MVP or anxiety

[fuzzy882]

3 months ago, I went through alot of stress and then the "skipped beats" started, everyday all day long, I went to see a cardioligst and he did an echo and said all was good with my heart and he said this was a benign MVP and put me on toprolxl. But the skips are still there and they are running my life I am so frightned that maybe he missed something.  Please advise. Thank you

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

We do not have a safe way of stopping PVCs or skipped beats.  The medications that can decrease PVCs only sometimes work and have a higher risk than taking nothing at all.  Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers are safe and sometimes decrease the frequency of PVCs, but the ultimate goal is decrease the sensation of PVCs.  Medications like flecainide and propafenone can decrease PVCs, but in patients with coronary artery disease have been shown to increase cardiac events.

If beta blockers and calcium channel blockers do work, other therapies like flecainide, propafenone and ablation carry a high risk than doing nothing at all.  I understand that they cause a lot of symptoms and can affect quality of life, the problem is that there are not a lot of options.

Sometimes getting a second opinion will help ease your anxieties that your doctor is missing something.  

I hope this helps.  Thanks for posting.

[kitcurious]

I have MVP but I am not worried by skips. It sounds more like you have a problem accepting that they are not dangerous in the setting of a structurally normal heart. You could go for a second opinion, but sometimes that doesn't reassure people until they are prepared to believe it.
There are meds and therapies that can help with anxiety.
I wish you luck.

[LukeL]

While it is an extreme comparison, ablation or drugs for PVCs in a normal heart is like ripping up the carpeting in your house to get rid of dust mites. It might do the job, but it is overkill for what is mostly a harmless problem.