Palpitation 300BPM No Pain

[Hemopumper]

Sometimes even at rest I'll get palpitations since about 20yrs old (vintage1957).
Other times I've noticed when working intensely, my heart will race and the only thing I notice is the unusual fast, light pounding so I stop and take a deep breath or three and it subsides but the high BPM is scary but no pain or weakness or fainting.
I've been athletic and eaten fairly well most of my life but have had a weakness for brews.
Should I oust the coffee and beer?
Do I need to take a heart stress test?

[tom_h]

As a kid, I had SVT's in the low 300's.  My first episode was clocked at 312 in St. Christopher's hospital in Philadelphia.  As I got older, the speed dropped to the mid 200's. A rate of 300 in your mid 50's as you are I suspect is risky, and is not something to quickly dismiss.  At 60 y/o, my cardiologist was very concerned about my well-being when he saw the recording of an episode captured by a long term recorder.  The rate for that event was 225 bpm.  Please don't ignor these events.  At the very least, you owe it to your family.  Caffeine, alcohol, smoking (yech!) are not causes, but contributors.  That's not to say that I didn't have an occasional brew, chocolate, or an iced tea.  

You most likely have an electrical anomoly in your heart that needs to be addressed.  See somebody about it!

[cindy707]

Well i completely understand the heart rate in the 300 range because mine before my ablation was hitting the low 300's and i always say that the 300's feels the same as the 150's believe it or not.  And no there usually is no pain involved....its just that major party going on in your chest and trust me you a tempting fate to deal you a rough hand because the risk becomes absolutely crazy at that point for throwing a clot.  The heart is pumping so fast and so hard that the blood flow becomes backed up and clots can be thrown and thats a big no no.  So the short answer is yes...you don't have to have any of those symptoms in order to move beyond the yellow line into the red zone here.  Simply put you need a work up with a heart doc so that they can do their job in determining if it is electrical, lifestyle, structural and i would definately do this sooner than later.  The cost of a stress test if it is happening during physical activity is i am sure is a low cost to pay to possibly save your life...a stress test i think may be further down the road...the first task is to A,  Make an appt. w. a heart doc  B. Follow the docs instructions carefully until he/she gets a handle on what the heck is going on to determine the cause and effect and C. if funds are an issue i am sure that if you live in the U.S. and are without health insurance that some local plan can help you out on either assistance or a sliding scale.  The big question i suppose is what is your llife worth to you?  In a nutshell i would say call a doc tomorrow before something can possibly happen where there is no one around you to help you out or slap an AED on you..........

[Hemopumper]

Sound engineer, musician, very familiar with BPM's
Had it checked 20yrs ago...graph showed no defects but wasn't a stress test...told me to lay off coffee and I did and the palps reduced...Hyper sensitive to caffeine?
The 300BPM episode was while working intensely and lasted for about 30 sec but may have been because I don't breathe properly when I get too intense.
So even without pain, weakness, sweating or fainting there may be a serious problem?
What's the average cost for a stress test?

[itdood]

I agree with Janpes.  300 is a dangerous range.  The only thing I can think of off hand is a-fib.  How do you know it hit 300?

[Janpes]

Hi,

Any heart rate at 300bpm needs checking out, especially if it is happening often. Get yourself off to the doctors and book some tests. Better to be safe than sorry!

Take care