Re: PVCs

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on September 09, 1998 at 14:44:05:

In Reply to: PVCs posted by Stanley Johnson on September 08, 1998 at 08:15:29:






I am 61, 195 lbs, in generally good health. I take 8Mg of cardura and 25 Mg of HZTZ for Blood pressure, the result being 135/80 with an average pulse of 62.  About a month ago I noticed PVCs and ask my Dr. about them. He had an ultrasound done on my heart (negative) and did a stress test to a heart rate of 160, negative except for the odd fact that the PVCs went away completely during the workout.
I have charted my PVCs, using a minute each hour and counting the PVCs that occurr during that minute. the daily average, from 7AM to 4 PM, runs from .3 per minute to 3 per minute. I do not smoke and have stopped drinking coffee and forgo my evening 12 Ozs of Chardonnay. This deprivation has produced no change that I can tell. My job is reasonably stressfull but nothing I am not use to. The only correlation I can find is that they seem to be worse after I eat. The Dr. wants to put me on 50 Mg of metoprolol but I am hesitant to take it because I already take cardura and worry about interactions ect.  I would appreciate any comments you might have
S.G. "Skip" Johnson






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Dear Stanley, thank you for your question.  PVC's are the most common problem for which people write into the heart forum, so you are not alone.  You should be commended for reducing your caffeine and alcohol intake and avoiding tobacco.  The metoprolol is a beta blocker which can suppress the number of PVC's that occur and should not adversely interact with your cardura and HCTZ.  Possibly, metoprolol alone can control your blood pressure and have the secondary benefit of reducing the number of PVC's that you have.  Metoprolol is often used to treat hypertension by itself.  Some patients who take beta blockers suffer from lethargy and impotence, but those are rare side effects.  However, if the PVC's are not bothering you too much, it may be better just to stay on your current medications and try not to focus on the PVC's.  The PVC's will not be life threatening to you, but certainly may be a nuisance.  Finally, it's quite normal for PVC's to cease with exercise.  Overall, I suggest that you speak with your physician again about this issue.
I hope you find this information useful and please feel free to write back with more questions.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.