Re: Massive Muscle Tension and PVC'c

Posted By Charlie on July 05, 1999 at 12:13:05
Hiya
Although I have had numerous tests over the years for PVC'c (holter 24hours, echo, stress test two years ago) and nothing has been found except benign PVC,s I wondered if you could answer the following. I get on a near constant basis a extremely tight chest around my sternum, indeed it basically feels like an elephant is sitting right on top of me. My GP has told me this is not cardiac related and is merely a muscle spasm due to excessive anxiety. My question is why is it during these intense muscle spasms do I get hugely increased periods of PVC's which seem to be much more intense in their feeling and frequency. For all intents and purposes I feel like I am having a heart attack 24 hours a day and it is damn irritating to say the least. Secondly can anxiety and panic cause these feelings, are there any medications on the market to release muscle tension (the only time I feel totally relaxed is when exercising) and can muscle spasm cause anything more serious than PVC'c in the heart.
Many thanks in anticipation of your reply.

[CCF CARDIO MD DLB]

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on July 06, 1999 at 12:50:00
Dear Charlie
Pain form any source can cause a surge in adrenaline which can increase the frequency and intensity of PVCs. Anxiety could certainly account for some or all of your symptoms, if the heart evaluation did not turn up anything abnormal. There are prescription medications for anxiety and panic disorder. If your GP is not familiar with these medications, a psychiatrist could prescribe them.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.











Follow Ups: