pvc's

[anxious john]

I know I have posted once before but i need to ask your opinion. I had a normal echo, x-ray, blood tests, ecg, ekg. I still feel the skips and alot of times is going up stairs or lifting heavy weight during excersize. With all of these tests ok would you be more likely to think It is ok to excersize or should i seek further evaluation. I dont get dizzy or feel faint and have no pain. I am 28, 6ft, 180 lbs and work construction. Thanx. Oh im on 50 mg atenolol

[Erik36]

You need to put your mind somewhere else or you will drive yourself insane. I was once where you are. Paxil, Xanax and Toprol XL have helped me a lot. Also, magnesium oxide helped.

There is a study that shows Fish Oil can cause Ventricular Arrhythmias. It could be making your PVC's worse. I would consider stopping it. Good luck!

[frommer]

I'm with Eric on the fish oil. I took fish oil for about 30 days and it seemed to moderately help my PVCs until they went absolutely crazy.  Can't say for sure that it was fish oil but a felt much better a couple weeks after stopping the supplement.

[Jeff-67]

Marilyn / Everyone,

Just out of interest, how do you know whether you are getting VT or SVT? I have been getting runs of something for many years, but it has never been captured (we have tried).  I know I get lots of PACs and PVCs, but I do not know what this is. I can be sitting there, then suddenly I might get say 3 or 4 ectopics (bigemmy), with each ectopic being followed by a pause and compensatory beat, and then my heart will suddenly rattle off a burst of tachycardia (sometimes so fast it is hard to count) and during this my heart just feels like it is kicking eratically in my chest. It lasts for a few seconds and then returns to normal.  No other symptoms. Anyone else that has felt this and had it captured?

Jeff

[Konopka1955]

Hi jeff,  You ask:  Is there a reason for your VT?

Well, I think it might be from my heart attack.  I have some scar tissue from that and I think the scar tissue effected my electrical circuitry.  As I started getting the pvc's right after my heart attack and only when I was exercising.. (at first).  Then they just got worse and worse.  But they could be from the fact that I had rheumatic fever as a baby - the surgeon who replaced my mitral valve - said my old valve was scarred from rheumatic fever. NOW I have a brand new St. Jude Mitral Valve..  It clicks kind of loud some nights.  I have to say in all honesty - my breathing has improved tremendously since my surgery.  Of course right after my open heart surgery I went into 'intermittent' full heart block and had to be paced 100%.  So, now since my heart is 100% programmed - I don't get vts or pvcs' or pac's anymore.  Hell of a way to get rid of them.   But I must say I'm very lucky to have survived a heart attack at age 37.  Actually, I must tell you I had my heart attack just after having SEX !!!  Yes, I got lucky that night !!!   hehehe - I blame everything on my husband.  I still love him..  :-) and I tell him everyday - how lucky he is to have me..  We've been married for 32 years !!!   Damn lucky I'd say..  

I agree with jfk - Dr. Weeks has some excellent books for anxiety and phobias.   I had both of those.  It was awful - but if you really want to get rid of them I found those books to be very helpful.  I have a phobia of 'hospitals'  YES, can you believe it HOSPITALS - I saw "snakes" everywhere !!!  Talk about phobias..  I hate snakes - They were all over the beds and floors and wrapped around my neck !!!  It was awful and the only way to get over this phobia was to go to the hospital and face it - I did that everyday.  First I stayed 2 minutes and the next day 2:30 minutes and it took me 6 mos to get over the phobia (fear).  It comes back every now and then..  But not as bad. I was horrible when I went in the hospital - I could never figure out 'why' and so I saw a MD (shrink) and so I told him - I feel so uncomfortable when I have to go in the hospital and I told him I literally feel like I'm in a 'pit' full of snakes.  So he told me what to do - face the fear - let it pass within you and 'give' into your fear - 'let go'..  That's when I saw all the snakes.  He said I had to keep going back to the hospital - I thought he was NUTS..  I'm not doing that - I hate hospitals..  But in reality that's the only way I got rid of the snakes.. I also NOW go to a better hospital where they give better care and I also have new doctors that listen better and they use the butterfly needle instead of the 'foot' long one.  Plus when they draw blood - I get the butterfly needle - and if they can't get my vein after 3 try's for an IV they 'stop' trying.  


Jodie - I'm glad you don't have problems with your meds.  The meds didn't take my sex drive away 100% in the beginning - but I think it did effect it some over time - I started menopause at age 40 - I refuse to take the hormones.  My sister died of breast cancer.  I've heard alot of people say - Blood pressure pills killed their sex drive.  I thought no way that could happen to me - I got plenty of hormones !!!  Plus, I took a diuretic for years and it didn't bother mine - but beta blockers are awful..  I'd rather have the pvc's.  


Jodie:  You said:   Im 40 years old and can honestly say that since I started that medicine my sex drive is nill. My poor husband. But I just don't care, I don't want it. How bad is that!!!   Well, your not alone - I think that's why they made PROZAC !!!  They give you one pill it causes another problem and then you get another pill.  I went 10 years after my heart attack rejecting every pill.  I just plain refused to take the drugs..  But with the VT's and gasping for air - and getting 'shocked' from my ICD - I gave in..  I take the meds and keep my mouth shut - which I have to say - I don't keep my mouth shut to often as most people will attest to on this board..  But I have found that 'meds' are wonderful and they can save your life.. Literally saved my life..  But they have their drawbacks.  


Hi tickertock,  C9  beta blockers and libido

While beta blockers are infamous or famous for a decrease in libido in both sexes, most are never bothered in this way by beta blockers, those persons are very fortunate , for example I am on 100mg of atenolol daily and it does not interfere with my sex drive at all, it also keeps the PVCs and tachycardia at bay, though i admit i have slight fatigue and memory loss, but no other DREADED side effects.

I have the memory loss as well - I thought it was from getting 'older' - or maybe from the open heart surgery.  But, I honestly kind of like having it.  I can say:  Well, I'm getting OLD - and its a good excuse for forgetting things..  I use it to my advantage.  Just like the selective 'hearing'...

You said:  From the literature I read actually only about 3% of persons taking atenolol is bothered by a decrease in sex drive.

I bet the other 97% stopped taking it..  

I never read the side effects on the drugs I take - hell if I did I would not take them...  Like coumadin - I've taken that drug for a year and I still haven't read the side effects - but I know what I've been feeling since I started the drug - so I can only say for ME - this is what I get - personally I don't care what they (drug companies) say are the side effects - if I didn't have it before I took the drug and I do now after a year -then I'd say its a side effect and not some fluke thing..  I don't even discuss it with my doctor - what can he do - I can't stop taking the meds..  SO it doesn't do any good to complain.. and switching drugs - well can be hell for me..  It took me a long time to get find a beta blocker that didn't hurt me.  

You see I didn't start on atenolol as my first beta blocker - NO, my first drug was solatol - and I got epileptic seizures from that drug.  I actually went into a trance and I could not physically MOVE..  They even documented it with medical 'tests'..  They diagnosed me with epilepsy.  Of course I had only been on the drug for a month..  Although my doctor (at the time) insisted it was NOT the solatol - as he said - you have epilepsy and you just don't want to accept it..  I fought long and hard on this and I was finally able to see another neurologist and he let me get off the drug but I had to stay in the hospital 48 hours with electrodes all over my head - bad hair day to say the least.  But anyways I had no seizures... Actually the neurologist said - you do not have epilepsy.  Yet you demonstrated on this drug that you did.  He said - call the kettle black - its the drug that caused it.. Then he said not only do you not have epilepsy (which they gave me drugs for) he said:  Marilyn - You have the brain waves of a teenager !!!   Isn't that AWESOME - I don't tell to many people cause then I can't blame things on my senility..  :-)  Now there's a bright neurologist..  he certainly had some 'common' sense in him..  I'll never forget the first morning I woke up with having slept with all those electrodes - they happen to be doing rounds at the hospital and I woke up with about 10 young interns all around me.. I almost died - my hair must have looked awful.  They said:  we'll let you go back to sleep and they LEFT... I hope I wasn't snoring when they came in.. :-(

So, in all probability my pvc's were caused from my heart attack and yet - I know when I went through menopause the pvc's got worse.  Also during that time of the month - they got worse - during the winter mos - they got worse.  When I exercised they got worse.  It took 10 years for them to come to a head.  All the while - getting worse - my (previous) cardiologist laughed at me when I asked for a holter monitor - he swore I was having nothing but pvc's - I sat in his office and said:  I'm having ventricular tachycardas - I want a holter monitor and I want an appt. with my electrician.   I had a 100% ablation for avnrt and my electrician was a genius.  He's now my cardiologist..  :-)  Anyways, my previous cardiologist practically threw me out the door - but being the obstinate woman that I am - I insisted I get a monitor and so he checked his cmedical upboard and they happened to have one heart monitor left.  So he let me take it...  Within a week I produced ventricular tachycardias and he called me like 3 days after I had phoned them in and said he was 'busy' and I would need an appt. with my electrician right away..  well the rest is history.   But,  I say especially if you 'work out' - you get to know your body and I know what to listen to and what to ignore.  This has taken me years to learn.  PVC's are fine - VT's for some people are NOT..  As you go along in life - you will learn to become more comfortable with how your body works.  Yet, when there is danger you will also know that.  There is a young woman I met - who actually was at Harvard University studying to become a doctor and she was a runner - well she passed out one day while running and her dad was a cardiologist out in Washington state - so he insisted she get it checked out - well it ended up she had long QT and she ended up needing an ICD and she was healthy and had not had any heart problems.  She is now a pediatric doctor and studying to be a pediatric electrician.  She's a great doctor and she listens to her patients.  She's also 'running' races and we touch base once in awhile.  So, I guess the morale of the story is - you just never know - it can happen to me - it can happen to anyone..  Take Care of your heart.  You only have ONE..  

Best Wishes
Marilyn  (runner)

[tickertock]

While beta blockers are infamous or famous for a decrease in libido in both sexes, most are never bothered in this way by beta blockers, those persons are very fortunate , for example I am on 100mg of atenolol daily and it does not interfere with my sex drive at all, it also keeps the PVCs and tachycardia at bay, though i admit i have slight fatigue and memory loss, but no other DREADED side effects.

From the literature I read actually only about 3% of persons taking atenolol is bothered by a decrease in sex drive.

Some persons never suffer from the lack of sex drive while on beta blockers until they read that it is one the side effects and then all of sudden they notice a decrease in their sex drive, this is psychological to reading about the side effects and mostly likely not related to beta blocker usuage at all.

Although there are definitely persons that beta blockers do interfere with their sex drive, the numbers are way overblown, though i really do sympathize with those are bothered by those unwanted side effects.

maybe those  that are affected by one beta blocker could try another sometimes i understand that helps. I am only relating my experience with atenolol, everyone has different responses and side effects to a particular drug.

[jkf]

Rambios- go out and get the books Hope and Help for your Nerves and Peace from Nervous Suffering by Dr. Claire Weeks.  I was just like you in my early 20's.  This is pure anxiety you have and the more you fret the more you feel the nasty pvc's.  I used to get hundreds a day.  I also have PAT and other wierd feelings.  You have to stop focusing on them and I know it is almost impossible.  Her book saved me.  I'm not kidding.  It is easy reading and they are both short but to the point.  My heart settled down because I learned how to deal with the anxiety of thinking I was going to die every time it skipped.
Go to Amazon and order them.  Let me know if it helps.

Konopka - I never thought about that.  I only take 6.25 mg of tenormin a night to help with the pvc's and tachy beats.  It isn't much but I only weight 105 lbs.  Im 40 years old and can honestly say that since I started that medicine my sex drive is nill.  My poor husband.  But I just don't care, I don't want it.  How bad is that!!!

Jodie