27 year old male, relatively active/fit with daily exercise.
About 4 months or so again I started experiencing (or first noticing) ectopic beats.
I have since stopped alcohol, reduced caffeine to almost 0, taken B12, vitamin D, magnesium taurate but nothing seems to stop them. I’ve been to the Dr who checked my thyroid and did an ECG which he said was normal (although I felt a bit fobbed off by them).
I am literally open to any of the weirdest cures for these as they are literally ruining my life in every way.
I do have minor bowel issues (nothing that’s diagnosed) which is more than likely IBS, and I’ve heard the Vagus nerve can be a contributor to these so not sure if they’re linked.
Please, anyone that has had these and got rid of them...let me know of ANYTHING that can help!
Whether I have to eat one gram of celery every Tuesday at 8:53am or tap my shoulder 61 times on a Sunday...I don’t care how random...HELP!!
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Gman1993
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If you've only seen your GP so far ask for a referral to a Cardiologist for further tests, you need to find out the pattern and how many ectopics you are getting, don't accept "normal nothing to worry about".
Agree with Bantam, don't get fobbed off, at least ask for a 48hr or longer holter monitor. Tell them you are having other symptoms, feeling faint, dizzy, chest pains etc they will have to investigate further then, a 5 minute ECG is the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack with it comes to ectopic's. I've had a few 48 hr ones and it was only on a 7 day one they showed up. I am still getting them and have concerns so am looking to get a loop recorder fitted.
I know how debilitating they can be, once you have them you become fixated and that makes them worse. I only need to think about them and I get them! I know they are anxiety related and that they get worse with alcohol etc so I try and relax but once they start they gnaw away at your mind it's hard to stop thinking and worrying. Mine seem to go on exercise, so try and go for a walk or run.
However try not to worry about them, they are in all likely harmless and at your age I would think so. Best of luck!
Okay thanks for the advice, I think you’re right if I don’t say more than ‘I’m just getting them’ I’ll likely be fobbed off again!
You’re so right about being fixated on them; I went a couple of weeks without them and the world seemed great again, only for one to pop up and completely take my attention over!
Starting to think maybe alcohol might help by taking my mind off it for a change 😂
I don’t seem to get them whilst actually walking or cycling very often so try to do this daily.
I hope you’re right about my age but as a football fan I can’t help but think of the likes of Muamba, Feher and Vivien-Foe who 60 seconds before they dropped were the epitome of health!
No problem. I've had them since your age, and am a fair few years older than you now. Like you when they are absent life is great but the minute they are back my mind is elsewhere. If you are susceptible to anxiety and worry these will play on your mind and seeing the Muamba incident etc will make things worse, but that was really unusual given all the professional footballers who play week in week out.
My father in law died of a sudden Cardiac Arrest when I was 25 and I think that has much play in my personal health anxiety issues. It was a massive shock to me although he had several heart issues and had previous HA's. Fear is a great debilitator. Now I have a few heart issues myself but the doctors are keeping a close eye and I know much more than I did and although I do get worried some days I manage to keep very positive on the whole.
This forum is great though as you will realise you are most certainly not alone and there are others who have been through the wringer and are now living amazing lives!
See a cardiologist, push for an echo or stress echo or wait for them to fob you off then go pay private if u can afford it?Echos around 300-350 but shop around, I get ectopic beats albeit roughly 1 a day but it ruins my life and I know anxiety playing a massive part
I do appreciate how difficult ectopic are and the challenge of getting the right treatment but we should be honest with our medical staff. Your post appears to suggests including additional information which may not be true......
Have a look on utube for Dr Sanjay Gupter who give excellent advice on palpitations and also magnesium which is also good for the heart.I have had palpitations now for 18 months with very little respite from them sometimes as many as 14 ectopics in a minute. I have been reassured that they are harmless but I know that doesn’t help when your heart is trying to beat it way out of your chest.
You could also look up Austin Goh on you tube he also shows a natural way of trying to stop them.
Yes Dr Gupta is great but I’ve tried a lot of what he’s recommended and still getting them! Hopefully they are harmless but it’s hard to think like that after getting a big one
I Have /Had ectopic beats for a few years now so one thing I can pretty much guarantee is they won't kill you. They can be uncomfortable, but again not life threating.
I have been hospitalised twice due to Ectopic Beats but it was an Ectopic every other beat and Big Ones and the concern was that I was not getting enough Blood circulation !!!
It was my Heart Failure Nurse who was concerned hence my Hospital Stay I was on 10mg Bisoprolol at the time and it was thought I may of been over beta blocked . It settled down on it's own without any intervention just reducing Bisoprolol to 7.5mg. Because I have Heart Failure I have been building up to full strength Entresto but I am stuck at 49/51mg and Cardiologist says enough is enough so now classed as at Maximum Medication.
Entresto has reduced, even eliminated the ectopic beats at times HF Nurse believes entresto is remodelling the heart muscle and making the beats stronger. Long winded answer but just letting you know uncomfortable but manageable. For myself I have been living with this s*** for nearly 40 years
You should be able to get a Holter Monitor but Ectopics Beats are very clearly seen on an ECG so question your GP by all means but also believe the results.
Tell me about it.. I've had those ectopic for years now and sometimes they literally drop me to the ground but the gp says as lomg as pulse is steady I'll be ok. Its got to the point where I get no exercise now because when I do they seem to increase and I go dizzy and really feel ill. I also have bad bowels and they're investigating Inside large intestines a lump. I've been wanting for around 6 years for treatment and diagnosis for both stomach and heart issues, I have ambulances every few weeks because 111 will do that if you mention chest pain.I will say 1 thing to you, go back to specialist if you haven't had one, ask for an angiogram. It's the 1 thing I was offered a few years ago that I truly regret not having. It's slightly invasive but it will let them see into your heart so you can be sure what is actually happening.
I hope you manage to get some proper help. I'm waiting for the 4th time to see a specialist for heart and this time my cholesterol is high too. The longer they leave it the worse I will get. I just started trying to exercise a bit again lightly.
They'll say normal dont worry but they ain't got to live with it. If you can go private, sadly I can't afford it but I would.
I am having very similar issues - both with my heart and my bowel!!!
My heart I have always have a high heart rate ( when running) but recently noticing my heart is skipping beats with no reason as to why or when. A few weeks ago I had a really strange episode for half an hour where I felt fully and my heart kept skipping beats. I have been referred to a cardiologist.
On top of that I have been having really loose bowel movements which is not like me! Getting lots of tests for this too.
Not sure if the two are linked but very frustrating.
Hi Gman, I have had ectopics / PACs for 40 years and occasionally every 10th beat or so for hours. They are so frustrating but in general benign. The other posts have elaborated on what I was going to say. Strangely enough, I very seldom get when exercising or have naturally raised heart rate. Do not be put off exercising or wrap yourself in cotton wool. In some folks, coffee, strawberries, strong cheese, smoking, chocolate etc can exacerbate frequency, however in others there is no known trigger. If you Cardiologist is an EP he may give you the long version of the PAC story. Please don't get over anxious at your age (As I did ) I offer my very best wishes.
Hello Gman1993,, The quickest & best relief I have found for these nuisance ectopic beats is breathing exercises. I just need to put myself aside for 5min or so from whatever I’m doing (easier said than done at times depending on surroundings & self consciousness). I’m quite hopeful that they would help you as you said that they don’t happen when you’re cycling or walking - both where you’ll have a more deliberate if not focussed breathing. Anxiety feeds the issue, I can be entirely without them until I do a quick home ecg or even pulse count & my mind will trigger them, bizarre at first but now very predictable on what’s going through my mind at the time. There’s a lot of info online for breathing exercises, I use box breathing to calm anxiety for blood pressure tests - that works reasonably well for me (anxiety issue again)... Good luck & best wishes.
Definitely agree with anxiety making things worse. You get worked up thinking you have a heart attack and just spiral. I used to do this and since I've stopped over thinking and took cbt things got a bit better.Oh and hi everyone
2 small easy things that I find work: in the morning take a ppi (I have lansoprazole which is prescription but there are over the counter variations) and in the evening before bed take a couple of rennies (or magnesium tablet). they seem to help with side effects of anxiety and so help with the ectopic beats.
Or try to get bisoprolol prescribed. Although you might find it slows you down a bit, being young.
Oh bless you, first you are not alone. Then look at York Cardiology / Sanjay Gupta online and utube. Get to see a cardiologist.... or indeed talk to Sanjay Gupta who has a postal service for holter testing. Private but not expensive if you are in a hurry... you can then give the report to another cardiologist if it needs further investigation. That would be a quick way onto the ladder. As would seeing a cardiologist privately who will then refer you on to NHS for tests etc. Again a few hundred pounds. If I hadn't done that one I would not be here now ..... could not have waited another month for NHS God bless them. Don't be fobbed off by GP, I would like to give a nudge with a cattle prod so he understands what an ectopic can feel like "you are too sensitive to them". Oh and don't panic I was 60 and had, unknowingly, become very poorly with a heart valve.
I started getting ectopic heartbeats when I was around 38(I’m now 48). They are scary at first because you don’t know what they are but once you know they are harmless, you “kind” of get used to it.
I have bouts of them and then they stop for a couple of weeks and then start up again. I did have an ecg but typically they decided not to happen during the test so it wasn’t picked up. Eventually I had a subsequent ecg and it did pick it up. The doctor said they might be caused by high alcohol intake or caffeine . I don’t have much of either so for me they are probably caused by stress of anxiety. I’m quite an anxious person and tend to worry a lot(I also suffer from IBS)
After a while you stop focusing on them and eventually you don’t even notice them. This I’m sure this will happen to you in time.
Remember to tap your left shoulder 61 times and only when it’s a full moon good luck mate
It's strange how many people also have ibs or take lansoprazole and have ectopics, like every couple of people mention stomach issues too which gets one wondering.
Ask to be given a holter monitor to record your heart rate over a week and a stress test. I had both and nothing showed up until I had just finished the stress test. They left the electrodes attached when I sat down to recover and had a nice big long run of ectopics. They could see where they we re coming from and I was told they are totally harmless. Over time they have reduced to almost nothing. Be aware that stress and anxiety can cause harmless ectopics and the m ore you worry, the worse they get
I used to get them. Number one cause for me was not sleeping well. Don't underestimate this. I had poor quality sleep and interupted sleep and sure enough they would show up. When I slept well next night they would be gone. Deep breathing as well was beneficial. Sounds like you have been doing the usual stuff magnesium etc. already. Ectopic have more to do with electrical impulses in the heart being a wee bit off temporarily. Nothing to do with you heart condition overall. And stop checking your pulse all day cause I am sure you are. I know I did. Without other symptoms they are harmless.
Hi So sorry to hear about your ectopics which I agree are very distressing. I have spoken to Dr Gupta who is very reassuring & he does talk about taking magnesium & deep breathing excercises. I am waiting for the results of a 3 day holter monitor, so every night I do deep breathing for at least 5mins and go walking every day which I do feel helps, also if I feel an episode is coming on I do it. I have also spoken to a few other people who have been prescribed beta blockers which have helped them, unfortunately I have a low pulse & they made it too low. If I get any help to stop mine I will post it on here.
As others have said it depends on how frequent your ectopics occure. If your salts in your blood are ok, your blood pressure is ok, don't worry too much, what is the most destressing thing is you can feel them. But pursue the 24hr tape and do the activity you'd normally do exercise etc, so you can be confident to live your life X X
Iv had them most if my adult life. They used to scare me now I'm not worried by them. If the doctor has said he cant find anything wrong. Try to stop worrying. Anxiety makes things worse so try to not stress over them. They will settle down on their own. Your not alone 😊
Hi! have you been taking magnesium for a long time? it doesn't help everyone! I noticed an improvement in ectopics after I gave up magnesium and introduced calcium. You probably have an electrolyte imbalance..
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good luck mate
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