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Why are drugs that speed up the heart bad

DirtySanchezDirtySanchez Regular
edited January 2011 in Man Cave
I know this is probably a retarded question but why is it that drugs such as meth or anything else that causes a rapid hear beat are considered bad for the heart? It's considered a good thing to run or jog since it works out the heart and makes it stronger. So why is a drug induced increased heart rate bad but a exercise induced quick heart rate is good.
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  • MayberryMayberry Regular
    edited January 2011
    You actually want to keep as low a heart rate as possible within a healthy range. Exercise will increase your heart rate to pump blood through the body to deliver oxygen, and since that works the cardiac muscles, the muscles will get stronger over time and you can pump the same amount of blood with a lower heart rate. So yes, exercise increases the heart rate, but it also improves the heart and other areas of the body. After that, sustaining a high heart rate will only wear out the circulatory system. A problem with drug-induced heart rate is that it has a higher chance of being problematic, such as producing irregular heartbeats and murmurs.
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  • DerelictmyballsDerelictmyballs Acolyte
    edited January 2011
    ^^^this.

    In addition, the sudden increase in heart rate is so drastic that it causes an immediate crash, which jogging or lifting weights won't do.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited January 2011
    What Mayberry said, as well as just a result of how much harder they cause the heart to work. They can cause a relatively small, insignificant problem to turn into total cardiac arrest or even blow out your heart.
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  • fr0st_Bytefr0st_Byte Sumpin' c00L
    edited January 2011
    Mayberry wrote: »
    You actually want to keep as low a heart rate as possible within a healthy range. Exercise will increase your heart rate to pump blood through the body to deliver oxygen, and since that works the cardiac muscles, the muscles will get stronger over time and you can pump the same amount of blood with a lower heart rate. So yes, exercise increases the heart rate, but it also improves the heart and other areas of the body. After that, sustaining a high heart rate will only wear out the circulatory system. A problem with drug-induced heart rate is that it has a higher chance of being problematic, such as producing irregular heartbeats and murmurs.

    This is what I was going to say, just the extended version. I've always thought about the heart as having a relatively certain amount of beats it is going to produce in the life time of the muscle.

    So when the heart rate is increased unnaturally they are used up more quickly. I'm no cardiologist, this is just my take on that particular subject.
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  • lifeofbeanlifeofbean New Arrival
    edited January 2011
    Stimulants also tend to constrict vessels - which will cause your blood pressure to spike.

    Believe me when I tell you 230/180 blood pressure with a 180 pulse is not a good feeling, the paramedics told me it was the highest they'd ever seen.
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