Worsening symptoms of pvc's, missed heart beats, rapid pulse & high bp, should I be worried?

[Tigger260178]

HI ALL, I came across this website whilst trying to research into pvc.s and was hoping for some advice and reassurance that may be helpful for a new fellow sufferer.

I am 33 and I have been suffering from skipped beats, PVC's (or whatever you wish to call them) for about 4 weeks now.  

Initially I put them down to coming off Citalopram (for Depression, which I weaned off very slowly so not to experience side effects), however they seem to be contiuning and happen more frequently.  

Sometimes I don;t feel anything for a few hours or so, but then again, I can also have over 200 episodes (in a day)that I am aware of, where my heart flips and thuds, occasionally to the extent that I have 3/4 in a row (up to 7/8 a minute), which makes me feel short of breath, dizzy and the sense of "impending doom".

Initially, I was quite laid back about this, but the longer it goes on, the more severe it is becoming and now I have started to feel more dizziness. I have also fainted a couple of times in the past week, when I have had multiple pvc's in a row. Last week I visited my doctor, who seemed a little concerned, especially as my blood pressure has shot up from normal to 155/105mmhg, average resting pulse is 120bpm. She ordered blood tests, ecg, and chest x-ray (ecg showed up a few ectopics and sinus tachy), but I am waiting on the other results (which I had done 3 days ago).  She also mentioned she wanted to refer me to a cardiologist as a precaution.

I don't smoke, drink alcohol, wouldn't consider myself as stressed and don't drink caffieine, which are common triggers for this type of problem (so I have read)

I would be grateful for any help on how to deal with this.  Advice gratefully received

[Tigger260178]

Thanks, I will try to keep track of things.  So far everything in my life seems well on track, no particular stresses or strains, in good health generally and not had any mild ailments like coughs/colds or anything.  Prior to fainting, I was aware of the dizziness and leant against a wall to steady myself, then can't remember a thing, until my work colleagues were with me on the floor.  BP was a little high at the time, pulse over 100bpm.  Although was feeling a little off-colour for the rest of the afternoon.  The same with the second faint, but I was walking along and everything started swimming, then again, am on the floor.  No nausea or vomiting.

Thinking back it seems to have started around 4 weeks or so ago (well thats when I noted that the missed/skipped beats and were occuring frequently enough for me to notice). I had recently taken myself off anti-depressants as felt I didn;t need them anymore, as everything is fine and has been for a while now, but wilth any antidepressants you have to wean down slowly over many weeks.  However, I seem to recall that I had been completely off medication for around 3/4 weeks before the skipped beats started to become an issue.  I put the pvc's down to withdrawal symptoms, although there was a little piece of me that thought it was very unusual for side effects to start this late after coming off meds.

All a bit of a mystery really.  The doctor did advise me not to drive too much or be alone without people being aware of where I am, in case it happens again...well not until everything is ruled out.  I have to admit am a tad anxious now, but then again, I wasn't anxious before all this started.

Thanks for the info, it's nice to know that I am not alone in the world.  Will keep you posted on events.

[Mom2four85]

since this just started with fainting, is there something you can pinpoint that started the episodes? were you sick, started feeling run down, have a cold/sinus, go out of the country etc?

try to keep track of the fainting/dizzy episodes; what are you doing at the time, had you drank enough/ate enough that day, upset, angry, peaceful; did you feel arrhythmia's or HR increase/decrease before during or after the episodes etc to see if there's a pattern as this could be very helpful to a doctor.

I understand what you mean, I've fainted since age 9 and had some type arrhythmia since about then...took until I was 42 for a doctor to take me seriously but not before I fainted driving, so please use caution when dealing with fainting issues.

[IMFletcher]

Hi again - I also wanted to mention that the fainting may very well have nothing to do with your heart, but it is worthwhile to have the discussion with your doctor and cardiologist. As per your last post, you are young, and likely have nothing to worry about, but it is always prudent to see your doctor when new symptoms arise, and your body is experiencing any abnormal sensations.

[IMFletcher]

Hi - I agree with Lisa that the fainting is concerning. Having several PVCs a minute is quite common, especially for those who have occasional episodic PVCs where they can occur in high frequency for hours at a time. Sometimes blood pressure will spike when visiting a doctor due to general anxiety, or white coat hypertension. It is good to know that you have had some preliminary tests, and your doctor seems to be taking the necessary steps to ensure a proper diagnosis. However, I would suggest you follow up on the referral to the cardiologist asap, as you will then be able to have further tests including a stress test and echocardiogram. As for triggers, I would tell you that many of us have tried to identify the real culprits, with little or no success. Caffeine, anxiety, alcohol, smoking, MSG, diet soft drinks, adrenaline etc...the list is endless. I have eliminated caffeine, and many other potential triggers, and so far it has had no effect on the frequency of my PVCs. Your resting pulse also seems quite high at 120bpm. Hopefully you will be getting some answers and results very soon. Remember, there are lots of people on this site who have been living and dealing with benign PVCs for years. BTW - staying well hydrated, and taking a daily magnesium supplement have helped with my symptoms. Keep us posted on your results, and good luck.

[Tigger260178]

Thanks Lisa33167 for your reply, am new to all this, so grateful that someone is at least reading and offering support.

With reference to your questions, I haven't fainted before, although I have felt faint, never actually have done so, until last week.  Again with the dizziness, occasional episodes but that is often eliminated by other causes, like standing up or turning round fast and so on, but in this instance I can be walking along normally and suddenly feel all dizzy, or like everything is becoming blury and in slow motion (like I turn my head , but everything around me is just that split second behind where it should be).....difficult to explain, so hope it makes some sence..

I have had these symptoms for a few weeks, but it wasn't until I fainted that I thought I had better do something about getting it investigated.  No doubt everything will be normal, but unsure if I am to live with these symptoms, how I will be able to manage.  I feel pretty awful when i have multiple episodes that go on and on.,

I am due back at the doctors on Friday, so am hoping for some news then.  In the meantime, I am just trying to carry on as normal.

[Mom2four85]

if you're fainting you should see a cardiologist asap not wait on her; the cardio will most likely send you to an EP (electrophysiologist) also.

Have you ever fainted before last week? or have a history of dizziness? you should have a tilt table test to find out what's going on with fainting esp since you're also having some type of arrhythmia...they'll probably do a holter, stress test & echo etc to figure out what's going on