Heart palpitations

[Lecah]

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.

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

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.

[madgeOwens]

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?

[Abeybaby]

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.

[tickertock]

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.

[Abeybaby]

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

[Lecah]

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.

[tickertock]

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.

[Abeybaby]

Are you saying that seldane and eurothrymican (sp) can cause heart arrythmias???? I use dto take tons of seldane for allergies ??

[madgeOwens]

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

[madgeOwens]

I posted to wrong name sorry!

[Lecah]

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!!

[madgeOwens]

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.

[tickertock]

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.

[Abeybaby]

No one really knows what is best- its more what works for you. I have done every concievable test: 8 holters, 4 echos, 4 stress, test, countless runs to the ER with results etc over the last 7 yrs- I am sick of this. PVC's and lots of them up to 2,000 per day but they say they are benign even when the occur in strings which scare the heck outta me. Stress and anxiety relief is what is most required these days not anything else. I am just so tired of this i cant tell you. Its gotten worse this time usually after two days they abate not this time its been 40 days straight and no end in sight ... they are less frequent but more frequent in runs of them. THe cardios- both of them say just ignore and move on. Hard to do but i have no choice really...

God Bless everyone and stay well

[madgeOwens]

Thanks for your input I really appreciate it very much.
The doctor put me on 80 mg time release.....I have very low b/p so I am thinking thats why time release, however I still think 80 is quite a bit. He said my holter monitor test was not completed as yet but the strips that he pulled were, everytime I pushed the button for symptoms I was having a pvc....I was averaging 10 a  minute I think.....he says it wont kill me which I I believe that, but I feel just terrible all day eveyday for over a month now it has been getting steadily worse. I certainly can understand everyone in here what they are feeling. Thanks again for your input. I have only had one pill so far haha so we have aways to go before I know if they will help.
My father took inderal, and also had low bp so Im hoping I will do ok on it.
Did it make you gain weight?

[tickertock]

Good luck with the inderal, sometimes it takes a few days or week or 2 to notice a significant change, hopefully it will help. No I never put on weight when on inderal, you usually only gain weight if you feel sluggish and don't get up and move around, of course having pvcs can make you housebound, for some even bedbound thats when the weight trouble starts.

inderal is a short acting beta blocker, as far i know the usual dose for palps would be probably 20mg 3-4 times daily, thats why the doc gave you the 80mg LA (long acting or sustained release form) so you only have to take it once daily.

If its any comfort when I have my attacks of PVCs that is what I usually average a minute 8-12 nearly all day from weeks to months, luckily I'm going on 4 years now without any significant attacks , just the odd thump now and then, of course I have days when i get about 10-20 or so which is nothing to even mention.Good luck and hope you get some relief real soon, chances are they'll disappear as quick as they came.

[Abeybaby]

I read your post and I have a similar situation. Once anxious come the PVC's and the runs of them, sometimes 3 or 4 beat runs which make you wonder whats next. I dont think anyone knows the impact of anxiety. I can safely say its probably best to be less anxious with a pre-existing heart condition than not i suppose- just my oppinion. I know what it does to me so I can imagine for you. Its hard I know but therapy is good and probably worth its weight in gold. The docs told me live with it no treatment other than reduce your anxiety and do your best to avoid thinking about it when it happens. Not easy but no choice.

Good luck,

[Momto3]

Hello,

Sorry you are experiencing all those pvcs. Like tickertock (Hi tickertock...lol), I have been through the mill with the pesky buggers.  I started to get them a little over 25 years ago and I took Inderal on/off for about 10-12 years (mostly on).  Early on, I took 20mg 2x/day, but eventually worked up to 3-4x/day.  I was also concerned about taking 80mg (seemed like a lot to me).  The doctor assured me that it was a relatively low dose and that many patients were taking 360mg/day...Fortunately, I never got to that point.  When the LA80mg (long acting) version became available (for a reasonable price), I started on that.  It was so much more convenient and it didn't seem to cause me any trouble.  

I also had low BP (usually 90-110/60's). Initially, I was VERY tired (sluggish), but OK.  Absolutely no weight gain and I was on it for a long time.  

I'd always been told that the pvcs were benign and that the RX was for my symptomatic relief.  So, eventually I opted to stop taking it and try it on an as-needed basis (with Dr's OK) and it worked great like that.  Still does : )

Hope you are feeling better.  Here's to a PVC-less weekend for everyone.  

[PikaPika88]

I used to take Inderal around 1982 and it worked pretty well for me.  I didn't know why Dr took it off and give me verapamil in this country.  Now the Tambocor is not working....  Do anyone know, can I get Inderal through the pharmacy counter without Dr prescription?

[madgeOwens]

You need a prescription for Inderal.
Thanks mom of3. You have relieved me alot. I was about to research the dosage and now I do not need to haha.
My insurance wouldnt cover the time release, but I got it anyway because I didnt want to wait over the weekend to get something else. HMO crazy rules! Thanks so much for all the info.
I guess from all the anx of these pvc I have given myself a good case of reflux now.  I just cannot catch a break. I just turned 54 oh joy what will the 60s bring.  Thanks again

[Momto3]

Inderal is available only with a prescription.

[Momto3]

I laughed out loud when I read that you were pondering what bonuses your 60's will bring...lol  I'm nearing my 50's and was hoping for some relief!!!  UGH!!!  You're right, if it's not one thing, it's definitely another ; 0

Let us know how you make out with the time release Inderal.  <fingers crossed>

Connie

[madgeOwens]

I don't know if its coincidence or what but I had relief for most of today already. Is this possible?  Oh my lord I feel almost human haha......

[strangelove]

I was wondering if anyone could help me, have any suggestions or have had a similar experience? I have a history of heart palpitations which all tests done showed nothing was wrong with my heart. I went on Atenolol and that lowered my pulse from in the 90's to around 80. My shortness of breath was now gone but I could still feel my heart beating especially when I lied down.

Last month my cardiologist gave me Diltiazem 120mg to try. I knew it wasn't working almost immediately as my pulse was high, but I gave it 2 weeks as he said. The 2 weeks were up and I still had a high pulse and my heart felt like it was constantly buzzing so I stopped the pills.

Ever since stopping the Diltiazem my heart hasn't been the same, it's been a month now even though I'm back on Atenolol. I've had episodes where if I do something to make my pulse race for a short amount of time, after that my heart is a buzzing mess. It feels like my whole body is trembling, vibrating. I can't fall asleep at night without taking a sleeping pill. I was so scared I went to a doctor and she listened to my heart and said everything was fine.  It took about a week for it to go back to normal.

Well brilliant me did something again this past week to make it  it start the violent buzzing again. It feels awful, I'm going insane!

Anyone have any ideas?

[Momto3]

Hello again ; 0

Oh yes, your new lease on life is likely related to the Inderal....Hooray for the little blue capsule ;

I can still take 20mg of Inderal on as an-needed basis and within 20 minutes I generally find relief.  I used to get over 20,000 pvcs/day.  I was at a point where 24% (multiple holter exams) of my beats were pvcs.  Had ablations in 2003 and now I only get them occasionally and not many at all.  What's weird is when I had thousands I was so used to them I barely noticed.  Now that they occur rarely, I REALLY notice them. Odd ; )

Take care and have a wonderful day.