Aa
PVC Treatment
46 yr, female. Brother died,42,heart attack, blocked RCA at airport, 13 yr ago.
I've had skip beats during day and rapid beats (tachycardia, one hour after falling asleep which I think is nocturnal panic attack) since age 30. 4 years ago I had an event monitor (showed pvcs and sinus normal tachycardia - diagnosed inappropriate tachycardia by cardio), an U/S, and thalium stress test (nuc/treadmill), all normal. Ea year have cholestoral, blood panel, thyroid blood test, cholestoral - all normal.
1) How often should the tests and which ones be repeated - treadmill, nuc, ultrasound?
3 months ago I went on atenolol after having a run of 3 skip beats, probably a normal beat and then 3 skip beats, a normal beat and three skip beats on the tennis court, all w/in 30-60 sec. Day 1 menstrual period. Perimenopause symptoms causing more skip beats.
12.5 mg dose eliminated the triple/dbl skips. When I awake 2/3 times/mo no fast beats. Still get skip beats, less severe (2/3 per wk).
2) My sleep disrrupted by atenolol, less now than before. Sleep for 5.5 hours and wake up with difficulty going back to sleep. Will this improve?
Better beta blocker for not disrupting sleep?
3) Can I take melatonin with atenolol?
4)Internist now suggested I take 6.25 Coreg - less interference with melatonin. Is this true?
5)Coreg web site states Coreg not advised for "people with skip beats (heart irregularity)"
Is this true?
6)Is Coreg too serious a heart drug for what I have? People with heart failure take. Lots side effect
7)Try Inderal/Propranlol? I tried Sectral already
I've had skip beats during day and rapid beats (tachycardia, one hour after falling asleep which I think is nocturnal panic attack) since age 30. 4 years ago I had an event monitor (showed pvcs and sinus normal tachycardia - diagnosed inappropriate tachycardia by cardio), an U/S, and thalium stress test (nuc/treadmill), all normal. Ea year have cholestoral, blood panel, thyroid blood test, cholestoral - all normal.
1) How often should the tests and which ones be repeated - treadmill, nuc, ultrasound?
3 months ago I went on atenolol after having a run of 3 skip beats, probably a normal beat and then 3 skip beats, a normal beat and three skip beats on the tennis court, all w/in 30-60 sec. Day 1 menstrual period. Perimenopause symptoms causing more skip beats.
12.5 mg dose eliminated the triple/dbl skips. When I awake 2/3 times/mo no fast beats. Still get skip beats, less severe (2/3 per wk).
2) My sleep disrrupted by atenolol, less now than before. Sleep for 5.5 hours and wake up with difficulty going back to sleep. Will this improve?
Better beta blocker for not disrupting sleep?
3) Can I take melatonin with atenolol?
4)Internist now suggested I take 6.25 Coreg - less interference with melatonin. Is this true?
5)Coreg web site states Coreg not advised for "people with skip beats (heart irregularity)"
Is this true?
6)Is Coreg too serious a heart drug for what I have? People with heart failure take. Lots side effect
7)Try Inderal/Propranlol? I tried Sectral already
The skip beats I feel in my throat are occassionally (not daily or even weekly). They sometimes come with a slight pain and seem to feel more from the upper chambers of the heart (just a guess). My skip beat sensations can also be in different locations such as my chest wall, upper stomach below the rib cage, and a light headed feeling in my head.
I am on a transition to Coreg, 1/4 of 25mg of Atenolol and 1/2 of 6.25 Coreg. My sleep has already improved and I'm convinced the Atenolol was interrupting my sleep. It's known to interfere with the melatonin in your body and somehow the Coreg and a new drug waiting final FDA approval, Nebivolol, doesn't interfere with the melatonin (i.e. your sleep) in your body.
The Coreg has a longer list of side effects so I don't fully understand if this drug will have long term damage to other organs. I am having some water retention just on this little amount of Corgeg. Right now I'm just seeing if the drug can make me feel better and get me back to normal sleep. The atenolol really did a number on me. I was foggy headed and fatigued either from the drug or the drug effect of limiting my sleep to 5 hours.
I am on a transition to Coreg, 1/4 of 25mg of Atenolol and 1/2 of 6.25 Coreg. My sleep has already improved and I'm convinced the Atenolol was interrupting my sleep. It's known to interfere with the melatonin in your body and somehow the Coreg and a new drug waiting final FDA approval, Nebivolol, doesn't interfere with the melatonin (i.e. your sleep) in your body.
The Coreg has a longer list of side effects so I don't fully understand if this drug will have long term damage to other organs. I am having some water retention just on this little amount of Corgeg. Right now I'm just seeing if the drug can make me feel better and get me back to normal sleep. The atenolol really did a number on me. I was foggy headed and fatigued either from the drug or the drug effect of limiting my sleep to 5 hours.
Have you had ANY relief from your pvcs since your RFA? I had an ablation in August 2003 (RVOT) and ended up with a 2nd procedure exactly 3 months later. After the first procedure my pvcs had diminished, but not enough for my doctor's satisfaction. We waited a couple of months to see if things would settle down on their own, but ultimately the 2nd procedure was scheduled.
Subsequent to the second procedure, I would still relapse into periods of bigeminy (the worst being 6 weeks after the 2nd RFA). After that, things settled down very nicely. That was in late 2003.
I did develop cardiomyopathy as a result of chronic pvcs. Tests revealed that 24% of my heartbeats were ectopics (pvcs). I should mention that I had pvcs off/on for over 20 years. Up until this diagnosis, they were considered "benign" and merely a nuisance or discomfort for me. When CM was diagnosed, I was initially treated with antiarrythmics (a myriad of doctors determined the pvcs were the cause, hence the RX). I underwent serial echos and stress tests so that the doctors could track any changes.
Although the antiarrythmics were effective at significantly suppressing the pvcs, I elected to try RFA. Within eighteen months of the 1st procedure, my ejection fraction had returned to 60% (up from 40%). At each 6 month interval (post RFA), the EF had increased in approx. 5% increments from 40-60%.
Please let us know how you're doing. I hope you have great success with your 2nd RFA!! Take care.
Connie
P.S. Do you have the link for the article in the American College of Cardiologists that says when over 20% of heartbeats are pvcs it can cause cardiomyopathy? I know it's true, but I'd like to read the article : )
Subsequent to the second procedure, I would still relapse into periods of bigeminy (the worst being 6 weeks after the 2nd RFA). After that, things settled down very nicely. That was in late 2003.
I did develop cardiomyopathy as a result of chronic pvcs. Tests revealed that 24% of my heartbeats were ectopics (pvcs). I should mention that I had pvcs off/on for over 20 years. Up until this diagnosis, they were considered "benign" and merely a nuisance or discomfort for me. When CM was diagnosed, I was initially treated with antiarrythmics (a myriad of doctors determined the pvcs were the cause, hence the RX). I underwent serial echos and stress tests so that the doctors could track any changes.
Although the antiarrythmics were effective at significantly suppressing the pvcs, I elected to try RFA. Within eighteen months of the 1st procedure, my ejection fraction had returned to 60% (up from 40%). At each 6 month interval (post RFA), the EF had increased in approx. 5% increments from 40-60%.
Please let us know how you're doing. I hope you have great success with your 2nd RFA!! Take care.
Connie
P.S. Do you have the link for the article in the American College of Cardiologists that says when over 20% of heartbeats are pvcs it can cause cardiomyopathy? I know it's true, but I'd like to read the article : )
Well, I recently had a RVOT (right ventricular outlay track) PVC ablation. Quite and experience and it took almost a week to get over the procedure (basic malaise).
It basically did nothing. Bigeminy stings came back in less than 10 hours, and now last alot of the day and night. So an ablation is not a sure help (and at a tune of $25,000!). I am scheduled to have a second time, which seems to be the charm for a number of folks I've read about.
I'll let you know, but it is an important option for those of us who have strings continually all day and night. An article in the Amer. Coll. of Cardiologists says that over 20% incidences of PVCs can cause cardiomyopathy if sustained over a long time for RVOT cases. Be aggressive in drug attempts. I've found Setrol/acebutolol to be somewhat effective in symptom relief.
It basically did nothing. Bigeminy stings came back in less than 10 hours, and now last alot of the day and night. So an ablation is not a sure help (and at a tune of $25,000!). I am scheduled to have a second time, which seems to be the charm for a number of folks I've read about.
I'll let you know, but it is an important option for those of us who have strings continually all day and night. An article in the Amer. Coll. of Cardiologists says that over 20% incidences of PVCs can cause cardiomyopathy if sustained over a long time for RVOT cases. Be aggressive in drug attempts. I've found Setrol/acebutolol to be somewhat effective in symptom relief.
When the doctor prescribed flecainide for me, she admitted me to the hospital prior to taking the medicine. I was in a telemetry unit to be sure there were no negative effects from the medicine. Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
No more meds or docs who prescribe meds for me!! I took flecainide for 4 days to see if it would help bradycardia that I get sometimes after running/walking. My first trip back to the gym on this med, my bpm went down to 40 at rest and stayed there and for 19 hours I had a pounding (pvc's I guess) heart. I can empathize now with some of you PVC sufferers. Finally stopped after the drug washed out. Despite what they say, this drug does lower your bpm, in my opinion, or at least keep it there.
Hello C123. I am 42 and have had ablation for tachycardia about 10 yrs. ago. Was better for about 10 yrs. Here lately having pvcs and some tachy not too bad. I noticed you said you felt something of a symptom in your throat. That is my worse symptom! I hate that feeling. I have never heard anyone say that but me. It is not good to have symptoms but at least someone knows what I am talking about, like taking my breath, not painful just weird, uncomfortable. Are yours that way? I take lopressor 100mg aday at least. Dr. wants me to try Rhythmol cause I showed 6 pvcs in a 10 second ekg strip the other day. Haven't tried it yet (scared to I guess) Beta blockers seem to work pretty good though. Are you taking anything at all now? Thanks mom
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