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PVC's are now constant
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.
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.
It was the following article that made me ask for acebutolol. They found that most people had a 70% reduction in PVC's. There are a few other like this looking at the numebr of PVCs and all reported a similar decline with acebutolol in most patients. However it works either really well (majority of people) or not at all.
I wish I'd asked for it sooner. I'm only taking 200 mgs per day.
Comparison of acebutolol and propranolol therapy for ventricular arrhythmias
EV Platia, R Berdoff, G Stone, and PR Reid
The effects of acebutolol, a new investigational cardioselective beta blocker, and propranolol on ventricular arrhythmias were compared in 14 patients with more than 30 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) per hour. Each patient served as their own control, receiving both drugs and placebo in random sequence and in double-blind fashion, with an intervening one-week, drug-free period. Each drug was given for a two-month period, the maximum acebutolol dosage reaching 600 mg tid and the maximum propranolol dosage 80 mg tid. Seventy-two-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring assessed arrhythmia frequency for each study period. Mean PVC counts did not significantly differ during the two control periods. Acebutolol decreased mean PVC count by 65% (P less than .02), with eight patients exhibiting a 70% or greater decrease. Only three patients exhibited a similar decline with propranolol. The incidence of PVCs was not significantly decreased by propranolol. Acebutolol reduced the number of couplets by 70% (P less than .04), whereas propranolol did not significantly affect couplets. At the dosage of 600 mg tid, acebutolol was well tolerated, effectively suppressed total PVCs and couplets, and appeared to be more effective than propranolol administered at 80 mg tid.
I wish I'd asked for it sooner. I'm only taking 200 mgs per day.
Comparison of acebutolol and propranolol therapy for ventricular arrhythmias
EV Platia, R Berdoff, G Stone, and PR Reid
The effects of acebutolol, a new investigational cardioselective beta blocker, and propranolol on ventricular arrhythmias were compared in 14 patients with more than 30 premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) per hour. Each patient served as their own control, receiving both drugs and placebo in random sequence and in double-blind fashion, with an intervening one-week, drug-free period. Each drug was given for a two-month period, the maximum acebutolol dosage reaching 600 mg tid and the maximum propranolol dosage 80 mg tid. Seventy-two-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring assessed arrhythmia frequency for each study period. Mean PVC counts did not significantly differ during the two control periods. Acebutolol decreased mean PVC count by 65% (P less than .02), with eight patients exhibiting a 70% or greater decrease. Only three patients exhibited a similar decline with propranolol. The incidence of PVCs was not significantly decreased by propranolol. Acebutolol reduced the number of couplets by 70% (P less than .04), whereas propranolol did not significantly affect couplets. At the dosage of 600 mg tid, acebutolol was well tolerated, effectively suppressed total PVCs and couplets, and appeared to be more effective than propranolol administered at 80 mg tid.
Well, my echo came back normal and I am sure my holter will show several PVC's but nothing else (it was a good day, of course.) So I am on my own. I had them so bad at work yesterday that I though I would keep over in the morning. I thought to myself, "Good, let them make me faint, then they'll have to do something." But I didn't. I got through my day and even started to feel like I was better off at work. Today hasn't been too bad. I really don't think they will kill me. I am afraid they WILL make me pass out or lose my breath and be EMBARASSED! I think most of us are afraid of that. Oh well, so what? I will try this approach. I know I've had them all my life. The last few years have been pretty good and I remember thinking to myself that I knew they would come back one day and when they did, I would have to get used to them all over again. I am starting to.
I have heard more people have better luck on acebutolol than most other beta blockers. Anyone care to comment?
I have heard more people have better luck on acebutolol than most other beta blockers. Anyone care to comment?
deedle1976,
I can honestly say that even though my PVCs were substantially worse during my pregnancy, they were apparently nothing like yours. I am almost seven months post-partum and mine have decreased to just a few a day. I wish I could give you some encouraging news like just give them a few more months and they will get better after your hormones return back to their "normal" state, but everyone is so different that I can't say for sure what happend with me would happen with anyone else. I know your frustration and I wish there was some wonderful advice I could give you. Hang in there.
itsmegirl,
I have been where you are. During my first pregnancy mine were so much worse than normal. My husband and I weren't planning on my second pregnancy and I was so concerned when I first learned I was pregnant. Carrying twins made the PVCs almost debilitating. My heart would "kick" after the skipped beats and I would almost feel that I would go to my knees. The PVCs were accompanied by pain that would shoot through the center of my chest. My GYN had a very similar thing happen and she was very reassuring. My GYN put me on "house arrest" and sent me to the hospital every week for NSTs and monitoring from 21 weeks until my guys came. I had ultrasounds every week as well. My boys came five weeks early but they are so healthy. They are not quite seven months old now and they are both right at 20 pounds. I wouldn't trade my pregnancy or my boys for anything. I was worried but it was all worth it. I have lived in fear and worry for so long it seems now and I quite often think about what would happen if I weren't here for my children. It's something I've had to try to push away from my thoughts. I try very hard to just enjoy life; go hiking, go boating, fly or drive to take vacations. My husband loves to go repelling and was planning on teaching me when we found out I was pregnant and I'm itching to go now that I'm "me" again. I feel that if I sit around waiting for something bad to happen, it will and then what will my life stand for? I want to play with my boys and have fun and be the kind of mom they love to spend time with and I want them to be able to respect my life. I know how hard it is to ignore your heart seemingly declaring mutiny on your body, but I just couldn't let myself be consumed anymore. If you do get pregnant in the future, be aware that your PVCs may get worse, you may be terrified. But, so far I haven't come across anyone that has not made it through a pregnancy because of these nor have I found anyone who had an unhealthy child because of them. I am certain that you are a wonderful person with so much to offer but only you can make the decision if being pregnant and having children is the right decision for you. I can tell you that is has certainly been worth it for me. I can also tell you that I had a tubal during my C-section. I am 34 with three beautiful boys, I do not need to be pregnant again, the twins put a huge strain on my whole body, heart included. But once again, I wouldn't change the past; my boys are worth it.
I hope everyone here can find some sort of peace. I know how very hard it is to ignore this problem. It is something that I deal with daily and taking back your life can be hard, but it can be done. Good luck and my thoughts are with everyone here.
I can honestly say that even though my PVCs were substantially worse during my pregnancy, they were apparently nothing like yours. I am almost seven months post-partum and mine have decreased to just a few a day. I wish I could give you some encouraging news like just give them a few more months and they will get better after your hormones return back to their "normal" state, but everyone is so different that I can't say for sure what happend with me would happen with anyone else. I know your frustration and I wish there was some wonderful advice I could give you. Hang in there.
itsmegirl,
I have been where you are. During my first pregnancy mine were so much worse than normal. My husband and I weren't planning on my second pregnancy and I was so concerned when I first learned I was pregnant. Carrying twins made the PVCs almost debilitating. My heart would "kick" after the skipped beats and I would almost feel that I would go to my knees. The PVCs were accompanied by pain that would shoot through the center of my chest. My GYN had a very similar thing happen and she was very reassuring. My GYN put me on "house arrest" and sent me to the hospital every week for NSTs and monitoring from 21 weeks until my guys came. I had ultrasounds every week as well. My boys came five weeks early but they are so healthy. They are not quite seven months old now and they are both right at 20 pounds. I wouldn't trade my pregnancy or my boys for anything. I was worried but it was all worth it. I have lived in fear and worry for so long it seems now and I quite often think about what would happen if I weren't here for my children. It's something I've had to try to push away from my thoughts. I try very hard to just enjoy life; go hiking, go boating, fly or drive to take vacations. My husband loves to go repelling and was planning on teaching me when we found out I was pregnant and I'm itching to go now that I'm "me" again. I feel that if I sit around waiting for something bad to happen, it will and then what will my life stand for? I want to play with my boys and have fun and be the kind of mom they love to spend time with and I want them to be able to respect my life. I know how hard it is to ignore your heart seemingly declaring mutiny on your body, but I just couldn't let myself be consumed anymore. If you do get pregnant in the future, be aware that your PVCs may get worse, you may be terrified. But, so far I haven't come across anyone that has not made it through a pregnancy because of these nor have I found anyone who had an unhealthy child because of them. I am certain that you are a wonderful person with so much to offer but only you can make the decision if being pregnant and having children is the right decision for you. I can tell you that is has certainly been worth it for me. I can also tell you that I had a tubal during my C-section. I am 34 with three beautiful boys, I do not need to be pregnant again, the twins put a huge strain on my whole body, heart included. But once again, I wouldn't change the past; my boys are worth it.
I hope everyone here can find some sort of peace. I know how very hard it is to ignore this problem. It is something that I deal with daily and taking back your life can be hard, but it can be done. Good luck and my thoughts are with everyone here.
Sep72,
Mine also came on during pregnancy. I've always had a few here and there, mostly related to caffiene and alcohol, since I was a teenager and this never bothered me. When I reached the third trimester of pregnancy my heart suddenly went crazy. I weas admitted to hospital for 5 days as I had diffuse ECG changes aswell as the PVCs so they were concerned about peripartum cardiomyopathy. Luckily all my tests came back fine. The holter showed 1786 PVCs in 24 hours. Unfortunately I was very symptomatic as I don't just feel a pause then a strong afterbeat like many people do. In fact the afterbeat isn't a problem at all for me. The problem is the flipflopping in my chest and throat at the time of the ectopic. I literally could not ignore these so spent the whole pregnancy counting the days until I'd get rid of them. Unfortunately they didn't decrease after pregnancy as much as I'd hoped for. They went down to 200 to 500 per day with runs of bigeminy (which I hadn't had in pregnancy) and alot of variation from day to day. I'm now four months postpartum and have just started a beta blocker called acebutolol 5 days ago. I tried propranolol before this and it did nothing, in fact it seemed to make them slightly worse. Anyway since being on acebutolol (very low dose) I have had only about 6 to 30 PVC's per day. I still feel them strongly but it's ok now as most people get more than this. Hopefully it's the drug and I'm not just having a very good week.
I have decided that I will not embark on a second pregnancy as I couldn't deal with this again.
Mine also came on during pregnancy. I've always had a few here and there, mostly related to caffiene and alcohol, since I was a teenager and this never bothered me. When I reached the third trimester of pregnancy my heart suddenly went crazy. I weas admitted to hospital for 5 days as I had diffuse ECG changes aswell as the PVCs so they were concerned about peripartum cardiomyopathy. Luckily all my tests came back fine. The holter showed 1786 PVCs in 24 hours. Unfortunately I was very symptomatic as I don't just feel a pause then a strong afterbeat like many people do. In fact the afterbeat isn't a problem at all for me. The problem is the flipflopping in my chest and throat at the time of the ectopic. I literally could not ignore these so spent the whole pregnancy counting the days until I'd get rid of them. Unfortunately they didn't decrease after pregnancy as much as I'd hoped for. They went down to 200 to 500 per day with runs of bigeminy (which I hadn't had in pregnancy) and alot of variation from day to day. I'm now four months postpartum and have just started a beta blocker called acebutolol 5 days ago. I tried propranolol before this and it did nothing, in fact it seemed to make them slightly worse. Anyway since being on acebutolol (very low dose) I have had only about 6 to 30 PVC's per day. I still feel them strongly but it's ok now as most people get more than this. Hopefully it's the drug and I'm not just having a very good week.
I have decided that I will not embark on a second pregnancy as I couldn't deal with this again.
you know, that was one of the things that concerns me so much about having these heart skips, is getting pregnant, and wondering what would happen to these skips. I am wanting to have a baby in the future, in the next year or 2 anyways - do these heart skips get alot worse then? and what kind of danger would I be putting myself and an unborn baby in. I feel kind of cheated out of the things that I want in my life, like having children, and enjoying lots of things, because I am so terrified of having a heartskip and I'm always checking my pulse rate after I get one. Tonight I had one after dinner, and it was a bit different then the usual ones, because I didn't feel a big thump, I just felt like a sinking (as usual) but it was a big sink, and then my heart skipped. It makes me so frightened, and I can't seem to get a grip on them. Does anyone else feel like their doctors haven't done enough testing at all? I mean, my last holter monitor came back good, nothing wrong at all, does this mean that the heart skip I get are the harmless kind? I am still debating whether or not to go and see a cardiologist about all of this.... I just don't know what to do, I just want these to stop ruining my life.
How do you all cope with these? What are your strategies, how do you just ignore them, and what do you do when you get one? Do you stop and check your pulse?
How do you all cope with these? What are your strategies, how do you just ignore them, and what do you do when you get one? Do you stop and check your pulse?
Dear itsmegirl, Sorry to hear you are worried about your PVC's. I know they are really unpleasant and can be terrifying. I have had thousands per day, feeling each one but thankfully am only having a few dozen per day at the moment, which is well within the normal range and has improved my Quality of life dramatically. You say you get at least 1 or 2 per day...this is less than an average member of the population. So I suppose the answer to your question as to 'whether there is any partuclar reason that you get these' is that you are human and this is what the human heart does. I think the rush you feel going through your body is probably a surge of adrenalin. I'm not sure of the adrenalin is from the fright/shock or whether it is a physiological thing. I get this too. You'd think I'd be used to it by now after thousands of them for months. Still each one is make slightl anxious and annoyed but only for a split second. I just remind myself of the facts that most of the people around me (friends, family work colleagues) have them and that some of these people wil have more than me but just not notice it.....this helps to prevent any ongoing anxiety for me. Otherwise it can take over your life.
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