When does tachycardia become dangerous?

Tachycardia can occur after the consumption of alcohol. A slightly elevated heart rate is basically normal with moderate alcohol consumption and is not a cause for concern at first. With an alcohol intoxication a racing heart is quite possible.

If there are additional accompanying symptoms such as unconsciousness, aggressive behaviour and a strong disinhibition or even a coma, medical care is absolutely necessary. Further warning signs are a strong limitation of consciousness, which go beyond the “normal” limitations of an alcohol intoxication, as well as continuous vomiting, shortness of breath, collapse and circulatory problems. Here one should also think of a possible poisoning with methanol.

Typically, methanol poisoning results in nausea, vomiting, palpitations and visual disturbances in addition to nausea, vomiting and palpitations. Also a poisoning with additionally taken drugs can cause a dangerous tachycardia when consuming alcohol. Since drugs often vary in their composition, the symptoms can also vary greatly.

A common drug that is mixed into alcoholic beverages in the context of sexual offences is GBH, which is colloquially known as co-drops. However, other drugs or even mixtures of different drugs and medicines are also possible. If a person’s condition changes unusually after drinking alcohol, caution is always advised.

Strong palpitations, nausea, vomiting, sexual disinhibition, aggression, hallucinations, visual disturbances and many other symptoms can be warning signs. Other causes of such reactions are previous heart diseases or the use of certain medications. If in such a case there is a rapid heartbeat and accompanying symptoms, it is also advisable to consult a doctor. Our next topic could also be of interest to you: Heart stumbling after a meal

Diagnostics

In the diagnosis, special attention should be paid to whether the palpitations occur only after alcohol consumption or also in other situations. Since every tachycardia can also hide a physical illness, it is important to clarify this with a doctor. For this purpose, a physical examination is carried out after a detailed medical consultation with the recording of possible risk factors (such as high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight or nicotine consumption) and the frequency, duration and accompanying circumstances of the tachycardia.

Attention is also paid to the intake or recent discontinuation of medication (e.g. diuretics or antiarrhythmics). This is followed by a blood test to determine various blood values, including blood lipids, cholesterol, thyroid and kidney values. In addition to a blood pressure measurement and an ECG, a long-term 24-hour ECG can also be taken, especially in the case of frequently recurring tachycardia.Through this, serious diseases can be excluded or appropriate therapy options can be initiated. Patients who suffer from long-term cardiac arrhythmia or other heart diseases should have themselves examined by a general practitioner or cardiologist if they are suffering from tachycardia, regardless of whether it occurs after alcohol consumption or in other situations.