Ectopic beats which are persistent and a slow heart rate.

[Wormald]

Hi, I suffer from ectopic beats, ventricular and supraventricular both of which I know are relatively harmless. However, Iam now experiencing longer runs of these (around thirty seconds) That is a normal beat allowed by a pause continully. D on't think it's SVT as it is not a fast rate, more a very slow rate. Also my resting heart rate is around 50 and when I am sleeping falls even further. I was on Propranalol for migraine for 14 years but had to stop earlier this year due to first degree heart block, which now seems to have resolved on ECG. Can anyone help please?

[Maxspencer]

Hi Wormald, I have suffered with ectopic beats since I was 16 - now 56 - and on a few occasions these have come in runs of over a minute. Mostly when I am tired or am not watching my diet too carefully - who does, right? My heart rate is also around 50 and when I was taken into hospital with suspected angina - proved to be actual angina after a stress test, echo thingy and CT angiogram (stent now fitted) - my resting heart rate went under 40 and kept setting their alarms off. To cut a long story short, I still get the ectopic beats but my cardiologist has suggested I take Magnesium Citrate and so far this seems to be making quite an improvement. Two separate cardiologists have told me not to worry about my slow heart rate unless it drops any further as all tests show no concerns. I don't know if this helps in any way but as a person who used to imagine I was dying when I was 16 as nobody explained to me what was happening, my doctor only suggesting I should seek psychiatric help, I know how worrying these episodes can be.

[Wormald in reply to Maxspencer]

HI Max, thanks for your reply. I too have just started on Magnesium citrate (only 10 days ago) Hoping this may help. Can I ask when you got long runs of ectopics of up to a minute was this without a break in between? (Just constant slow heartbeat due to one being "missing" every other beat) Iam worried this may be my heart block which has come back and not ectopics at all. Many thanks, Elaine Wormald.

[Maxspencer in reply to Wormald]

To be honest, Elaine, I don't know much about the nature of my ectopics. Not that many have been captured on ECG and certainly when they have, the doctors have shown little concern. Mostly my ectopics are one-offs and occur from once a day to maybe fifty on a bad one - tends to be when I'm tired or not taking good care of myself.

At times they can be almost painful but usually I just notice a weird sensation, a bit like it's out of sync for a moment or two and then it settles again. On occasion , say ten times since I was 16 (40 years) the odd beats on a run of their own and are just kind of weird, almost like one part of the full heartbeat cycle missing with every beat - never captured on ECG or witnessed by a doctor (certainly not a cardiologist). And yes, these were definitely in a row and without a break in between. Usually last about a minute or perhaps two - but then times passes really slowly when you're waiting for them to stop!

I would say that, due most likely to me be a bit scared during these periods, my heartbeat was not even close to resting state, so, if memory serves me right, my heart was racing and by no means slow despite my non-active rate being around 50 or sometimes lower. In fact, once the repeating phenomenon happened while playing sport and I figured I would drop dead on the spot, but I stopped and waited them out and then got on with it. My wife has listened to my chest on one occasion in bed that woke me and confirmed that it was happening. I did go to the hospital after one time but obviously they had stopped by then and all they picked up was the usual ad-hoc, if you will, variety. it seems that these problems are hard to pin down, but I hope my explanation helps in some way. All the best, Max.

[Ernest76]

I had a similar situation after ablation for arrythmia .

I cut out alcohol and caffeine completely which resulted in an immediate substantial improvement and over 12 months cleared up altogether.

A reduction in stress is an important added benefit.

I hope you improve.

[John687 in reply to Ernest76]

They come and go for me. Frequent moderate physical activity helped a-lot, ectopics reduced from 1 in 4 to 1 to 1 in 20 at rest. Hoping for a clear up like Ernest