Does anyone suffer with an awful thud of a heartbeat every so often, i say a thud but its hard to explain.... like my heart is dropping and then a massive adrenalin rush. Does this make sense to anyone lol. I had about 4 in a row the other day and it takes my breath away.
Is this anxiety related? I am now waiting around for it to happen again so i cant get it out my mind which is prob making it worse. Could it be a problem with my heart as im literally living in fear that its just going to stop any minute.
Thanks xx
Written by
ali1983
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
This is a very common symptom of anxiety. It's just because of the adrenaline that the body excretes when you're feeling anxious or just have anxiety. It can hit anytime. I have had them before myself and after many tests and being told that it's anxiety, I've learned to ignore them.
Thank you for your reply i really appreciate it. Iv had a couple ecgs in the past and they were fine but i didnt have them at the time these beats happen i have been given propranolol to take as and when i feel anxious to block the adrenaline to hopefully stop the vicious anxiety cycle that happens whwn iget them, however im also to scared to take them...erghhh :(. I just worry and cant stop thinking theres something wrong.
I see you say you have had some EKG's in the past that were normal but because you weren't experiencing symptoms at the time the EKG was performed it would be. If these ectopics are something new for you, you probably should have an echo and wear a monitor (24 hours if you have them everyday or up to 30 days if you don't *event monitor*). Almost certainly these beats your experiencing are benign but they should be evaluated at least once. Anxiety can cause all kinds of stuff but not everything that goes on with us is caused by anxiety and so it's better to have things checked out.
Yeah i agree, i always put stuff down to anxiety and im scared something is being missed because of it, iv had them.for roughly 2 years id say... well atleast thats about the length of time i remeber them causing me extra anxiety.
I went through a period like that, I put everything off on anxiety. Some of it was but some of it wasn't.
I see a lot of times on anxiety boards where people are conflicted, they are dealing with something and aren't sure if its anxiety or something else and then you have some where its obvious something isnt right and people comment and tell them not to worry cause it's just anxiety but there is a real possibility that isn't. Headaches, dizzness and palpitations are the most common. Most of the times these things are harmless but sometimes they aren't and it's just better to be safe then sorry in my op.
Like with people being fairly new to palpitations or PVCS/PACS should always get them evaluated to make sure their heart is structurally normal and that the problem is in fact benign for them. People that have benign cases and have suffered for years will tell someone like that, that it's okay, it's just anxiety and not to worry. This may be true for them and a thousand others but it may not be the case for that person and now they will put off getting them evaluated because they think it's normal for everyone. People mean well but they need to remember that not everyone is the same and not everything is caused by anxiety. People can suffer from anxiety and still have a real medical condition. I have a few different arrhythmias and I know how scary these things can be. My intention isn't to scare anyone, the odds that someone free of heart disease has harmful palpitations are small but there is always a possibility no matter how small it is... They can have something like PSVT/SVT like me that needs treatment..
I wanted to tell you, if there comes a time where they start to interfere with your quality of life, you can always ask the dr for a low dose beta blocker and take it as needed. It helps some people. Also, avoid caffeine, cigarettes (any stimulants) alchohol causes them to be worse for some people and deff stress and anxiety. The more you worry about them, the more your mind will focus on your heart and the more you will feel them. I know it's hard but try to remain calm the rush of adrenaline you feel is because after it happens you get scared and that triggers the bodies flight or fight response. You can also try magnesium as it's been shown to help some people.
We dont actually feel the premature beat. What we feel is the next normal beat. The sinus node is what paces the heart but both the atrium and ventricle have the ability to fire off a beat. When this happens their is a brief pause as the sinus node resets and prepares to fire off the next beat. That pause causes the heart to fill with extra blood and so when the next beat comes its more forceful as it pushes out the extra blood. It can feel like a hard thud or a flutter. Now when you feel that weird scary feeling you know your heart is doing exactly what it's supposed to do and why it feels the way it feels
Hi absolutely nothing to worry about I have 48,000 ectopic beats a day! Yes that’s almost 50,000 normal ectopic normal ectopic.. I know exactly what you mean and I have learnt to ignore them.
I’ve had heart mri ecgs and they are right in front of me black and white.. did a stress test when running on a treadmill they were all gone! Which means they are benign and harmless.
At first I was depressed so sad about it all than learnt this is my heart rhythm and it beats to its own tune!
Doctor told me limit caffeine and stress but it’s just one of those things.. even in a deep sleep every other beat is a thud.
It does get better x some people have a few a day a 100 a day sometimes I wish I had less than 48,000 whenever I googled in the past never seemed to find anyone else that had that many?! I stopped googling and trust in god I will be ok x
Yes I have them often and have been told it's anxiety that can cause them .I started to feel them alot more after my first panic attack and now I'm more overly aware of them! I take propranolol which helps them not feel as strong as I hate the very hard thud beats x
Sounds like me, some days im concentrating on them so hard that im almost waiting for them i seem to be so aware of them at the moment, its the adrenlin rush straight after that takes my breath away. Did you notice any side effects with propranolol? Im to scared to take them lol, do.they help with the anxiety as iv been told to take them as and when needed when feeling anxious
Yeah that's how I feel I get anxious when I feel one which causes more . Not sure if you've looked on YouTube at Sanjay Gupta but he explains about the link with anxiety and ectopics and helped me alot to watch his videos. Yes the propranolol definitely helps I only take 10mg which seems to help if I think I need it that day and no side effects with that as it's quite a small dose they gave me 40mg at first which was too much for me xx
The exact same for me i was given 40 but to scared then they gave me 10 and still to scared lol, so you would recommend i take them when needed then? Thanks for the info i will check him out tomorrow on youtube
I would do yes as when I went out before sometimes I used to get lots of ectopics but now if I take the 10mg it stops them so it's worth a try :). Propranolol has been around a long time so it's safe especially in that small dose the cardiologist said he can prescribe up to 180mg a day for some people x
No probs and hope yours get better :). Don't hesitate to message me as it's nice to talk to someone that understands how they feel!xx
Yes ive had similar for years now im 42 ,get the thud or it races and flutters sometimes,had all the tests echo cardiogram etc over the years nothin to worry about but i still do but that makes it worse,diet has a big part to play
Probably chinese food the msg ,im sensitive to it i think,caffeine in chocolate also ,i need to eat healthier !! There are comments on here saying it could be serious get checked out ,you will know that im sure ,most cases of palpatations are benign but yes in some cases its a problem i dont think you need telling ,not sure that comment you got is helpful ,you want reassure i understand that,have u seen a doctor?
I had a couple ecgs and a chest xray in the last 2 years and when iv spoken to my doctor she said that they sound like eptopics to her but did say if they become consistant or troublesome to go back, but they are only worse at the minute cos my anxiety is sky high so iv hit the vicious circle and im now on day 8 of this high anxiety feeling :(. The dr is calling me on the 19th so il talk to her then but yeah i am literally sat here with a hr of 80+ worrying something bad could happen any minute.
Its tiring isnt it. Thanks so much for.your reply i really appreciate it. I do focus on the fact that most eptopics are harmless however my mind tells me im the exception
Hope your well xxx
Anyone get like loads of palpatations all at once??
I had 4 or more the other day that really took my breath away.... scared the hell out of me and thus set my anxiety into overdrive and felt them on and off afterwards as i was on high alert concentrating on them
If you go to the search bar and put in skipped beats, or palpitations etc........you will get more information about this topic and it might calm you down even more.
Ah thats great thank you, i will search for that tomorrow, i hate that people go through this but it is also comforting knowing others have the same thing
Hi Ali, I've had this and I too worried about my heart for a while; I was also getting pain in my arm and neck, chest pain and palpitations - so all suspect heart symptoms, but when I eventually got checked out my heart is fine so it's been put down a anxiety. The strange thing is, although I do suffer with anxiety, every time it's happened I've been relaxed and chilled. If you're concerned get checked, but not all apparent 'heart' symptoms are heart related, so try not to worry too much in the meantime.
I spoke with my doctor about this just the other day. I've had ecgs that are normal and I would suggest talking to your Dr about getting some tests, but, this is what I was told..... An ectopic beat is basically normal and everyone has them. The word ectopic means in the wrong place e.g ectopic pregnancy. So if your heart is about to miss a beat you have a pacemaker (not one surgically fitted one inbuilt) and that will fire if your heart does not beat normally. This is why it is more noticeably, because its in a different place to where it should be. Mine feel like a thud in my throat and it pushes the air out of my lungs and I cough and everything is fine again. If you get a few in succession you can do the vagal something manoeuvre which is basically the same as trying to pop your ears on a plane. This helps restart your normal rhythm. Hope this helps. Big hugs xx
Hi ya. Thanks so much for your reply i will try those things out. I dont think it jhelps that im concentrating more of them at the minute. I spoke to my dr the other day and she didnt seem to.worried by them but if they carry on il speak to them again cos i dont think il feel happy until theyve been checked
Hi Ali, how are you getting on with these now? do you still get them? i get them also they are the most scariest thing i have ever had to deal with they are just horrible
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.
i have been given propranolol to take as and when i feel anxious to block the adrenaline to hopefully stop the vicious anxiety cycle that happens whwn iget them, however im also to scared to take them...erghhh :(. I just worry and cant stop thinking theres something wrong.
the rush of adrenaline you feel is because after it happens you get scared and that triggers the bodies flight or fight response. You can also try magnesium as it's been shown to help some people. 
Extra beats
Skipped heart beat 
Skipped heart beats
Palpitations, fast beat, abnormal rythm
