Nutrition Health Chat: Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 5-6 PM Eastern. Learn how vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients affect your health. Free live Q&A. Join us!
Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum.  ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease  (Expert Forum)
 | 
Re: PVCs
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.

Re: PVCs

by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Jan 01, 1995 12:00AM
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






________
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.




Continue discussion
RSS Expert Activity
When the Mexican Drug Trade Hits th...
16 hrs ago by Arnold L Goldman, D.V.M.
In the ER: Coffee, anyone?
Dec 02 by Jon Geller, D.V.M.
My animal blogs! 
Dec 02 by Justine Lee, D.V.M., DACVECC