as do some other friends, here) but if you continue to drink, you are going to end up with some serious consequences.

Best to quit and avoid all that.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

Actually, the subject never came up and I didn't relate it to the alcohol. It hit in the middle of the day(drinking the night before) and simply wouldn't go away.

I must confess, I've been rather ignorant of the effects of alcohol. I knew it's not good for the liver but that has been pretty much the extent of my understanding. The tests showed no cirrhosis or spotting.

I had a similar experience about seven or eight years ago and ended up in the ER. They wouldn't give me a bed and let me sit it out in the waiting room. But it only lasted about two or three hours and didn't involve a drop of alcohol. I just assumed it was the same thing. What worried me was that this time it acted like it wasn't going away.

Now I'm two for two with the alcohol. I know it's the friggin vodka.

You may want to read up on how alcohol affects many things in your body.

I agree...time to kick the vodka (and any other alcohol) to the curb.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

I'd re-confer with your Dr then qazwsxedc - lay it all out on the table.

D

These are classic alcohol withdrawl symptoms

also sounds like what I experienced as withdrawal, although it took me a long time to figure that out. I agree---see a Dr and tell them, honestly, the extent/duration etc of your alcohol use. don't try to minimize if you want an honest evaluation.

Good to know you won't be drinking any alcohol again...:yup:

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control

it matters not what type of alcohol you drink
or if you mix them up....they all do damage to your brain and body
and that is true for all drinkers..not only alcoholics.

For me.....tho my liver and heart were ok...my brain was not.
No anxiety or panic attacks...but depression surfaced.

please check out this link...

http://www.well.com/user/mick/insomnia/

Welcome...:wavey:

I had exactly the same thing over the period of about a year, and eventually I was rushed to hospital, had three seizures in one day and all in all was lucky to stay alive.
That isn't a scare tactic (i hate people who use scare tactics...you get a bad back and someone tells you to check it out because it might be cancer etc!) but it genuinely happened to me only a few months ago.

I know exactly how you feel. It's like panic attacks, muscle twitches and even hallucinations. You need to tell your doctor about this asap and whatever you do, do not just stop drinking suddenly, you need to do that with the right help.

q,

It's good to know you won't be drinking alcohol again! Really, it could be any number of things...alcohol related or not. You should see your doctor and be honest with him just to rule out any major problems. Then do whatever it takes to never pick up alcohol again.

it sounds like classic alcohol withdrawal. my heart would race constantly when i wasn't drinking and it scared the crap out of me.

i remember mornings when it was so bad, i'd get short of breath.

you might need some help to withdrawal off of the booze. the dr. can prescribe something to make it less dangerous. this isn't something to mess with though....people have had heart attacks detoxing because of the toll it takes on the body.

if you don't have health insurance, you can always go to one of those urgent medical care places people go to on the weekends when they have a broken hand or bronchitis or whatever. they're usually about $50 a visit. you can call ahead and just ask if they treat alcohol withdrawal. most do.

good luck and keep us informed.

Last night absolutely sucked. I simply can't handle that again. Today is much better. I started off with vitamin water and a B complex and it helps immensely. I don't think this time is as bad as last time, probably because it was more than a month since I drank anything. The palpitations are gone although I still feel a little jittery every once in a while.

I'm just curious that it pounced so suddenly. There are people online who claim to have drank only two or three times and this has happened every time.

Thanks, for info and direction!