topral and palps

i was taking verapamil for 7 years for psvt and pvc/pac...then started having many psvt and palps lasting for days and constant, after being on it for a couple years..my dr recently (1 and a half monthes ago) changed my med to topral xl..everything was going great..had no problems until 2 days ago...now i'm getting the dreaded palps constantly again!!!!!they are'nt as violent but i can feel em!!!!not as painful, but still kind of painful....what gives?

[raquel 66]

i seem to go through cycles of 100's per day that go on for about a week give or take a few days, the reason why i was put on verapamil was for psvt...after bout a year or so i started having  a few break through episodes of svt on the med, then as the years went on they became more and more often, i have always had palps, but very few here and there since i was about 22...then about a year or so ago i started to get these really scary episodes of the constant palps (100's per day) for days and days....every couple of monthes i would get them...doc increased my dose of verapamil from to 240 mg to 480mg..did absolutely nothing ( although it did work for the svt episodes for acouple years) it's as if i become immune to the meds. then after 2 or 3 weeks of being on the bigger dose of verapamil, dr changed me to topralxl, it has worked great for the last month or so, an occasional palp, but very slight, now for the last few days "here we go again"!!!funny thing though..i have'nt had an svt episode for a really long time...i was getting them all the time for a while....my menstrual cycle has been really out of whack for a few years...had to have a mini blood transfusion becouse i lost so much blood, just had an on going period that went on for monthes, finally had d&c and uteran polyps removed, everythings been fine until now, did'nt have a period for 2 monthes, finally started, lasted 10 days, stopped for 3 days and now i'm bleeding again ( heavy) for the last week...i know my hormones are messed up and i think the palp episodes are somehow related...but i also think i become tolerant to the meds...and pretty fast too

[sb786]

Bama jane: I also find that acid reflux and indigestion makes the pvcs worse. In fact if i have no digestion issues i will have only a few pvcs but that is very rare for me as i have IBS too. I like my new cardiologist and doc because both agree that even slight indigestion/acid reflux can trigger palpitations. Are you on a high dose of atenenlol? How often were you getting svts for before the bb and how long did the attacks last?

Raquel: My cardiologist told me that women got the palps more because of hormones. I get tons of PVCs just before and after my period, hormones definitely do play a role in triggering the palps in alot of women.

[CollegeGirl143]

Beta blockers do no work for everyone..Some people, they work perfectly for, and others they dont work at all for.. Talk to your doctor, he may want to up your dose or try something else.

[sb786]

I also suffer from svt and pvcs. I was put on verapamil first but it did absolutely nothing for me. My doc then put me on a low dose beta blocker (bisoprolol/Zebeta) but i am still getting the pvcs and svt.
How many pvcs do you get in a typical day? How often do you get svt and for how long?

[bama jane]

I get them  evert day all thrgh out the day, 100's to probably a thousand .  Every day for years. I have been on all the heart meds and none totally stop them for me.  Some of them made them worse but am on atenenol now.  That works the best for me, still doesn't stop them, just seems to control the svt.  Everyone is different. I am curious, it seems that there are more women that complain of them than men.  I wonder if we feel them more because our chest area isn't as deep. Also I think that problems with acid reflux make mine much worse.

[bama jane]

Before the atenenol I was getting them often sometimes 3 times a day for 30 minutes are longer.  I was hospitalized quite a few times in the first year.  Worst time of my life. I just take 1/2 of a 25 mlg tablet once a day but I also have learned coping skills that will help me bring my heart rate down.  I did bio feed back and also practice some brathing exercises.  It took me a long time to learn to deal with this and I still struggle at times but now most episodes last less than a minute and sometimes just a string of a few beats. They tried so mnay heart meds one right after another and it just seemed to make it worse. The fastest it was ever recorded was 196 but I had one episode that I know was much faster but by the time I got to the er it was down to 165.  I think daily walking on the tread mill has really helped to blunt the tach.  It took a while to get there because I have a lot of extra beats and I was afraid it would send me into tach.  I was in a monitored exercise program  for about 6 month at the hospital.  My doc wanted me to start exercising and it gave me the confidence to do that.  I wore leads on my chest while exercising so they could see what my heart would do. I still  at rare times will start tach while exercising I just stop and lie down and wait till later or skip that day, but I alwys go back because I believe that exercise has helped more than anythimg for me. Everyone is different and has found help in different ways. I hope you find some soon.  It is a difficult road with this at times even now 7 years later for me.  But I am able to handle it a bit better and havr a better quality of life now.

[sb786]

Thanks for the reply
I also get alot of the extra beats (I get PVCs) which cause episodes of svt. I have ended up in hospital so many times. I just wish i could also control the attacks. I am on a very very low dose beta blocker but it's not really helping. Since being diagnosed with the svt 4 months ago i refuse to leave my house just in case i have another svt attack. Please give me some advice as to how i can try and control the svts at home. At the moment when they happen i start to panic and cry and i call for an ambulance straight away.

[raquel 66]

i know exactly how you feel as i panic and call 911 right away, these attacks are so freakin scary!!! some thing that has worked for me when in svt is to splash my face with very cold water...it usually helps alot, some say to cough or bear down, thats never worked for me.
also just trying to think about something else helps...it does'nt make it go away, but it definatly helps to ride it out...i  sometimes call my daughter( she is a very mellow type person) and just start talking and pretty soon the svt is gone and i feel fine. hope it helps.

[sb786]

Tahnks for the advice. I just hate having the svt i have been told its not dangerous but it doesn't feel like it! When i get the attack i get so scared i can't even move!How often do you get the svt attacks last for you? Do you get more pvcs or pacs? I get at least 50 pvcs a day!! I hope the tropral xl works for you!