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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lizzyg on March 21, 2002, at 10:57:18
Since the weekend I've been experiencing a 'skipped' heartbeat which makes me catch my breath. It tends to occur about every 20 or 30 minutes.
Is it due to anxiety, or am I getting more anxious because of it - the whole vicious circle thing?
The only medication I'm on at the moment is SAM-e, which I would think is quite benign in terms of cardiac effects. (It seems to be working pretty well for the depression, but the anxiety is still there).
Or could the heartbeat thing be something more serious? Just wondered if anyone had experienced similar and could enlighten me.
Many thanks
Lizzy
Posted by LiLi80 on March 21, 2002, at 14:20:48
In reply to Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by lizzyg on March 21, 2002, at 10:57:18
Are sure you dont have an extra heart beat? I have that. Because i weigh about 100 lbs, My heart has an extra/half beat to it. ITs apparently really common amongst older people and really thin people. Nothing to worry about tho.
Posted by IsoM on March 21, 2002, at 15:10:36
In reply to Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by lizzyg on March 21, 2002, at 10:57:18
That skipped beat is called extrasystole & is very common & normal in *almost* all cases. If it does concern you, you could get it checked next time you see your doctor.
Various things can cause it to occur oftener - caffeine, overtired, anxiety, overactive thyroid, smoking, alcohol. Some people are more likely to notice it while at rest & even if it happens during activity, it's not as likely to be noticed.
The only thing I've ever read of SAMe doing is causing mild stomach upset in some people. SafetyCheck doesn't mention any heart interactions.
Posted by Janelle on March 21, 2002, at 23:52:37
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister? » lizzyg, posted by IsoM on March 21, 2002, at 15:10:36
Posted by GB on March 22, 2002, at 0:25:57
In reply to Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by lizzyg on March 21, 2002, at 10:57:18
> Or could the heartbeat thing be something more serious? Just wondered if anyone had experienced similar and could enlighten me.
>
> Many thanks
>
> LizzyHey Lizzy,
As IsoM mentioned, everyone has premature heart beats .... whether they are from the top chambers-atria or the bottom chambers-ventricles. And anything that increases your adrenalin will increase the premature contractions. They are totally harmless.
The problem is if you have more then 3 to 6 ventricular premature beats in a row. You would need to get a holter monitor to evaluate that. First cut out caffiene, tea, chocholate and maybe get your TSH checked.
GB
Posted by IsoM on March 22, 2002, at 1:14:19
In reply to ISO: what is Safety Check? a website? what's URL? (nm) » IsoM, posted by Janelle on March 21, 2002, at 23:52:37
Here's where it comes from: http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/Menus/Welcome.htm
It's a commercial site but I skip that part & use the other options. The above site has lots of info that you may find useful. If you click on SafetyChecker from the menu in the above site, you'll get a list of drugs & any interactions with them. But you can see at the top of that SafetyChecker page, that you can check by herbal remedy & by supplement too.
Everything is well referenced from credible sources & all articles are well hyperlinked too.
Posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 2:09:22
In reply to Re: ISO: what is Safety Check? a website? what's URL? » Janelle, posted by IsoM on March 22, 2002, at 1:14:19
Thanks so much for the link to that wonderful Safety Checker! It's great! My question - you said that the articles are hyperlinked well and I don't know what hyperlinked means?!! What's the difference between a link and a hyperlink?!! Thanks!
Posted by Ron Hill on March 22, 2002, at 4:29:33
In reply to ISO: thanks for that great link, 1 other question: » IsoM, posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 2:09:22
All in favor say aye. Just kidding Janelle! I think it is great that you have such a passion for learning. Actually, when I was 19 (30 years ago) my nickname was "Questions".
Maybe we should vote on changing my name to Mud for giving Janelle such a hard time.
-- Mud
------------------------------------> Thanks so much for the link to that wonderful Safety Checker! It's great! My question - you said that the articles are hyperlinked well and I don't know what hyperlinked means?!! What's the difference between a link and a hyperlink?!! Thanks!
Posted by lizzyg on March 22, 2002, at 4:32:24
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister? » lizzyg, posted by IsoM on March 21, 2002, at 15:10:36
Thanks for your advice. I saw my doctor this morning and she took my pulse, but as the skipped beat only happens every so often didn't feel anything. She reckons it's probably nothing serious and could well be due to the anxiety. But I'm booked in for a blood test next week to check out my thyroid.
Best wishes
Lizzy
> That skipped beat is called extrasystole & is very common & normal in *almost* all cases. If it does concern you, you could get it checked next time you see your doctor.
>
> Various things can cause it to occur oftener - caffeine, overtired, anxiety, overactive thyroid, smoking, alcohol. Some people are more likely to notice it while at rest & even if it happens during activity, it's not as likely to be noticed.
>
> The only thing I've ever read of SAMe doing is causing mild stomach upset in some people. SafetyCheck doesn't mention any heart interactions.
Posted by djmmm on March 22, 2002, at 8:46:34
In reply to Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by lizzyg on March 21, 2002, at 10:57:18
Could it be Mitral Valve Prolapse?
Posted by IsoM on March 22, 2002, at 13:40:42
In reply to ISO: thanks for that great link, 1 other question: » IsoM, posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 2:09:22
Hyperlinks are the blue underlined words (not URLs) that you find in an article. If you click on that word, it'll take you to another page (site) with info about that word.
If you don't want to go to another page completely, right-click on the word, instead of left-clicking, & select "Open in New Window" so you don't leave your original article.
Someone else asked what a URL means in PB Social - it's stands for Uniform Resource Locator, in other words, a uniform (the same for all) resource (internet addresses for info & resources) locator (self-explanatory). There's many different systems out there - IBM type computers, Mac pcs are two; many different browsers - two that are well known are Navigator & Internet Explorer; so many differences, so something uniform is needed for all computers to access the same information.
HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. The protocol (the right method) for transfering a person to the hypertexted (linked) URLs on the internet.
Sheeezz! I hope I didn't overdo the explanation. Sorry.
Posted by IsoM on March 22, 2002, at 13:55:55
In reply to Vote to Change Janelle's Screen Name to Questions, posted by Ron Hill on March 22, 2002, at 4:29:33
What a wonderful education Janelle's getting & free to boot, except for cost of computer, cost of on-line service, hydro bill etc. :-)
After her education, she'll have to continue here helping new ones to come to understand all she learned.
Posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 20:09:02
In reply to Janelle's Questions » Ron Hill, posted by IsoM on March 22, 2002, at 13:55:55
Okay, okay, I guess I have jumped in here and been asking a lot of questions! There's just SOOOOOO much to learn (for me at least), so much I don't know and there's just SOOOOO much that you folks out there DO know that it boggles my befuddled little mind! You all know FAR MORE than I do.
I am guessing that you all do a lot of searches on the Internet, plus read medical books and articles. I don't know how you find the time to do it all, plus deal with your various health/psych conditions, work, home lives, etc.
So, thanks for your ongoing kindness in answering my questions. I'm starting to overwhelm myself however, so I will be cutting down on them ... for a while ...!
Posted by Ron Hill on March 22, 2002, at 23:40:39
In reply to You folks crack me up!, posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 20:09:02
I like your spirit, Janelle. Your zeal for life and hunger for understanding is attractive.
-- Ron
-------------------------------> Okay, okay, I guess I have jumped in here and been asking a lot of questions! There's just SOOOOOO much to learn (for me at least), so much I don't know and there's just SOOOOO much that you folks out there DO know that it boggles my befuddled little mind! You all know FAR MORE than I do.
>
> I am guessing that you all do a lot of searches on the Internet, plus read medical books and articles. I don't know how you find the time to do it all, plus deal with your various health/psych conditions, work, home lives, etc.
>
> So, thanks for your ongoing kindness in answering my questions. I'm starting to overwhelm myself however, so I will be cutting down on them ... for a while ...!
Posted by Janelle on March 23, 2002, at 0:58:29
In reply to Re: You folks crack me up! » Janelle, posted by Ron Hill on March 22, 2002, at 23:40:39
Feeling as lousy as I am feeling these days, your humor and your compliment about my inquisitive nature really perked me up. Thanks!
"Questions"!! ;-)
Posted by IsoM on March 23, 2002, at 3:02:29
In reply to You folks crack me up!, posted by Janelle on March 22, 2002, at 20:09:02
Heck, Janelle, a lot of us have been reading this sort of things for years, decades even, so it just rolls out & sometimes other people would prefer to gag us instead. It's so nice to have a willing student. Not a bad arrangement, hey? - three or four teachers to one student.
You might want to include some of the stuff you think more important to remember into a word document as notes & store it on your hard drive to refer back to.
Posted by lizzyg on March 25, 2002, at 11:32:35
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by djmmm on March 22, 2002, at 8:46:34
> Could it be Mitral Valve Prolapse?
djmmm - thank you so much for this suggestion. The skipping heartmeat began 10 days ago, and I thought I was going down with some kind of flu, on top of the depression/anxiety, because of the other symptoms - dizziness, headache, shivery. However, I've looked at a few sites about mitral valve prolapse since I read your post, and these symptoms are also mentioned. I'm not the 'typical' body type that they seem to outline (short and thin as opposed to tall and thin), but I do have very flexible joints!
I'm seeing the doctor later in the week and will suggest this. Do you have personal experience of this condition?
Thanks
Lizzy
Posted by CtrlAlt n Del on March 25, 2002, at 13:56:22
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister? » djmmm, posted by lizzyg on March 25, 2002, at 11:32:35
> LizzyI have had the skipping heart beat for 15 years it was always very bad with alcohol say every 3 beats it would skip...lasting hours
Today I got it severe again.
You need an ecg ? test but in MOST cases it's nothing to worry about.
Thing is the more you worry about it the more conscious of the rhythmn...and I bet when you have ecg test ..it doesn't happen : )dreamer
Posted by Jo U.K on January 12, 2007, at 4:17:21
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by CtrlAlt n Del on March 25, 2002, at 13:56:22
I know this thread is an old one, but I stumbled across it whilst searching somewhat desperately for info on my skipping heartbeat- and how glad I did because it has made me feel so much less anxious! I've had the "problem" for a couple of months and our National Health Service is so slow when it comes to testing.I tried to overcome this by booking a private appointment with a cardiologist, but my NHS doctor would not give me a reference that was required by the private doctor, so back to waiting weeks for a Holter test on the NHS in a state of high anxiety prompted me to search the net. I can control it to some extent by cutting caffeine etc, and I hope that soon it will either disappear completely or I will learn to live with it without feeling terrified, which as previous notes say, makes it so much worse. Thanks all for the above postings.
Posted by Quentin on September 2, 2007, at 7:29:43
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by Jo U.K on January 12, 2007, at 4:17:21
This might be of interest. 10 weeks ago I statrted suffering from quite severe missed and irregular heartbeats for the first time in my life. I also had some chest tightness and breathlessness. I saw three doctors and had two ECGs over a period of a month, and they all said that it was benign ectopic heartbeats with no underlying heart disease, and that I should reduce the stress in my life. But things didn't get better, and I was getting very anxious. However, after a while I did notice that the ectopic beats came mostly after excercise or a short time after eating. I mentioned this to a consultant cardiologist colleague, who said that acid reflux from the stomach can give all these symptoms. The acid is released abnormally into the oesophagus, where it can lead to chest pain and breathlessness due to oesophgeal spasm, and this can influence the nerve supply to the heart, leading to ectopic beats. He recommended a week of stomach acid inhibitors (proton pump inhibitors called omeprasole). I took this for 7 days, and all symptoms disappeared, and 6 weeks later, have not come back at all. I feel perfectly healthy and have gone back to a normal life style.
I don't know how common or rare my condition was, or whether this is a frequent cause of ectopic beats, but it seems to me worth trying, as it had such a dramatic effect, has completely cured me, and I don't think omeprasole has any significan side effects. Maybe ask your doctor to prescribe you a course?
Good luck,
QS
Posted by FredPotter on September 2, 2007, at 15:20:30
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister? » Jo U.K, posted by Quentin on September 2, 2007, at 7:29:43
my skipped beats tend to happen when I'm relaxed. When I read about mitral valve prolapse syndrome it seemed that's what it was and the Dr didn't disagree. I had 2 ECGs and they were OK. Of course during the tests the missed beats didn't occur. I'm used to them now and ignore them
Posted by jo.uk on September 3, 2007, at 1:04:42
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister? » Jo U.K, posted by Quentin on September 2, 2007, at 7:29:43
Very interesting to read your posts, it's a subject I know considerably more about than I did at the beginning of this year! I paid to have a scan of my heart just to make sure that it's ok and thankfully the result was extemely good.
Having battled Candidiasis in my stomach for the last 7 months by cuttin out all sugar, caffeine, alcohol, living on a very basic but balanced diet and taking supplements like anti fungals and friendly gut bacteria I have managed to get the candidia under control and subsequently the heartbeats have stopped happening.The only time I feel the tightness in my chest and a hint of a flutter is when I've eaten something that doesnt agree with me (Ideveloped a lot of food intolerences tied in with the Candida)- maybe this is a bit like the acid reflux?. Knowing what is causing the problem means I feel confident to ignore it.
Posted by jay-c10 on October 10, 2007, at 2:30:50
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by jo.uk on September 3, 2007, at 1:04:42
Hello. Just looking on the web for other sufferrers of ectopic heartbeats and came across this subject which has been posted for some time now. I have been diagnosed with ectopic heartbeat by my doctor. I've had an ECG, a ultrascan(or similar), blood tests and have been told that my condition is normal. The condition is that my heart misses a beat and therefore when the following beat occurs(thankfully!) there is more blood in the heart to be pumped which gives the thumping sensation. I've cut out caffeine completely which does help a little, but I still have to live with the irregular beats which occur almost continuously all day every 4 beats or so. They are more noticeable when relaxed in the evening and at night when lying on my left hand side. The thumping sensation is difficult to live with and tends to tighten the chest and make me feel slightly breathless. It's the regularity and frequency of my irregular beats that concerns me and others seem to only suffer occassionaly or for short periods. I've been living with this for at least 2 years with little change. I hope this helps fellow suffers. Does anyone else suffer to this extent?
Posted by Jo U.K on October 12, 2007, at 12:09:28
In reply to Re: Skipping heartbeat - anxiety, meds or sinister?, posted by jay-c10 on October 10, 2007, at 2:30:50
Sorry to hear you're suffering with the ectopic heartbeats. I also suffered more in the evenings and when laying on my left side. I am fine 99% of the time now, which I have achieved by cutting out all sugar, caffeine and alcohol. I was diagnosed with food intolerances and Candidiasis in the gut which had spread through tiny holes in my gut wall, in to my blood stream and had started collonising around my body, particularly in my chest, causing tightness and pain much like yourself.
I followed a strict diet for 6 months, also cutting out all wheat,yeast,lactose and other foods I was intolerant to. Do you have any other symptoms in your body? It may be worth you checking out Erica White's Candida website. It's a funny illness which affects individuals in lots of different ways, and the ectopic beats were certainly part of my problem. I also heard that when you're having an attack to lie on the floor on your back and 'bear down'.
I still have to stay well clear of all 'stimulants' and it takes a long time to rid youself of the candida but the heartbeat problemt used to really scare me so it's been well worth the effort - I feel 100 times more energetic and all my other symptoms have gone too.
Good luck.
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