Supplements/superfoods, why does this happen to me?

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Whenever I try to take things like this, it causes me to get heart palpitations where it feels like my heart actually skips a beat and I can feel it in my throat. I ended up in the ER last year after taking mega multivitamin powder because it caused my heart to beat so fast you could see it through my t-shirt. I went in with a heart rate of 125. They ran all kinds of test's and couldn't find ANYTHING wrong with my heart. I even did a heart monitor at home for 24 hrs. I came off the vitamin powder because I finally realized that was the only thing I had changed. It took 2 1/2 weeks to finally get it all out of my system but got better each day. Then in November, I tried to take 2,000 IUs of vitamin d3 to stay healthier for the winter and the same thing started happening after two weeks so I came off those. My Dr. said she has a few other patients that are very sensitive to vitamins/supplements and can't take them. She said it could be I'm getting too much of something in them or maybe they are synthetic and my body doesn't like that. She said I would need to get all my vitamins from real foods sources.

 

So anyway, I'm really into green smoothies and thought I would try adding some superfoods like gogi berries or spirulina. These are whole food sources and NOT synthetic, so I really thought this couldn't happen with these. After a few days of trying a little, it started again with my heart racing and feeling like it's skipping beats. I NEVER have this problem unless I'm taking supplements. I'm not sure if it was the gogi or the spirulina or a combination of them together. I didn't mix them in my green smoothies on the same day.

 

Was curious if anyone else has this problem taking supplements? The ONLY thing that doesn't seem to bother me is krill oil.:001_huh:

Edited May 22, 2010 by 1GirlTwinBoys

[Daisy]

Everyone in my family (father, siblings) have an irregular heartbeat that is made worse by medication, supplements, caffeine, and viruses. I have to be very careful what I take.

 

Do you ONLY notice it when taking a supplement?

[Laurie4b]

I think you can get the same benefits by eating nutrient-dense regular foods: whole grains, blueberries, broccoli, salmon, etc.

 

Is there another possible correlation with your heartbeat? For instance, what causes you to start a new round of embarking on supplements? If there is a state of mind, or a rundown feeling, etc. in your body that inspires you to start trying to be healthy, it may be that, not the supplements, that is at the root of the heartbeat stuff.

 

On another note, the kind of racing heartbeat and (what sounds like a premature beat) and palpitations you are having are very common in women during perimenopause. I am not a physician, just a woman whose been through the testing, whose friends ended up going through a cardiac workup, etc.---all around the same age. One of my friend's doctor's mentioned to her that a lot of her patients of that age seemed to be having similar symptoms.

[emubird]

If it were me, I'd chalk it up to allergies. And I would suspect there was something common to those supplements. They might all have the same inactive ingredients such as corn starch, microcrystalline cellulose, colorings, natural flavors, etc.

 

Do you have the same reaction to other drugs which might have the same fillers etc?

 

My guess would be that the whole foods are a better bet healthwise anyway.

[LauraGB]

Two thoughts for you. One is that you are possibly sensitive to an ingredient. I am allergic to iodine. Before I knew that, I would take my muliti and then not feel well for a few hours afterward. Would get shaky, clammy, racing heartbeat, etc. - it was almost like a minor panic attack, which is exactly what I thought they were, until years later we figured out what it was. So, possibly check each and every food ingredient or herb that's in your stuff very carefully for something that might trigger the reactions you are having.

 

The second thought is this. Everything you take like that has to be processed by your body. Your liver, your kidneys...this stuff all makes its rounds through your body. I don't know how much of it you personally take, but it's kind of important not to over do it. If you eat well, you should be able to get most of your vitamins and minerals through your food. Things you may need extra of because of diet (or available food quality) should be the only things supplemented; calcium/magnesium, for instance, and then anything you need to take for other reasons such as an herb or coQ10 or something of that sort.

 

Oh, and I guess I actually have three thoughts instead of two. Be sure the company who makes your products is a reputable one. Recently I was having a conversation about a natural ingredient commonly used to help lower cholesterol. Apparently this "natural" product worked incredibly well! It turned out the product was either sprayed with a synthetic cholesterol med or a synthetic cholesterol med was was sprayed with this natural product, and they were selling it as the natural product!! Because the FDA doesn't regulate the industry, unfortunately the scammers descend. So, be sure all your products are from a reputable company.

[BeckyFL]

I've had them in the past and they disappeared when I stopped drinking tea, cola or any sort of caffeine. One thing I've noticed is that some supplements have some sort of caffeine-type thing added to make you feel like you have more energy. Be sure to read the ingredients. I'm always suspicious when it talks about energy at all and I'm sure to really analyze the ingredient list.

[Jean in Newcastle]

12 year old zombie thread.