“Palpitations after lunch?”
I'm a 27 year old female whose been having episodes of palpitations w/ elevated pulse w/i 30m or so of eating lunch for about 3 months. They feel regular, but I can notice when there's a sharp increase in my pulse w/ my heart beat feeling a lot heavier. My pulse usually is around 140 but has gone up to 160 on a few occasions. It lasts anywhere for a few minutes up to 15m. I don't have any chest pain, shortness of breath, or feel dizzy. I've been taking Methylphendiate since I was 20 w/o recent dose changes & otherwise am healthy. I work in a doctor's office & my EKG when I was symptom-free was normal. I have an appointment w/ my primary care, but was curious if you knew of any conditions associated w/ post-prandial tachycardia?
Female | 27 years old
Complaint duration: 3 months
Medications: Methylphendate ER
Conditions: ADHD
2 Answers
Mark Rasak
Cardiologist
Obviously, you are well educated and well versed in medical terminology. I have to assume you went to Google, a doctor, etc. Obviously, your ADHD medication is a stimulant and triggers tachycardia. Certain foods can cause tachycardia such as those with caffeine, spices, simple sugars, etc. Patients with underlying issues such as POTS, hypoglycemia, and insulin resistant syndrome are more susceptible. When blood is diverted to the GI tract to digest food, certain cardiac patients will have symptoms. These should be easy to check with such tests as a 5-day patch holter, tilt table test, labs, glucose tolerance testing. An echocardiogram to assess structure and function is reasonable. If no source can be found, then may fall into a category called Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome (IPS).
Post-prandial tachycardia can be normal. After eating, blood is diverted to the digestive tract for digestion. The heart may work harder to keep up cardiac output. If there are no symptoms of chest pain or SOB, nothing needs to be done. You could eat smaller meals more frequently if you’re worried. If the tachycardia appears at other times during rest, then it needs to be checked out.
