Sudden increase in PVCs

[mymanbeukeboom]

For about 7 years now I have been having PVCs. I used to only have about 20-30 a day. About 2 weeks ago I started having 20-30(or more) an hour. My doctor has put me on all sorts of anti-anxiety/ anti-depression meds because they are really starting to scare me. Luckily i am not having them 2-3 in a row(although i have had them like that in the past), it is generally 1 then a regular beat then another. When should I start being concerned? I am 27 years old and I have 3 children that I have to worry about. What is not normal when it comes to PVCs? This has really affected my quality of life as I have not been able to do anything for 2 weeks now(I am too afraid). Thank you in advance.

[CCF-M.D.-PPB]

It seems that the palpitations and the PVCs are really affecting your quality of life.  You should, therefore, be concerned about them especially that they are happening more often.  I would definitely see a cardiologist and have them do a Holter monitor to define and quantify the arrhythmia.  You probably already know this, but limiting caffeine intake, stress, etc would make things better, and on the flip side, if you are having more stress or more coffee those may be the reasons why you are having more PVC's.  Checking the heart function via an echocardiogram is important and I am sure you had that done already sometime in the past.  As long as your heart function is normal, you should probably be started on a medication to suppress these arrythmias.  Beta blockers are frequently used and very effective.  Talk to your cardiologist about that.

[Awake and Unafraid]

Have your doctor check your magnesium level.  Being magnesium deficient can cause a whole array of problems...irregular heart beat, anxiety, migraines, etc.  You'd be suprised how much a magnesium supplememt can help.  Google it.  Would be a great help if you took calcium as well.

[mymanbeukeboom]

Thank you for responding so quickly. I have had numerous echo's and a stress echo last year. All of them said my heart was normal structurally. I ahve worn the holter 3 times but I have never had this many PVCs before. I stopped all soda, chocolate, and alcohol when they started years ago(I have never drank coffee). They are giving me an event monitor tomorrow. Today I have had over 100 so far, but about 20 minutes ago they just stopped.  It is just the not knowing when the situation warrants serious intervention that scares me.  I know there are many people out there that deal with these on a daily basis. I just cannot come to terms with my hearts abnormal rhythm being "normal". I just started a beta blocker(toprol) and am hoping it doesnt lower my blood pressure too much since my pressure usually runs about 80/60. Thank you again.

[mymanbeukeboom]

Thank you for responding! I did know about the mag and it was checked. I was told it is completely fine. I am guessing you suffer from these too? How well do you tolerate them? Was there something special you did to help yourself come to terms with them?

[deedle1976]

Hi there,
Come along to the heart rhythm forum. There are lots of people with the same problem there.

[Awake and Unafraid]

I was diagnosed with PVC's many years ago, however they started in my early 30's.  I don't take meds for them because they are said to be harmless and I am more afraid of the side affects from the meds.

My dad, 72, was at my house last night and was having PVC,s every 15 seconds!  I told him to take 2 TUMS and within 20 minutes he was better and he had been having them since the day before.  I wish he would have told me sooner as these things can be very scary and bothersome to say the least.

I know the TUMS thing sounds crazy but sometimes just something we eat can aggravate them.  You see we have a nerve called the Vagus nerve that slows our heart rate down so that our bodies can digest food after we eat.  If you eat something that aggravates that nerve it can cause PVC's.  My dad wasn't even having syptoms (symptoms) of indigestion or anything but I told him to take the TUMS anyway.  It will settle your stomach and the calcium will relax you.  I use it whenever I am having trouble even if there is no sign of indigestion or such.  TUMS are good for you anyway as they offer 400 ml of calcium per tablet and we are required at least 1200 ml a day, depending on age.  I even take them when I feel anxious cause the calcium relaxes me.  Geesh!  I sound like an add for TUMS.

I'm sure some will think this is nuts but it works for me and it works for my dad.
Try it and google the benefits of calcium and magnesium in relation to normal heart rythym.

Hope this helps,
Penny

[Awake and Unafraid]

I just wanted to add that visiting the Heart Rythym board was a great help at coming to terms with them.  You'd be surprised at how many people suffer with these.

Penny

[sandrabel]

Hello to everybody.

I have two questions because i can't find the answer on the forum.  I have 2000 pvc's/day and 50 pac's.
1. Can pvc's lead to a-fib?
2. Can 50 pac's/day lead to a-fib?

Thank you a lot.

[ireneo]

I understand your concern about the sudden change. Although I have PACs, PVCs and atrial tachy (quite used to it all by now) a couple years ago my rhythm changed overnight. One day I felt tired, thought I was getting the flu, went to bed and bingo - the next day my heart was in hyper-drive as far as PAC's and PVCs are concerned. It went from 1-6 a minute to 15-25 per minute with no breaks. Plus they were hitting pretty hard, not just a little flip. I was angry because I couldn't figure it out. After a couple weeks I ended up with a monitor, was told what they were (pac, pvc) duh, and just went on with my life. Took 5 months but they gradually settled down. The point is that a sudden change can be disturbing and you want answers. Problem is with PAC's and PVC's there are no clear answers. They just come and go as they please. Try to stay busy and relax. Most likely they'll ease off and you'll feel better. Let's just hope it's soon.

[sandrabel]

What is a rapidly conductiong accessory pathway?  Can a dr. find this on an ECG?

[jean 43]

I have had PVCs, SVTs, and A-Fib.  I went to emergency room 3 nights ago with bouts of SVTs fluctuating from 50-150 BPM which I had never had before.  The fluctuation was the difference.  Has anyone else had something like this?  They checked blood and magnesium was 1.2 which is low.  I think the normal range is 1.8 to 3.2.  They gave me 2 grams of magnesium in the form of 2 shots in the rear.  I have noticed when I lie down, especially if I have eaten within an hour or so, I seem to have SVTs or PVCs.  The cardiologist today told me he recommends ablation and the sooner the better since these episodes are ruining my quality of life.  He changed my beta blocker to a channel blocker today and has anyone had this change in meds before and how did it affect you?  I would appreciate someone helping me as this electrical system of my heart really depresses me.  I don't like having ablation but have an appointment with the cardiologist in this group which specializes in this and I'm afraid he is going to strongly recommend this.  I am a 63 year old female.  Thanks for any info anyone may have to share.

[Awake and Unafraid]

Google information on the Vagus Nerve and how it affects PVC's, PAC's.  Alot of people have trouble after eating.  Take TUMS if this happens.  I kid you not, it works for me as I wrote in my post above.

[KarenSA]

I had an ablation for Atrial Tach and atypical avnrt in October 2005.  Best thing I have done so far for my heart trouble.  Now I am hoping for techniques to advance sufficiently so that I can have a PVC ablation attempted as well.  For me ablation was a great option.  I battled in the early weeks after the procedure as my heart was very unstable and I had a lot of tachycardia whilst it healed and was irritated initially from the procedure.   My EP had warned me to expect this so I was not alarmed at all by the increased activity and new I had to grin and bear it and it would pass.  It was about 6 months before it was settled nicely.  Only lots of PVC's to deal with daily now.  I will attempt an ablation for these too when the time is right as I see no reason to battle on with a half a life because of these things when technology is there which can cure them completely.  At this stage my EP quoted a 50/50 chance of success so I will wait until he can quote me an 80% chance of success before I go in for the procedure.  If I get desperate he has told me he will attempt to ablate them now should I ask.  I get probably about 200/day on average.  Some days into the early thousands.  

[paisydmom]

I started having pvcs and severe palpatations in 9/99. It really scared me b/c I didn't no what was happening. I was always at the ER trying to get a diagnosis but of course, when I was there nothing showed up on the heart monitor!  My dr prescribed Zoloft for anxiety/depression b/c the pvcs were causing me to have panic attacks which sent me into a deep depression b/c I did not no what was going on. I refused to take the Zoloft so she suggested Kava Kava which helped but did not totally diminish the pvcs. Finally, she sent me to a cardiologist and I had to wear a holter monitor for a day and log the pvcs. Surprisingly, I was having way more pvcs than I was actually feeling. Then the cardiologist did an echo cardiogram which showed that I had mitral valve prolapse (mvp) with very little regurgitation and 2 extra heart beats. He said that my mvp was very benign, but at the time I didn't understand. I thought I was dying. He prescribed inderal  which is a beta blocker to control the palpitations and pvcs. Eventually, I started taking the Zoloft b/c I was a basket case. I did a lot of research on mvp which finally convinced me that I wasnt dying.  I took the beta blocker for probably 6 or 7 years. I was still having pvcs so I decided to get off of them.  I still have them occasionally, especially if I lay for a long time on my left side. I just shift a little and they stop.    

[416340]

I'm a 24 year old female who has been diagnosed with RVOT VT with about 25,000 PVC's a day. Over the past year, I tried living with this, but my episodes started becoming more frequent and more intolerable (dizzyness, extreme fatigue, palpitations, chest pain).  For the past few weeks, i have been taking a beta blocker (Sotolol) and so far it's been very effective.  However, i am concerned about the long term side effects of beta blockers and am debating if i should get ablation done.  Has anyone here choosen ablation even when the beta blockers were working? Thanks!

[Momto3]

I had RVOT VT and LVOT VT and both were successfully ablated.  I was on a couple different medications and they were effective at suppressing the pvcs.  But, I decided I did not want to take them forever, so I went for the ablations.  So glad I did.

[416340]

I'm glad to hear you are happy with your choice.  The more i think about it, the more i feel ablation is probably the way to go.  Thanks

[416340]

In your profile you wrote that you developed cardiomyopathy from your frequent pvc's.  This is the first time i have heard about this connection.  How many PVC's did you typically have in a day before ablation?  I  have about 25,000 a day and now i'm scared from what you have said :(.  Any extra info on this would be great!

[Momto3]

Yes, in rares instances frequent pvcs can lead to a cariomyopathy. Prior to the ablations, I had always had a lot of pvcs.  I don't think I had ever been examined when they were  not prevelant (25 yrs). I had worn lots of monitors, but the only report that quantified the number of pvcs said I had over 22,000, or  or 24%, ectopics.  I was often in bigeminy and had lots of couplets and some episodes of nsvt. Because I have a leaky mitral valve, the initial thought was that the change in heart function was due to a worsening valve.  However, further tests pointed to the pvcs.  Since the ablaitons, my EF has been normal.  

Did you have an echocardiogram?  

connie

[profesora]

Having tried Toprol, a beta blocker, and finding it ineffective, I  switched to Diltiazem, generic for Cardizem, a calcium channel blocker.  I started on 120 mg. in the morning.  When that didn't work, I took 60 mg. with breakfast and 60 mg. with dinner.  This technique controlled my pvcs for 6 months.  I was ecstatic.  The palpitations recently returned with a vengeance, however.  I went to a 180 mg. time-release form of the same drug (Cartia) and although it lessens the intensity of the pvcs, I still have them.  I am scheduled for an ablation on Monday and am very apprehensive.  I also have some atrial flutter, but the electrophysiologist will go after the pvcs, which represent 90 percent of the palpitations that come primarily at night and last for hours, until I take Ambien and fall asleep.  Good luck.

[Momto3]

Hola  (I think...lol)

Good luck with the ablations!  

[416340]

Thanks connie for taking time to chat.  It's nice to have people who have been through similar situations.  I had an echo done, but i am still waiting for a Cardiac MRI to be done.  My cardiologist wants to make sure it's not Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) since the symptoms of RVOT VT and it are very similar and because i had a brother that passed away suddenly when very young.

[Momto3]

I am terribly sorry to hear that you lost your brother.  

Good luck with the upcoming MRI and ablation if you go that route.  Please keep us posted.

Take care and enjoy the day : )

[Saud1964]

Hi. I'm 43-year-old patient from Palestine. In September 1994, I had severe chest pain, then I was immediately taken to hospital. I was told that I had Angina; I was admitted for six days in the cardiology department. As soon as I arrived there I was given Hiparine injections, blood tests were made round the clock. I was given Oxygen and my chest was plugged with a screen showing my heart beats.
A month after I had been released, I went for a catheterization, where I was told that an artery on the surface of my heart muscle that supplies the muscle with blood was blocked and due to this, part of the muscle's tissue was damaged. In December, the same year, I went to Haddasa Hospital in Jerusalem and had an angioplasty, where a stint was planted into the blocked artery to keep it opened. Since then I have been going on medications, I take 25 mg atenolol, or Normaten, one baby aspirin tablet and one amiodacore 200 mg tablet everyday. And also since then, I have been suffering from permanent heart palpitations, which usually mount mainly half an hour after I eat. My heart palpitations happen when my heart beats rate gets higher than 60 and lower than 70 per minute. If my heart rate is higher than 70, especially when I walk or do any physical effort, I don't feel the arrythmias. I have continuous heart palpitations round the clock day and night, they are not painful, but they drive me crazy. Just recently, in the last four weeks, I had one heart palpitation every two or three minutes, mainly when I'm sitting and not making any effort. It disappears when I move. It had badly affected my life, my job (I'm a news reporter), and my relationship with my wife and also with people and friends. Please advice me what to do in order to get rid of this crazy annoying heart palpitations. I still smoke and drink coffee. Many Thanks, Saud Abu Ramadan

[Maryell]

I was interested in hearing about taking TUMS for PVC.  I'll certainly try them.   One thing that helps me I discovered hap-hazardly.  On a whim, while having PVCs I took an over-the-counter antihistamine and it worked.  I now carry one with me at all times, in case I need it.  They make non-drowsy antihistamines, so you don't have to worry about driving.

Maybe the antihistamine works because I'm allergic to something, but I don't know what.   This is not a recommendation to anyone, just wanted to tell you what works for me...an FYI.  

[tickertock]

Funny you mention anti allergy medication and helping with PVCs , I remember taking Piriton during a bad bout of PVCs and they would go away every time I took it, but I thought it was purely coincidental, I always thought an allergy might play a role in PVCs, funny no one sames to really know. I think we all have the ectopic foci that triggers PVCs, I guess we just have to get the wrong thing to trigger them.

[Ebette]

I am a 46yr old female.  I started having pvcs in my early 30's.  I was told they were begnine.  Over the years they have increased in frequency but lateley they don't just feel like pvc's.  I get a mixed bag.  Some are strong in the center of my chest others feel like electric shocks and are in the upper right side of my chest. The other day I was having fluttering every couple of minutes for over 3 hours  My doctor put me on  toperol 25mg.  Has anyone had an increase in pvc with toperal ?  I can't imagine that if I stop taking it I will have more than what I'm experiencing.  And what exactly is ablation ?  Can anyone who has pvcs get that procedure.  I'm so uneducated when it comes to this.

[marlinspike]

Sorry to hear about your problems. You should perhaps voice your concerns to your cardiologist if you haven't done so already. This site is very helpful, but I would suggest that you must make giving up smoking a priority. It is really bad for the heart. I would also switch to de-caff coffee - in fact, eliminate all caffeine products - tea, energy drinks, coffee, too much chocolate. I avoid caffeine altogether and find it helps my ectopics.

[poppapank]

I am a 51yr old male. I was diagonsed with multifocular pvc in 1983 while serving in the USAF.  As a matter of fact they were the reason I was discharged.  I DO NOT SUGGEST TO ANYONE TO DO WHAT I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO !!!!!!!!  AGAIN, I REPEAT, I DO NOT SUGGEST TO ANYONE TO DO WHAT I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO  !!!!!!!!!!  I refuse to take anymore medicine and surely will not allow the doctors to perform any procedure on me.  When I was diagnosed with the problem in 1983 by a military heart specialist, I was told that my chances of living a few more seconds were greater than me living five (5) more minutes.  I have been prescribed every new medicine even the last time they prescribed (nitro) to me eventhough they said could not find anything.  Well you know what thoughts go through your mind when the doctor says we cannot find anything wrong but take these nitro tablets anytime you feel chest pains.  The last time I looked in the mirrow I was not looking at a lab rat.  When I feel myself getting weak, or having chest pains, or seeing lights floating around I have found that if I lay back and take deep breaths and sssslllloooowwwwllllyyyy exhale, after a few moment I'm back to normal.  I DO NOT SUGGEST TO ANYONE TO DO WHAT I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO !!!!!!!!  AGAIN, I REPEAT, I DO NOT SUGGEST TO ANYONE TO DO WHAT I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO  !!!!!!!!!! Over 23 years I've grown to become very intuned to my body.

[poppapank]

(correction of statement)  The doctor told me that my chances of DYING IN A FEW MORE SECONDS WERE GREATER THAN MY CHANCES OF LIVING FIVE (5) MORE MINUTES.

[Slowboat42]

Low BP and taking beta blocker not a good solution.  Beta Blockers can increase arrhythmia, fatigue and weight.  Magnesium needs to be measured at the cell level.  Serum magnesium measures are useless.  

Take advice above and Google magnesium.  Sweat, stress and low carb diets can also deplete your body of mag.  The latter is when you go in and out of ketosis frequently.  Also, be sure you get frequent protein throughout the day.  If you, for example, skip breakfast, your body will "consume" large muscle to obtain protein for cell regeneration.  That process produces cortisol which is a stress hormone which leads to more pvc.

You may also want to try yoga and relaxation.  Good luck and welcome to the club!

[JoRich]

I am so glad I found this forum.  I've been having what's called by my primary dr. ' skipped heartbeats'.  It only started 3 weeks ago and I have about 3/4 a minute (at least today)  This is the worst day so far.  I saw my cardiologist this week.  He said my ekg was okay and scheduled me for a nuclear stress test for Tuesday, so we'll see.  These strong beats seem to have taken over my life this week, I can't imagine you folks have had to deal with this problem for so many years.  Guess I will too now.  I have been on atenolol beta blocker for fast heartbeat for a long time.  25 mg daily until one year ago when cardio changed it to 12.5.  
This does affect quality of life and it's only been three weeks. whew.
Joan

[ceris]

I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy after a bad virus 11 years ago. My chiropractor discovered my irregular heartbeat(missed beats - often every second one) which lead to a whole series of tests. The cardiomyopathy is stable and regularly monitored. I take 2.5mg of ramipril every day. Half a tablet in the morning, half at night as because I am relatively young my body must have been processing the tablet quickly and leaving me with low blood pressure later in the day. This no longer happens now.
My bigeminy seems to be triggered by adrenalin. Sometimes I know I must be in for a cold, virus etc because my bigeminy is quite bad and usually the symptoms appear the next day. Holding my breath can trigger them eg opening a bottle, lifting something, cutting something hard . Walking up hills is no good. Often I am too tired to exercise , but i have to be careful how much I do. Standing up for long periods also can cause it to happen. It will not occur while I am moving and is usually worst at night. I have had to give up my teaching job, although I still do half a day aweek. This is the first time i have talked about it in all these years and it is interesting to see that everyone has symptoms that are just a little bit different. I find red wine brings my heart rate up when I have it, although the benefits are not long lasting. A pity I couldn't start the day with one! Ihave tried so many things over the years including acupuncture , fish oil, vitamins, magnesium. Often I find they work for a while and then not much after that. One of my GP's told me if I could live the life of a lady I would be fine. But with 2 teenage boys and a house to look after that is a bit hard. But I am better when I don't do anything. Not much of a life though. My doctor is impressed how well I deal with it, but I always are thankful for what I can do and know there are so many people who are going through much more trying ordeals than me. I live in hope that there will be new technologies to help in the future. Cerise

[JoRich]

I'm new here and trying to find meanings of PVCs and PACs and bigemeny,  I have skipped heartbeats that then thump loud on the second beat.  Is that PVC?
Joan

[deedle1976]

What you describe sounds like PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) or PACs (premature atrial contractions).

[JoRich]

Thanks so much.  I just couldn't find the definition of these things.  Tomorrow (9/14) is my nuclear stress test.  Had to cancel Tuesday because of a stomach problem.  Wish me luck.
Joan

[deedle1976]

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.

[JoRich]

Test went okay.  Really weird feeling for your heart to be chemically stressed and your body feels like you're running a marathon.  Good thing it only last for 4 minutes.  It was really different.
Results next week.  I'll let you know the results if you're interested.  Thanks,
Joan

[ANikki]

I'm a 32 year old female who started having PVCs (about 500-1,000 per day) 10 months ago.  They came on strong and without much warning just as I was wearning my second child from breastfeeding.  I was evaluated by my primary care doctor and a cardiologist (did the echocardiogram, holter monitor, treadmill stress test, as well as extensive bloodwork), and it was concluded that the PVCs were benign, and since the structure of my heart was normal - they weren't going to worry much about it.  Both doctors basically blew off my concern that the PVCs could be hormone related.  The cardiologist gave me the choice to take medication for it, but I declined.  I just hate taking medication for things if I don't absolutely have to.  I tried living with the PVCs for a few months, but they just didn't get any better and I was worried all the time and just not myself.  My husband said I was a perpetual basketcase!  Then a coworker suggested that I see a naturopathic doctor, which I did - and it was the BEST decision I made regarding these PVCs.  The naturopathic doctor actually spent a lot of time talking to me, documenting a ton of stuff she thought could be related to PVCs.  Initially she put me on an ultra high vitamin and also a supplement - explaining that the bloodwork ordered by my doctor's offices checks the levels in your blood, which doesn't always reflect whether you are deficient "overall" (I still don't really get that).  She figured that 2 pregnancies over 3 years and breastfeeding 2 kids for a total of 30 months probably left me a bit depleted in a lot things.  I took the supplements and vitamins for a couple of months and I noticed a big decrease in the number of PVCs that I was getting each day - but they didn't go away totally.  She then put me on something for adrenal gland support (which is also a supplement) and I couldn't believe the difference after just a couple of days.  At that point, the PVCs had decresed to such a level that I hardly noticed them anymore.  Today, after being on Adrenal Cortex plus the vitamins and supplements for about 5 months, I can go days and days and days without noticing even one PVC.  It's amazing what a difference it makes.  Oh, and my naturopathic doctor also told me that there is probably a link between hormone shifts and PVCs, but most traditional doctors don't recognize it.  If you are someone who gets PVCs frequently and have been told by your doctors that they are benign and harmless, I highly suggest seeing a naturopathic doctor!!  It was the best thing I did for myself.

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I too have pvc's, Ive had all the tests done, and they found nothing . My cardioligists said i just need to deal with them. He said there was a survey done recently on pvc's . 80 percent of 100 people had these pvc and only 20% felt them . So everyone has them, We are just overly sensitive to are heartbeats. As long as you have been checked out and have had all the tests done they are usually harmless. THAT'S HOW I DEAL WITH THEM!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to learn to except and not be afraid of them. ENJOY LIFE TO IT'S FULLEST!!!!!!!!!