Since this summer, I have been troubled by intermittent spells of extreme flushing and sweating, nausea, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, weakness, chest pressure, and increased PVC's. These episodes last up to 30 minutes. I was diagnosed with benign PVC's in 2001 (470+ in 24 hrs), no reason discovered, but a treadmill test w/ultrasound was normal. I take propranolol 10 mg 1 q d for this, since bid makes me too tired. These spells have become more frequent in the last four or five months (1-2 times a week), and tend to happen without warning at any time during the day. My blood pressure apparntly goes up during these events, from a normal of around 112/64 to 141/85 last time (I work at a doctor's office & the last episode was at work). On a normal day I often have a feeling of substernal pressure, and feel I'm not getting enough oxygen sometimes. The PVC's have increased in frequency in the last month or two. My doctor said he thought it is all stress-related, and prescribed Xanax to be taken when it happens. I don't agree with this, since, though I am under some stress, it happens at non-stressful, unexpected times (when walking back into the office after lunch, while taking a shower, while watching TV, shopping at the grocery, etc). Additional problems I have are occasional abdominal pain (dx'd as "IBS"), occasional constipation, and orthostatic hypotension.
I'm really worried that this could be a dangerous situation, and hope to get some advice as to what to do next, since I don't feel that the problem has being effectively addressed yet.