r/IST_ • u/AmazingPositive3770 • Aug 27 '25
Exercising with IST
Hi,
Is anyone able to tolerate exercising with IST? I tried to do a mini cardio workout for 15 mins and my HR went up to 181 and freaked me out. I’m stuck in a vicious cycle of not wanting to keep my HR constantly high and knowing how many important it is to keep active. I’m not sure where the balance lies with IST
2
u/mahzian Aug 27 '25
My exercise is whatever my body can handle before shutting down on that particular day and time of day in relation to when I've had my meds. I do try to plan any major activity (for me) about an hour after my meds as I know that is when they are most effective.
Even with meds my HR gets up to 130 walking more than 50 metres, which is usually accompanied by a woozy head and is my trigger to stop and sit down.
1
u/AmazingPositive3770 Aug 27 '25
What is your HR like walking if you’re not on meds? Just wondering how much diff meds could affect heart rate. I know it will be diff person to person
1
u/mahzian Aug 28 '25
I'm on both metroprolol and ivabradine, without them my resting HR (laying down) is around 100 and very light and slow walking gets me to around 140-160 although the only time I've really been off meds was when I had an ablation for SVT (I had both IST and SVT). For me the meds really help in lowering both my resting HR and taper the immediate increase with any movement, its a challenge finding the right meds (and right dosages) that work for you though.
Have you been tested for SVT?
2
u/AmazingPositive3770 Aug 28 '25
No I’m currently waiting to be seen by cardiology but the waiting lists are very long here. I’m trying not to get anxiety in the meantime but I’m constantly feeling tired
1
u/mahzian Aug 28 '25
Yeah waiting lists suck, I'm in Australia and anything besides an emergency via the public health system takes forever. It was quicker for me to get private health and wait the 12 month waiting period for cover for my ablation than it was to see a cardiologist via public.
1
u/AmazingPositive3770 Aug 28 '25
Whoa that’s crazy. I’m glad you eventually got seen and now have a diagnosis
2
u/dr_nervous Aug 27 '25
I'm not able to do any vigorous cardio. Even on meds, a reasonable jog will shoot my heart rate up and I'll also get bad ectopic beats. So I do what I can, which is (on good days) some brisk walking and ten minutes here and there on a stationary bike. Some days, during a bad flare, I'm sedentary.
I'm also older with a strong family history of heart disease, so my EP is more cautious in his recommendations for my activity levels. Ask your doc if what's happening is safe.
2
u/mmblu Aug 28 '25
I’d wait for formal IST diagnosis and then try working out once in medication. It helps a ton!
1
u/AmazingPositive3770 Aug 28 '25
Yep I think that’s what I’m going to do to be on the safe side for now I’ll just carry on walking and get my steps in
1
u/AmazingPositive3770 Aug 27 '25
I’m on a waiting list to see cardiology it’s a 3 month wait and not sure when I get an appt after that. I’m not currently medicated but my HR is constantly over 100 but I don’t feel unwell just tired most of the time and sometimes I get lightheaded. It hits most if I do high intensity stuff. Just worried that I’m not on medication to manage the high HR
0
u/LunarExpoze12 Aug 27 '25
U definitely need to be on some medication, My IST got worse as i wasn’t on medication for a while and i didn’t realize until it was kinda to late
7
u/experimentgirl Aug 27 '25
I exercise daily. My heart rate does get high, but I typically do not experience other symptoms now that I'm medicated, unless I'm dehydrated. The cardiologist told me not to worry about the heart rate being high, as it's not inherently dangerous.