I may be muddled, but thought i had seen somewhere c that long term per can cause heart arrythmia.
Having just been told i have one ,and given an urgent referral to cardiology, I'm wondering if i need to interrogate them about 30 months on pred for PMR ( fairly low doses) before they insert a pacemaker!
Of course, I can't find where i saw the initial article ...
Any experiences or thoughts on this would be much appreciated! Thank you.
Pred has a reputation for causing cardia arrythmias - but it isn't always the culprit, the autoimmune part of PMR can do it too by damageing the sinus node, the bunch of cells in the heart that govern heart rate.
I had had minor palpitations from about the same time as the PMR symptoms started, not particularly bad or long, but there. It is a long story but eventually I was in hospital for something else and was given an infusion of diazepam as a muscle relaxant - and a rare adverse effect is atrial fibrillation! I had 5 hour massive episodes with a heart rate of up to 230 2 nights running - they had thought it was the high dose pred, and stopped that but it turned out to be the i.v. diazepam. The a/f had been identified and treated - and then I realised the little episodes I'd had for so long had disappeared. The cardiologist is quite satisfied it was the a/i disorder that did it.
I was fine for a few years and then I started getting different little episodes - like a wave of dizziness washing over me. Nothing ever happened while I was on a monitor or it was the wrong sort but eventually I fainted and hit my head so was taken to A&E - where they gave me i.v. diazepam before my husband arrived (it is in large letters on the hospital notes now!). With the predictable result! This time they noticed I was also having bradycardic episodes after the tachys - with pauses of up to 7 seconds, hence the dizziness. THEN I got a pacemaker - hadn't really needed one before but since then, no problems at all. I get short bits of a/f that I just wait out, a liquid magnesium supplement works well to stop them.
I had a massive tachycardia attack a few days before my husband died, I was exhausted and the weekend was being very stressful so it wasn't surprising. A few hours in hospital and a range of "stuff" sorted it and I went home. Been fine since.
Oh goodness, you have been through the mill!I've had episodes of anxiety all my life, with palpitations. But last summer had a very different episode of feeling faint, shaky, and just wanted to lie down... Was out on a hillside at the time, so it was rather scary... Car was miles away.
I really thought it was low blood sugar and that a heart trace was a, waste of time.. But they've picked up ' pauses' .
Lots to ask the cardiologist about!!
Thank you, again!!
I'd had a few "dos" like that but thought it was being "unfit" and being at altitude. But a good investigate and whatever they suggest and you'll be fine. It can be a bit irritating when it happens when I should be cooking dinner or whatever but I have only myself to answer to now which will make it simpler!
Hi Fergyfish.I have a long history of palpitations since being 18yrs old. Several times over the years I've had investigations done and they have proved to be ectopic beats... uncomfortable but harmless. I'd had a good few years with no occurrence of them until I started pred. More investigations led to the same diagnosis. The pred had triggered the ectopic beats off again so I'm now on a beta blocker (propanolol) which has sorted the problem out so far. Hopefully your problem will be easily sorted too.
Thanks JJ endrew, I hope so too!
I had attack of gallstones and paramedics found I had irregular heartbeat - after tripto A and E , scan, monitor and follow up with cardiologist told lots of people have this and as I have no other symptoms of it I am ok - had PMR for 3 years and on 6 mg of pred - Good Luck
I have had a mild history of extrasystoles reaching back many years and they have been dismissed as without significance, I have also had elevated blood pressure now well controlled by medication and exercise.
About 7 years ago I had an episode of atrial fibrillation while on an aeroplane (!), 130bpm which returned to normal after about 30 minutes. Subsequent ECG was unremarkable. Since I have been on steroids for PMR I have had 2 further episodes, the 1st one about 4 weeks into the PMR/steroid journey, about 24 months ago, which returned to normal after about 25 minutes.
About 12 weeks ago I had an episode of AF which didn't go away and was seen at my local ED, given medication intravenously and sent home after 4 hours with a prescription for anticoagulants.
I am awaiting an echocardiogram scheduled for the beginning of January. I have had 2 episodes of AF since then, both lasting about 2 minutes, I also have extrasystoles in the evening only. I did eliminate caffeine and alcohol which had little effect so I'm back on them with moderation
😀, but it seems that eating an evening meal is the trigger.I can do 20 minutes of high intensity interval training on my exercise bike without any unusual heart rate symptoms and I do not feel at all unwell when I do get the episodes of AF or extrasystoles.
An ex-colleague of mine, a retired cardiologist, has warned me not expect a definitive diagnosis as all this can be caused by any number of things which doesn't fill me with great confidence!
It's a bit like PMR - if you can't identify a specific cause for paroxysmal a fib, or a cause that they can do something about, then they deal with the symptoms and you learn to live with it! The most important thing is the anticoagulant though - that reduces the risk of stroke due to clots settled in the base of the heart being disturbed and sent out into the circulation where they can get trapped in the brain.
I have been very interested in your question fergyfish because I have been rushed off to hospital by ambulance twice in the last 2 months with arrhythmia and subsequent cardiac tests ( for which I have not yet received the results!!!!) it would be a big relief to me if it was only due to being on prednisolone for 2 years. I hope you keep well.
Post script my earlier comment , like Kendrew I too have been having ectopic heart beets and am now on propranolol! 😏
Had this problem. Had all test came back nothing wrong but was still having episodes. Magnesium citrate was mentioned on this forum. And since I started taking that have had no further episodes. Fingers crossed
Thank you! My rheumy has me on magnesium.. I'll check to see if it's citrate.....Press send responsible for so much, but i don't know how Is have copied without it.
A friend today suggested I stop it and try other methods of pain relief. That might sort my heart out... I know she's well meaning... But i don't think she gets it!!
Thanks for this . The more info i have the better the conversation with the cardiologist will be. I believe my blood pressure is fine... Though it'll be low during episode when my heart has a rest I guess!!
Pred
To raise pred or not?
Methotrexate not Pred
Mycophenolate and pred.
Pred and pancreatitis 
