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Is there a solution to heart pounding?

Is there a solution to heart pounding?

This is the biggest symptom that is bothering me => heart pounding.
I can see it in my chest. I can feel it when I put my hand on my chest. I can see it in my neck. I also get DISCOMFORT in my chest area because of that. It is very much uncomfortable. I have seen people describe it as malaise.
I have been searching around and from what I understand, it could be due to dehydration. I'm drinking plenty of water (always have).
It could be due to a lack of magnesium and potassium. I took supplements and it made no difference.
I have had a blood test and my electrolytes balance is fine (that was before taking supplements).

The test also included:
Glucose
Total cholesterol
HDL cholesterol
Triglycerides
Uric acid
ALT (GPT) <= I don't know what that is
Creatinine
Na, K, Cl (Mg was not tested for)
Phosphatase alcaline
TSH

Any ideas as to how to solve this problem?
Doing minor things like putting on cloths, going to bathroom, going downstairs causes thumping (very uncomfortable).
I take metoprolol which has helped a lot but doesn't get rid of symptoms entirely.
I'm a guy, 35, no longer physically active :(
3 Responses
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Avatar universal
I am taking bisoprolol now, low dose. 1.25 mg per day and I don't know if it is coincidence or the drug but the pounding went down. Feeling much better.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for the reply.
On Wednesday (June 12), I am going to my first rendez-vous with a cardiologist. It is going to be a discussion only. Kind of making me nervous.

I have never had a holter monitor. I have had ECG done when I went to the emergency during an attack on April 2012, then again July, then again December. ECG was normal.
Back then, I did not have hear pounding. Somehow, the December attack changed something.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It sounds like you are describing PVCs, or premature ventricular contractions. These are benign extra heart beats that typically don't cause major harm but can make you feel uncomfortable. Metoprolol can help suppress these extra beats, and if it's working but not completely, you may try a higher dose. There are other medications that treat PVCs, but they have a significant risk profile, so they are usually a last resort, and only used in severe cases. Lastly, there are procedures to ablate (burn) the location where the PVCs are coming from, but they carry a lot of risk as well.

The place to start would be to wear a Holter monitor to make the formal diagnosis and assess the PVC burden (how often you're having them).

There's no need to restrict your physical activity, because typically people experience fewer PVCs when they are active (faster heart rate leaves less time between normal beats for the premature beats to occur). The longer you're inactive, the more deconditioned you will get, and the more tired you'll feel, which won't be the result of the PVCs.
Helpful - 0

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