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SEVERE PVC's with Anxiety Disorder

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Posted 8/29/2011 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
I am new to this website, and I was wondering if anyone else has experienced severe PVC's also having being diagnosed with Anxiety Disorders.  I have them all day long (10 to 30 per minute).  I am 4 months post op hysterectomy (with left ovary still).  I have had GAD since I was 25, now 35.  Since my hysterectomy I have had extreme depression/anxiety, numerous changes of medication to help.  Now the past few weeks I have been having extreme PVC's.  ECHO, Nuclear Stress Test, EKG's, Bloodwork all came back normal.  I am waiting on the results of my holter monitor.  Been to the ER three times in the past week.  Cardiologist assured me my heart was healthy (however, still awaiting holter results). 

Current Medicines:

4 to 5 times a day .5 mg Xanax

just went from 3 to 2 Buspar 15mg a day

just changed from Lexapro back to Paxil (which helped my anxiety for 10 years)

40 mgs Prilosec

It's a living nightmare.  I have a wonderful life, great husband, two beautiful children, but these PVC's are taking over my life.  I am tired of enduring life, I want to enjoy it. 

I have read many threads on this, and I am so confused.  What is causing this, how many PVC's are too many (30,000 per day?) and how can I get rid of this!!!

 

Posted 8/29/2011 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kandra and welcome! I am sorry that you are suffering with this problem right now. I am glad to hear that you have been seen by your doctor to rule out anything medical...now it's probably time to shift the focus to treating your anxiety.

PVC's are a common symptom of anxiety, but that doesn't make it any less scary when you are experiencing them! Many of us have had them for years, but never get used to the feeling and fear that comes along with it. Who could get used to the feeling of a flopping fish in your chest? So you are not alone, and yes there are many, many threads here and in the Cardio Forum on this subject.

Since your PVC's have been diagnosed as benign and from anxiety, what methods have you tried to reduce your A/P? Many members here have had success with therapy, or a combination of therapy and medication.

When you go back for your holter result consultation, why not ask your dr. about treating your anxiety if you haven't before. He/she could refer you to a therapist, and possibly talk about medication to help you with your panic symptoms.

In the meantime, check out our Anxeity Resource Guide (main page 3rd post) It is full of links to sites that teach breathing and relaxation exercises. Practicing these daily will reduce your stress levels, thus reducing your symptoms.

Take care and keep posting with us. Talking with those who understand how you feel is really helpful. Let us know how you are doing soon:)
Scaredy Cat
Posted 8/30/2011 9:47 AM (GMT 0)
Hi kandra, I suffer from pVCs nearly every day too..they are very scary..and they do heighten our anxiety don't they...but if the dr says they are benign that is very reassuring....when my anxiety is bad I can have hundreds of them in a day ....at the moment I am working at getting my anxiety under control with herbal medication and relaxation tapes, and I'm doing cbt with a therapist....and I'm only having them a couple of times a week at the moment..

Once you get the holter results if everything is ok be reassured and really work on getting the anxiety under control and honestly it will help......just remember they are benign, they wont kill you and many, many people live with this condition....hugs to you shannon
Posted 8/31/2011 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
i have had bouts of these too. i heard magnesium supplements help greatly with these. i also know focusing on them makes them feel welcome. try doing something to get your mind off of them - soon you may just forget about them and they will go away.

does the xanax help them dissapear? they always did mine. i hate the also. i will have them and then they dissapear for a long time sometimes. it's so strange.
Posted 2/22/2017 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys! Though I know PVCs are benign in the absence of an underlying heart condition, it still seems that one of the most difficult things to deal with for those of us with PVCs is the anxiety and fear that they cause.

Hello and welcome. While I am so gald that your faith has helped you through your symptoms...

...this is a peer support group thay stays neutral in doctrine...in order to respect all beliefs.

Please review our rules before further posting. smile

Thanks you!

S.C.

Post Edited By Moderator (Scaredy Cat) : 2/21/2017 9:17:10 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/22/2017 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kandra, and welcome! I am 51 and have had pretty much lifelong anxiety. I am not presently suffering from PVC's, but that's because my anxiety likes to play whack-a-mole with me. I have in the past had huge bouts with PVC's, that tend to run in a "beat-beat-skip" pattern, so that's probably quite a few in one minute! The runs weren't constant, maybe 4 minutes at a time, but they were frequent and terrifying. I got used to them, and my anxiety moved on to other areas. (It's currently manifesting in my ears, with persistent ringing!)

I doubt I did anything that actually stopped them. I do think mine were at least in part related to my GERD, and I found controlling that helped with the PVC's. Tums even helped the PVC's! Maybe it was all placebo effect. Warning: I am a wee bit crazy.

I guess my advice would be when the Holter comes back normal (fingers crossed), try to relax and ignore them as best you can. I should also add that I had Holter testing done back in the day that did catch them, and the write up (which I no longer have) said something about them being single-focal. When I hear "multi-focal PVC's" on my medical shows, it's always bad, so It the single focus is a good thing. (Just in case you see that on your report.)
Posted 4/9/2017 9:35 AM (GMT 0)
I am 29 i started having pvcs at age 20. They started with once a month i thought nothing of it. Then they started to be every week then everyday. If i do not have a benzo in my system i feel like i will die . People thought i was a pill head because i constantly took my xanax . I finally talked to my dr and he said that pvcs most definitely happen when people young or old have a lot of stress . He also told me that taking my anxiety meds is ok and will help them go away because your brain is controlling everything. I have thought about suicide because i feel like im going to die when i have 50 to 60 in one day . AND NONE OF MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY UNDERSTAND !!!! It is the most fustrating thing ive ever and still am dealing with to this day . My anxiety meds help me sooo much that honestly i only feel like 4 a day . They say that a beta blocker can actually help or even stop them all together . The side effects from beta blockers are so bad that it scares me and i dont take them . I count on my anxiety meds only. I dont think that anyone should do this because your body gets so used to the benzodiazepines that you wind up still getting them because the benzo quickly builds tolerance in your system . Pvcs are ruining my life and have stopped me from doing the things most people in their 20s experience. I can only share my story maybe someone out there is in a situation like mine and we can talk to relieve and relate to one another . I know first hand how pvcs just stop the joys in life and make you feel like ultimate doom will occur .....I would love to hear from anyone that relates to me
Posted 4/9/2017 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
I'd urge you to check out the palpitation forum post linked below! The link goes to a specific post that should be of benefit, if you take the time to read through it.

palps.chemicalforums.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1277865767/0

I found it by searching for "palpitations," here on healing well. It was suggested to somebody dealing with palpitations back in 2014. The site is read-only now, but was/is dedicated solely to palpitations. On that site, a man who went by "RLR", who appears to have been (may have passed away) a retired physician, spent years responding to peoples questions, and concerns, regarding palpitations. His posts are/were well informed, and massively helpful.

The specific post I linked you to is one of the most popular posts of his, in which he asks a series of questions, each leading to discussions amongst the forum users (from 2010-2013), and his next post. If you go through each of his posts, and answer his questions honestly, it can help to change your own perception of anxiety related health fears, and palpitations. It has helped me, and many others, cope with (and reduce) palpitations.

I find any post on that forum that contains a response from RLR to be of benefit.
Posted 4/10/2017 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Niknik and welcome!

I am sorry to hear of your challenges with anxiety and PVC's. I know how concerning this can be.

What besides medication have you tried for relief? Self help, therapy?

If you've not explored these treatment options, I strongly urge you to do so!

You can start right away by seeing our Resources at the top of the main forum page here for great material...not only for general anxiety management, but links specifically on PVC coping skills.

Keep posting with us as well if you find it helpful. We understand, care and support is key!

Scaredy Cat
Posted 10/20/2023 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Is there anyone out there who used medication that either eliminated or muffled the sensation of having PVCs/PACs, and if so, which medications or combo of meds? I am afraid to use beta blockers. I take a .25 mg of xanax and it seems to help and put me to sleep when I have a bad day. However, I am not on consistent meds. I was wondering if I were to take Clonopam or Buspur in conjunction with an occasional Xanax (Xanax is addictive) would this eliminate the feeling of these buggers? Or has anyone done beta blockers and which ones worked? I really need to start on meds so I stop feeling this. I also started these after the COVID shot. How many people out there started feeling these damn things after the covid shot? I wonder if the shot brought them on. I always lived with anxiety/panic disorder with chest pains/hyperventilation and occasional chest palpitations once or twice a year but nothing else. I never had these things every few minutes in the base of the throat near the Adams apple. I would rather have racing palpitations in the chest twice a day for 1 minute than to have these all day every few minutes - very annoying and upsetting.]
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