[MedsNme]

Some time ago I was prescribed Seroquel and was on and off it for different periods of time (usually a few months to 1/2 year) until I couldn't deal with side effects mainly brain fog, lack of motivation & energy, weight gain and more. It also helped with anxiety as well.

I never knew that Tachycardia - or a rapid heart rate was a side effect, I know I had looked over the side effects but this is one that I never noticed, may not have known what it was - especially if the word Tachycardia was used (which I would suspect many people wouldn't know unless it was explained to them).

Some time after being off the medication, I ended up taking it again and maybe the 3-4th dose (so 2-3 days after stating again) of 150mg, I started feeling extremely anxious, shaky, a little dizzy, elevated temp and noticed my heart was pounding and BPM was high and climbing. I was totally freaked out when I counted the rate (well over 200) and thought about calling EMT/EMS but that caused more anxiety due to past experiences with hospitals and such.

So I decided to lie down, meditate, control my breathing and try to relax as much as possible. I wrote a note saying I took my seroquel dose and decided not to call EMT incase I died, but luckily I didn't need that note. The elevated rate lasted about 30-40 mins at its highest level and I really focused on my breathing and picturing something pleasant.

I just searched "Seroquel rapid heart rate" and found many stories about it, 2 of them on here, and they described almost the exact same thing I went through, and the odd thing is that man of them also were too scared to call EMT - which seems to be an unusual coincidence (possibly b/c many have had similar treatment??)

I think people need to be more aware of this issue because when I was in the hospital a couple times, almost everyone was being given seroquel (which was odd in itself...) and I am wondering if people have died because of this, either directly from the heart rate, or from something like an accident (auto or otherwise) caused by reaction to the hear rate.

Here are just 2 other posts with similar stories. I can't post links (board rules) until 10 posts but you can find them by their post number in the URL, the post numbers are:
171682
443405

I'm so sorry you had such scary experiences with tachycardia. I have had tachycardia in the past for which I consulted a cardiologist, but in my case it was likely not as a result of a medication, but more likely a combination of my mitral valve prolapse, anxiety, and often mood elevation. I have taken Seroquel XR for about 8 years now with no issues with tachycardia, thankfully, because Seroquel XR is a very beneficial medication for me. My treatment for tachycardia was begun about 13 years ago in the form of a beta blocker, which helps me beautifully. I was initially prescribed metroprolol and then later propranolol (Inderal). My current dose of propranolol is somewhat small with zero side effects that I am aware of.

Have you consulted with a cardiologist or at least a general practitioner on your tachycardia? Does your psychiatrist, cardiologist, and/or general practitioner confirm that Seroquel is in fact the culprit for your tachycardia?

I see that this is your very first post on PsychCentral, and that your username implies that your membership may only be for the purpose of scaring people about a specific medication. That concerns me, even if you can find articles to support your fears about Seroquel.

I could probably find scary articles about most medications, including non-psych meds. The truth is, some people do have unique reactions to meds, but not all. Ruling out medications based on such articles alone or rare experiences can be a pity, but I understand when people stop medications when a medication seems to clearly be a culprit of a serious side effect. I hope that you now have relief from tachycardia. If it returns while off Seroquel, I hope you do go to a general practitioner or cardiologist, if you haven't already. It's so important to rule out other causes.

[Tucson]

Tylenol can cause Steven Johnsons Syndrome. You can find this on a warning label of this med. Maybe a 0.0001 percent chance of this.

[Guiness187055]

I have had the fast heartbeat from seroquel. I take a beta blocker now and no issues ever since