Heart worries and palpitations

[Ats666]

Well had palpitations for about 4 months now everyday, but last night they have sent me into a major panic. Feel so scared that I'm going to have a heart attack and I'm going to die. How can I stop feeling like this I'm really frightened and really don't know what to do. Gp prescribed me paroxetine last week but too scared to take. I'm supposed to take propranolol 80 mg 3 times a day but I take 40mg twice a day as I'm scared it will make my heart stop. I just need help and advice please can someone help me :(

[skippy66]

I've had them every day for 10 years...

[Ats666]

They are driving me mad and worrying me sick, not sure I can cope with it anymore. I'm not living my life and I'm ruining others lives because of my constant worries :(

[SarahH]

It's very difficult to get rid of a fear like this I know. i am sure many on NMP have experienced the same feeling so we do understand what you are going through.....having said that remember if you were having a heart attack you would not be able to sit a at a computer and right about it!!

I dont mean that to sound harsh. i mean it to reassure you. I am guessing when you saw the Dr he listened to your heart and if something was wrong with it he /she would have noticed.
Take the propranolol as prescribed the go and do something to distract yourself .

Sarah

[saab]

Hi Atts. I have loads of palpitations - hundreds a day. I had a trip to A and E the other week because I was in bigeminy - that is when every 2nd beat is a pvc. I was terrified. And still the cardiologist said I was fine, could go home and didn't need to go back if it happened again.

I am saying this to reassure you. I am assuming you have had tests like ecgs and been told you are ok. From every thing I have read about pvc's, which is what causes the palpitations, and I have read a lot, they are harmless in a structurally normal heart.

The number doesn't matter, unless you are having 20,0000 plus a day. You heart won't stop - what happens is the heartbeat comes fractionally early, so it feels like a pause but at no time does your heart actually pause or stop.

I know how much anxiety they cause as when I have a bad spell my anxiety goes through the roof. And of course that makes them worse as it produces adrenaline.

If it helps, there was a research where they followed 73 people with very bad pvcs over 10 years or so. The average pvcs was 500 per hour. Over the course of the research they had the same rate of mortality as the general population and NO INCREASED RISK OF DEATH.

Look up Long Term follow up Assymptomatic Individuals frequent ectopy by H L Kennedy.

The trouble is, when you have them it is so hard to be logical and accept that they are not harnful.

I feel like I have read every website on pvcs that there is. They all say the same - they are harmless unless your heart is damaged from previous heart attack or accident.

Also, bear in mind that your heart beats 100, 000 times a day. A few pvcs or palpitations are actually a negligible amount - 100 palpitations a day represents 0.1% of your hearts activity a day.