hi. I had a NSTMI 18 months ago & been doing well. Lately I having been experiencing palpitations. They last for long period of time, no pain, breathlessness no dizzyness. I was given an ecg which highlighted eptopic beats. Seen by GP who has requested bloods. I take Propranolol 10mg twice a day to ease them. I am trying to relax but find it so worrying. Any tips?
Thank you
One thing you will definitely find is that propranolol will protect your heart from stress and anxiety, it slows and calms the heart. I have taken it on and off for many years and can vouch for its effectiveness.I wasn't given them for ectopic beats, can't comment on that. The accepted wisdom is that they are rarely harmless I believe.
Please try not to worry. Palpitations are very common. I have lived with them for approximately 50 years. At one time I had many triggers such as eating too fast, liquor especially wine or if I mixed different types of alcohol on an evening out, cold temperatures, lying flat in bed, too much caffeine, etc. The first medication I was given was propranolol and it worked quite successfully. I found it to be very effective and loved its calming effect. Unfortunately I have been recently weaned off of it due to another medical issue. However, luckily the palpitations have eased up as I have aged. I would end by saying watch for triggers...they may be subtle but present nevertheless. Hope this helps!
Your wide range of triggers illuastrates that it is worth keeping a health diary. This may highlight that a change in regimes, or even something like the transition to colder winter weather might be key in identifying the source of the problems Winimops has.
Hi,mypartner has had palpitaions for a long time, usually after eating anything with chilli or caffine in it,180 beats per minute,that lasted for 2 hours.He had a monitor on for a week and they were finally caught on the monitor.More tests were done,thankfully his heart was in good shape.The cardiologist told him to take a magnesium suppliment daily,that was 4 years ago and so far so good,he still avoids chilli and caffine in his diet.Also putting an ice pack on his neck shocks the vagus nerve and calms the palpitations.
Hi. I sympathise. I have had ectopics on and off for some years. I'm really interested to share about this. Since a recent stent in my LAD they have become more consistent; tiring and distracting as well as disappointing since i was hoping to feel bionic! I am about to start Bisopropol and reducing my Ramipril as my blood pressure has been quite low recently as advised by GP and checked with Cardiologist.
I do wonder if some of the medication could be causing the ectopics or is it still stress in my system from the procedure and run up to it? Currently completely off alcohol and caffeine so can't find any triggers. Sometimes they calm down if i completely relax. I often find it easier to go to sleep if I am raised on several pillows.
I had a HA in January and had a NSTEMI. From the very afternoon after the stents procedure I felt strange but at the time wasn't aware what was going on. It has taken months swapping drugs to see what has caused what I now know to be ectopic heartbeats. I was able to stop the bp med Ramipril as my blood pressure isn't that bad. I had a few bad turns with that feeling like I was about to pass out. Never passed out before my HA. I discovered that the bp meds and also the statins I was taking raise potassium levels and they in turn can give ectopics. I have only recently swapped the statin to Atorvastatin as it is supposed to have less effect potassium wise. It could well be your medication.
hi wini, First thing is don’t worry about them, easier said than done I know. I get thumps, missed beats and all sorts for weeks at a time and they are more mentally stressful than any of my afib episodes.! They start for no reason but end for no reason which is totally frustrating. But Iv been like this for 30 plus years and still here so don’t be getting too worried.👍
Have you tried taking taurine everyday? In an nih study, men that took taurine every morning and night, were able to stop palpitations in 93% of the people. I don’t know if any of those people had afib , but it’s worth a try. I take 2mg per day. Some men take up to 9mg a day. The trial results said that nobody had adverse effects from the taurine.
Increase your Propranolol to 20mg. That's what helped when palpitation was taking a toll on me.
thank you all for your reassurance and advice.
Night-time palpitations ?
Palpitations
Palpitations 
Myopericarditis - palpitations
Heart Palpitations 
