Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome and things you ought to know. Although it doesn’t mean depression, it does have a connection with depression that could mean sudden death for an unsuspecting individual. Before you get that anti-depressant medication (or any prescription) filled do some research first. I did and it saved my life. Here’s my story.
Before I tell you my story my husband just informed me as I was writing this post that LeBron Jame’s son, 18 years old, just suffered a cardiac arrest at his basketball practice yesterday. My message is timely, so please keep reading. What I have to say isn’t limited to just adults, unfortunately it applies to kids too.
I Learned the Hard Way…Almost
In 2012 I was struggling to keep my work at home job because of a depression of sorts that I couldn’t seem to shake. The year before had been one that would have brought most people to their knees. My son took his own life in March 2011, later that summer I discovered a lump in my breast and the night before my lumpectomy surgery I got a call from a doctor in New Jersey. My dad had just passed away unexpectedly when his heart walls burst and killed him instantly. I believe now it was the drug they had just called me about a day or two earlier. They wanted to try this new drug on my father for his heart condition. They apparently had to get permission from the next of kin, which was me. I wish I’d said no.
I had no idea at the time about a heart condition known as Long QT Syndrome but once I became aware of it I thought I’d better learn, and fast. In 2010 I had been diagnosed with Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) which is a block in the electrical system of the heart. At the time of my diagnosis the only issue I had was high blood pressure after taking an antihistamine, Benadryl (over the counter).
None of the typical drugs for cardiac patients worked on me for the six days I spent at the hospital after being diagnosed. Eventually I was prescribed a low dose of Xanax and my blood pressure responded. You can read more on my post, Stress and The Polyvagal Theory.
So What is It?
Each year in the United States, approximately 210,000 Americans die suddenly and unexpectedly due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. (American Heart Association 2017)
10-12% of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) cases are due to Long QT Syndrome
LQTS is now known to be 3 times more common in the US than childhood leukemia
1 in 200,000 high school athletes in the US will die suddenly, most without any prior symptoms—JAMA 1996; 276
Contributors to LQTS
Medical conditions, such as eating disorders, thyroid disease, or serious diarrhea or vomiting, that cause low blood levels of potassium, magnesium, or calcium (dehydration with pyloric stenosis in my case probably caused my heart’s electrical issue)
Medicines that affect how your heart’s ion channels work, including some antibiotics, antidepressants, and antihistamines
In about 1 out of 10 people who have LQTS, cardiac arrest (CA) or a sudden death is the first sign of LQTS. CA is a condition in which the heart suddenly stops beating for no obvious reason. People who have CA die within minutes unless they receive treatment.
Some types of LQTS are associated with problems in other parts of the body, such as deafness; muscle weakness; problems with the structure of your face, fingers, toes, and spine; and problems with behavior, learning, and memory.
I confirmed what I suspected that my LBBB would indicate I also had issues with LQTS. However the head of cardiology didn’t see it that way when he bullied me for not taking the cardio medications that had been prescribed. I didn’t because they made me feel worse but I couldn’t explain how, it just did. His comment was:
You won’t be eligible for a heart transplant if you don’t take your medicines.
my ex-cardiologist said to me
I asked to be tested to confirm my suspicions and have it noted on my record. He referred me to the electrophysiology cardiologist in their group who confirmed I was “borderline” which meant I was fine unless something trigger it, like medications or dehydration which upsets the electrolyte balance. Guess who had been prescribed diuretics for “heart failure”? Not one but three different medications that were intended to reduce inflammation, i.e., water in the body. Oh, the only other time I heard I was “borderline” was when I was pregnant…how in the…never mind, I digress.
How Are You Diagnosed with LQTS?
Heart tests measure your heart’s electrical activity. An EKG is the most common test used to diagnose LQTS. Because your QT interval may change from time to time, you may need to have several EKGs over a period of days or weeks or use a Holter monitor. You may also need a stress test to measure your heart rhythm while your heart is working hard and beating fast.
Fast forward to after the SHTF (shit hit the fan) year and recovery after my radiation treatment for breast cancer in 2012. I called my primary doctor (my nurse practitioner) for help when I was struggling to keep working. I either needed to quit or get something or someone that would help me “bounce back” to my life. I felt tired, brain fog, and not exactly the “team player”. I was exhausted.
The Men in White Coats?
My call to my nurse practitioner resulted in the sheriff coming to my home, along with my husband coming home from work and my forced “voluntary” admittance to the psychiatric hospital. I say forced because my only option was to admit myself for 3 days or the judge would order it for me for 7-10 days…take your pick. I am not, nor was I at that time, suicidal. Hardly, I’ve been fighting for my life too hard after 3 near death experiences. No sir, not me…I am a survivor.
Long story short, I insisted on seeing a “faith based” counselor. The psychiatrist that came initially to check me in had no clue how I had survived the previous year. All the devastating things that life had thrown my way. It was by my faith that I held on. I had been mad at God after my son’s suicide. Who could blame me? I realized though when I felt like giving up, it was God who carried me in my weakest moments.
God Talks to You?
When I mentioned to the doctor that God sent me encouragement in little ways which gave me hope and kept me going on a hard day. You know, like a song on the radio that seemed to have a message just for me. The times God “talked to me” when I needed it most. This psychiatrist went on to ask me if I heard God’s voice. I didn’t answer. I knew he was thinking schizophrenia, so I diverted the conversation.
I asked him if he knew God. Did he have any form of spiritual or religious faith? If he didn’t he wouldn’t understand me at all. I waited for his answer and he just stared at me with cold, dark eyes with a look that made me feel he was trying to pierce my soul. I turned my back to him, away from his angry eyes and refused to look at him. I just repeated over and over every time he asked me a question, “I want a faith based counselor.” I was determined and he gave up or I should say gave in. I was referred to a Christian counseling group. I attended but did not participate in the group discussions and art therapy while I waited to go home two days later.
Counseling and Drugs
My appointment with the therapist went very well. We talked for the hour. When we concluded our meeting she told me I was one of the sanest patients she’d ever met. Considering what I’d been through she thought I was holding up extremely well. She explained that as part of the treatment I was also referred to their psychiatrist for any medications that might be considered. So I stopped at the desk to scheduled it and then went home.
A week or so later I returned for my scheduled appointment with the psychiatrist and we talked. When a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant was suggested as a prescription I asked to see the information sheet on the drug he was prescribing. I found what I was looking for: a possible side effect that affected heart patients. So I asked to do some research first and get back to him. I did and I reported my findings. I can only imagine my research fell on deaf ears. Vitamin supplements don’t make money for the big pharma machine.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Depression
Within a day my research concluded that a deficiency in vitamin D can cause symptoms of depression. I asked my new nurse practitioner to have me tested via a blood test. She did and my level came back as 9, which is deficient. A minimum required level was 20-40. I think the lab report minimum had it at 32 ng/mL.
I was prescribed mega dosages to take my over the counter vitamin D3 capsules and later be retested to learn if my levels were higher and at a safe range. I just did some research and learned that according to Harvard the minimum level is being reduced from 20 to 12.5 ng/mL now. Twenty was to low and now 12.5? Basically it means more people are going to be at risk for depression because they are actually low on vitamin D3. Hence, more prescriptions for anti-depressants. Isn’t it interesting to note how Gates is wanting to block out the sun. Why? Do you see how this works? Most people have no clue.
Why Should I Care?
This anti-depressant could have sent me into a fatal arrhythmia of Long QT and that at that time would have killed me from cardiac arrest. Now I have a pacemaker and defibrillator and according to my new cardiologist I no longer have “congestive heart failure”. (I asked to be transferred to a new doctor in the group.) The new guy asked me how I reversed it. That’s another story, but I did tell him, “I stopped taking your medicines, I started working with a biochemist on my nutritional deficiencies and I have the ‘Great Physician,’”as I pointed towards the ceiling. He nodded as he smiled, jotted some notes on the chart and left the room. His demeanor was one most doctors didn’t have, he seemed to agree in an unspoken kind of way. He became my new doctor as soon as I could get the paperwork done.
Check Your Medications BEFORE Getting Them Filled
I learned there is a database to check any medications that can trigger a Long QT Syndrome in susceptible individuals. Most people don’t have a clue that this database exists. Anyone with electrical issues in their heart should take notice, it may be what saves your life.
The database is primarily for physicians and researchers but it can be used by the public. I NEVER trust a doctor or pharmacist to check, I do it myself. Before you can use the database you’ll need to register with your name and email so you can be notified of updates to medications that are added to the list.
This section of CredibleMeds® includes tools to assist physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who play central roles in medication safety.
QT Drugs List: This portal includes QTdrugs.org, a list of drugs categorized by their potential to cause QT prolongation and/or torsades de pointes (TdP). Click on a drug and see if the FDA-approved label mentions contraindicated concomitant meds or recommends ECG monitoring.
Categories of TdP risk for drugs on the QTdrugs List:
Drugs with known risk of TdP
Drugs with possible risk of TdP
Drugs with conditional risk of TdP - i.e., drugs that can cause TdP under certain conditions or which create conditions that foster TdP
Anything in the database with these warnings are the drugs I avoid. There are alternatives, especially as in alternative medicine or as I like to call it, natural medicine. I’ll share what I learned in a later post.
Are You At Risk?
It seems that the number of young people now with cardiac issues has increased exponentially since the recent vaccination program was administered over these last three years. I hope to raise awareness that there is a much greater population at risk now, especially with so many people now being diagnosed with anxiety and being prescribed the anti-depressants that may be fatal, especially for these people already at risk with a cardiac condition (many who may not know it).
Why Big Pharma Redefined Mental Illness - The Age of Anxiety
Do you see what they are doing? More talk about depression and traumas on social media and in conversations between friends. They want to convince people they may have a need for their drugs to help them with anxiety. Turn off the television, stop listening to news, and take a break from social media. You’d be surprised at how much better you can think without all the noise.
Where is the pathology report that supports the diagnosis and indicates the need for chemicals? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that is their “holy grail” used to determine a psychiatric disorder is nothing more than an opinion. Eventually anything will be classified as a “disorder” and the patient put on one or more pills. This is NOT science this is BIG BUSINESS.
Isn’t this interesting? There is a diagnostic code in the DSM for people who refuse to take prescribed medications. So if their pills do more harm than good and you refuse, then they classify you as a mental patient? I’m not kidding…here it is and I’ll link to the document where I found it.
Nonadherence to Medical Treatment (Coding Update to ICD-10-CM Condition Code)
on page 15 of 27 (in the linked document). Now you see why I requested to have my EKG results of LQTS noted on my record? Specifically to document that I had a sound case and was not a mental case.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The acceptable lower levels of vitamin D means that more people will be falling into a diagnosis of depression when they just need sunshine or need to supplement with vitamin D instead. The pharmacist in the movie admitted that 3/4 of their inventory was for anti anxiety medications. I wonder how many doctors prescribed vitamins therapy or exercise? Did you know that exercise can help lessen depression? So can faith.
If you know God you cannot have fear. I urge you to open your hearts and your Bible to see for yourself. You are not alone.
Top Bible Verses about Fear
Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Psalm 34:4 - I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Joshua 1:9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Proverbs 29:25 - The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
As you read these Scriptures for fear, use this prayer to help you: A Prayer to Reduce Fear - God, you know that we live in a crazy and chaotic world that makes fear soar. You also know my struggles in my daily life. When life gets to be too much, please help me come to you. Calm my thoughts and emotions and open my heart to your peace, comfort, and wisdom. Help me not to live in fear. Please reduce the feelings of fear and anxiety that plague me. Help me rest in You and trust You as I navigate through this broken world. In Your Name, I pray, Jesus. Amen. (Read more Prayers to Exchange Fear and Anxiety for Peace HERE)
If they don’t kill you, they’ll kill your mind, and in doing so, take away your spirit. These pills deaden any emotions, no sadness but also no joy, you will just be left like a zombie. They don’t care. WAKE UP…please. Stick with me, I’m going somewhere even deeper that you won’t want to miss. The dots are being connected and it’s probably not what you think.
Today’s feature photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash