PVC's are now constant

[RNRita]

I have had PVCs, PATs,and Vtach leading to SVT since I was 20. I have been to several cardiologist with the same results. Benign. Lately, I had an attack of a few PVC's in a row followed by a tachy rate that I could not count. It lasted for about 5 minutes.  It happened again right before a trip to DisneyWorld. It ruined my trip). Again, EKG showed nothing.  I do try to eat pretty well, and take supplements.  Now I started a new job that I love, but I am TOTALLY exhausted all the time.  Plus my PVCs have started coming constantly, probably thousands a day, with couplets, FELT:(kick in chest, sharp pain, tightness for seconds, breathlessness at time of palp). No ignoring these. I had a holtor and an event monitor before the symptoms got too bad and of course only light PVCs showed on the test. My doctor told me everything is benign with a normal heart and that I don't have heart disease. How does he know?  My chol. is 240, my LDLs are 138 and my HDL's are low.  I have had no stress test or any other.  My mother has extensive cardiac disease.
I take 50 mg of atenelol, and .25 of Xanax daily.  It is like telling me to ignore a sharp pain. I have high anxiety.  Who wouldn't?  But I am really tired of being told that it is causing it. I had PVC's first. I wonder why money is spent fixing men who have problems with their sex lives, but I see no one trying to come up with any help for those of us who suffer with this.  Any help would be appreciated.

[Awake and Unafraid]

I agree. This sounds like a great idea.

[Furry Murray]

I am a 17 year sufferer of PVC.  It drives me nuts.  Nobody understands our problem and they don't want to keep hearing about it (non-sufferers that is).  I, too, agree with several people on this forum that we need to address the causes and not the symtoms and stories.  We have them.  We have to deal with them.  Nobody in the medical field is going out of their way to help us.  We have to help ourselves.  The comments from readers on what they think, or know, causes pvc's is what we need to focus on.  We need to put our heads together, pool our resources and information and work as a team.  I sound like a football coach.  

Let's do a test.  Go for a week or two.  Take a suggestion/opinion from one of our readers or panelists.  (ie: take magneium and potassium,  eliminate stimulants, exercise, stay hydrated, relaxation techniques, diet, etc....) and see if you have improvement.  Post your results when you are finished.  The following week or two, try another test and so on.   After a while, we may see a pattern.  I know everyone is different and respondes to different stimuli, but if we could help just one person feel better, we've succeded.
Furry

[AnthonEE]

Forgive me for straying off topic, but this seems relevant to the anxiety so commonly connected with PVCs. One thing they may not have mentioned to you about influence of benzo (Klonopin) on the GABA receptors is that after taking these meds regularly for a while (even just a very short while, like two weeks) the body somehow begins to reduce the responsiveness of the GABA receptors to the body's own naturally produced GABA. At first when you take the medication the anxiety is greatly reduced or eliminated. It feels wonderful. But then the receptors begin to rebalance (or reduce) themselves to the presence of this medication, and the anxiety returns just as before. But now you need the medication just to get back to where you started in the first place. For many people this can happen in as little as two weeks even at minimum dose. Then when you stop or try to taper down from this medication, BEWARE. I tell you this from my own direct experience with 14days on 0.5mg Klonopin. Worst nightmare in my life, and it took me probably a full year to recover. Please see my posting to heartandsoul on 7/18/07 (in this thread) about Xanax, a similar benzo medication. I know anxiety and stress are tightly interwoven with PVCs, either directly or indirectly, and it should be respected and treated. But PLEASE, for your sake, heed my advice about Klonopin, or any benzo, and get fully informed about the pros/cons and potential risks. Once in a while it's ok. But any regular usage can really spell trouble. I'm not an expert either, but all I'm saying is do your research and get informed because if your experience turns out to be anything like mine, the PVCs and their associated anxiety will absolutely pale in comparison with the horror that cessation from Klonopin can cause, even after as little time as two weeks. And I'm not the only one that responds this way, there are hundreds or even thousands like me. I hope you're fine with the medication, and I only post this because I am concerned. But if I can save just one person from the nightmare that I lived through, my time on this forum will be very well spent. Best luck to you. And now, back to PVCs...

[numbercruncher]

I have all the symptoms mentioned on this forum.  They started at sixteen.  My dad had these also.  I was going to the emergency room sometimes three times a week to have Calen (sic) injected into my vein to stop these episodes of heart running away.  After my heart beat retuned to normal......whatever that is......I would pass hugh volumes of urine. On my last trip......12 years ago.....a doc in the EM asked me if I had ever taken Klonopin.   I had not, but I had been on everything else.  He gave me a scrip for it and I have not been back to the EM. I spend lots of time on the puter, looking for the reason for all of this.  Seems we have something called Gaba receptors in our brains, that control our anxiety and heartbeats and other things.  When Gaba is low or whatever we experience these episodes of our heats taking on a life of their own. Now I am not an expert by any means of the word.  I have little skips and flutters now and again, but I have not had anything I could not deal with.  Seems Klonopin is a benzo and it fits right into the receptor just like the gaba.  Even progesterone works like gaba.  My dad and I both always thought the brain was involved in some way.  Anyway it gives us something to think about. numbercruncher

[jcatron]

I too am a sufferer from pvcs.  I was diagnosed with them about 5 months ago.  My holter showed around 3,400 single ectopic beats over a 24 hr period.  Amazingly, almost 70% of them came in just a 7 hours period (2PM - 9PM).  I remember sitting down with my wifes stethoscope listening to my heart beats as I counted them.  I was only trying to figure out what my resting beats per minute was.  This is when I first heard the odd beats.  I wanted to try and encourage everyone who deals with this beats.  Trust your doctors and live your life.  If it causes you to fear you are going to die any minute, (which you probably won't), then live your life to the fullest.  What better way to live than to think that this may be your last day.  Nobody is promised tomorrow.

[Eebee]

I've had them for 40 years. Still breathing, still biking and still doing tricks. But they are hard to ignore and get me down occasionally. Just gotta keep keeping on! Yeah, 'benign' says the cardio but it doesn't feel too benign when the pump jumps and bumps all night. You all have my sympathy but at least we're all still on the right side of the earth1