CAN meds treating pvcs lose its effectivness over time?

Can meds treating PVCS and Pacs lose it effectivness over time? I have been dealing with pvcs and pacs over the last five years and since i gained 20 pounds last two months they seem to be increasing. I take toprol 100mg daily for the last five years should I change meds ? Just yesterday I was driving my semi truck when i felt them comming on but this time my heart felt like it went into afib for about 3 minutes or maybe it could have been several skipped beats with out a break. Last year i had an echo a nuclear stress test and everything came back normal. If that afib i experienced was the deadley rthym would I be alive right now. When i take xanax i have noticed that the skipbeats decrease. Can anyone relate, or have a simular situation, or have advice?

[Pepperliveson]

Do you mean that you gained twenty pounds in the span of two months?  Atrial arrythymias such as A-fib are not generally thought of as deadly - they can increase your risk of a clot so people that are in chronic A-fib are given blood thinning agents such as coumadin.  Xanax will decrease your anxiety and if your palpitations are anxiety related, they will decrease as well.  But you can develop tolerance to Xanax so it's better to take something like Lexapro or Celexa - those are SSRIs that work very well for anxiety but are not habit forming and patients don't develop tolerance to them.  I  haven't heard of tolerance when it comes to beta blockers such as toprol so I wouldn't stop taking it but you should talk to your doctor if you are concerned about it losing its effectiveness.  Is the weight gain unexpected?

[Al Dente]

IMO, betas and calcium channel blockers , ARBs can become less effective over time--bodies can adjust to the meds.  Fran brings up the doc's opinion, however I don't feel that's a rare issue.  Most cardiac patients need augmentation in their dosages over time as the body reacts to those meds.  BBs can cause weight gain (i'm battling this).  If you gain 20lbs from meds, which is entirely possible, then your heart is going to work harder (and BP goes up, pulse, etc) and you'll need an adjustment to cope with the changes.  Once you get to the right level, things should stabilize.  The weight issue to stabilizes, but it becomes extremely difficult to lose any.

just my .02.

[Fran71]

I posted a similar question a while ago about BB tolerance, no replies yet. The cardiologist on the moderated forum told me it's very unlikely.

Fran

[Skipbeat dan]

Thanks for your comments i saw my doctor 2 days ago and she prescribed for me a drug called cozaar along with the torol xl 100mg that  I have been taking for the last five years. My doctor also told me that the holter was fine and what   I WAS FEELING WERE PAC AND NOT TO WORRY. Easy for her to say, because I have never had so many before. How can i tell the difference between the pac and a fib?