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Learning to deal with PVCs
I am a 35 year old male that has dealt with PVCs in the past from time to time. At the beginning of the year my then shrink decided to switch the SSRI (Effexor) to another SSRI due to cost savings. After I got off of the Effexor I began to have terrible PVCs. I have had them before ut never really knew what they were. But they have never been this bad before. I have become obsessed with them and think about them all the time. I have since changed my shrink and he put me back on the Effexor. So far, I still have them. I HATE THESE THINGS, let me state that up front. Some days I have few (every 5-10 minutes) and some days I have many (every minute). I have read of people having them in the 1000s per hour and I am very thankful I don't have that. And even know I have them less it still brings me a ton of distress. I am quite overweight. I weigh about 450 lbs and I am about 6'5". Will losing weight help reduce the frequency and strength of PVCs? I am doing cognitive therapy too but I am not too sure how well that is working. I am very depressed and find that I am in a state of fear almost every morning when I wake up. I find myself in tears almost every day, sometimes a few times a day. By the way, crying makes them worse I have found. Could these PVCs be a symptom of my anxiety/panic disorder? I am sorry to whine but I really hate these things and just want them to go away. Thanks.
Who wants to medicate a seeming less un harmful problem like PVC's or PAC's. Doctors dont even usually prescribe beta blockers for pvc's\pac's unless they are annoying you so bad that you cant take it. In no way do beta blockers cure extra heartbeats so what is the point of using them with a benign condition. Thats like taking an tylenol when you dont have a headache.
First I would like to say thank you guys/gals for your comments and support. I find that taking it one day at a time right now is working best. Some days are better than others, today is not one of those better days. What I can't figure out is why they came on so strong so "all of a sudden." Like I have said before I have had them in the past but never this badly. I suspect part of my problem is that I really have become obsessed with them now. I am a major OCD guy and once my mind begins to worry about something it has trouble letting go. I have one question. My doctor tells me that my heart is normal and is not damaged or diseased. I have read many posts, on the net, that talk about the benefits of using the anti-arrhythmic drug "Flecainide". The posts say that most people see a reduction of PVCs and is ok to use as long as your heart is not damaged. Sadly, today has been a major depression morning with sobbing in the car before forcing myself to come into work. Just so you know I am seeing a Psychiatrist and Psychologist for my stress and depression. Thanks again.
I am absolutely floored by 300mg of metapropol - I'm not sure I've seen anyone else taking that amount, it would knock me on the floor - I take 25mg and want to sleep all the time - maybe I'm mistaken.
Normally dr's prescribe medication for patients with 6,000 - 8,000 pvc's and anything over 15% - 20% of your total 24 hr holter HR they want to look at surgery
somehow I missed the 300mg previously - I would def ask my dr about that much medication - I had over 54,000 pvc's daily (42% of my total 24hr hb) and only prescribed 25 mg to start, sometimes drs prescribed meds as a way of treating symptoms and not finding the cause
maybe you should see a psych dr to help you cope with your anxiety/stress over your symptoms, it's a mind over matter thing and you can't let them control you or they ruin your life - it's ok to need help and fear something will happen - I live in fear daily, but I can't let it control my life...when I do start to feel that way, I write it in my journal or talk to someone about it
Normally dr's prescribe medication for patients with 6,000 - 8,000 pvc's and anything over 15% - 20% of your total 24 hr holter HR they want to look at surgery
somehow I missed the 300mg previously - I would def ask my dr about that much medication - I had over 54,000 pvc's daily (42% of my total 24hr hb) and only prescribed 25 mg to start, sometimes drs prescribed meds as a way of treating symptoms and not finding the cause
maybe you should see a psych dr to help you cope with your anxiety/stress over your symptoms, it's a mind over matter thing and you can't let them control you or they ruin your life - it's ok to need help and fear something will happen - I live in fear daily, but I can't let it control my life...when I do start to feel that way, I write it in my journal or talk to someone about it
Hi,
An extrasystole (maybe a bad translation from my language) is a premature beat, and includes PACs, PVCs and PJCs (premature junctional beats, that is often counted as a PAC anyway).
You are on a quite high dose of Metoprolol, and I can't stress enough how important it is to change or stop medications ONLY after consulting your doctor! It's possibly dangerous to stop using beta blockers suddenly. Do as your doctor tells you to do.
There are other medications that are more effective vs PVCs than b-blockers, but they can have very serious side effects, and doctors prescribe then essentially if someone have ten-thousands of PVCs or have several PVCs and structural heart damage.
Your challenge is to stop being anxious about PVCs. It's not easy, I know. When some people get permanent Afib (constant irregular heart rate) they say first year is hell, after that you stop noticing them. I think the same goes for PVCs and PACs. After some time, you will no longer care, or care less.
An extrasystole (maybe a bad translation from my language) is a premature beat, and includes PACs, PVCs and PJCs (premature junctional beats, that is often counted as a PAC anyway).
You are on a quite high dose of Metoprolol, and I can't stress enough how important it is to change or stop medications ONLY after consulting your doctor! It's possibly dangerous to stop using beta blockers suddenly. Do as your doctor tells you to do.
There are other medications that are more effective vs PVCs than b-blockers, but they can have very serious side effects, and doctors prescribe then essentially if someone have ten-thousands of PVCs or have several PVCs and structural heart damage.
Your challenge is to stop being anxious about PVCs. It's not easy, I know. When some people get permanent Afib (constant irregular heart rate) they say first year is hell, after that you stop noticing them. I think the same goes for PVCs and PACs. After some time, you will no longer care, or care less.
"Could your meds have caused these or added to the symptoms you're having? "
That was a question that my GP had but to tell you the truth I did not have things nearly as frequent or as strong when I was stable on my meds. Only when I was weaned off of the Effexor, and then stayed off all drugs for a couple of weeks, did they really take off on me. I then developed a major phobia/obsession to them and have had trouble "letting it go". With that came a major depression because I was sick of them so much.
That was a question that my GP had but to tell you the truth I did not have things nearly as frequent or as strong when I was stable on my meds. Only when I was weaned off of the Effexor, and then stayed off all drugs for a couple of weeks, did they really take off on me. I then developed a major phobia/obsession to them and have had trouble "letting it go". With that came a major depression because I was sick of them so much.
first and foremost, deal with your anxiety & stress - when we have extra stuff on our plate to deal with, it makes our hearts even more quirky and then adrenaline surges and puts us in this visicious cycle
next find a way to do something little each day - start out slow, something to make your heart stronger, if you lose weight in the process, thats an added bonus - then each day or even every other day, add alittle more until you build up stamina; then reward yourself with something non food, even a new pair of socks! well not really but if you like socks then sure :P
make a plan and keep with it even if you mess up; get back on track - get your body healthy so that if something does happen, your heart will be strong -- you will be thankful you did. Even though I was a bit overweight when I had major problems, what saved my life was being "healthy" - I exercised 5-6 days a week and sometimes more, I had no plaque, no blocks, and have maintained very healthy levels in all my blood work
I'll tell you - I ABHOR pvc's, cant stand em, they wrecked my life and I still put up with the nasty things on a daily basis - stress makes them worse for me - I can't exercise like before because of numerous reasons and it bothers me because I know a big stress reducer is exercise.
Could your meds have caused these or added to the symptoms you're having?
next find a way to do something little each day - start out slow, something to make your heart stronger, if you lose weight in the process, thats an added bonus - then each day or even every other day, add alittle more until you build up stamina; then reward yourself with something non food, even a new pair of socks! well not really but if you like socks then sure :P
make a plan and keep with it even if you mess up; get back on track - get your body healthy so that if something does happen, your heart will be strong -- you will be thankful you did. Even though I was a bit overweight when I had major problems, what saved my life was being "healthy" - I exercised 5-6 days a week and sometimes more, I had no plaque, no blocks, and have maintained very healthy levels in all my blood work
I'll tell you - I ABHOR pvc's, cant stand em, they wrecked my life and I still put up with the nasty things on a daily basis - stress makes them worse for me - I can't exercise like before because of numerous reasons and it bothers me because I know a big stress reducer is exercise.
Could your meds have caused these or added to the symptoms you're having?
First, thanks for the reply. I have been to a cardiologist and ER for that matter. I have had an EKG and ECG done, both normal. My cardiologist assures me that he sees nothing structurally wrong with my heart. I had a 24 hour holter done and they did see PVCs, so did the ER heart monitor. The doctor told me that my heart was normal and there was no real sinister reason for the PVCs and to just learn to live with them. I wanted to paste him in the mouth for that, lol. What is the difference between an extrasystole and a PVC? I am currently taking 300mg a day of Metropolol. I can't say it is really helping that much. I hear that beta blockers can cause depression and right now I have plenty of that to go around. For that reason I am considering tapering myself offf of them. I find that when I calm down is when I feel better. Had a day earlier this week where I didn't have any PVCs for the first half of the day (was a great time I can assure you). Then, I had a major emotional upset and the PVCs haven't stopped for 3 days!
Hi,
I'll try to help you a little. You're definitely not alone with this problem, everyone have PVCs/PACs and approx. 20% can feel them well or are bothered with them (and I'm one of them).
First of all: Not that it really matters, but are you sure you have PVCs and not PACs, or a combination? Monitored on Holter? If not, that should be the first step, to find out how many. It's fairly common among us anxious people to think we have premature beats when we in fact do not, heart only speeds up, slows down, or makes a couple of hard beats for some reason.
You ask if you got the extrasystoles after you stopped using Effexor. Let me first state, I'm no doctor, so this is difficult for me to answer, but it's possible. It may have caused increased anxiety, and we know that anxiety and subconcious worrying is a main trigger for extrasystoles.
Losing weight can definitely help to reduce extrasystoles. With increased weight, the body (and heart) must work harder, something that can irritate spots in your heart and produce extrasystoles.
Crying: Every emotional reaction release adrenaline, that trigger extrasystoles.
Are PVCs a symptom of anxiety: Yes, very likely. I started notice my extrasystoles some time after an anxiety attack, when I started to focus on my heart due to sinus tachycardia.
My advice: See a doctor/cardiologist, get the necessary tests done, primarely to be reassured/accept that extrasystoles essentially are benign. After that, it will be easier to accept and trust cognitive therapy.
I'll try to help you a little. You're definitely not alone with this problem, everyone have PVCs/PACs and approx. 20% can feel them well or are bothered with them (and I'm one of them).
First of all: Not that it really matters, but are you sure you have PVCs and not PACs, or a combination? Monitored on Holter? If not, that should be the first step, to find out how many. It's fairly common among us anxious people to think we have premature beats when we in fact do not, heart only speeds up, slows down, or makes a couple of hard beats for some reason.
You ask if you got the extrasystoles after you stopped using Effexor. Let me first state, I'm no doctor, so this is difficult for me to answer, but it's possible. It may have caused increased anxiety, and we know that anxiety and subconcious worrying is a main trigger for extrasystoles.
Losing weight can definitely help to reduce extrasystoles. With increased weight, the body (and heart) must work harder, something that can irritate spots in your heart and produce extrasystoles.
Crying: Every emotional reaction release adrenaline, that trigger extrasystoles.
Are PVCs a symptom of anxiety: Yes, very likely. I started notice my extrasystoles some time after an anxiety attack, when I started to focus on my heart due to sinus tachycardia.
My advice: See a doctor/cardiologist, get the necessary tests done, primarely to be reassured/accept that extrasystoles essentially are benign. After that, it will be easier to accept and trust cognitive therapy.
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