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Bradycardia-related and hormonal PVCs

Anyone else suffer from late night PVCs that are caused by a LOW heart rate? They’re really annoying and they wake me up at night.

My palpitations have two triggers:
Heart rate under 60 (bradycardia). Mainly before and during sleep and immediately after I wake up. (This is based on a Holter monitor.)
They come around the same date every month and go away about a week later (hormone related).

My doctor told me that coffee and stimulants that make the heart beat faster could potentially help REDUCE them.

I am a young adult (not premenopausal). Can anyone relate?
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Avatar universal
I also have more PVCs and PACs with my bradycardia.  My EP doctor said this can be a trigger sometimes. I take a beta blocker which makes my HR slow.  My rate stays in the 50s during the day but goes down in the 40s at night.  I have PVCs and PACs  all the time day and night and atrial tach.  Can’t get off BB cause then rate gets really forceful and very fast which is worse.
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I'm so sorry you're suffering from this too.
Avatar universal
(but my TPO is positive)
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Avatar universal
I thought I was the only one who had an increase in PVCS with lower heart rates, it seems most people tend to get them with higher heart rates. I do get them no matter what my heart rate is but they are deff worse when my heart rate drops which is why beta blockers were a no go for me...
I also do notice an increase about 10 days before my period....

It also seems they are far more forceful with lower heart rates, for me anyways...

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11 Comments
My cardiologist told me that some people get them when their heart rate drops below 50-60. So apparently there are others like us, but these low hr PVCs are more rare (but still benign). My doctors told me to start drinking coffee because it could help.
Do your PVCs also completely stop around the time you get your period too?
Yes, they get real bad about 10 days before my period and when my cycle starts they stop but about 5 days afterwards they come back and then get worse 10 days before my period again lol it's a cycle
Oh and I drink lots of caffeine. My dr told me years ago to stop and I did but it only made things worse.

When my heart rate drops to low I will get them every other heart beat for hours and its terrible. I also get them really bad during exercise or during sex etc.
Supposedly coffee helps because it makes the heart beat faster.  I don't get PVCs during exercise but I get them during sleep and they wake me up.  I have Hashimoto's and I wonder if it's related somehow.
Maybe....
I was thinking about this and it is very possible that your condition could be contributing to your PVCS. I read a lot and it seems hormones play a role in palpations of all kinds. It would be nice if someone would do a study on this.
If these episodes are affecting your quality of life, there are things you can try. My cardio put me on beta blockers first but because like you I seem to have them worse the lower my heart rate goes, he took me off and put me on Flecainide. There were some hiccups at first but it worked well. This is a powerful Antiarrhythmic and it does have risks and so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are at your wit's end and just cant deal anymore.
I was afraid of it and so I got off all the meds and for years now I just try my best to deal with them as they come. One thing I have found that really does help (me anyways) is magnesium. Magnesium will not stop them but it does relax the heart so you don't notice them as much.

Something to think about.
Thank you for your suggestions. I really don't want to get on medications that could make things worse, especially the ones that are more risky. I'm currently trying to find a way to get on Armour Thyroid (at least temporarily)/Synthroid/Cytomel to see if it helps. I just need to find a doctor who'd be willing to prescribe it (my thyroid hormone levels are currently in the controversial range ).
Have you seen an endocrinologist?
Not since those horrible PVCs started. I'm currently unable to get a referral to an endocrinologist because my thyroid hormones are in the "normal"/controversial range (i.e very low normal FT3, low normal FT4, TSH often over 3 but currently 1.2 because it fluctuates a lot)
I'm going to have to pay out of pocket to see a naturopathic doctor and get on Armour Thyroid. I really hope it works
Avatar universal
I don't know as much about my PVCs yet, but I certainly know they are at their height the 7-10 days prior to my period. Like you, I'm young and not premenopausal.
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I'm so sorry you're suffering from those horrible things too
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