Hello everyone. I am brand new here as of today 7/13. I am a 36yr old male who has had palpitations most of my life. I finally went to the ER about two months ago, got fitted with a halt monitor (ectopic ventricular beats, APC's, 34 seconds of SVT noted) I then took the results I just mentioned to my regular physician and he said all three of these noted events are found in healthy hearts. I then had an echo cardiogram and it was normal as well. I begged him for a beta blocker and I was given a pescription for ATENOLOL (50mg twice a day) They have not touched my palpitations and it has been 5 weeks. What next?? My palps sometimes go 24/7 and it is starting to drive me nuts as well as worry me. I was told they are secondary to anxiety. Anyone else in my boat?? They are worse at night and after meals. Thanks!!!

I am in your boat. I have palpitations off on and on all day. My resting rate is 110. It is worse for me when I wake in the morning (it was 121 this morning) and after I eat. I was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia and orthostatic low blood pressure (I had an events monitor and had the tilt table test done). I feel like crap 24/7 - dizzy, nauseaus, tired, faint, etc.

I also suffer from anxiety - or who knows, it could have been my heart all along. It started about 2 years ago and I was put on an anti-anxiety medication. It helps my anxiety, but not my blood pressure or palpitations.

My cardiologist put me on a beta blocker (I am very sensitive to drugs). I think it was the same one you are on. Within a week my heart rate started to go down, but my blood pressure went down also, so I felt even worse. My blood pressure is usually 80's/50's so when it went down it was terrible. I am no longer on the beta blocker. I am now on a drug called Florinef which is supposed to help my body retain sodium and therefore increase my blood pressure. I have been on it for a week and still feel awful.

I wish I had some success story for you, however, I feel just as terrible as you do. I hope you feel better.

Thanks for the reply lelalo. It sounds as if your situatuion is a little different than mine. My palpatations have no other symptoms with them, no pain, no lightheadedness, no weekness, no nothing. Just nasty, all day palps. I wish you all the best!

hi. have mvp,palpatations ,anxiety.not on meds now,i try to ignore them. was bad a while back so i stopped caffeine, only decaf.much better since.a good beta blocker is kerlone,i wastaking lowest dose and it really helped.took it about 4 yrs ago.good luck.

Hi. I know exactly what you're going through. With me it started to go wrong last year (oktober 2001). I tried taking potassium/magnesium/hawtorn berries but nothing helped. Palpitations 24/7 and they were even worse after meals. I was going nuts. So I thought it was time to see my Doc. After a 24-hour holter, he gave me a prescription for Sotalol (betablocker). I took this for 2 months but it didn't help at all. Then he send me to the hospital. In february I had all the tests done (holter / stress / bp / blood etc). Everything was ok, my heart was healthy, but I was getting more depressed. The cardiologist gave me a prescription (this was in april) for Verapamil (calciumblocker). The first 6 weeks I felt no difference, but then the palps became less.
I still have palpitations every day. But first I had 100's-1000's a day and now I only experience them for short periods and only about 10-100 times a day. I feel so much better, I got my life back. I still have bad days, but for 8 months everyday was a bad day. I don't know if it's the Verapamil that did the trick, I also stopped taking coffee, coke and alcohol. Maybe you can ask your doc about the verapamil. You can always try. I wish you all the best, because I know exactly what you are going through.

I would lie to take the time to thank the people who have made a reply to my subject! Since this original posting everything came to a head July 18-20 as I sat in the hospital with a bout of A-Fib. After converting I was sent home with a prescription of Rythmol (every 8hrs) and about a week later (last week) my palps have been substantially reduced. I am down to one or two palps a day!! Sometimes none. I have had only one annoying episode (maybe 3hrs) since the reduction of the palps. I guess I can thank the Rythmol. Being a 36yr old male I am not crazy about the thaught of being on this stuff for XXX amount of years, and I sure am dying for a cold beer or two. But I guess the restoration of a regular heartbeat is more important at this point. It was really digging away at the quality of my life, so much that I would envy the person ahead of me at a redlight without even knowing who they were or how his/her health was. Talk about going nuts!! It was in my every waking thaught. Good luck to all who are in my boat, dont give up. Thanks again,
Chris

ATENOLOL NEARLY KILLED ME. I TOOK HALF OF THE LOWEST DOES AND KNOCKED OUT FOR A DAY IN A HALF. BE CAREFUL

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