I have started having PACs/PVC's, also called Trigeminy, on a daily basis for 5 months now. I am almost 50 years old.
I have better days when I only have one-two, and worse days when I have 20-30 a day. I had a 24-hour Holter back in December and my cardiologist was not concerned, and said they are not AFIB. I was happy at that time because it didn't seem so serious, but now I am concerned, since they never went away. It is so tiring to live with these symptoms. My GP put me on Bisoprolol 5 mg, and I also take 400 mg Magnesium Glycinate (some days I forget and only take 200 mg). I am not sure what to do, if I should push for another Holder monitor.. what is these irregular beats will turn into AFIB? Does anyone here have these kind of symptoms on a daily basis and for months?
Written by
Annie2609
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Annie, Trigeminy is a form of ectopic rhythm in tripples in the same way that bigeminy is doubles. Ectopic beats are not and can not be or become AF although if you have any arrhythmia you may be pre-disposed to others.
I do know about ectopic beats having spent many months with a much more complex rhythm where every second , third . fourth etc up to eleven beats was missed and back to the start again. If you use the search box top right there are very many posts on the subject.
There is also a very good breathing exercise which is helpful in stopping them for many people. Breath deeply with you diaphragm not your shoulders pulling your stomach down to breath in and right up to breath out. Slow you breathing down to six or less breaths a minute for at least five minutes. longer if you can.
Bob, thank you for your reply. It's reassuring to know that my condition will not lead to AFib. The cardiologist I saw back in January was quick to dismiss my symptoms and that's why I ended up being concerned I was not given a proper duagnosis.
Hi, I used to get them all the time and know how worrying they can be.
Mine lasted for days on end and I would have hundreds a day.
Magnesium helped as did getting fitter, lots of walking.
I stopped bisoprolol under my EPs advice and this reduced them further.
I still have the odd day when they come back but that seems to be when I am stressed or fighting a virus.
Mike, thanks so much for your reply. Some days are better but frankly I dont think I had a symptom free day since 5 months ago. I am not new to these itregular beats, I had had them for years, but not so constant. Many days I try to ignore them and just get busy with my life. I think it works but then I get those worse days and am back to the land of worry and anxiety..
Hi Annie, I was diagnosed with AF 4 years ago I am now 39 I was prescribed Bisoprolol 5mg and Rivaroxaban 20mg.
After 2 years of suffering and investigating all possible solutions to help my situation I began taking magnesium chelated 400mg daily and bathing with Epsom salts I also took up meditation.
After 6 months I was taken off the Rivaroxaban.
As these methods have helped me significantly the one thing that has changed my life completely is the Wim Hof breathing methods.
I now no longer take medications as I have healed myself and symptoms and I regulate my abnormal beating heart by using this breathing method and meditating.
It's definitely worth a try and I think it will help anyone.
Thanks for your reply. I really don't want to keep taking Bisoprolol as it doesn't seem to help. Also it might give me so gastrointestinal issues as they coincided with the treatment start period.. i am already taking mag glycinate and I will look into the Wim Hof breathing, which sounds promising!!
Thanks for sharing the breathing information. I started it too, and while my arrhythmia is not gone yet, I feel so much better!! I will keep doing it and hopefully will see more changes in my symptoms, but wanted to ask in your case, how long did it take until your arrhythmia resolved.
Hi, I'm familiar with WHM, but I haven't practiced it in a while and I've had PACs for several years now. I've been meaning to research more on whm and heart conditions before picking it up again. It's exciting to read your comment. Just the thought of improving to the point of it not being a daily burden is almost overwhelming.
I'm curious, how long did it take you before you could control abnormal heart beats with breathing method? Also, how much effort do you put into your health. Are you following a specific diet, how much do you work out, do you drink, etc.?
I had an monitor event recorder on for a month. My three doctors said i had afib again. it took nearly a year before hospital said i had the afib and flutters.
Thanks Gemma, that's my concern too.. only wearing the monitor event for 24 hours might not have been sufficient. Although they did see a lot of irregular beats (about 96) during that timeframe...
I have been on Bisoprolol 10mg for 10years also on digoxin tablets for my atrial fibrillation for me it has prevented my having a rapid heartbeat which for me was frightening. Pleased that this drug worked well for me.
I experienced AFib for the first time while hospitalized for severe sepsis. Luckily, it has remained only paroxysmal AF, and I've had but 6 bouts of it in the past 3 years. Until recently, I've been on 2.5 micrograms bisoprolol, although I take extra if AF starts. Most of the Afib bouts last for minutes and not hours and correlate with high stress. It's also not unusual for me to feel a few irregular heartbeats daily in the early am. However, during a high stress period last Christmas, I ended up not with Afib, but PVCs. I initially did not know what they were, but identified them quickly from a search online due to their beat-beat-pause pattern. They persisted for three weeks, yet there was never Afib with them at all. Oddly enough, all of the "tricks" that help me stop Afib, such as folding laundry or doing yardwork, did not end those PVCs. What helped in the long run: lying quietly in bed and pressing my nose into a strong lavender sachet, or, better still, drinking 2 ounces of port. If I feel myself getting too anxious now, I usually head to the port to head off PVCs. Unfortunately, deep breathing has never helped me. My cardiologist seems fine with all of this. One bonus from this experience: if I detect one or two irregular heartbeats, I no longer am so anxious about them initiating AFib or PVCs, or PVCs becoming Afib. I suspect this lessened anxiety in itself makes it less likely either event will then occur. Good luck to you!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I guess you know exactly the difference between Afib and PVCs, which helps with your anxiety. When I get my PVC's almost instantly I think it will turn into something worse.. like Afib. I don't know the difference (I guess you don't feel the skipped beats with Afib?)
I also like the idea with the port. I used to enjoy a glass of wine now and then, but after starting the daily PVC's and the bisoprolol, I'm scared that my symptoms will get worse. I wish I can drink a beer at least, now that the warm weather is here..
When my heart goes into PVCs and I check my pulse, whether with my finger on an artery or with a blood pressure monitor, the beat-beat-pause pattern is quite distinctive and persistent. I don't particularly notice PVCs unless I check my pulse, although my heart rhythm can feel a bit irregular for a minute or two when I am just entering the PVC pattern or just heading out of it back to a regular rhythm. My pulse is not particularly rapid with PVCs; every third beat is just missed. However, with Afib, I feel frequent, what I call strong "lub-dubs" in my chest, and if I put the blood pressure monitor on, my pulse is now between 100 and 200, when it normally is about 65. I used to put on that cuff whenever I felt an odd lub-dub, but after doing this hundreds if not thousands of times, I realize that, for myself, an odd lub dub is just an odd lub dub without any other ramifications, unless I feel a few of them in short order. Then I do put on that cuff to more clearly feel and see what's going on.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
atrial flutter or afib
Some Success with Avoiding Afib
Flecainide for AFib
Afib or not afib
