I've been experiencing lots of ectopic beats recently. There appears to be a pattern; they usually start shortly after waking up and last for about an hour. Nothing too serious, usually just isolated beats and the odd couplet, but frustrating nonetheless.
Does anyone else have rhythm issues early in the morning, and do you have any tips on dealing with them? I currently take a daily dose of Flecainide. The dose is low, 50mg x 2, but I'd like to avoid increasing my dose, if I can.
Try the slow deep diaphragmic breathing trick. Slow to six or fewer breaths per minute for at least five minutes. Magic!
Hi, if only there is an answer to this.
Before my formal PAF diagnosis and treatment, ectopics (palpitations) were the pre cursor to an Afib episode; every time. As such, I was/am always very wary and ultra conscious of them.
Initially, despite my Afib being well controlled with medication (150mg Flecainide daily) ectopics did trouble me. I did suffer badly from ‘ectopic storms’, which drove me ‘mad’, robbing me of sleep. Anxiety just enforced a negative feedback loop that descended into more ectopics. They were investigated by my cardiologist, the burden was actually not that high and he wasn’t overly concerned but it was affecting my QoL. In his opinion, the anxiety was the catalyst. I turned to a course of cognitive behaviour therapy and for a period, an evening sedative. This worked for me, it broke the cycle and it all settled down.
I have now been ‘Afib free’ for 3.5 years and counting. I still have some ectopics, which is normal but I can just cope with/ignore them and they don’t escalate into storms.
Currently, I am detecting a few more ectopics than normal. I don’t know why but it is always about this time of year. I am leaning on my CBT techniques and breathing exercises, to stop this descending into chaos and a ‘storm’. The mantra is, “its happened before, nothing has happened to you before, it won’t harm you, calm down”. Night time is the worse. Holding on so far, hopefully it will only be a few weeks.
I do have a PiP for my Afib, basically another 100mg and a beta blocker, should an episode occur. I’ve never been told or even entertained the idea of taking it for ectopics.
If they are troubling you and a cause of concern, I’d recommend speaking to your cardiologist.
My cardiologist doesn't mind if I use Flecainide to reduce my ectopic burden.
Ectopics tend to occur when I’ve been laying down for a while, but I never get a long run of them like some on this forum. I think my breathing pattern is worse at night and sometimes I get woken by an adrenalin spike which sets off a few ectopics. I always find deep breathing or box breathing helps calm me down and reduces the load on parasympathetic system and the heart.
In my experience everything is worse until I get up and get moving - the gut, the heart, the joints, circulation, mood and motivation!
Box breathing is helping. Thanks.
Are you physically aware of them, or seeing them on a device? If I take my pulse, on my wrist, I will feel an ectopic maybe one a minute. So they are happening most of the time. my ECG reading is typically SR Bradycardia with ectopics. Otherwise I'm not aware.
My ectopics feel lighter than a regular beat - they are very distinctive when you feel my pulse. For the first hour after waking up, I usually feel about one ectopic for every 10 normal beats. I rarely experience a 'thump', like many do. Almost every ectopic I've ever caught on my Kardia has been an atrial ectopic.
Absolutely, and on lying down at night. No amount of breathing stops mine - I wish. They can be so numerous as to mimic AF at times.
Steve
Breathing exercises are helping me a little. Sorry they don't do anything for you.
That's good. A few others here find them helpful and I do think breathing "properly" can help to reduce anxiety and encourage relaxation but I've never known it stop my heart from racing.
Steve
Yeah. I've tried breathing exercises to help with AF, but with no success. However, box breathing helped with my ectopics this morning.
I have read that they are quite typical early am around 4am. Something to do with a certain hormone ?
Be more specific about "early in the morning". Are you talking about midnight to 3am? Or after you are up for the day 6 or 7 am? I think I can recommend something if it's the former.
I usually get up around 6am - my ectopics start as soon as as I sit up. I'm currently waking up 15 min earlier, to do some breathing exercises.
Hi, I have been on Flecainide for 3 years 100 twice a day. I have had no problems, what so ever. I used to get the odd blip that showed on my Apple watch but nothing for months and months. I believe that a certain type of Afib is required before taking Flecainide. (no other heart problems)
Good luck and just so you know the maximum dose is 300 per day, 150 at a time.
as long as they are just ectopics, don’t stress out over them. Get on with your day.
If the ectopics were happening while you were in bed and your heart rate was at a low resting rate, that could be the precursor of an AF event. In which case, I get up and do some aerobic activity to wake up the SA node in the right atrium. I make the “good guy” stop the “bad guys” over in the left from taking over. Actually, it’s my political stance as well come to think of it.
I had PVI ablation two years ago, so hopefully the rogue signals in my left atrium are taking a lengthy vacation.
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