Heart Palpitations
 

Do any of you suffer from them? What do you do to get some relief from them?

I checked in with doctors today, and they treated me like I was about to have a heart attack. But after they did a whole lot of tests they couldn't find anything that would be causing them (heart palpitations).
So they put me on some meds for high blood pressure and are making me see a cardiologist next week just to be sure that my heart is in good shape.

Just wondering, if any of you ever suffered from these, and what you did to get some relief, or if you're still struggling to find a cure for them.

Without knowing exactly what was going on it's hard to say. I'm an RN but NOT a physician so I can't offer "medical advice". You need to ask your physician some questions about what is going on and follow his advice - be sure to take the prescribed medications as directed.

With that said - alot of heart palpitations are caused from stimulants like tobacco &/or caffeine. You might try going without caffeine for a couple of weeks and see if that helps. (I get them sometimes if I'm tired and drinking lots of soda). Sometimes a doctor will have a Holter monitor placed on you and you wear it for 24-48 hours and keep a written diary at the same time. This way they can see exactly what your heart is doing with activity and see if the palpitations are related. You might check with your doctor about that.

Good luck, I know it can be scary.

Teresa

Ugh, yes, unfortunately.

I have sinus tachy and an arrhythmia and some other unrelated stuff. The tachy is controlled by a calcium channel blocker. It is not dangerous - just highly irritating and even disabling when not on drugs. The cause for me is likely hormones.

Just be glad they are actually listening to you. The doctors here in MI decided not to give me drugs for a few years and it was a very bad call. Hopefully it is nothing serious, b/c of course it can be.

Mine still skips sometimes (more than what I would consider normal). The arrhthmia is also not really controlled by drugs because the drugs would be more dangerous than the problem.

Yeah, the dr said the Cardiologist would most likely put the holter monitor on me, and that for now I just need to take the HBP meds and try to take it easy. I have to nix the caffeine for now, and since I barely drink, it's no problem to not have alcohol.
It was just concerning to know that there is a possibility that I could be stuck with these for the rest of my life, coming and going for no rhyme or reason. Just trying to figure out any possibilities that could be causing them that I can mention to the cardiologist for when I see him.
I am really lucky that they took me seriously, normally when I go see a mil doctor they just sort of brush me off and give me a prescription for Motrin. So it surprised me all the tests they did, chest x-ray, ECG/EKG (not sure which) and they took a ton of blood. Most of the blood work they did came back already and it was all normal, but I'm still waiting on a couple more tests they are doing. A friend of mines wife is going through the same thing, only the cardiologist she is seeing prescribed her Nexium and told her she was too young for heart problems. She's trying to find another doctor now, esp. after hearing about my experience today.

I will get them when I am stressed, I had them last night after shoveling the drive way for the 5th time. My friend had them so bad she went to a cardiologist and they did all the test and couldn't find anything out. She was going through menopause and thinks that may have been a factor. The main thing is to rule out anything serious and then hope they go away. Good luck

I am NOT a medical professional, but I can share with you a relative's experience that was attributed to thyroid irregularity. If your drs. did not test for thyroid function in all the blood drawn, you might want to ask about it at your next appt.
Good luck...I'm sure it's unsettling to have your heart act up.

Are you seeing a Naval Doctor, an Italian Doctor, or? I have never expereinced tham, but go ahead and wear the monitor. Did they just start, or have you had them and now they are getting worse? There are several treatments. Key is a good Cardiologist.

You were just sick, so I was wondering if you'd been taking any decongestants. Possibly ephedrine? Sometimes they can cause that, I think.

They definitely can. Even some antibiotics seem to be able to.

Look at the bright side. Even if you do have to take drugs long-term, at least it is better than dealing with the symptoms all the time. I'll probably be on something forever and I'm in my twenties.

BTW, lol at the cardio who says young people don't get heart problems. So the concerning results of my heart echos are just an illusion? :rolleyes:

I've had palps since my early 20s, as a permanent side effect from a medication. They are annoying as heck bc they're a little scary. I don't have to take any meds for it or anything, but it does make me nervous. My ECGs have always been good.

As long as your doc does an ECG and/or a Holter, he should be able to diagnose whether or not you should need add'l treatment. Please keep us posted :)!

I used to get heart palpatations quite alot, but mine were from a worsening mitral valve prolapse. I had MVP since I was 13, but menopause and stupidly, smoking helped to worsen my condition. It also caused me to have panic attacks and racing heatbeats in the middle of the night. Since my surgery in "07, I have been symptom free! I'm sure, since you're in the military, you DON"T have MVP, or it would have been detected. Please take care of yourself!