Does anyone suffer from palpitations (skipped beats) with a heart rate that is not rapid?

Question

I have taken the nuclear stress test because of palpitations and a rapid heart rate that showed up on an EKG. I was on 25mg of Toprol before that. The doctor said the test was normal but my resting heart rate is fast. He increased the Toprol to 100mg. My heartrate is not always fast and I tried to tell him that but he stood firm. Now, I still feel the palpitations but with a much slower heartrate - in the 70's. I am an anxious person - esp. when it comes to my health. I am also doing an endoscopy tomorrow and wonder if it will be safe with the palpitations. My palpitations seemed to be worse after eating but now since I've been anxious, they come and go and it makes me more anxious esp. since I've increased my medication. If someone is experiencing similar symptoms, please let me know so that I may start to calm down somewhat. Please give serious answers only since I am already very anxious about my health. Thank you.

Answer 1

Join the club, hon. I have palpitations with a normal heart rate. I feel them more after I eat, if I'm slightly constipated, if I'm slightly gassy feeling. You are probably feeling premature ventricular beats, which is what I have. I did the stress test, holter, yada, yada, yada. I didn't want to take the Toprol because my resting BP is 90/60, but once in awhile I think about starting it just to get a little peace of mind.

Unfortunately you are one of those people who feel every skipped beat, just as I do. Yes, it is a major anxiety producer, even after doctor after doctor says it's benign.
I just got home from seeing a patient who had a slow pulse with skipped beats, but she never feels them, ever! Lucky woman!!!!

You will be absolutely fine during your endoscopy tomorrow. In fact, they will give you something to calm you down and put you in a twilight "sleep" and I'll bet those palpitations will stop at that time. Our anxiety truly does make things worse, I firmly believe that. When you're anxious, your body produces more adrenaline, which can irritate your heart muscle. Your medication takes care of the rapid heart beat that the adrenaline causes, so you are lucky that you are tolerating the Toprol well. I guess we just have to consider that the pvc's are a part of us, and like people who have other anomalies (less than perfect vision, flat feet, blotchy skin, etc etc) and get along just fine, we will be just fine too.

If your anxiety seems to get the best of you often, you may want to ask your physician for a mild sedative type med. There are some very effective medications with minimal side effects that may help improve your quality of life until you can come to terms with your heart beats and your worries about your health.

Good luck tomorrow. Come back and add some details to your question, letting us know that you cruised through the endo with flying colors. :)

Answer 2

I have a very slow heart rate and have palpitations and tachycardia. But, I have episodes where my heart rate escalates very quickly and then is slow to return to my "normal". I was on Inderal for years and was switched to Toprol XL 50 mg twice a day and propananol 10 mg for those times when I get rapid heart beat palpitations. You will do fine and be totally safe during your endoscopy. Trust your cardiologist and her/his team and try not to work yourself up about it. Find that calm place inside yourself where you know that you will be okay no matter what happens to you and you will start to relax. My condition has largely been under control for 2 years and the need for the propananol reduced to next to nothing (1/2 once a month or so). They monitor me now and again with a cardio beeper just to make certain they don't need to make a medication change or take a different approach. Good luck and God Bless!

Answer 3

I've suffered from the same thing ever since I was in college. It feels like your heart skips a beat and the next one is extra strong to make up for the missed beat. They are stress or anxiety induced most of the time. I am not on any medication. As soon as I learned that the palpitaions can be part of a normal functioning heart, the occurences dropped tremendously. Stop worrying. Take a meditation course so you can learn to calm yourself when you are in an anxiety producing situation.

My mother had Wolffe-Parkinson's-White syndrome. It's an extra nerve going to a part of your heart where there shouldn't be a nerve. It causes the heart to race ocaissionally. It didn't affect her life at all until she got older. She had six children with no complications. When she got older and her heart grew weaker, she did have to take medication to better regulate her heartbeat. I don't think she ever took Toprol.

Answer 4

There are many reasons a person could have an abnormal heartbeat of heart rate. Caffeine, lack of sleep , nicotine, numerous other the counter drugs, (most decongestants for example) The doctor will likely do an EKG and an echo on you to see what is going on. The EKG measures the electrical conduction of the heart (is non-invasive and does not hurt at all, takes 5 minutes) and the echo (shot for echo-cardiogram) will take about 10 minutes and is non-invasive. They do tend to push a little hard with the probe but this is made of plastic and other than the pressure does not hurt. You can also have abnormal rhythms due to structural factors (like the heart murmurer you mentioned) or due to chemical imbalances (like electrolytes such as magnesium.) You can also have arrhythmia's due to life style factors, stress lack of sleep anxiety etc. Good luck.

Answer 5

Your doctor can order for you to wear a Holter monitor for a week and see when and how ofter your palpitations are occurring. It is just like a small ECG machine (about the size of a hand-held tape recorder). Of course you will have ECG leads stuck to your chest that plug into the monitor. That way you have a few days up to a week to record your electrical activity. Your doc can review that and take proper action from there. And no, it is highly unlikely that your palpitations will affect your endoscope tomorrow. They will also have you monitored -- ECG, blood pressure, and pulse oximeter. You will be fine. Good luck tomorrow.

Answer 6

i suffer all the time!i am the queen when it comes to anxiety about these heart palpitations!it scares me alot!i went to the doctor and found out the same way you did.i have been to a heart doctor and they put me on the same thing said they were nothing,some people can feel them some can't!well me being me didn't take the medicine i still have to dig deeper cause i want to know why all of a sudden do i feel this way!if i didn't have heart palpitations i wouldn't have anxiety!right!i did find out i have a hyperthyroid graves disease but its in remission,and i still have heart palpitations.i had a endoscopy and a colonoscophy and cat scans of chest and back!i wish you luck and maybe you should get your thyroid checked!it does cause palpitations.good luck please let me know!

Answer 7

I've had palpitations for over 40 years,no adverse effects.

Answer 8

every one of use has palpitations at some point. there are many different causes. a full workup by a cardiologist will put you at ease. you may be more prone to these because of your anxiety issues -ask the doc for a low dose med to help. counseling can also help resolve the issues that cause you anxiety.