Frequent Palpitations :(

[johnnyky]

I've posted about this many times but it just keeps happening. Not sure what to do any more. I get these skipped beats every few minutes sometimes they aren't there at all and other times they're near constant, and there's no pattern to them like they come out of nowhere but sometimes after activity. I've had every heart test known to man over the last few years. They only thing I was told is that I have tachycardia and benign palpitations. I've had normal echos, EKGs, good blood pressure, etc etc, had a stress test several years ago and passed it. I'm 33. I have some belly fat but trying to lose it. The doctors don't seem to think anything is wrong but why am I having these skipped beats more often now than when I was younger? And I'm not sleeping well either.

Also, I notice that some nights I wake up on my side from a deep sleep and out of nowhere my heart will beat very fast I can feel it coming on and it's just really scary and annoying :( It happened again last night, I woke up on my left side and had a very fast heart rate and had skipped beats all morning :(

I take Metoprolol 50mg twice a day, sometimes I only take 25mg twice a day, but it seems I still struggle with tachycardia. Is there anything else I can do? Any other medication to try? Could the Metoprolol be making things worse? I had it pretty bad before I started Metoprolol but I also have anxiety so take Xanax too for that.

Can anyone offer help/suggestions? Going back to the cardiologist in a couple weeks, he probably won't do much but maybe is there another medication I could try? The Metoprolol affects my libido and I have to take Cialis sometimes for that reason.

[MichelleP_3811]

the skipped beats and tachycardia are 2 different things.  Skipped beats can happen for no reason at all or can be triggered by things like caffeine, stress and anxiety or stomach issues.  Address those factors in your life and see if it helps the extra beats you are feeling.  As for the tachycardia do you know how fast it is beating and if it starts and stops in what feels like one beat?  If you notice it start and stop suddenly then you could have svt that is treatable by ablation but it has to be captured first otherwise the doctors will deem you healthy.  If you know you will have an episode within a months time you can ask for a 30 day monitor to try and catch it but to do an ablation you do need to be fairly active or the EP will not be able to get the svt going and know where to ablate.  Svt and ectopic beats feed off each other.  Svt irritates the heart which can cause ectopic beats while ectopic beats timed in just the right way can trigger an svt episode.  This is if you have svt.  If your tachycardia is slower.  Svt generally presents at a high rate usually into the 200s.  Sinus tachycardia is generally 150 and lower and can be caused by any number of reasons that are hard to pin down but some of the bigger triggers are anxiety and dehydration or electrolyte imbalances.  In an otherwise healthy heart neither issue is an immediate threat.  The ectopic beats are simply extra beats that are harmless unless the heart is damaged but yours is not so no worries there.  The tachycardia is no a threat if the episodes are short in duration.  If you do suspect svt you can try vasovagal maneuvers to try and get it to stop as soon as possible.  Hold your breath and bear down like straining to go to the bathroom or try drinking a cold glass of water.  If you suspect svt go back to your doctor for a 30 day event monitor.  If you suspect sinus tachycardia then do your best to pin down possible triggers and make needed lifestyle changes to see if you can correct the issue.  Take care and feel better soon.

[des900]

also this kind of tachycardia can also come from side effect of certain medications, food supplements, diet etc. so need to test by not taking any needless ones for some months.

[johnnyky]

I have no idea what it is. I've been told my thyroid is totally normal I've had extensive blood tests but I'll ask about it.

[des900]

what was your actual free t4 value? most doctors will always say its normal as there is a difference between normal reference range and optimal range.

[johnnyky]

Ive had blood tests and my understanding is that my thyroid has always been normal. So just not sure. I've had all these tests and they never said anything was wrong.

[des900]

first thing to rule out is thyroid problems.

do a free t4 blood test anyway even if its normal recently. it should be in 50% range in reference range given.

[johnnyky]

Also another thing I've wondered is can an Echo show any blockages in the heart? I'm only 33 so probably wouldn't have those and I'm certainly not obese or overweight although I do have some belly fat, all the echos I've had in the last few years were normal. So does that mean the heart is normal and the frequent palpitations are not due to anything serious? They're driving me nuts.