Heart Skipping & Anxiety

[canadianwithquestion]

Anyone else have skipping heart beats and this gives them chronic anxiety?  I am so scared about my heart.  I think I have cardiophobia now becuase of my skipping heart beat.  Maybe only happens 10 times a day but freaks me out to no end.  I have one and then wait for the next one and so on.  This is really controllling my life.  Any suggestions??

[iamfaithful]

I have been going thru the same thing for a year now.  I am actually in the process of coming off of my meds, under the supervision of my doctor.  It is a very, VERY scary place to be.  Especially when it just sneaks up on you when you think you are feeling fine and having a pretty good day-then you get a skip or jump (they are called PVC's) and your entire day is ruined.  I do agree with jsgeare about, if it's not your heart, there has got to be a problem somewhere.  Mine is in my head, the constant worry about my heart and health, etc.  So even though I THINK I feel okay, my subconcious is still thinking all of those fearul thoughts...if that makes any sense.

I hope you are feeling better these days.  It is a real hard place to be in, trust me I do understand.

[Ryder127]

I feel like you read my thoughts straight from my brain. I appreciate all of this. Thank you

[Pum]

Like JSG said, try eliminating caffeine and alcohol and see if that helps a little. I reduced mine by doing this and can now have a wine or two but if I have more I get a racing heart and lots of skips and jumps. Someone suggested peanut butter and bananas might help and that's an easy thing to try too.

It does sound like the lexapro isn't keeping on top of your anxiety so maybe you should ask your doctor about something else.

Avoiding friends and certain places is a bad way to live your life and can get to the point of agrophobia (fear of being away from your safe places/people).
If you visit the heart rhythm forum you will see lots of people struggle with these and the trick is to ignore them, laugh at them, say "here we go again", "this is just nothing", etc.

Good luck

[klanac]

A good book is called Olive Leaf Extract by Dr. Morton Walker. He tells of a 61 yrs. old with atrial fibrillation. He tried all of the prescribed drugs and nothing helped. The Drs. told him they couldn't do anything more for him but to try a pacemaker, so he sought out an alternative healthcare practitioner. Olive leaf ex. was recommended by the wholistic physican. After taking it for 3 mo. the palps, weakness, faintness and shortness of breath all went away. This Dr. Morton says he takes 2 capsules when under stress, one upon rising on an empty stomach at 7 am and the second one around 3:30 pm. He takes it as a maintenance program against getting infections of any kind, which it is also good for.The routine dosage can be l tablet every 6 hrs. or 4 throughout the day. I have been taking it twice a day along with the Natural Calm (evening)and the Taurine in the morning. I don't know which one is doing the job but I can sleep and no longer get the heart palps and anxiety.  None of these are harmful. Before I was up all night having panic attacks and heart palps during the daytime. Anyone with bad anxiety in the day can even drink another cup of the Natural Calm in the am and Taurine also in the pm.  I would not take the Taurine if you are on any meds for anxiety. It is a calming amino acid. Besure to get the Natural Calm calcium/magnesium, not just the plain calcium.I hope this might help you as I know what you must be going through. Good Luck.

[klanac]

The above  will also help your heart palps. and another good thing is olive leaf extract.

[klanac]

I had the same problem and after take Natural Vitality (brand) called Natural Calm (Use the one with magnesium and calcium) I could finally sleep. Make 3/4 cup with 1-2 heaping tsp. of hot water and drink before bedtime. It really makes me sleep well and stopped the nighttime panics. Also Taurine twice a day.

[blink1147]

Wow, I've been haing at least four anxiety attacks a night because I'm so terrified of my heart. I have OCD, so I have quite a few obsessions, but this is the most intense thing I've ever experienced. It's been going on now for about 7 months, and I've been to the hospital over it. I don't know if it skips beats or not, I'm to scared to hold my hand over my heart long enough to find out.
When I feel my heart beat, I'm so terrified it'll stop that I have to move around until I can't feel it anymore. But then I just go crazy that I can't feel it anymore. I have severe insomnia over it now (that's why I'm on here at 6:42 am, I haven't slept yet).
I'm not a doctor, But I'm pretty sure I have severe cardiophobia, and thank god other people have it too (this is the first time I found anything on it).
It's wrecking my life, and I'm constantly in fear, so if ANYONE knows ANYTHING about getting over it without therapy (too poor) could you please send it to my profile? Thanx

[be still my beating heart 13]

Just wanted to chime in and say that yes I too get the skipped beats for over 3 years now!  I have grown accustomed to the solitary extra beats and only repsond to the with annoyance and tell myself "there another one", instead of saying "OH MY GOD it did it again!!!"  Your responce to them really does make a difference.  What gets me now is that mine have evolved into what I call "runs" of extra beats, like 10-20 in a row, and those still throw me for a loop.  I don't believe that I will ever be comfortable with those.  But my cardio and all my docs assure me that all of the things I experience is anxiety, nothing more.  I hope this helps and that you felt well today!  Merry Christmas!

Cori

[canadianwithquestion]

Wow do you make sense.  I hope I can overcome this fear and get on with things but I have worried so much about it that I think I may have something else wrong with me now.  I have started to avoid my freinds for fear I am going to have these skips when with them.  I avoid being on the phone now because I have skips while I am on there.  I avoid anywhere where I can't get out of quicky in case I have these terrible panic attacks where I can't get help.  All I think about is going to the hospital and having them fix this heart thing or give me a new one!  I know what a pathetic thought.  I have been through a ton on cardiac testing and they keep on telling me it is my behaviour that is not normal to these things but I just don't know how to stop my obsessing about it and get on with things.  I take Lexapro but I don't think it has done a darn thing for my obsessing about my heart.  I just don't know where to turn.  I went to see a shrink last year and I she just couldn't relate because I told her I was so worried about my heart and the skipping and stuff and she has never felt that before so she just couldn't understand my worry.  I think I went to three sessions and then told myself this was useless.  I think what I need is a cardiac shrink that could maybe try to talk me down but I can't find one.  Are you in the medical profession by chance JSGeare?  You sound very knowledgable.

[JSGeare]

It is tough, at first, but one thing you will learn is that the symptoms won't hurt you; scare you, yes; injure or hurt you, no. This assumes that you've been checked out medically and that there is, in fact, no physical problem with your heart. You indicate tests has been done. Eventually, you may do things on your own, such as exercise, to make your heat beat faster, slower, etc. When I was in this phase, I stopped the intake of caffine and alcohol and other behaviors which by their nature were likely to show up in heart action. With the passage of MORE time, what now presents as something terrifying may be more annoying. So, if there is NOTHING wrong with your heart -but it skips beats and misbehaves, then obviously there is something wrong SOMEwhere. What makes the heart get wild and crazy is chemicals, such as adrenalin, that control your pulse. And so, what's really going is that the brain is triggering the release of chemicals at inappropriate moments; at least they are inappropriate in our conscious understanding of what's going on. But, for some reason, your brain is detecting a threat condition or danger which cannot be validated with your senses. You are not in danger, nothing bad is about to happen -but your react as if such were the case. This is where therapy comes in, to dig down, do the emotional archealogy and figure out what's "bugging" you, while drugs, perhaps, help relieve the creepy and scary feelings.

While you think about and anticipate the occurrences a LOT, you probably do NOT do so 24/7 -literally. As a matter of fact, as you read and reply to these posts, you're doing something else -same when you sleep, however fitfully. If you finally go the ER in a desparate state, you'll probably calm down a bit while you're waiting for attention. And that attention may include a sedative to settle you down. In any case, action to seek care make changes is in order, so I hope you do act -and keep us in the loop.

Believe me, we've all been through it or are going through it. As you read and respond to posts, you'll see the profile develop; folks new to panic, folks who have been free of it for some years -and everyone in between. It is a club I would never ask anyone to join, but since you're here, we'll do our best to make you at home so you know there is one place where the people really, really know what you are experiencing. Please stay in touch.

[canadianwithquestion]

Yup been thru all the cardiac testing and nothing is wrong.  I just can't cope with the anticipatory anxiety about them though.  I think about them 24/7.

[AJPTRF]

I am having the SAME thing right now. I will get light headed and dizzy with it to. I did see my dr., did an EKG which was relatively normal, then the 24 hr holter monitor. It was perfect he said. But still it is SO scary. I keep waiting  for it to happen again. Skipped hearts beats is  actually normal and common, but anxiety people tend to notice it more. Have you seen your dr just to rule anything out? Stress will do it tho!