Can serotonin syndrome cause changes in the heart rate?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have chest pain in the left side of my torso, which started last week. The pain radiates from the left side of my neck to the left arm, and it is burning, gnawing, and constant. The chest pain is accompanied by nausea, heart palpitations, higher heart rate, bowel disruptions, hoarseness, weakness, and fatigue. I was hospitalized for a drug reaction similar to serotonin syndrome last month, and my pulse rate has been 80 to 120 bpm since last month. It was around 60 bpm before that.

The doctor asked me to stop the tablets of Cymbalta 30 mg and Luvox 10 mg because I had gastritis and esophagitis and asked me to consult a new psychiatrist. Now, I am taking the tablet Zoloft 100 mg. I also underwent tests such as EKG, chest x-ray, and preliminary blood work last week, and all the test results were normal. I am consulting a cardiologist this week. I had no cardiac complications previously, but I am worried. Kindly give your suggestions.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. The change in the heart rate from 60 bpm (beats per minute) to 100 to 120 bpm can be due to various reasons such as anxiety, stress, fever, anemia, thyroid disorder, certain medicines, or the heart's electrical system abnormality. If it is due to a secondary cause, it resolves if the cause is eliminated. However, I suggest you do the following tests. An ECG (electrocardiogram) at the time of palpitations or higher heart rate. Holter monitoring test to assess heart rhythms. In this test, ECG is recorded continuously for 24 hours for seven days to determine intermittent rhythm disorders. Please report back with the test results.

I hope this helps.

Please revert so I can assist you further.

Thank you.