What Causes Tachycardia, Pressure In Head And Heavy Breathing?

Posted on Wed, 23 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 Answered on

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My heart started racing today and I felt pressure in my head and I felt like I was about to pass out. I was breathing heavily and my legs felt a little crampy. This only lasted less than a minute. It has never happened before. I am 22 and very fit. I did have a moderate amount of caffeine and a pretty empty stomach.

Answered by Dr. Anantharamakrishnan (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Need examination & investigation

Detailed Answer:
Hi friend
Welcome to Health Care Magic

Caffeine, as you say, might be responsible, but the episode lasts longer… There are several other possibilities too – Anaemia / Anxiety / Alcohol / Tobacco (smoking) / Fever / Infection / Pain / Stress / Thyroid / Medicines like Phenylephrine used for ‘cold’; Salbutamol used for asthma and so on – the list is long…

At times, abnormal nerve paths in the heart (bypass tracts) or disease of the conduction system may be responsible! This was probably what happened - Supra Ventricular Tachycardia is a typical example. The first step is to see a Cardiologist / the heartbeats need to be DOCUMENTED by ElectroCardioGram (EKG). Standard ECG records the electrical activity of the heart, for a few seconds. It can detect the arrhythmia occurring during that time only. If the episode occurs randomly or is precipitated by a specific activity like exercise - one needs Holter or event monitor. Holter records for days; Event Monitor for weeks… Holter records continuously; Event Monitor only at certain times

Prognosis is generally excellent in such situations

Appropriate treatment demands accurate diagnosis / And that demands examination; probably investigation too;
GET EXAMINED

Good luck
God bless you

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar