My ekg today was 42. I am a 74 yr old women with post herpetic neuralgia and I take gabapentin and methadone

Hello Anon

Thank you for writing.

By saying your result is 42, I assume your heartbeat is 42 beats per minute which is on the lower side.

Bradycardia is an abnormally slow heart rate. In adults, it is defined as a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute. Different types of bradycardia include (collectively referred to as “bradyarrhythmias”) :

Sinus bradycardia—an unusually slow heartbeat due to heart disease, a reaction to medication, or normal causes (such as excellent fitness or deep relaxation)
Sick sinus syndrome—an unusually slow heartbeat due to a malfunction of the heart’s natural pacemaker (sinoatrial node)
Heart block (atrioventricular block or AV block)—an unusually slow heartbeat due to a slowing or blocking of electrical impulses in the heart’s conduction system

Bear in mind that perfectly healthy people can have low beats per minute.

Your medication for complications from shingles may be affecting you - you will need to check with your doctor. Do you have any history of heart disease? Or family history?

We cannot interpret test results for our readers - you will need to discuss this with your doctor. Why are you on methadone? Methadone - depending on the dosage - can cause a lower than normal heart rate. So that could also be a cause. Please discuss this with your doctor.

Best,
Susan