PVCs and Alcohol

[WolverineMom]

So I see that alcohol seems to definitely make pvcs worse. As I love my glass of wine each night, I'm trying to choose between giving that up completely, or going on the metropolol. What is everyone's experience with that med? Is it pretty helpful? Would I have to abstain from alcohol anyway, while on the med?

I'm also wondering about the effectiveness of biofeedback. I've read that it can help with blood pressure and irregular heatbeat. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks.

[Flycaster305]

When I hear the word Chelation, my ears perk up as I have two relatives swear by it, and I miss them, they passed.  Chelation involves removing heavy metals from the body, and requires very close investigation of lab work by health professionals.  Before taking it, please contact your doctor and at least establish a base line of your Magnesium levels.  That said, I have a glass of wine most evenings taking a beta blocker.  Beta blockers will slow the heart rate, so you have to be moderate with wine, etc.  

Just a question, are your PVC's considered dangerous?  Almost, if not all of us have them.  Unless they present themselves to you in a fashion that affects you mentally, I'd just ignore them.  There is a board on this site that discusses them.  Hope this helps, please let your doctor prescribe drugs.

[skydnsr]

I gained a lot of weight on a beta blocker.  It was slow weight gain, but after nine years on the drug, it amounted to about 30 or 35 lb.  Plus, I eventually started sleeping more poorly than usual, and that improved when I got off the drug (could have been weight-related, now that I think about it).  Plus, after several years, the medication lost a lot of its effectiveness in controlling my PVCs.  Plus, even though I didn't think I was depressed when I was on it, I sure got a lot cheerier when I stopped taking it.  Weight gain and depression are common side effects of beta blockers as a class of drugs.  It was Toprol that I was on, but I think the side effect profile is similar for all of them.  Some people take beta blockers for years and never have any great problems with side effects, though.    

[WolverineMom]

Thanks so much for your response. Can I ask what your experience was with the beta blockers?  I havent heard of chelated magnesium. I will give it a try. Thanks!

I keep hoping these will go away. I have them all day, every day, for almost 4 months now.  But this is my 3rd episode; first one was in my 30's, second one in my 40's and this one again about 10 years later. But the others went away completely after a week or two.

Thanks again and I hope you're doing well.

[skydnsr]

You could try taking a chelated magnesium supplement.  That helps a lot of people, myself included.  FWIW, I hated being on a beta blocker.  Some people tolerate beta blockers okay, though, and as far as I know, there is no problem with drinking a glass of wine per night on a beta blocker.  Biofeedback is also worth a try, if you have access to it.  Good luck.