PVC trouble...again

[juniorfan32]

My pvc are making me crazy.  The anxiety I get is really affecting my life.  The docs keep trying antidepressants on me and they seem to be not working.  I have tried Lexapro, Effexor, and now Zoloft.  Still having major anxiey.  I feel like my Dr thinks I am making a big deal of nothing.  He has put me on Atenolol but it seems to make me have more PVCs, is that possible?  I am just at my wits end.  Doc said he could send me to a cardiologist but he doesn't really think its necessary.  I have just had a normal EKG, blood tests and chest xray, could they be missing something?  Tell me what you guys think.

[joanie-s]

Hi there - I couldn't have put it better myself. I live in London and ablation is very easy to get if you want it. I have had an EP study but ablation was considered a little too risky. As you say-get a good doctor who understands - it really does help.
Nice to hear someone tell it like it is - thanks and best wishes...

[e.r.boy]

I don't think eating a heavy meal or spicy meal has anything to do with it. They simply stimulate the nervous system to ramp up ( the opposite what a beta blocker does) because they sense a meal has come in and the body needs to react to it, and cause your foci tissue to fire again and cause your PVC's. The biggest question is why we have these foci and what makes them tend to fire sometimes and disappear others.If someone could make a drug that either eliminates or quiets these foci without killing us, they will have found the cure.

[sb786]

Thanks for the response to my question!
I'm amazed that you also make a connection between eating a heavy meal and pvcs. I have read similar claims on another heart forum but there seems to be many more people there who make the link.

[joe4185]

I started having pac's and pvc's nonstop in September of last year. I have always had svt, with episodes hitting me about twice a month. All of this nonsense started I think in 2004 when I decided I was tired of being 15 pounds overweight and wanted to start running. I started slowly, and before you know it I was up to 3 miles per run, about 12mi/wk. Then bam! One morning I woke up and I was having pvc after pvc, Immediately made a dr appt. and she thought nothing of it, giving me a sample pack of toporol. After 3 weeks the pvc's subsided, and I didnt resume excercise until early on 05. That is until September when I woke up one morning and here they are again. This time I have pvc's AND pac's. Have had 2 echos, 2 ekg's, 2 cardiologists, 2 holter's, and 2 event monitors and the only diagnosis is SVT. But I tell you, the pvc's and pac's bother me MUCH more than the svt ever did. I am scheduled for an ablation for SVT Wednesday of this week, just kinds bummed out b/c  everyone says that the ablation will do nothing for the pvc's and pac's. I have tried atenolol, toporol (which didn't work this time) and xanax to try to reduce the symptoms, but nothing helps. What next??

[mariop]

I started having PVCs about a year ago.  Yes they arrive without any warning.  There are days I get a lot and days I get none.  I do believe the ablation has helped, but there's one focal spot that is still active and some days goes wild.  There's no way of saying how long they will last, could be just a few minutes or 24 hours.

I'm beginning to believe that they are food related.  This is a loose connection I'm making, but anytime I eat hot chinese food, or hot Italian salami, or a heavy meal, it seems that PVC activity follows shortly.

SVT and PVCs are two different things and I do not believe that ablating SVT will help with PVCs.  I think they originate from different places in the heart, and the aim of ablation is to burn out that spot.

[e.r.boy]

Please keep us informed after you ablate the remaining foci tissue. It would be interesting to see if you get relief, temporarily or permanently. I wonder if new foci form all the time, like freckles on our skin. Too bad the doctors can't answer my questions. Good luck. try to visualize them gone forever and maybe they will not return.

[mariop]

There are PVC ablations.  I've had one on feb 16 with partial success; I'm going for a repeat on mar 28.  My Holter Monitor on a mild day showed 15900 PVC in a 24 hour period.  They irritate my chest and the whole vascular apparatus.  When you get a lot of PVCs the blood flow becomes a problem.  Your problem is finding a doctor who understands this and doesn't give you the quick dismissive that they will not kill you, therefore you are OK. If you are unable to tolerate them, ablation is the only choice as every other strategy is sure to fail sooner or later.

[joe4185]

Hi how many pvc's do you have now afer the ablation? I have many more pac's than pvc's but its the pvc's that scare me the most. Like I said I am having an svt ablation done Wednesday, do you think it would help with the pvc's and pac's?

[fearfactor]

I feel ya!  If they came out with some drug that could STOP palpitations and was safe, I would get it, no matter the cost!  I know lots of others feel the same.  I'd much rather have a 3-day migraine complete with nausea and vomiting than one run of PACs, so I completely sympathize.

[sb786]

If you don't mind me asking did your pvcs start suddenly, without warning? Were they always alot or did they gradually increase in number?

[e.r.boy]

I started having PVC's about 5 years ago. They went away for more than 18 months and returned. I check out this forum every once in a while just to see if there is some dramatic new treatment. Unfortunately the medical profession does not seem to find this terrible affliction important . When you have these PVC's bad it is like an electrical storm in your chest. Your neck throbs, you feel weak. I think the majority of us are depressed over this because we feel we are not in control and are frustrated by not knowing what causes them consistently. Do you all try to analyze in your brain, over and over again, what you did differently to cause the re-occurence of them ? When they stop, are you not on cloud nine for a while ?  Stress is supposed to cause them, but I had the most stressful year of my life last year without any PVC's. I have not heard of any research being done to even try to understand them better. There is some reason the medical profession is ignoring this, and some day i'd like to find out why. I have an arthritic knee and ankle, asthma and various other ailments. They are heaven compared to having a run of PVC's for hours, days, weeks, months.....

[Abeybaby]

We all seem to be in the same boat. I have had 18 months of non stop pvcs daily getting anywhere between 100-2-3000 daily every bloody day! I am sick beyond belief of them and they are debilitating in many ways. Truth to be told, even with a full cardiac workup and normal results the fact is cardiology is impotent in stoping the pvcs in a safe manner. It is only natural that someone will develop anxiety. Try living with pvcs during a bad bout and see whether anyone can just shrug them off and continue on with life? Yeah right! Not so easy at all- very very tough to do regardless of all the assurances in the world. Why you may ask? Because after the cardiologist tells you your fine you leave the drs office and then whammy you get a run or a ton of them and it leaves you in a frenzy exacberated, tired, frustrated, etc with how they can ruin ones life very easily.

I have no solutions either just "self talk" daily to get through the days and often angry because they continue to get the best of me/ us? Its very tough. If your dr doesn't get it well ditch them and move on to someone who gets it and perhaps has bedside manners that are more appropriate. Living in Canada- ablations are not so easy to get unless you are in dire danger. As my cardio said, "ablations are not something you ask for and get, they are treatment options only for those who require them as a last resort...epecially in dealing with ventricular arrythmias"

Today has been an especially bad day. Trying to sleep it off ...

Good luck to all- pvcs have become a nightmare!

[Katz_22]

Hi,
I understand what you are dealing with. I seem to have had the same problems with practically all the medications I was prescribed except the beta blockers and vakium. Have you had an EPS study done of your heart? If not I think you will find most of your answers there. I have had several and 2 Ablation surgeries. I feel much better THANKS TO A WONDERFUL DOCTOR although I still deal with some problems.

[anacyde]

My husband went through three antidepressants as well, and they only made his anxiety worse.  He was put on Buspar (antianxiety only) a couple of years ago and it's done wonders.  Of course he still has to take steps to manage his anxiety, but it's tolerable and he doesn't have the mood side effects now.

For some people, beta blockers can actually produce more ectopic beats.  You might be one of those people.

Try to hang in there.

[Momto3]

Hi and welcome!

Maybe a cardiology referral would help to put your mind at ease.  Internists and other family doctors can effectively diagnose and treat pvcs, but sometimes a cardio referral is a good idea if the anxiety over them is too bothersome.  A good cardiac workup may be the ticket to getting your life back on track.  Sometimes reassurance from an expert is just what we need. Mention to your doctor that you would might feel more comfortable after being seen by a cardio.

Good luck!
Hope you are feeling better.

[sb786]

Hi there, i'm in excatly the same boat as you. I don't know about you but i have my pvcs started 5 months ago and since then my whole life has changed. I really cannot bear them and the anxiety is too much at the moment. I keep thinking the docs must have missed something out. Its so hard to believe the pvcs are benign i keep thinking there must be some underlying cause to them. Do you get alot? I get anywhere between 5-200 a day!!