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Sinus Tach and PVCs
I am a 23 yr old female and was told by my doctor that I have sinus tachycardia and PVCs (I was on an event monitor for a month that picked these up)I was told that it is not life threatening, but my doc recommended Toprol XL (25mg) to keep me more comfortable. I really do not want to take meds every day, esp bc i am so young. If I do not take the beta blocker, will my problems worsen or lead to problems down the line, like cardiomyopathy?
I have been trying to control the episodes by eliminating all caffeine and alcohol, as well as trying to control stress, which is what I think started these episodes in the first place. But I still have episodes that scare me to death every time. I really just want to be able to lead a normal life again. This all came to a head about 3 months ago.
I appreciate any help/advice!
I have been trying to control the episodes by eliminating all caffeine and alcohol, as well as trying to control stress, which is what I think started these episodes in the first place. But I still have episodes that scare me to death every time. I really just want to be able to lead a normal life again. This all came to a head about 3 months ago.
I appreciate any help/advice!
I really think you should have a referral to see a cardiologist.
When you get an evaluation from a specialist you will not have the fear that you have now, if he gives your heart a good to go. Also if you are having (rapid heart rate), and it sounds like you are, that can be serious. You are also reaching menopause years and maybe this is causing some of your symptoms. Best of luck to you.
When you get an evaluation from a specialist you will not have the fear that you have now, if he gives your heart a good to go. Also if you are having (rapid heart rate), and it sounds like you are, that can be serious. You are also reaching menopause years and maybe this is causing some of your symptoms. Best of luck to you.
Hello,
I am new to the group. I have been having tach's for about 20 years. Did not know what they were until about a year ago. I thought it was panic attacks. The sad thing is that I have been suffering from agoraphobia with panic attacks for that many years as well. I have been thinking that it was all in my head. I think that it is mostly stress that causes it but that there is some physical cause. But it scares me so bad. Mine happens mostly at night. I haven't heard many of you say that. I rarely have episodes when I'm awake. I do have them occassionaly when I exercise but I don't let it stop me although I get really nervous when I get my heart rate up at my target rate. Anyway, I was folding clothes in the middle of the floor last night when it happened. It scared me silly. I always ask my husband to call the ambulance or take me to the hospital. I'm so scared that I'm going to die and I don't want to die I'm only 47. I am working on my stress and drink no caffene and very little sugar. What about calcium excess causing, and magnesium to stop it. Have any of you heard this?
bjs
I am new to the group. I have been having tach's for about 20 years. Did not know what they were until about a year ago. I thought it was panic attacks. The sad thing is that I have been suffering from agoraphobia with panic attacks for that many years as well. I have been thinking that it was all in my head. I think that it is mostly stress that causes it but that there is some physical cause. But it scares me so bad. Mine happens mostly at night. I haven't heard many of you say that. I rarely have episodes when I'm awake. I do have them occassionaly when I exercise but I don't let it stop me although I get really nervous when I get my heart rate up at my target rate. Anyway, I was folding clothes in the middle of the floor last night when it happened. It scared me silly. I always ask my husband to call the ambulance or take me to the hospital. I'm so scared that I'm going to die and I don't want to die I'm only 47. I am working on my stress and drink no caffene and very little sugar. What about calcium excess causing, and magnesium to stop it. Have any of you heard this?
bjs
Hi,
I recently experience sinus tach on Nov 1st and was rushed to the emergency room with a heart rate over 200 bpm. After a couple of hours of monitoring, beta blocks to reduce my heart rate, I was fine. The hospital admitted me and ran numerous of test to find out my heart is fine.
Now I have had arrithmea since I was in my early 20's and I'm now 49. In addition, I have had panic/anexity with at times agoraphobia since my early 20's. So I definitely understand what you are going through.
After my sinus tach incident which I'm not sure if it was related to my panic disorder, my panic attacks became daily if not hourly. I went back to a emergency room and they prescribed Xanax (a low dosage .5 mil 3 times a day)and refered me to a Phycologist and therapist to deal with the panic/anxiety. In addition my current cardiologist prescribed Toprol XL 50mg per day which has stopped my double heart beat and racing heart.
The xanax is a great help (even though most doctors other than the doctors that treat anxiety, frown on xanax due to the possible addictiveness of the product. But my doctor explained that with monitoring and counseling, there is no threat. Like any medication, you must be monitored...also if the individual has a addictive type behavior, smoking, drinking, drugs, you might have a difficult time than others.
And now to make matters worse. I have moved into perimenopause where I suffer hot flashes with a brief increase heart rate while the hot flash is happening. I have learned to deep breath which helps reduce the anxiety. I'm not one to take drugs or prescribition medicine but we all need help now and then and I can honestly say that with the therapy and xanax, I feel that I am on the road to recovery. I'm not excited about taking a beta blocker, but I'm extremely happy not to have a paplitations, double beats and a constant worry about myself.
Not one of the many doctors that I have seen have discussed alternative methods to relieve tachs. I know it is scary to experience the rapid heart beat and I know that when it happened to me, I thought that I was going to die myself. My therapist recently told me that NO ONE HAS EVEN DIED FROM PANIC ATTACKS. And now that I do have some protection with the beta blocker , I feel in more control of myself.
I hope some of this info has helped. I have spent the last month with many doctors in various fields, cardio, ob/gyn,internal medicine, and two doctors in the field of panic and anxiety disorders and I do feel better and am on the road to recovery.
Rosetoes
I recently experience sinus tach on Nov 1st and was rushed to the emergency room with a heart rate over 200 bpm. After a couple of hours of monitoring, beta blocks to reduce my heart rate, I was fine. The hospital admitted me and ran numerous of test to find out my heart is fine.
Now I have had arrithmea since I was in my early 20's and I'm now 49. In addition, I have had panic/anexity with at times agoraphobia since my early 20's. So I definitely understand what you are going through.
After my sinus tach incident which I'm not sure if it was related to my panic disorder, my panic attacks became daily if not hourly. I went back to a emergency room and they prescribed Xanax (a low dosage .5 mil 3 times a day)and refered me to a Phycologist and therapist to deal with the panic/anxiety. In addition my current cardiologist prescribed Toprol XL 50mg per day which has stopped my double heart beat and racing heart.
The xanax is a great help (even though most doctors other than the doctors that treat anxiety, frown on xanax due to the possible addictiveness of the product. But my doctor explained that with monitoring and counseling, there is no threat. Like any medication, you must be monitored...also if the individual has a addictive type behavior, smoking, drinking, drugs, you might have a difficult time than others.
And now to make matters worse. I have moved into perimenopause where I suffer hot flashes with a brief increase heart rate while the hot flash is happening. I have learned to deep breath which helps reduce the anxiety. I'm not one to take drugs or prescribition medicine but we all need help now and then and I can honestly say that with the therapy and xanax, I feel that I am on the road to recovery. I'm not excited about taking a beta blocker, but I'm extremely happy not to have a paplitations, double beats and a constant worry about myself.
Not one of the many doctors that I have seen have discussed alternative methods to relieve tachs. I know it is scary to experience the rapid heart beat and I know that when it happened to me, I thought that I was going to die myself. My therapist recently told me that NO ONE HAS EVEN DIED FROM PANIC ATTACKS. And now that I do have some protection with the beta blocker , I feel in more control of myself.
I hope some of this info has helped. I have spent the last month with many doctors in various fields, cardio, ob/gyn,internal medicine, and two doctors in the field of panic and anxiety disorders and I do feel better and am on the road to recovery.
Rosetoes
Thanks for responding. My cardio has recommended beta blockers. I hear that they make you tired. Is that true? I have to work outside the home and with my job I have to be awake and alert. I also thru the years have for some odd reason developed a phobia of taking meds. I have only taken tylenol for the past 20 years. I cannot seem to make my self take, even though I know that it would stop the tach's from happening, the medication. I am scared that if I take it, it might stop my heart from beating all together. I know this sounds crazy, but for me to take a med is like asking someone to jump off of a bridge. I have sit and stared at a pill and trying to talk myself into taking it and can't get up the nerve to do it. I have nearly finished the attacking anxiety program and I still can't seem to face this one fear. I guess because once I swallow theres no way out. Anyway, thanks for the advice.
bjsras
bjsras
We must be related, I truly felt the same way regarding taking medicine, especially a heart related medicine. I was in the emergency room scared to death when they told me that they were injecting a beta blocker in my IV. My heart raced, I asked them to be sure to give me just a little to ensure my heart would not stop. They were very patient with me and understood my fear. The beta blocker works very well and I can honestly say that I don't feel the least bit of fatigue. I take Toprol-xl 50 mg once a day and after I take it, I don't feel a change at all. But I can say that it took 7 to 10 days before the papitations stopped completely. I don't experience racing heart beats, my blood presure has always been normal and I do have a upscale blood presure kit and I test myself frequently and my presure is fine (it hasn't lowered.
Sometimes our fears are so dibilatating we have to fight hard to help ourselves. If you trust your cardiologist and/or the reputation of the hospital he/she is associated with, do discuss your fears/concerns.
When I was given xanax the first time, I was scared about taking two medications. I was in the emergency room when they gave me the xanax and I stayed there for an hour after I took it to ensure that I was fine and calm.
I have also called a few pharmacies and spoke to the pharmacist to understand the medicine, etc.
I do wish you well, I have been there and I know the fear that you have. Please try to talk to your doctor and I will continue to write if it helps you. You are not alone.
Sometimes our fears are so dibilatating we have to fight hard to help ourselves. If you trust your cardiologist and/or the reputation of the hospital he/she is associated with, do discuss your fears/concerns.
When I was given xanax the first time, I was scared about taking two medications. I was in the emergency room when they gave me the xanax and I stayed there for an hour after I took it to ensure that I was fine and calm.
I have also called a few pharmacies and spoke to the pharmacist to understand the medicine, etc.
I do wish you well, I have been there and I know the fear that you have. Please try to talk to your doctor and I will continue to write if it helps you. You are not alone.
Hi,
I'm sorry for the length of this post. Alot has happened to me and I hope you don't mind reading my novel and offering me some peice of mind or some suggestions.
I'm a healthy 31 year old woman, but Monday Dec. 12, in the middle of the night I was taken to the emergency room because I woke up with a racing heart that wouldn't go back to, and stay normal. The EMTs that came to my house recorded a fluctuation in heart rate on their monitors...My heart would go from 112 up to 140 and down again within a few seconds and it felt like I couldn't get enough air in my lungs...I was breathing slowly and deeply, but I felt like I had to be very conscious of my breathing or I would stop altogether. Even when they put the oxygen mask on me, I still felt this way. The EMT said I was doing well by breathing deep, and slow, so I kept doing it, hoping that my heart rate would return to normal.
When we got to the emergency room they took my temperature because I was shivering...It was 95.4 degrees. I don't think they were too worried by it, they just said "that's weird" then they gave me a hot blanket, hooked me up to an EKG, and ordered blood work. Later that night the doctor said my heart was healthy and strong and the blood work showed that my potassium level was a few points low, but everything else, included the tests they did for viruses, thiroid problems, ect showed that I was fine. They gave me an orange, bubbly drink for the Potassium and the Dioctor and nurse said they didn't think what I had was life threatening and told me to eat some bannanas and make an appointment with a Cardiologist. I made an appointment to see a cardiologist the next morning, after my emergency room visit. But they can't see me until this coming Thursday.
The trip to the ER was 6 days ago, I haven't been to see the Cardiologist yet, and I'm still waking up with palpatations at night. They seem to be worse at night and my skin feels tingly. Sometimes, even when my heart isn't acting up, I feel an icy-hot sensation on my chest and the skin on the back of my neck and both of my arms feel irritated...sort of like I've been wearing a scratchy wool sweater. That feeling comes and goes every day since the trip to the ER, but seems to be worse at night after I've been in bed for an hour or so. Sometimes my face and scalp feel this tingly sensation as well. And sometimes I feel as though I have heart burn, which is NOT a problem I have very often. The heartburn comes and goes as well.
I tried to go to work this past Friday, because I felt a little better. My job is not stressful at all and I'm not an anxious person. But as the day wore on I felt tired and on the way home the tingling came back and that night I had more palpatations. They keep me awake at night and I sleep more in the day time.
This event is only the second time I have ever experienced palpatations. The first time was a week and a half before my recent trip to the ER. I did not go to the emergency room that time, because it went away in a few hours and never came back. I was awakened from a sound sleep by them that time too, and had all the same symptoms: chills, irritated neck and tingly skin. Except that time my tongue and face felt swollen. I attributed it to a medication my doctor had prescribed to me and called him the following morning, hoping to see him about it. I had been taking medication he prescribed for about 4 or five days. It was a antibiotic called Levequin. Back in August my doctor diagnosed me with an ear infection which wasn't going away. I visited him three times over the course of three months with the "ear infection" and each time I visited he prescribed a different antibiotic to try to fix the problem.
After my first heart palpatations, I called him and his secretary told me to see an ENT. I told her I was concerned that I had a reaction to the medication and she said that I had been taking it for 4 days and that if I was going to have a reaction it would have happened within the first 24 hours. They didn't seem to want to check to see if there was anything else wrong with me. So I asked "why would this happen then? I'm scared to death. This sort of thing hasn't happened to me before." She responded with "its probably the infection."
I made an appointmet with an ENT and he saw me a few days after my first episode and gave me several ear tests...he said my ears were absolutely healthy and had been for atleast two weeks. He said his tests couldn't tell if they had been healthier for longer than that. He was certain that I had TMJ and pressed on my teeth and several parts of my head...which hurt like hell...SO then I was diagnosed with TMJ and he prescribed Celebrex. Long story short, I had been on his prescribed 400 Mg of Celebrex at the time of my recent palpatations, which sent me to the ER. The ENT had recommended that I take one 400 mg capsule a day for one month to reduce the swelling in my jaw which he felt was pinching a nerve and causing my ear to hurt. The ER thought the amount of Celebrex I was taking was excessive. They said 200 mg is the more commonly prescribed amount. I'm a fit, slender person and it doens't take much as far as drugs (over the counter or prescribed) are concerned to effect me...even 1 Benadryl will make the room spin.
Any way, the ER told me to stop taking the Celebrex. I haven't taken it since my trip to the ER, and I haven't had any caffine...just water. But, I am STILL having the palpatations.
Everytime I experience these palpatations, at least one a night, I wonder if I should go back to the ER, or sweat it out. I don't know if its the drugs I was prescribed, which by now I wouold think would be out of my system, a virus they didn't catch, or a prexisting heart problem. I'm not an anxious person, but the longer I have to wait to see the Cardiologist, and the longer I have these problems, the more scared I become.
Has anyone else had similar issues?
Thanks,
Jen
I'm sorry for the length of this post. Alot has happened to me and I hope you don't mind reading my novel and offering me some peice of mind or some suggestions.
I'm a healthy 31 year old woman, but Monday Dec. 12, in the middle of the night I was taken to the emergency room because I woke up with a racing heart that wouldn't go back to, and stay normal. The EMTs that came to my house recorded a fluctuation in heart rate on their monitors...My heart would go from 112 up to 140 and down again within a few seconds and it felt like I couldn't get enough air in my lungs...I was breathing slowly and deeply, but I felt like I had to be very conscious of my breathing or I would stop altogether. Even when they put the oxygen mask on me, I still felt this way. The EMT said I was doing well by breathing deep, and slow, so I kept doing it, hoping that my heart rate would return to normal.
When we got to the emergency room they took my temperature because I was shivering...It was 95.4 degrees. I don't think they were too worried by it, they just said "that's weird" then they gave me a hot blanket, hooked me up to an EKG, and ordered blood work. Later that night the doctor said my heart was healthy and strong and the blood work showed that my potassium level was a few points low, but everything else, included the tests they did for viruses, thiroid problems, ect showed that I was fine. They gave me an orange, bubbly drink for the Potassium and the Dioctor and nurse said they didn't think what I had was life threatening and told me to eat some bannanas and make an appointment with a Cardiologist. I made an appointment to see a cardiologist the next morning, after my emergency room visit. But they can't see me until this coming Thursday.
The trip to the ER was 6 days ago, I haven't been to see the Cardiologist yet, and I'm still waking up with palpatations at night. They seem to be worse at night and my skin feels tingly. Sometimes, even when my heart isn't acting up, I feel an icy-hot sensation on my chest and the skin on the back of my neck and both of my arms feel irritated...sort of like I've been wearing a scratchy wool sweater. That feeling comes and goes every day since the trip to the ER, but seems to be worse at night after I've been in bed for an hour or so. Sometimes my face and scalp feel this tingly sensation as well. And sometimes I feel as though I have heart burn, which is NOT a problem I have very often. The heartburn comes and goes as well.
I tried to go to work this past Friday, because I felt a little better. My job is not stressful at all and I'm not an anxious person. But as the day wore on I felt tired and on the way home the tingling came back and that night I had more palpatations. They keep me awake at night and I sleep more in the day time.
This event is only the second time I have ever experienced palpatations. The first time was a week and a half before my recent trip to the ER. I did not go to the emergency room that time, because it went away in a few hours and never came back. I was awakened from a sound sleep by them that time too, and had all the same symptoms: chills, irritated neck and tingly skin. Except that time my tongue and face felt swollen. I attributed it to a medication my doctor had prescribed to me and called him the following morning, hoping to see him about it. I had been taking medication he prescribed for about 4 or five days. It was a antibiotic called Levequin. Back in August my doctor diagnosed me with an ear infection which wasn't going away. I visited him three times over the course of three months with the "ear infection" and each time I visited he prescribed a different antibiotic to try to fix the problem.
After my first heart palpatations, I called him and his secretary told me to see an ENT. I told her I was concerned that I had a reaction to the medication and she said that I had been taking it for 4 days and that if I was going to have a reaction it would have happened within the first 24 hours. They didn't seem to want to check to see if there was anything else wrong with me. So I asked "why would this happen then? I'm scared to death. This sort of thing hasn't happened to me before." She responded with "its probably the infection."
I made an appointmet with an ENT and he saw me a few days after my first episode and gave me several ear tests...he said my ears were absolutely healthy and had been for atleast two weeks. He said his tests couldn't tell if they had been healthier for longer than that. He was certain that I had TMJ and pressed on my teeth and several parts of my head...which hurt like hell...SO then I was diagnosed with TMJ and he prescribed Celebrex. Long story short, I had been on his prescribed 400 Mg of Celebrex at the time of my recent palpatations, which sent me to the ER. The ENT had recommended that I take one 400 mg capsule a day for one month to reduce the swelling in my jaw which he felt was pinching a nerve and causing my ear to hurt. The ER thought the amount of Celebrex I was taking was excessive. They said 200 mg is the more commonly prescribed amount. I'm a fit, slender person and it doens't take much as far as drugs (over the counter or prescribed) are concerned to effect me...even 1 Benadryl will make the room spin.
Any way, the ER told me to stop taking the Celebrex. I haven't taken it since my trip to the ER, and I haven't had any caffine...just water. But, I am STILL having the palpatations.
Everytime I experience these palpatations, at least one a night, I wonder if I should go back to the ER, or sweat it out. I don't know if its the drugs I was prescribed, which by now I wouold think would be out of my system, a virus they didn't catch, or a prexisting heart problem. I'm not an anxious person, but the longer I have to wait to see the Cardiologist, and the longer I have these problems, the more scared I become.
Has anyone else had similar issues?
Thanks,
Jen
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