PVCs

[lunatique]

I took zpac for pneumonia in October and right after stopping I started having PVCs very regularly.  They are there just about all the time.  When I wake up , all day and at night.  I have tried no caffiene and no alcohol and there is not change.  If they were caused by the zpac can I expect them to go away?



This discussion is related to PVC's: once diagnosed will they ever completely go away?.

[skydnsr]

If by chance they don't stop after two weeks of your new regimen, there are a lot of threads on this site about the different methods that people use to control or manage PVCs.  Some of those PVC threads have gone on for years, because a lot of people have that issue.  For me personally, taking a chelated magnesium supplement has helped tremendously.  Good luck.

[lunatique]

Thanks!! My PA and I have decided, since he did an ekg and it only showed PVCs, that I will increase my metoprolol from 50 to 100 and wait two weeks.
After that I will see another cardiologist.  There is a chance the PVCs might stop but it has been over a month since I had the ZPAC.  I appreciate all your comments.  Linda

[caregiver222]

I agree with the above posters.The liklihood is that these will disappear over time. They are also correct about the ZPAC being associated with PVC's. however the drug has a half-life and will be out of the system in a few days. I agree that you should not be panicky, however I do recommend the two-part ultrasound.

[achillea]

You're probably fine, since illnesses themselves can affect heart rhythm, and pneumonia can take a looong time to recover from. However, although the majority of people who take azithromycin have no cardiac problems, there was some discussion in the New England Journal of Medicine a year or so ago indicating that the drug can affect electrical conduction in the heart.

Frankly, I'd suggest making a non-panicky appointment with your doctor to talk about your increased PVCs.

[erijon]

Here's another way to look at this. I too have recently recovered from pneumonia which I was also given a Z-Pack. I still can feel the irritation in my lungs and that irritation is more sensitive to PVCs and makes me feel them more than usual. You may have had them all along but now your lungs and surrounding tissues are irritated and healing and perhaps that makes you feel you PVCs more than usual much like feeling your heart beat in your head when you have a head ache.

[caregiver222]

They are not likely to be caused by the ZPAC, however the bacteria may have ended up in the bloodstream and on your heart valve. Or elsewhere in the heart muscle. You need an appointment with a cardiologist and a two-part ultrasound of the heart (not just on the back).