Skipped heartbeats

[Carrie41]

A couple of questions:

1.  Why do I feel my skipped beats so much in my neck.  I know others feel them in their throat but I feel them in the left hand side of my neck.  It can be a surge sensation or just a general feeling of skipped beats.

2.  If I had had a completely normal cardiac workup and they cannot find anything wrong with my heart should I just not worry about all the skipping and fluttering I feel?  I have been told I have a completely normal heart and have benign PVC's and PAC's (although they don't feel benign).

3.  I have been prescribed Metropol (or something like that) for a beta blocker.  My blood pressure if 104/64 normally.  Will this drug make my blood pressure go even lower?  I am scared to take it because I have read that it can make your blood pressure go lower.

4.  I am also on an SSRI for anxiety.  Can a person take this beta blocker and the SSRI?

Thank you.

[Barbmag]

Carrie, I feel the same thing, but in my heart, not so much my neck! I have hundreds a day and they are v worrisome even tho I try not to focus on them. I have tried Betas and C Blockers to no avail so now I am not taking any meds for this at all....I will add to try not to worry but I know that for some of us, this is not a reality!!! But we can still try!!
Good luck!
:)B

[Carrie41]

Thanks so much for you help.  You put my mind at ease.

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

1. a PVC/PAC can increase the venous pressure, especially in the vessels right next to the heart.  Your neck is directly connected to the right atrium and is subject to that sensation.   This is normal for people with PVCs.

2.  I agree with your doctor statement.  I know they don't feel benign -- many people feel this way with PVCs.  The options for treatment are beta blocker, calcium channel blocker or no treatment in people with structurally normal hearts.

3.  It may decrease your blood pressure slightly.  I have prescribed the same medication for my patients under similar circumstances.  It is unlikely that you have symptoms from a low dose beta blocker regarding your blood pressure.   If you do, call your doctor.

4. A beta blocker should not cause a problem with an SSRI.

The pause sensation is common from PVCs.  Try not to focus on them -- if you are listening with a stethoscope, my guess is that you are focusing on them.  If you need a second opinion to feel confident, do it for your peace of mind.  If you look at previous posts from this forum, you will see that you are far from alone.   This is a common question.

I hope this helps.

[Carrie41]

Forgot one thing.  When I get the skipped and surge sensation in my neck I also get it in my heart.  I can literally feel my heart stop and my hands go tingley.  I can listen to it with my stethascope and it will do something like an early beat and then pause and then go back to its regular beating.  This can happen every couple of beats for a little while then go away for a couple of days and then come back.  Is that normal?  Everyone I talk to says they don't feel anything like that!