Palpitations

[Carrie41]

Can you please tell me why I feel so many types of arrythmias.  I just had a holter done and it showed pvc couplet's and pac triplets.  Is that a bad thing?

Sometimes I feel a pause and a thump and other times I feel a flutter and a pause and thump and other times just kind of a drop in my heart.  I have just started on effexor on the advice of my doctor because I am letting these things control my life.

I usually feel around 10 diffferent things happen during the day.  They have told me I have a totally noram heart and don't worry but I can't help myself.  I am a 46  year old female.

Yesterday I freaked myself out because my heart was doing this kinda drop thing every 5 minutes or so for an hour.  This sometimes happens and then it goes away for a couple of hours and then I will get a skip or flutter or rush every hour or so.  It has been documented on all my records that I have benign palpitations but I can't believe they are benign.  

When I was having my thallium test a few weeks ago the nurse told me she gets pvc's and pac's all day!  How can people function and live a normal life with these horrible things?

I hope to stop my worrying after the effexor kicks in.  Do you think I am worrying about nothing?

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

Hi Carrie,

You can tell from reading the forum that you are not alone.  Not everyone with PVCs/PACs feel them, not everyone them worry, but there are a lot of people that do.

Can you tell me why I feel them?

We don't know why some people feel them and others don't.

Is that a bad thing?

If you have a structurally normal heart it is not a bad thing.  The biggest problem is that quality of life goes down for some people and there are not great treatment options.  The most important thing is for you to believe that the aren't going to hurt you.  If you don't, you will have doubts every time you feel one.  

Do you think I am worrying about nothing?

This questions reminds me of when my wife asks me "if she looks fat in this dress."  There is no way I can say you are worrying about nothing -- because you are worried.  Everyone worries about different things.  This is something that we cannot change about human nature.  The only part that we can try to control is what we do with that fear. Taking Effexor is a good first step.  If you don't feel better with Effexor, try a different SSRI.  They all work slightly differently and there might be one that works better than another.


I also read that effexor can give you heart palpitations.

I can't say that it doesn't, but I think it is worth a try to see if it improves the way you feel.

I hope this helps.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

[Carrie41]

I also read that effexor can give you heart palpitations.  I am taking it because of my anxiety about my skipping heart and I don't want to make it worse.  What do you think?  I am scared taking it now but I know I have to because of my chronic worry.

[ireneo]

PVC's and PAC's may come singly or close together (bigeminy, trigeminy) but they're still just PVC's and PAC's. Depending on the timing of the early signal you'll get a slightly different sensation. I bet there are times you have one and don't even feel it. You're probably wishing they were all that way. Mine do the same thing - no sensation, flutter, flip, surge of pressure or a firm ka-thump. It's just the nature of the beat (no typo intended).

I don't know about your medication. I rarely take meds so don't have much experience there. All I do know is that each person reacts differently to meds. You can take the effexor and see how it works for you. Perhaps in time you'll be more comfortable with your dancing heart beats and won't need the med any more. Wouldn't that be great? Take care.

[mmalo]

I feel the same way.  Sometimes it just feels like its stopping and starting up.  I've also been told exactly what you've been told.  Please let me know how the effexor works.  Thanks!  Ma

[Carey01]

Every now and them I get a surge of pain in the center of my chest with mine.  It only lasts for a second or two but its noticeable enough to remember.  Does anyone get that, too?

[mmalo]

No, pain is something I don't get.  The pain my be totally unrelated.

[seekans55]

To Carrie41 - I can truly understand how you feel because I also worry alot about my "erratic" heart beat, although MD has told me it is just "benign" after a workup last summer and could be related to menopause (I am 52).  I keep thinking that something is being overlooked or missed.  Web research in some ways just makes me worry more.  This can't be helping!  I am considering asking for a Holter monitor which has never been recommended.   Just recently I have been feeling somewhat faint at times when I am standing and notice the erratic heartbeat then as well.  I feel neurotic or something and not sure if I am simply overreacting.

[Arabella]

Hi I am 40 and 2 yrs ago started feeling dizzy, lightheaded then started fainting just for a few seconds sometimes felt fine as I started to faint which was strange as you felt as if you were making it up.  I had SVTs up t o 200 bts bm 220/140 had tilt test, then they thought it was epilepsy then kidneys finally settled on AV node block 2nd degree. Just it sounds like your symptons.  I had holter that picked up the brachycardia I have dual pacemaker now but it has started again.  It is not all the time sometimes every day sometimes once a week.  Hope this helps.

[Awake and Unafraid]

I have PVC's, PAC's also.  Sometimes I have that chest pain like you describe but was told by cardio nurse that some patients do describe pain from time to time with these.  It used to scare me but not so much anymore...I had one this morning.  

Could you describe more what you mean by dropping and rush feeling?

[canihelp]

Hi, I'm 51, and part of my PVC's are definately related to perimenopause.  I still have my cycle, but it's irratatic & lately last longer than usual.  I also wake up nights, hot, then cold, etc... But I can handle all that. It's the PVCs that are so scary and "life stopping".  In that I mean, I'm afraid to go & do certain things because they kick in at weird times.  Tonight & last night I had alot & am still experiencing them tonight, which is scary & unusual for me.  I'm confused as to why???  I've worn a 24 hr monitor & king of hearts monitor a couple months ago & they saw the PVCs.  I had a bad episode while wearing the King of Hearts.  They saw them, but said it wasn't V-tach or anything like that, but were coming often enough that it made me actually call an ambulance.  I didn't have them transport me.  I & they finally calmed down.  The cardiologist doesn't seem too concerned as long as there are normal beats in between, etc... I was actually just at his office two days ago for my yearly & results from the monitors.  They did a chest x-ray & EKG at that time & everything was normal.  Now, last night & tonight I'm having trouble. I've taken Klonopin, which usually knocks them right out within 15-30 min. for 8 hours or so., along with my beta blocker.

I understand your fear.  I feel it too.  I've been doing so well.  So what has caused the big difference the last couple days.  No stress in my life.  May be my diet, but I'm on weight watchers, so I don't over eat & don't do much sugar.  I'm really not much over weight.

ANY GOOD WORDS of ENCOURAGEMENT NEEDED !!!  

I've been excersicing tonight too, and didn't have them at that time, although sometimes I do.  I normally can exercise just fine.  

[Ash55]

Hello Everybody,

I am 28 yrs old. I have a question which is worrying me from quite sometime now. It all started last week. I was strolling back from my office. I had little chest pain and the after I took few more steps my heart started beat very fast and had some sweating. I really scared the hell out of me. I thought it might have something to do with heart attack. I called my father immediately, who is a Doctor. I explained him my problem. He said it might have happened due to anxiety and told not to worry about it. Next day again I had the same thing happen at around 11:00 AM in the morning. I got me worrying and I went straight to a Cardiologist for consultation. He advised to me to take a ECG, which turned out to be normal. He said it might be due to anxiety and stress. Nothing happened for the next two days. But on the third day it started again when I was watching TV. The palpitaions came and was there for 1 to 2 minutes and then faded away. It is now happening every one or two days and most of them come when I am about to drift off to sleep making me awake. This happens for couple of times before I fall asleep. What actually happens is my heart suddenly starts beating very fast with discomfort in my stomach and throat and sometimes I have mild chest pain. Now after that I can feel my heart beat whole day. I am a smoker. After doing some reasearch on the Internet found out that Smoking, Coffee, Tea can cause palpitations. I have stopped smoking, having tea and coffee from past 4 days. Still I seem to have these palpliations and awareness of my heart beat. Can some body tell me is it beginning of some new problem.

I am still unmarried. After reading comments in the forum with people having similar symptoms I think I too might have developed some arrhythmia. Is it ok for people having such problems get married and lead a normal life.

Can anybody advise what I need to do.

Regards
Ash55