Positional PVCs

[redwinger]

Is there such a thing as positional PVCs? I have had heart palpitations since I was 26(now 35).now for about 6 months,I have been getting other sensations. Skipped beats(which are scary has h***) and a little lightheadedness, but ony when I am falling to sleep!6 months ago, I was diagnosed with Inappropiate Sinus Tachycardia and was given Toprol XL on a as needed basis. Up until a week ago, I have never had to use it. However the feeling of fainting  and skipped beats when I lay down to go to sleep were ever more increasing.It only got worse because of my anxiety and my lack of sleep. I called my EP and they said i could do a 30 day event monitor and would call me as soon as they got a monitor back in. In the mean time, I tried the Toprol(for 3 days) and it really didn't do a whole lot of good. I finally took a sleeping pill(lunesta)for 2 nights and got some sleep! This seemed to take away of lot of my daytime symptoms of fast and pounding heart rate, but at night the "faint" and "skipped" feelings would come back. Just to be clear, these were not feelings of "falling" and then being jolted awake. They were steady fainting feelings, like the blood was rushed to my head.
I guess my question is: Why do they do this mostly when I am lying down (back or sides)?Is my heart not functioning properly in that position? I am now wearing the 30 day monitor, but I don't want to do the whole 30 days. has anyone ever done it for like a week or 2 and then sent it in. I would like to see my EP before I go on vacation in June.  
Secondly, Is it a problem to take the sleeping pill so I can get some rest?I don't want to become addicted, but man it felt good to not wake up in the middle of the night for a change.  
thanks for any info and responses and sorry for the longgggg post!

[Trakar]

Hey there, went to the Cardiologist today. He was so awesome!! I couldn't have been so lucky to find a Dr. like him. He actually too has suffered from PVC's before, but no longer than 2 days. He sympathized with me as far as them being scarey. He did order an Echo stress test which I have on the 8th. He upped my dose of Toprol and gave me a prescription for Xanax to help me sleep. He spent an hour talking with me. I have to go off of my Toprol (beta-blocker) until I have my test. I am a little anxious about that due to my BP being so high. I will let you guys know tomorrow how I do as far as sleeping with the Xanax. I also told him of this forum and how it has helped me at least talk about it with someone who understands. I will keep posting

[amn1998]

I agree with you both and will continue to post any new info.  I check this site (even archived posts) daily just to see if any one is in the same boat as me.  Now it looks like at least two of you are:)  Redwinger, I was wondering about this being an anxiety issue myself but It just seems like such an uncommon way to present.  I mean, I feel relaxed and ready for sleep, and just as I'm drifting to sleep, BAM, the fainting thing.  Is there anything that you have read or heard that sounds like this could be an anxiety issue?  I'm starting to have doubts about it being heart related since 2 cardios just looked at me like they had no idea what I was talking about.  Oh well, lets keep each other updated on any new info.  My next appt. is on the 18th.  I wish you both good luck and sweet dreams!
Amy

[Trakar]

I just want to say it is so nice to be able to talk with someone who understands, because sometimes I feel like I am going just plain crazy! I will keep in touch. I go to the Cardiologist on the 2nd, wish me luck, because I am going to lay it all out on the line!!!

[redwinger]

Thanks for your response. It does seem that there aren't many people with the same symptoms. I noticed the drs. misunderstood what you were trying to say. I am also not going to go through the entire 30 days. I've already gotten 10 recordings since yesterday and will probably only keep this monitor for about 2 weeks total. I'm beginning to think this is all anxiety related but we'll see. I will DEFINTELY be taking my Lunesta tonight. I go to my GP on the 8th and will see if maybe he will want to give me something else. I love something that can be taken on a "as needed" basis, but I think I end up psyching myself out and will use it every night. Better than being sleep deprived, right? Please keep me up to date on your symptoms/diagnosis and I will do the same.
Sleep Tight!!!

[amn1998]

I was so glad to read your post (not because you are feeling bad) but because this is exactly what is happening to me and I still do not have any answers or much relief!  I have posted a couple of times about this and even got a response from the doctors on this site but they mis-understood my description as a "falling" feeling or a "jerk".  I am 39year old female, palps since my twenties but never this fainting feeling when trying to go to sleep.  It is exactly as you described and just enough to wake me each time it occurs.  Ive been on a 1/2 dose of beta blocker for 2 weeks which has helped the PVCs a great deal but not the fainting sensation at night.  I wore a 30 day events monitor for about 3weeks and turned it in.  Since I have this sensation almost every night, I had plenty of readings for the docs to check.  They didnt see anything alarming but I wonder if by the time I press the button, the "event" has passed?  Anyway, my reg. doc prescribed ativan (anti-anxiety) to be taken as needed at bedtime.  I try not to take it every night, but end up caving in after several sleepless hours.  I'm not sure if the medication actually stops the symptoms or just knocks me out.  Either way, I hope to find some answers and hopefully a treatment.  I'll try anything to get some sleep!!  Sorry this post is so long but there seems to be very few people who have this symptom. Ive searched all over the web.   Please share any info you can
Good Luck,
Amy

[redwinger]

I look forward to your results. I love an active forum and I wish that everyone would keep looking to keep everyone informed! Thanks again.

[Trakar]

I am a 37 year old female having constant, (they don't stop trust me) for the last 4 weeks. I finally went to the urgent care about 2 weeks ago. I hadenough. The Dr. Could not hear them, he ordered an EKG that showed indeed I was having PVC's. Mine are different than others have discribed in this forum. Mine are slow PVC's as my heart rate is normal. They go boom, boom,boom, long pause and then 2 fast booms. During this time they take my breath away, sometimes accompanied by fast pain in left arm elbow area and quick pain in the jaw. Dr. did prescribe Toprol XL, but was leary because my heart rate is fine. He also did cardiac blood work that turned out to be normal. Like you, I just want to get some sleep. I do take an antidepressant at night, it was prescribed for sleep due to shoulder pain, not depression as this anti depressant is something that could knock you out for a week. The dosage is 100 milligrams which I cut in half and then I cut about a quarter piece off of that (otherwise I cannot function the next day) so I am going to estimate that I take around 35 milligrams. Anyway, went and saw my regular Dr. about a week after the urgent care visit. She told me to continue with the Toprol, which has done nothing but lower my blood pressure as it tends to run a little high. 140/90, and now it has brought it down to around 117/88. I am going to see a cardiologist on the 2nd of May and planned on asking,(if test's turn out ok, about putting me on some kind of anxiety med. I am also overweight, I am 5'1 and weigh 165. Family history of heart problems, mom, brother, who 2 years ago at 39 had a heart attack, and my father passed away 6 years ago from stroke/heart problems. Like you I try to position my self at night to where I can least feel them, so I can get some sleep and feel them most on one side. I position myself with about 5 pillows, and this has seemed to help. My email address is ***@**** it would be nice to keep in touch with someone who is having the same problem as this is very, very scary and seems to put a damper on life as you are too afraid to raise your heart rate as I feel like something will happen if I do exercise.

[redwinger]

Thirdly, has anyone taken an antianxiety med to help with this? I am willing to try anything to get back to feeling normal.
By the way, I am a 35yo female who doesn't smoke, drink, do drugs, but am 40 lbs overweight(have lost 14, yeah!)and have a family hx of heart disease. Grandfather and father died of heart attacks at young ages(56 and 63)