Re: PVCs

Posted By Bob on September 14, 1998 at 13:21:56:

In Reply to: Re: PVCs posted by CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on September 09, 1998 at 14:44:05:







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    Your case sounds almost exactly like mine. My PVCs also were also
related to eating, and were as frequent as yours. They would almost always start
or get worse after eating (especially eating and then reclining or laying down).
I have a hyadle hernia and sometimes get reflux esophagitis, and you might
check to see if you have something like that.
I have seen two cariologists (including an arrythmia specialist. The fact the
PVCs go away during exercise is good! It is one of the primary thngs they look
for as a sign these are the kind of PVCs not to worry about. I have found that
Beta blockers stop them almost completely.... but Metoprolol was the least
effective of the 3 beta-blockers I have tried. Both Inderal and Antenolol have
been much more effective... I take Antenolol because it is a selective beta
blocker that has less effect on parts of the body other than the heart. You
might need to play with the dosage a while... 50 mg / day (25 AM, 25 PM)
didn't quite do it for me, but 100 mg/day ( 50 AM, 50 PM) stops virtually all
the PVCs. The Inderal comes in a time relase 100mg capsule that was 1/day and
that was effective....
    One other thing, several doctors have told me that people with naturally
slow athletic hearts (rates < 60) tend to get these benign PVCs (my resting
rate is 52-54).  As long as the echo and stress test are normal these are not to
worry about, but they can be very irritating if you can feel them. Its easy for
a doctor to say "ignore them", but ignoring something thumping you in the chest
several times a minute is a lot easier said than done!!  Good luck...