To be worried about dd’s health

[Builditupp]

She’s recently been discharged from a mh unit. Her heart was often around 130 when taken. She refused an ecg as she felt uncomfortable. She’s on quetiapine which I know can affect the heart should I try and get her to ring our gp and book an ecg. She’s 19.

You could try, if you think she would be more comfortable to do one there. It must be such a worry for you. I know in this sort of situation our lovely GPs would be happy for you to go in with her if she wanted you to. If there is a sympathetic GP she has a rapport with you could suggest she ask. I hope you can have your mind put at rest soon

Thank you she thinks I’m overacting but I really don’t think I am. I’m surprised they didn’t push her more if I’m honest. She said there was only a male doctor there so that may have been why refused.

What is the 130?

Blood pressure (systolic or diastolic) or heart rate?

If it's blood pressure there should be two numbers, the systolic and diastolic. The top number, systolic blood pressure, should be below 140.

It was heart rate apparently blood pressure was 116/80.

If her heart rate was going that fast as a resting heart rate I would be concerned, but as a one off in a stressful situation and in MH crisis she was probably having a surge of adrenaline which could account for it. She should get it tested regularly and keep an eye on it.

I have a phobia of the doctors so when they take my BP and heart rate it's bonkers. I ended up buying a home monitor and it's normal at home!

She was sitting down when they did and said she felt calm.

If she’s on a drug that is known to cause cardiac/BP problems, then she should be being monitored fairly regularly. In my experience you have to be extremely careful, MH services will quite happily keep a patient on a drug that is doing them physical harm, especially if it’s a cheap drug. This happened to my brother, and it took my parents screaming blue murder at his psychiatrist to get them to change his prescription to something that wasn’t putting him, as just a young man, at risk of a heart attack/stroke, and to do it without hospitalising him again. He now has a regular depot injection instead, which I believe is aripiprazol. I’m sorry you’re going through this. 😞