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Is there any good treatment for constant skipped beats?

I started getting occasional palpitations (skipped beats) about a year ago.  They have been on and off, where I'd go several weeks without any.  Now, in the last week or so, I'm having them constantly from the minute I wake up.  I wore a holter monitor in September and it registered numerous PVC's, but the doctor said it was okay.  I just switched to Toprol from Atenolol so I have to give it some time to see if it works.  I am a 43 year old mother of four and exercise regularly.  I also just started taking Magnesium (with potassium and turine) because I was told that helps with palpitations.  In the meantime, it's hard to function every day when I constantly feel these beats.  I wish I know what was causing them.  My main question is -- is it okay that I feel these all the time and is there any treatment that can truly help??
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995271 tn?1463924259
There are 3 ways to medically treat *benign* PVCs.  In this order of trial and error:  Blood pressure meds, if that doesn't work then either ablation surgery or anti-arrhythmia medications.

I had occasional PVCs here and there my whole life.  Never much of an issue, they always went away, sometimes for years.   This past January I started getting them all the time, most troubling was at night and losing lots of sleep.  I was also miserable and it affected all of my relationships, especially with my Kids and Wife.

I tried beta blockers.  Right around when I went on the beta blocker they got worse.  I don't know if it's related but I stopped taking them.    Things got better.

I tried all the supps, none worked.  Mag alone seems to be working.  I'm on the fence there.  I take Magnesium Glycinate.  You can only absorb about 8% of the mag in mag oxide, unless you are taking a lot of it, it might not help.  mag Glycinate is much more absorbable.

The other two options to treat PVCs, which is ablation and anti-arrhythmia meds, should be considered carefully.  Opinions vary but I agree with the assertion that for *benign* PVCs, treating with ablation or anti-arrhythmic meds is unethical.    Ablations are so hit or miss for benign PVCs because in the great majority they are multifocal, which means they will be difficult to map and they will have to ablate a lot of spots.  The anti-arrhythmic drugs have side effects that are dangerous.

That leaves you with BP medications and your own brain to figure it out.    Personally I think BP meds are the wrong path for benign PVC.  Some people report being helped by them.  But then you will be on these for a very long time and they are difficult to get off of.  Benign PVCs are a moving target, they constantly change, wax, and wane.

That leave you with a 4th option.  Identify triggers, eliminate them, and make healthy lifestyle choices.  I eliminated caffeine, alcohol, and processed food.  I lost some weight.   I still have faith in this approach for myself.  Just my personal journey.  It will vary from person to person.  It really is about trial and error to figure it out.  Just keep trying different approaches.
Helpful - 0
967168 tn?1477584489
Since you were tested, did you get your results? That would be very helpful in knowing what exactly they are and how many you're actually having.

There is such a long list of causes of pvc's and then some are idiopathic [no cause], so try like most of us do with process of elimination.  Caffeine, stress, anxiety, sleep habits, etc.

I think there is no easy answer to can a treatment help - meds help some people and others like me; ehhhh not so much.  I really had "frequent persistant pvc's" so many per min, hour & day it's outrageous.  Nothing helped and nothing eliminated even a portion of mine, cause I was sure dreading giving up my coffee lol

I had an EP study and ablation, which cured 99.9% of my pvc's and last week 3 mths later, they started coming back not as much as they were before - but still back.

I've seen fish oil & magnesium help alot of people with pvc's.

As for your question is it ok to feel them all the time? Again, depends on the specific number you're having and your total 24 hr HB.  6,000 - 8,000 per day drs usually treat with meds, anything above 15-20% of your total 24 hb they normally treat with surgery so it doesn't cause cardiomyopathy; which is what happened with me.

Hope you find some answers.
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