When your heart skips, races, or pounds like it’s trying to escape your chest, you’re experiencing heart palpitations, an abnormal awareness of your heartbeat, often felt as fluttering, pounding, or irregular rhythms. Also known as palpitations, they’re not a disease themselves—but a signal that something else might be off. Many people feel them after coffee, stress, or a workout. But sometimes, they’re tied to medications, underlying conditions, or dangerous drug interactions.
For example, SSRIs, a class of antidepressants used to treat depression and anxiety. Also known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, they’re widely prescribed but can trigger serotonin syndrome when mixed with other drugs like 5-HTP or certain painkillers. That syndrome can cause rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and yes—heart palpitations. If you’re on an SSRI and suddenly feel your heart racing out of nowhere, it’s not just anxiety. It could be a drug interaction you didn’t see coming.
Then there’s ivabradine, a heart medication designed to slow heart rate without dropping blood pressure. Also known as a heart rate controller, it’s often used for people with heart failure or angina who can’t take beta blockers. If you’re on ivabradine and still getting palpitations, your dose might need adjusting—or something else is going on. It’s not just about the heart rate number; it’s about rhythm, timing, and how your body reacts to other meds you’re taking.
Heart palpitations don’t always mean trouble. But when they show up with dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath, they’re a red flag. And if you’re on any kind of heart medication, antidepressant, or even a supplement like acetyl-L-carnitine, you need to know how they might be playing a role. Some people get them after switching pills. Others notice them after adding a new supplement or skipping a dose. It’s not always obvious.
This collection of articles digs into the real-world links between heart palpitations and the meds, supplements, and lifestyle factors that can trigger or calm them. You’ll find what the latest safety data says about drugs like ivabradine, how SSRIs can accidentally mess with your rhythm, and why even something as simple as storing pills in the bathroom can affect how your body handles them. No guesswork. No fluff. Just clear, practical info to help you understand what’s happening in your chest—and what to do next.
Over 400 medications can trigger dangerous heart rhythm problems. Learn the warning signs like palpitations and dizziness, which drugs are most risky, and how to prevent or manage drug-induced arrhythmias before it’s too late.