Did stopping caffeine cut out PVCs, NSVT, or SVT?

[pvcguy1986]

Hello,

I know for a fact I have PVCs and SVT, the former of which has gotten out of control recently.  I suspect strongly (almost 100% certain) that the other day I had a run of ventricular tachycardia after two PVCs which didn't revert back with a pause.  This, along with almost losing consciousness sent me to the ER (from work, so believe me it was bad), but the rhythm went back to normal before being hooked up to EKG monitoring in ER.

And not only the trip to the ER, but the frequency of the PVCs (and also apparently PACs), the times in the normal (thump-thump) of a heartbeat they happen, and my patient-level understanding that either of the above if happening during any time of the repolarization phase can elicit instant VT, apparently even direct VF bypassing VT, and SVT.

In this thread I wont go into details of my cardiovascular rhythm/PVC problems, however, I did want to ask if anyone cut out caffeine and essentially stopped their arrhymthmias?  I'm only willing to cut out my two half-caffs a day and all sodas if it would make a meaningful difference.

ALSO, I've read here twice from people that said something like the cardiac cells take three-four months to go back after caffeine is out of system.  Where did this information come from?  Any more specifics on it?  I'm not calling BS; I just want to understand what is meant by that?

[pvcguy1986]

Hello itdood,

In googling past thread on this site, you made reference to magnesium helping your PVCs, then them getting much worse.  Well, this morning (even prior to reading such a thing) I had a feeling that was happening to me.

A couple months ago taking two 200 mg Magnesium Citrate tabs a day was like magic; it just calmed my heart (and calmed me in general) so much.  Now it's gone, but I'm afraid to stop the magnesium.

Freaked to add calcium given the fact that magnesium's mechanism of action is blocking calcium channels/currents in the heart?  But what do I know, I"m not a doctor and homeostasis can be a funny thing.


What would you recommend I do with respect to the (possible) magnesium problem I am having (the magnesium has stopped working)??

[itdood]

I stopped taking mag about 18 months ago.  Really no effect or difference .  I still get PVCs here and there.  Had a bunch leaving work last night.  I just keep on walking, hasn't killed me yet and if it does seems like one of the more pleasant ways to go.  HA!  seriously though, back to the mag, no ill effects from stopping it.  Just didn't seem to need it anymore and I settled into a lower pattern.

[itdood]

On your last paragraph, there is some studies to back that up.  Caffeine affects calcium channels in the heart.  If you are consuming it daily your heart muscle will model itself to cope with the affects of caffeine.  It's this modeling that can take some time to reverse back to what it was before the caffeine.  The longer and greater amounts of caffeine, the longer it will take for the cardiac cells to model back to baseline.

I stopped all caffeine back in 2009 when I was getting a major issue with PVCs.  Really scary time.  About a month or two after stopping it, and making other changes, things started to settle down.  Now I was getting 6,000 PVCs per day, so any improvement was noticeable.  I don't know why it improved, as I mentioned, I made a number of lifestyle changes.  I drink 1 decaf here and there.  I drink mostly water.  I had ordered a decaf at a restaurant and I"m pretty sure it wasn't, I was very uncomfortable with the caffeine feeling, I recognized the feeling very well, I wanted to jump out of my skin, clean the basement, and do everyone's taxes.   Didn't get any sleep that night!