Night time Tachycardia

[aljaye]

I have recently been put on Varapamil for a short run of NSVT oicked up on a holter monitor. The last few months I have woken frequently at night to a pounding racing heart which lasts a few minutes and then subsides. Is this VT? My GP claims it to be the onset of menopause and is treating me with HRT I do not always get temperature changes, but sometimes feel sick before they start. The heart rythm is normal but fast and very hard. Should I be seeking medical attention when these occur? My stress test showed a strong healthy heart with no abmormalities. Please help!

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,

The treatment of NSVT for a normal heart is beta blockers.  There are variants that are response to calcium channel blockers, but I doubt you can tell that from a holter monitor.  That is where I would start--with a beta blocker. A holter showing NSVT does not prove that NSVT are causing your symptoms -- you must record the symptoms in a symptom diary.  When they read the holter they can then look back and see if the symptoms occurred at the same time as the arrhythmia.  I think the next step is either an event monitor or a home telemetry like cardionet, king of hearts, etc.  You must trigger the event monitor based on symptoms.  The later two monitor you at home 24 hours per day.  Only by correlating the symptoms with the rhythm will you know for sure.

If the symptoms started around the time of menopause it is possible you are having an SVT or even something similar to panic attacks -- I would do the try a longer term monitor to answer your questions.  You won't be able to relax until you know.

I hope this helps.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

[cristabelle]

Hello,
I'm looking forward to what the physician says on this one.  I did not think, however, that Verapamil was a first line medicine for NSVT.  Do you not tolerate Beta Blockers well??
Just curious, maybe another medicine would give you a better effect. I encourage you to ask your Physician.
cristabelle

[Brigham]

Hi Aljaye, I to have been waking in the middle of the night with a pounding heart. I  am a 27 year old male.  My cardioligist told me that nighttime palpitations are mostly caused by anxiety.  What is nsvt?  I ask because my cardioligist told I have a minor leaky valve, but did not tell me wich one it was. I had 3 ekgs in the past month all negative, except the last one at a routine physical that showed I have a thick heart wall. How could all the other ekgs be normal and not this one?  My Cardioligist told me that if I had  thick heart wall he would have seen it on my echo and it wasnt there. Still not enough to ease my mind.  Maybe Doctors dont know what there talking about. I to had a 24 heart holster it came back negative. but now when I play tennis my heart rate goes up way to quikley and if I play for a long time my hr doest return to normal for a few hours. I hope I dont have athletic heart. Any way my cardio told me that most palps at night a nothing to worry about.  Does this happen to you during the day? Do you have chest pain with it?

[aljaye]

HI Cristabelle
NO I suffer from asythma and could not tolerate Sotalol, bot have not been tried with anything else. What I want to know is is VT an irregular rythm or a steady one?

[aljaye]

No not in the day, well only on two occassions when I was stopping a hormone med and that ws always preceeded by a huge hot flush. Good to know what your cardio said anyway

[7deuceman]

Hi Aljaye:

From a heart patient point of view, I suggest the following. As good of a doctor that your GP may be, you should consider getting a baseline EKG, Echocardiogram and workup from a cardiologist at a major heart facility. Especially if youve never done so. Write down your typical symptoms and questions beforehand and get the information you need during the appointment.

[Linda123]

Hi there
Just to say that whilst I had palpitations on and off since being a teenager (I'm now 49), they came on really bad during menopause.  Taking HRT helped me enormously.
In some ladies the heart can be very sensitive to the diminishing supplies of estrogen (so I was told!)
Best wishes, Linda

[PikaPika88]

If the palpitations was caused by perimenopause, do you need to take medication to stop it or not?  How can you find out was triggered by menopause or by naughty heart?

Linda, what is HRT?  Where you can get these from?  How you take it?  Does it has side effect?  would it cause sleepy?

Thanks

Pika.

[Emmaj]

Hi Aljaye,

I can't believe your doc tried you on Sotalol. That is I think the heaviest duty antiarrhythmic betablocker and, as I understand it, requires hospitalization for the first 5 doses. What about Atenolol or Metropolol? Do they have the same negative implications for people with asthma? Cardizem is a calcium channel blocker antiarrhythmic that might work better than Verapamil? Anyway, just a few thoughts... good luck! E.

[aljaye]

Thanks for all your comments guys. I think that here in the UK the process is slightly different and we dont have the same options to change clinics etc as you do. ref the Atenolol I had thought of that myself as it was the first thing i was put on for my high blood pressure and had no ill effects. Maybe i'll discuss it with my GP. Nobody seems to be able to answer me as to whether VT is an erratic heartbeat or a steady one, all the clinical definitions say it styarts with a run of PVCs which is the good old ectopics we all have arent they..surely I would feel them triggering it off?? My HRT has been increased and the night time blips have eased off for the mo anyway. Anyone else on Meds for these things find they get pins and needes in bed at night?

[hammondguy1]

Have you been tested for sleep apnea. A large correlation has been found betwen OSA and AF. I discovered this after having gone through the experience myself. I wore both event and holter monitors, and they showed simple tachycardia at night. But after having gone through a sleep study for sleep apnea, they measured definite extensive periods of Afib as well. I definitely know about waking up with your heart pounding.
   Good luck, and have your cardiologist or family doctor recommend a good neurologist.

[SweetnHumble4Jesus]

A related discussion, Tachycardia was started.