PVCs have been awful the last couple months... anyone else?

[andrew0099]

Well, last night marked the worst bout with pvcs/pacs I have ever had.  I was getting 3 or 4 every 10 minutes for about 12 hours.  I was unable to sleep at all and had to call in sick.  While I realize many people here experience much worse, it was bad for me- which in the past has typically been 3 or 4 a week... sometimes going months without any.

For whatever reason, the last two months have been brutal!  I have had a couple blood tests recently and electrolytes are all normal (except for low vitamin d).  I am convinced that there is a relationship between eating/vagal tone and my episodes.  Back to an event monitor on Tuesday.

Anyways, wasn't really looking for any advice- my echo, stress, ekgs are all normal and I have read an endless amount on the topic.  I just wish there was a tangible, fool proof method for eliminating these stupid palpitations.

just wanted to share my experience as I know many other people here have been having really bad episodes lately.

I always find them worse in the winter??

[Pepperliveson65]

I haven't had a break from PVCs in a long time, maybe a year and a half.  I have had them for about 9 years.  THey have been terrorizing me when I exercise, which really bums me out. I feel so alone, exhausted and frightened. I am currently taking 25 mg of Toprol XL.  Any suggestions about how to deal with these things?  I sometimes feel that they are driving me insane.

[curmudgen]

I share your concerns and you are not alone.  Not that I believe all problems are solved with drugs, but have you asked about an increase in Toprol dosage?   The things I think of when I am having an episode of PVC's is that they are benign, I don't have coronary heart disease,  I am not going to die and they will eventually subside.  I am not sure what helps anymore.

[andrew0099]

I know for certain that a healthy diet with good sources of potassium help decrease the number of PVCs I get.  They say the standard potassium intake for an adult (without kidney problems) is anywhere from 2000-4000mg. It takes a lot of fruit to get close to this count.  If you are on Toprol, you may not need to consume quite so much because beta blockers have a tendency to raise potassium levels in the blood.  Magnesium is essentially a natural beta blocker that also helps regulate the heart, but it is a little more difficult to attain, in large quantities, through food alone.

I also notice that stomach indigestion increases the PVCs I get.  As crazy as it sounds, pepto bismol is often effective in decreasing my irregular beats (assuming stomach issues are what is causing PVCs to flare up).

With all that said, there are an endless number of suggestions out there on what minerals and supplements help decrease PVCs, but I would caution people to be very careful about making drastic changes in your supplement habits without consulting a doctor.  Every supplement and mineral that is beneficial to the heart can also be detrimental if taken in excess.

In my experience, beta blockers aren't very effective at decreasing PVCs... it is a rate control drug, and not an antiarrhythmic agent.  Not to mention that 25mg is a very low dose...  Perhaps you should consider talking to your doctor about a higher dose, and possibly switch to a different BB to test it out?  This all depends on your sensitivity to these drugs, as some people have trouble taking them.  If you are not happy with the recommendations your GP is giving you, you should always get a second opinion.

[andrew0099]

Sorry, just an edit to my last post- beta blockers are considered antiarrhythmic agents- I just don't think they are as effective in decreasing PVCs as other classes of these drugs.  Just my opinion though.

[mrcoop]

2 weeks and going strong...3 a minute and had a 6 month period of none, before these showed up again.

[RNRita]

I've been reading this forum for years and this is the first time, for me, that I've noticed a plethora of posts about pvcs that are acting "worse than ever" all at the same time.  "There is something in the air" sounds right, all of a sudden.  What IS up?  One day we'll figure this out.....