Heart palp and random racing heart---will it ever get better?

[Croncketto]

Hi, I have never posted on a site like this and am in tears as I write this post for help. I am a 32 yo female, fairly active/practitioner of yoga, 120 lbs, happy and seemingly healthy! My struggle is that for the past few years I have SUFFERED from random heart palpitations that vary in severity along with episodes of racing heart rate. My episodes can be mild to severe, and some have landed me in the ER several times throughout the years. These episodes typically occur when I am trying to rest, in the evenings, and during or after meals. I have had my thyroid checked and other blood work that only showed severe D vitamin deficiency (I have since fixed this). I have had a clear echocardiogram, a good stress test, and a 30-day event monitor. The event monitor showed some irregular beats and elevated heart rates. My Dr said "some women just experience this" and that its something I should "try to live with without medication" if possible.

The problem is...some days I don't think I can take it anymore. It is causing panic attacks, unhealthy obsessions about my health and death, affecting my willingness to engage in social activities, and most recently disrupted a professional work event that required travel. During a bad episode, it starts with a hard or irregular beat(s) with the feeling of dread and hyperactivity in my chest, some pain in the left arm and shoulder, possibly through to my back, mild chest pain/pinching accompanied by nausea, and an "out of my head" feeling with an immediate need to jump up and walk around/move. I understand that these bad episodes are likely causing me to panic which only makes my symptoms worse.

I went and saw my Dr this morning and she has prescribed me 2.5 mg of Bystolic as a trial (I am pretty adverse to medication, but DESPERATE). I guess my question is, does any of this sound like you or your experience? What advice do you have? What do you think about beta-blockers and my age? I am so desperate for any help or guidance you may have---and thankful to anyone who is even taking the time to read this.

[EatFruit]

Hello,

I can so relate!! I get those PVC's and feel every single one of them. I also get episodes of fast heart rate - sometimes out of nowhere! When either of those things happen I automatically get a panic attack and that makes everything that much worse. Suddenly you start thinking that you're just going to drop dead or something. I have seen several cardiologists and they all say this is an annoyance more than anything else. They all said this is benign and will NOT cause me to drop dead! Well,  easier said than done because panic attacks keep showing up! I agree with achillea that psycho therapy of some kind would be beneficial. I am seeking help in that department myself to try to get rid of those stupid panic attacks. Hope this helps

[achillea]

First, the basics:  You have been tested and tested thoroughly, and the results show that you have a healthy heart--but that you (like every adult), have benign extrasystoles, probably PVCs.

No one knows for sure what causes these odd beats, but once people have them, they tend to recur.  You will read various alleged remedies (some of them pretty nutso), and it is important to understand that in general there is no real cure, possibly apart from ablation for folks who have many more than 10,000 per day.  

As I mentioned, everyone has ectopic beats, but the difference is that you feel them intensely, which is what people with unusually sensitive nervous systems do.  Quite often, the awareness of these sensations causes our internal fire alarms to go off, and the result is panic attacks.  Many, many posters on this forum have experienced panic related to this, and your 'out of my head' feeling is characteristic of a pretty bad episode.

I have been recorded as having 4800 a day, myself, and I have experienced panic as a result, so I know what it is like.

The important thing to bear in mind is that the heart is OK in this case.  The problem is our emotional response to these sensations, and it is THAT for which we need help.

I have found that the best--and quickest--help comes from a good psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety and panic.  These are *medical* disorders that afflict people who are born with the tendency, just as some people are born with a tendency to allergies or diabetes.  There's no problem of will power here; it's just the roll of the genetic dice.  

So, make an appointment with a real shrink and start to learn how to really, really deal with the symptoms of terror, which is what is actually ruining your life.  

As to medications, I take Bystolic for white coat hypertension and of the meds I have tried for that, I find that this is the best for me.  You may find that it lessens the force of your ectopics, but it almost certainly will not prevent them from occurring, nor will it entirely remove your awareness of them.

On the other hand, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor with a good awareness of which medications are heart-relevant *and* psych-relevant, as well.  This is an art that cardiologists and even PCPs don't have much experience with.

Do not be afraid of psych medications suggested by a trained shrink.  A fairly brief course of something like Zoloft, plus some counseling, can give you your life back.  You will become less aware of your ectopics, which in turn will very likely reduce their actual number, and you will be more at peace and able to take pleasure in ordinary things once again.