Beta-blockers for pvc's

[martie]

Dear Doctor, I take a beta-blocker for pvc's called Toprol XL at 100 Mg. a day. Lately it hasn't been helping so my doctor just recently increased the dose to 150 mg. He gave me the option of either increasing the dose or changing to a different beta-blocker. I didn't know which would be better so I just agreed to take a higher dose of the Toprol. Is there a difference in Beta-blockers when it comes to treating pvc's? In other words, can one beta-blocker be better than another for this particular problem? The Toprol seemed to control these things since 1994 but since June of this year the pvc's are worse than they've ever been. I do the usual "fasting". No caffeine, no alcohol, and I have less stress in my life than I've had in a long time. Anyway, if you could just tell me if there is a more suitable beta-blocker for the pvc's I'd really appreciate it. How's the snow? Wish we had some here in Pennsylvania! Thank you for your time and answers. Luv, Martie

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

In general beta-blockers work the same way and I probably would have tried the increased dosage as well.  You still have some room to go up should the need arise.  In the meantime look for other possible sources of your PVCs (i.e. new foods, increased stress, etc).  Godd luck.

[lisa]

Hi Martie,
I'm a newcomer to PA.  Unfortunately, I'm no newcomer to the PVC game.  Would love to talk with someone else in my area who is a fellow sufferer.  Maybe we can exchange some ideas and thoughts on these things.  Email if you'd like to.
Lisa
***@****

[martie]

Hi Lisa, I Tried to E-mail you but was told there is a permanent error with your address. Sorry but I did try. Martie

[Kathy]

To Martie and Lisa......

Hi, I'm also in Pennsylvania, and struggling with irregular hearbeats, and runs of irregular beats together that I just can't catch on a monitor!  Very frustrating.

If either of you are interested in e-mailing, please write me at ***@****

- Kathy

[lisa]

Hi again Martie,
Must be excite email.  It's alway aggravating.  Try emailing at this one.  ***@****
And, I got your email address Kathy, you're not far from me. I'll be writing.
Looking forward to talking to you both.
Lisa

[Audrey]

I too have major PVC's that just floor me.  I would really appreciate all of your input.  I'm 34, female, 2 months pregant with the worst symptoms ever.  Just re-started Inderal.  I weaned off of it because of the pregnancy.

I am at ***@****

Take care and thanks!

Audrey

P.S.  I have several PVC's an hour!  Just one after another?  Are all of yours this bad?

[Mary]

My PVC's come and go.  I try to control them with chelated magnesium and sometimes hawthorn berry.  I avoid all caffeine, am under little stress, drink plenty of fluids, etc. etc.
I have read that all alcohol should be avoided.  Usually, I have one glass of wine or beer with my evening meal.  I will stop for a week to see if this helps.  I am wondering....it alcohol to be avoided because of the sulfites?  If so, we should probably read food labels as well.  I know that dried fruits contain sulfites.
My e-mail address is:  ***@****

[Lisa Hays]

I just found this site and it's already helped to know there are others like me.  I'm in Texas so I don't know how the medical work-up and follow-up compares.  I have some questions for fellow sufferers.  All I've had is a Holter monitor which did show PVC's.  I'm now on Atenelol 50 mg/day with improvement but am still bothered by "runs" of PVC's that cause me to be short of breath.  My doctor doesn't seem at all concerned (and he is a friend and colleague so I guess his plan of care is ok) but some of my nurse friends are surprised I haven't had an echo or stress test.  Did any of you go through those tests?  Does anyone know why that morning I woke up fine and that evening I was having PVC's that haven't totally gone away?  What has anyone been told about how many are too many?  On a visit to my ER I was told 6-12/minute are tolerable. For them maybe but for me I'm uncomfortable.  I guess I will have this for life.  I know I have room to go up on the beta blocker - I started at 25mg and am now up to 50.  Is anyone out there on this one and if so, how much?  I read about you all limiting caffeine and stress,etc...  I don't overdo it on any of that.  It doesn't seem to matter.

Thanx for listening/reading.  I'd appreciate any feedback.  I can be found at ***@****.

[mayra]

Like you all, I am very worried and bothered by this PVC's, I noticed my first one back in October after being scared by someone's screaming, but before that I was experiencing a lot of muscle twitching on my legs, arms, and headaches that to me, were more like nerve related,I wonder if this is part of the problem,Could spine problems affect your heart?  Right now, I have a lot of chest pains, mainly around and under my left breast, and between my sholder blades, I have had a lot of tests done, the holter monitor didn't showed anything, neither the stress echocardiogram. I've had multiple electrocardiograms with some of them showing some "normal" irregularities What could this all mean? My PVC's are mainly at night time, along with a feeling of fatigue, and slow heartbeats, I don't think that they are normal,I took some amoxicillin in the past and they seem to stop during that time, because all my other symptoms I wonder If I have something like Rheumatic fever or some other disease that involves the heart and gives you nerve problems. My doctors don't say anything about the muscle twitching , neurological tests show no signs of MS, I had a lyme test, showed negative. Because the heart pain and palpitation I worry that something could be damaging my heart, and I want to find out so I can get treatment. Please help me..

[Amy]

II HAVE BEEN ON 200 MGS OF ATENOLOL FOR 1 1/2 YEARS NOW.  2 YEARS AGO I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FIB AFTER AN EP STUDY.  RECENTLY I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PVCS AND TOLD NOT TO WORRY.  DOES ANYONE KNOW IF ABLATION IS AN OPTION FOR PVCS.  WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP WITH MEDS, I AM ON THE MAX DOSE OF ATENOLOL, AND THIS IS NOT HELPING.

[Caren]

Q. Beta-blocker and sex problems
I am a woman, 45 years old. Six years ago, I had atrial fibrilation which was well controled with digitalis. Four years ago, I, also, started having PCV's.  I was prescribed  Procainamide by an ER doctor. It worked very well, but the cardiologist that I went to said that it could cause Lupus, and he prescribed Sectral (a beta-blocker) which works most of the time for both the a fib and the PCV's.  
The problem is, the very first night that I  took the Sectral, I was sexually dead. I had always been very easily orgasmic, great marriage, great husband, no problems sexually. We laughed it off, getting old, too tired, whatever. The next night, the same thing...I felt NOTHING. It continued, with only slight improvement over the next six months, or so.
A friend looked the drug up in a medical book, and it listed MALE impotence as a side affect.
The sensations  never returned to the pre-Sectral days. I am orgasmic, but it takes more time, and they are not as intense.  
Has any one else experienced this?

[Caren]

This is my first visit. I tried to post this, but I put it in the wrong place. Sorry. I will try to do it right tomorrow. It said no new questions, today.

[Linda]

My 14 year old son went to the doctor for a football ingury  in the fall of 98' and they found an abnormal heart rate in his pulse. The attending doctor(a freind of ours) ran an EKG and ordered an Echocardigram.  They found the function of the heart to not be pumping (squeezing)properly. Our son had no symptoms except for occasionaly getting tired. We went to Chidrens Hospital in Dallas,where he was admitted. He was throwing approximately 10 to 15,000 PVC's in a 24 hour period some of which were couplets and he was placed on Sotatol(?)/Betapace to slow the number of PVC's down. I was told the side effects of this medication could cause kidney and liver damage. This was monitored monthly for over a year with Holter monitoring and 2 stress tests. Our son gained weight due to his no longer being able to participate in athletic activities. We consulted with our regular doctor and determined to pursue a heart rythum specialist out of Baylor Hospital-Dallas. The specialist took him off the Betapace and performed an EP Study to determine if my son could once again participate in sports.  It was determined he could not be stimulated into fibulation and could return to normal activity. He still has PVC's and monitored on a yearly basis but his heart function is almost back to normal. The cause has been thought to be a possible viral infection (from a prior cold) that settled in the heart which caused some damage. We were told that his PVC's are no danger to him as long as he continues to have no symptoms.

[kemalkis]

A related discussion, Ablation for PVC was started.