• Jen

    Member
    August 17, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    I might not belong here because I haven’t been diagnosed. Long story short, after taking Vyvanse (a prescription stimulant) for 3 years, I rather suddenly started having problems with shortness of breath, dizziness, and heart palpitations when I took the medication. I’ve had several EKGs, an echocardiogram, a stress echocardiogram, and wore a ZIO patch monitor for 10 days. My heart, rhythms, and valves seem to be in decent shape and my cardiologist is not concerned. Propanolol (a beta blocker) was prescribed to help me deal with these suspected medication side effects. Propanolol does help but I don’t like the idea of taking a medication to cope with the side effects of another medication, especially if the side effect is very rare and of unknown cause. Also, I feel like my stamina is slowly decreasing even when I don’t take the Vyvanse. I used to feel fine engaging in aerobic activity but now it seems to require more effort and I have mild discomfort that is difficult to pinpoint or describe. I remember asking a medical person if pulmonary hypertension would show up on my echo test and was told that it would (and there was no indication of it). However, I’ve since read that PH can easily be missed. I guess I’m just wondering if my story resonates with anyone and if you have suggestions.