Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease  (Expert Forum)
 | 
Heart palpitations
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
Post a Question Back to Forum
MedHelp Member's Question

Heart palpitations

by Lecah, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
I would first like to Thank the Doctors and staff for this forum. It is extremely helpful to many! Quick background,I have a defibrillator since the age of 20, I went into Torsades and at the time the Dr.s could not figure out why but I believe it was due to drug interaction of Seldane and Erythromiacin.I have had no problems with my heart since until this year at the age of 34. I suffer from palpitations (benign)and bigeminy seems to be my normal rhythm and PTSD. The anxiety varies from day to day. I notice when I have nightmares,I wake with my heart racing and I will sometimes notice 5-6 beats in a row until I calm down my heart will either go back to bigeminy or a normal heart rhythm. I have been having bad dreams for the past few months every other night it seems and twice a night(and am in therapy by the way), but I want to know will the constant rush of adrenaline from anxiety and the bad dreams cause a problem with the heart rhythm? I had an episode of AV Node rentry in April of this year and got 5 shocks from the defib (ventleads not atrial) and had an ablation a month after to fix the foci where the AV node rentry occured plus other foci to cure palpitations. I read that AV node re entry can occur in normal people at any time and are found in anxious people. My Dr. said the latter is false but for an anxious person it still worries me and I wonder will the 5-6 beats or racing heart in general I get when I am anxious turn into tachycardia or that it is bad on my heart because it is occuring so often. Thank you for your answer and all you do.
Doctor's Answer

by CCF-M.D.-MJM, Oct 15, 2005 12:00AM
Hi Lecah,



Wow, that is a tough story.  If that happened to me I bet I would have PTSD as well.  The good news is the at the time you had these arrhythmias you were on medications know to cause them, so the torsades may have been medication related.  The other good news is that you survived and got an ICD -- which is about 98% capable of life savings shocks should it every happen again, although the percentage may even be higher is someone in your case.



It is possible that the beats you are feeling are related to adrenaline or panic attacks.  I doubt the constant anxiety will precipitate the arrhythmia though.  It sounds like you are pursuing the right steps to have therapy.



I read that AV node re entry can occur in normal people at any time and are found in anxious people. My Dr. said the latter is false but for an anxious person it still worries me and I wonder will the 5-6 beats or racing heart in general I get when I am anxious turn into tachycardia or that it is bad on my heart because it is occuring so often.



I think it is true that AVNRT makes people anxious but I don't think that anxious people are predisposed to AVNRT.  If you keep having the palpitations, just have a periodic holter monitor to reassure yourself that these are benign events -- it may help.



I wish you well in your road to recovery.  Hang in there and thanks for posting.
Member Comments (25)

by madgeOwens, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
My holter monitor results were that my pvc's were causing my symptoms and they are putting me on Inderol. Keep fingers crossed that this helps.

Has anyone gotten heartburn along with this pvc syndrome?

by Abeybaby, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
Why do you have a defibrillator? Is it for VTACH ? Sorry just wondering why ? How do you deal with the bigeminy? I started getting this recently (40 yr old male) and it scares the daylights out of me. I get PVC's unfornately. More than i want.



by tickertock, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: lecah


Hello, sorry to hear of your troubles, as fellow on and off again PVC sufferer for more than 20 years +, just about 3 weeks shy of 41, thanks heavens hadn't had a prolonged attack in going on 4 years.



May I asked was your torsades de pointes  a result of prolonged qt syndrome aggravated by drugs that prolong the qt interval even more? Just curious as I imagine you must have long qt syndrome and not just drug induced long qt to have an ICD implanted. Good luck , hope you get relief soon.

by Abeybaby, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: hello
Tickertock, thanks for the note today,no relief today still pvc's driving me crazy ongoing ... not sure atenenol does anything but aggravate them at a lower pulse rate. tks

by Lecah, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
Yes the long QT was present at the time of Torsades and I had the genetic test done that resulted in me not having the gene for long QT and there is not history of sudden death or any heart problems in my family. I live in another state now and my doctor has not seen any long QT on the ekg strips when i come in for the defib. check up. I guess because i was so young back then with the long QT present and back then they did not know of the problems Seldane and an antibiotic could cause. Before I moved away from Michigan my inital electrophysiologist told me that I may not need the device any longer. The majority of the time I do not notice the bigeminy. After the AV Node re entry scare I have been taking Toprol XL but I really don't need to take anything. I try to remember what my current electrophys. tells me they are life annoying not life threatening! I notice the PVC's when I lay down flat or on my left side and when I am exhausted. Thank you all for your replies.

by tickertock, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: lecah/abbeybaby


Lecah thanks for the response, alot of advances have been made in electrophysiology and also in understanding the side effects of most drugs in the even the last 10-15 years. Best wishes to you.Its good to know you don't have genetic or true long qt syndrome, thats in itself is good news.





Abbeybaby , I sure hope the PVCs give you a break soon , don't know really what else to say but hang in there, it can be one hell of ride at times and very trying on mind and body.Take care.Talk with you soon.

by Abeybaby, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
Are you saying that seldane and eurothrymican (sp) can cause heart arrythmias???? I use dto take tons of seldane for allergies ??

by madgeOwens, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: abeybaby
DId you have a holter monitor done yet?

Pvc's in some people are asymptomatic, in others like myself they are horrible with all the symptoms.  If I were you and the med is not working I would get appointment to see about further tests and a diff betablocker. I hope you feel better. Bless

by madgeOwens, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: Lecah read above post
I posted to wrong name sorry!

by Lecah, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: abbeybaby/ticker/madge
I read after they took Seldane off the market that it could cause abnormal heart rhythms in some people if taken with certain antibiotics. I believe it was pulled off the market a year after my reaction. Since then I barely take medicine and especially new drugs. I take things that have been around for 10+ years.

Tickertock, I've read your replies to others and your words are very comforting. Thank you for your best wishes.

Madge, I have had a holter monitor about a year ago and I do not remember the results besides a lot of PVC's. I can't recall the number but I did not worry about it. I just need to work on my anxiety, I believe that is half the battle for me and to be honest I am afraid to try another beta blocker since some cause more PVC's if you take them. My Dr. told me another beta blocker I could try but I forgot what it was becaue I dismiss the notion of taking something else. I am just too leary of drugs!!

by madgeOwens, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: Lecah
Hi again. I too am extremely leary of drugs! I told them at cardiology that I thought the metroprolo made the pvc"s worse and they said no it wouldnt. It so you don't know who is right. I think if you have symptoms then you should follow up on it. If you are asymptomatic, well then you don't have to worry about anything(just kidding) thats what they all tell us....concentrate on the anxiety.its my understanding that inderal is also used for anxiety.  I was put on 80 mg time release indral, and I am  really worried, but its worth a shot at it to get relief. I hope you feel better soon.

by tickertock, Oct 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: madgeOwens


I was on inderal(propranolol is the generic name) off and on  from 83-93, mostly on, when I was off I was off for about 3 and half years after an Ep told me I didn't really need it, coincidentally I happen to see the very same EP again 5 years later and he suggested I take atenolol, which I have found to help greatly, inderal did too, but like anything else your body becomes used to it and you need higher doses.



Inderal is one older and as i understand a very safe beta blocker, it might help you with your symptoms, Like I said I was on it for about a total of 7 years without any problems and at the time it helped alot. Good luck.