One beta blocker pill changed everything?

[Latoya13]

So if you've read any of my previous posts, you know that I've been a sufferer of PVCs since September. I was finally given beta blockers in Dec, and i took my first pill. It was pretty much instant relief which i didn't expect. And i went days without feeling pvcs, then i started feeling them again it was only like 1 or a few in a day. Since taking that one pill I've never felt more than 10 pvcs in a day, some days i go without feeling any. My doctor said to try and stay away from the medication and should only really take it when i feel a bunch of pvcs. Because i haven't felt a bunch since, i haven't felt the need to take another. I was wondering if this has ever happened to anyone? Has one pill changed everything like it did for me?

While it definitely has reduced the amount of pvcs, it hasn't done anything for my anxiety. Sometimes i feel like my heart is going to pound out my chest, like i can feel and hear every single heart beat. And night times is still the worst time for me bcuz i fear i won't wake back up still, and I'm most likely to feel pvcs at this time. I still don't know how to mentally deal with pvcs, everyday, even with the reduced amount of pvcs i still fear for my life.

[Hidden]

I have had then for 43 years,I,m 71 and still here,just had to learn to live with them, not easy sometimes when they are all day

[Latoya13 in reply to Hidden]

I've seem to have gotten them quite young, I'm 23. I realize most people who have them are older than me

[Hidden in reply to Latoya13]

I had them at age 28, but I think I had them a few years before that, i was breathless and went to my doctor who told me I had ectopics since then it’s been a rollercoaster.

[Hidden in reply to Latoya13]

Mine started when I was 17, 20 years before medicine even had a name for them. That was really lonely.

The frightening thump that we all think is the heart stopping and starting is the Premature Ventricular Contraction, or Ventricular Ectopic Beat. Instead of your heart beating 1.......2.......3 we get 1..2..............3. The "2" is the ectopic beat which could come from your natural pacemaker but might also come from somewhere else in your heart. It's just earlier than it should be. When premature beat 2 comes, the heart hasn't yet filled with blood after number one has pumped its load out, so we don't actually feel beat number 2. But then the heart fills up with extra blood in the gap between 2 and 3 and gives a powerful beat to pump the extra blood out. That's the thump we all feel. And the gap is when we all think our hearts have stopped. I have had this for 45 years and I'm still alive. I had 23,000 one day. I'm not going to die of this and nor are you. Next time you are having a bad time take a dose of antacid (I use Gaviscon) and sit upright for a while. It works wonders for me. Cliff in Australia.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

The frightening thump that we all think is the heart stopping and starting is the Premature Ventricular Contraction, or Ventricular Ectopic Beat. Instead of your heart beating 1.......2.......3 we get 1..2..............3. The "2" is the ectopic beat which could come from your natural pacemaker but might also come from somewhere else in your heart. It's just earlier than it should be. When premature beat 2 comes, the heart hasn't yet filled with blood after number one has pumped its load out, so we don't actually feel beat number 2. But then the heart fills up with extra blood in the gap between 2 and 3 and gives a powerful beat to pump the extra blood out. That's the thump we all feel. And the gap is when we all think our hearts have stopped. I have had this for 45 years and I'm still alive. I had 23,000 one day. I'm not going to die of this and nor are you. Next time you are having a bad time take a dose of antacid (I use Gaviscon) and sit upright for a while. It works wonders for me. Cliff in Australia.

[Latoya13 in reply to Hidden]

Even though I know what pvcs are and how they work, something about the way you explained it has honestly reassured me in a way. I know when i feel that "skipped beat" my mind reacts and thinks I'm going to die. But you're right cliff, I'm not going to die from this and neither are you. I will look into Antacid and see how that works. Because I don't really like the beta blockers even though it worked. Thank you!

[Lintonby2703 in reply to Latoya13]

I can’t belive how much this post has helped me: I have recently been diagnosed with pvcs and have had some runs of them which have scared me half to death. They were all captuturedbon a ecg monitor and have been told by all the professionals that they are benign and mine are most probably due to adrenaline as I am a very anxious person. I am on a low dose beta blocker at the moment which has lessened them. However I have been so scared for my life and leaving my 2 year old daughter it’s caused me so much stress: thank you for your posts it has made me feel so much reassurance

[Hidden]

Lots of info, including a video, on the AFA post: healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

[Hidden]

The frightening thump that we all think is the heart stopping and starting is the Premature Ventricular Contraction, or Ventricular Ectopic Beat. Instead of your heart beating 1.......2.......3 we get 1..2..............3. The "2" is the ectopic beat which could come from your natural pacemaker but might also come from somewhere else in your heart. It's just earlier than it should be. When premature beat 2 comes, the heart hasn't yet filled with blood after number one has pumped its load out, so we don't actually feel beat number 2. But then the heart fills up with extra blood in the gap between 2 and 3 and gives a powerful beat to pump the extra blood out. That's the thump we all feel. And the gap is when we all think our hearts have stopped. I have had this for 45 years and I'm still alive. I had 23,000 one day. I'm not going to die of this and nor are you. Next time you are having a bad time take a dose of antacid (I use Gaviscon) and sit upright for a while. It works wonders for me. Cliff in Australia.

[purpleviolinist]

Hi! I just 35 and have felt them on and off for much of my adult life. It wasn’t until recently, about a month ago, that I started getting a ton of them. This prompted me to make an appointment with the doc because I was so terrified. He also gave me a beta blocker (atenolol) along with a water pill. They’re serving a dual purpose since they’re more importantly for my blood pressure. Like you, I went a few days without feeling any at all, but they rear their ugly heads off and on still. But, they’re not as bad as before and the more I try to ignore them by keeping myself occupied, the less intense they are. I have noticed they seem to increase around my cycle, I guess due to the hormonal shifts.

[Latoya13 in reply to purpleviolinist]

I noticed too around my cycle they seem to be pretty intense. Thanks for commenting!

[DisneyMom3 in reply to Latoya13]

Mine are the worst a couple of days before PMS.

[DisneyMom3]

I am 25 and have had PVCs for years.. I didn’t even know what they were until last year and they didn’t scare me until they had a name and I looked them up. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks too. The reason I am up right now at 4 am is because my little one is sick.. but I’m freaking out because I just had 2 really bad/strong PVCs right in a row and I was afraid i was going into a PVC “storm” where I would have one every other beat. Thankfully that didn’t happen but now I am really scared to lay back down. I hate them. They have really altered my way of life. I’m scared to do anything, eat certain things and I even hate leaving my house. They gave me an anti-arithmetic drug, flecanide, but I’m way too scared to take it. I don’t have so many PVCs that I need it, they just gave it to me because the PVCs are affecting my life. But now I’m too scared to take it. I can’t win.

[Hidden in reply to DisneyMom3]

I completely understand how you feel. I have runs of it topics and my blood pressure spikes the doctor gave me metoprolol I'm scared to take it.