Tachycardia Question.. I need some advice,

[hellokitty876]

This might be long so I apologize.  For two years I have had rapid heartbeat spells where my heartrate would get up in the 120's and take hours on end to get it back down.  I went to my first cardiologist ( I later changed) and he did an EKG, EEG, and a stress test all of which came back fine.  He then had me wear a monitor for awhile (one of those where I had to push a button if something happened).  Not a lot happened while wearing the monitor which  was very frustrating.  He diagnosed me with tachycardia and told me there were two types. I can't remember what he called them, but one was more serious and the other wasn't serious or a danger but just annoying.   He said I had the one that was not dangerous but very annoying.  He put me on Toprol 25 mg 1/2 tablet twice daily, and for the year or more I was on it, it didn't stabilize my spells.  I honestly felt like my heartrate was just up and down and never really stable with the meds.  There were a couple of times I wondered if the meds were making it worse.

[hellokitty876]

Thanks so much foe all the advice and input.  I will definately watch the stomach thing a bit closer.  Thanks again!

[kev543]

The next time you have one of these spells, try and remember what you ate before it happened and then write it down. then the next time it happens, see if it is the same thing or has the same ingredients. could be a food alergy or a stomach problem with not the average common symptoms. Anxiety and heart palpatations have a strong conection with the stomach that doctors love to overlook.

[CCF HeartMD-1]

You probably have multiple pre-atrial complexes or pre-ventricular complexes and in the setting of a structurally normal heart these are totally benign.  Like your cardiologist told you, they are just very annoying and can make you feel poorly.  I can guarantee you that anxiety make them ten times worse so if your anxiety is not well-controlled I would recommend seeing someone and trying a medication for your anxiety because this may cause your spells to calm down.  Also, I would recommend making sure your thyroid is normal.  Hyperthyroidism can cause tachycardia and loose stools.  Toprol can definitely cause people to feel tired and fatigued, usually younger patients so that doesn't surprise me.  Another medication we use for palpitations is Diltiazem (maybe the one you had a reaction too?).  Both metoprolol and diltiazem, you can use on an as needed basis.  I do not think it is dangerous to not take meds though.  Most likely these are benign and will not harm you.  

Hope this helps.  Good Luck.

[hellokitty876]

Anyway, I decided to switch cardiologists (my mom recommended one where she went).  My new cardiologist also did an EKG, EEG, and another stress test all of which came back just fine.  This cardiologist told me my heart was strong and healthy and there were no signs of tachycardia shown on any of my tests.  He said I could still have it even though nothing obvious showed up.  He decided to totally change my medicine to Carti (Sp?) and I had a mild allergic reaction to it.  I asked my cardiologist if I could try the toprol one last time with a different dosage. He agreed to let me try it until my follow-up appt which was in the next 3-4 weeks.  During that time, I came down with a stomach bug and was unable to take my meds. I was forced to deal with my spells without any meds, but something weird and wonderful happened.  My heartrate started to stabilize more while sick with the bug and I didn't need any meds for 3 days.  After talking to my mom (who used to have tachycardia) and my husband I decided to try to deal with these spells without meds.  See, I have a lot of anxiety issues as well and I started thinking part of my issues were my nerves.  I have been med free for over three months, and I have actually been A LOT better.  My heartrate is more stable and I've had less spells, though  I still have them some.   At my follow-up my cardiologist put me on metatoprol (the kind I could take only as needed when I had a spell), and I haven't had to take any yet as I have managed to get through my spells without medicine the past few months.  In all honesty, I feel better physically since being off the toprol.

I had one of my spells today wehre my heartrate was 119-120ish and bloodpressure was a bit elevated ranging from 150ish/80ish and lower.  Once I got the heartrate down the bloodpressure tends to come down as well.   During some of my spells, my bowels will become just a little loose and I feel crappy.  My question is this.. is it bad that I don't take anything when I have these spells?  I don't want to put myself in danger or anything?  I guess I am just needing some reassurance here.   thanks for any imput.