New to anxiety

[Tony0824]

Hey Im a 32 yr old male, I have recently in December starting suffering from anxiety due to some things in my life. At the end of December I had a bad panic attack where my pulse got to 140 and my BP was 153/116. I knew it was due to anxiety. After this attack I developed up PVCs or skipped heartbeats. They happen everyday now after that bad panic attack. Does anyone know if this could have caused these skipped heartbeats? if so will they go away as anxiety does? I'm confused so any advice or personal experiences would help. Thank you.

[Alisonj29]

I am sorry you have started suffering from panic attacks. If all medical conditions or reasons for the pvc's have been ruled out then it is likely your recent anxiety.
My cardiologist told me that every single person has palpitations, skipped beats, double beats etc but because the anxiety sufferer is more in tune with everything that is going on in their body we are way more sensitive and aware of them. mammo has given you some wonderful advice that I completely agree with. I hope you are able to get a handle on your anxiety soon. I can imagine being a Police officer brings with it many stressful situations, I would like to thank you for the work you do for us every day.

[mammo]

I don't have to tell you how stressful your job is so I can see you having anxiety.  Panic attacks are about the scariest thing one can endure.  The good news is that they are a natural response coming at the wrong time, and being a police officer you can relate to this.  When you're in a dangerous situation, your "fight or flight" mode kicks in, flooding your body with extra adrenaline to give you the ability to protect yourself, just like when you have to chase down a suspect.  Without this extra adrenaline you couldn't do this.  But for some reason our brain gets this signal and floods our bodies with extra adrenaline when it isn't needed, the adrenaline has nothing to work on and results in everything that makes up a panic attack.  They're very scary, but not harmful other than we start fearing the next one and this increases our anxiety which increases the panic attacks....creating a vicious cycle. Therapy is good along with exercise.  It sounds like you have some lingering anxiety and with good reason.  I don't know the regulations when it comes to police officers being on anxiety medication, but it's certainly worth looking into.  I don't know how you do your job without it!  I wish you all the best and thanks for all you do!

[Tony0824]

Thank you for your advice. I have been a police officer for 5 years and I have never been like this as many things as I have been through. All other causes have been looked at.. I had tachycardia for a long time and I just recently on Friday had an ablasion done for it. The PVCs though immediately started after that bad panic attack. I seeked help from a therapist and he has helped me some. It gets worse at night than during the day. I used to get these attacks all day everyday back to back. It's scary but yet I couldnt accept that I wasnt about to just die.

[mammo]

The first thing you need to do is rule out all other causes for these symptoms, never assume any new synptom is anxiety.  If it's determined to be anxiety then you need to address it with therapy and/or medications.  I normally suggest therapy first, but this can be a lengthy process and if your anxiety is interfering with your day-to-day life, medication can help you get thru this time. Remember that fear and worry feeds our anxiety, so reducing the anxiety is key. There are people with anxiety who suffer with PVC's so stay with us as others offer you advice and support.  You're not alone in this, and we're always here.  I hope you can get some relief quickly.  Take care.