Definition - PVCs or Palps?

[hopefulbutscared]

Hey guys -

Been on Cipralex for about 3 weeks now (3rd time in 5 years) and its really slower this time to work - but I am coping.

That feeling in my chest while I lay down - as if I am in a roller-coaster that just suddenly started to dive down - that exact feeling is the feeling I am getting and at that moment I feel like my whole body was flushed in coldness and then my heart beats one strong beat after that feeling.

It is really harsh and put me in a state that is unbearable really - I think it puts me in a vicious circle because I get alerted and start measuring my pulse just to realize it hits again - and again - and again - until I leave my bed (after a max of 2 hours of sleep a night) then it stops!

Is that what people mean by Palpitations? or is it only Tachycardia ?

Last time I was on cipralex, I stayed on it for 2 years @ 15 MG and it happened to me for like a week or two and then stops for months then come back for the same period and goes -

When people say they're getting Pulps, do they mean those scary PVCs?

Any help would be very much appreciated - I am getting MUCH better except for that part which "whenever" I talk to anybody about it they swear they get it too and they dont have anxiety or panic attacks!

Thank you
Zac

[saab]

Hi Zac. Sorry to hear you are having a bad time. When people say palpitation it refers to the feeling they get in their chest - like a thump, or a flip feeling. The feeling (palpitation) can be caused by several things, most of which are benign heart issues. Pvcs' and pac's are the most common and are basically the same thing - your normal heartbeat cells keep going, but a rogue cell sneaks in a beat a little earlier than it should. The heart fills with a little extra blood and makes a bigger contraction to push it through - that's the thump or flip you feel. These extra beats can come from the atria or ventricles, hence pvc or pac - premature ventricular contraction, or atrial.

At no point does your heart actually pause or stop. I have frequent pvcs and everything I have read or been told by docs says that they are harmless in a structurally normal heart.

They are really common and found in most people at one time or another. If this is what you are feeling, then I would mention it to your doctor and ask if it is a side effect of your meds.

Of course, palpitations are very common in anxiety sufferers. Many people get them after alcohol, caffeine, heavy meals, spicy food. Cold medicines can cause them. They seem more common in bed because your heart is slower and it is easier for the extra beat to sneak in. Also, lying down makes it more likely for your heart to touch your chest wall which can trigger them. Many people say lying on your left side makes them worse.

[hopefulbutscared]

Hi Zac. Sorry to hear you are having a bad time. When people say palpitation it refers to the feeling they get in their chest - like a thump, or a flip feeling. The feeling (palpitation) can be caused by several things, most of which are benign heart issues. Pvcs' and pac's are the most common and are basically the same thing - your normal heartbeat cells keep going, but a rogue cell sneaks in a beat a little earlier than it should. The heart fills with a little extra blood and makes a bigger contraction to push it through - that's the thump or flip you feel. These extra beats can come from the atria or ventricles, hence pvc or pac - premature ventricular contraction, or atrial.

At no point does your heart actually pause or stop. I have frequent pvcs and everything I have read or been told by docs says that they are harmless in a structurally normal heart.

They are really common and found in most people at one time or another. If this is what you are feeling, then I would mention it to your doctor and ask if it is a side effect of your meds.

Of course, palpitations are very common in anxiety sufferers. Many people get them after alcohol, caffeine, heavy meals, spicy food. Cold medicines can cause them. They seem more common in bed because your heart is slower and it is easier for the extra beat to sneak in. Also, lying down makes it more likely for your heart to touch your chest wall which can trigger them. Many people say lying on your left side makes them worse.

Thanks for your reply -

I think it may be a Cipralex side effect or just the side effect of anxiety overall -
I do feel MUCH better when I sleep on my right side - and now I programmed myself whenever I wake up finding myself on my left side I just automatically turn.

Also, you mentioned that a cell has to enter the system to trigger it, if this is the case, then my belief would be wrong thinking that when you think about them they just increase because what would thinking about PVCs would have to do with getting that cell in?

Thanks again,
Zac

[saab]

Sorry op, just to clarify. What I meant was that the heart has cells that specifically generate and regulate the heartbeat - these are in the part called the atrium. However, other heart cells can also generate a heartbeat - it will be one of these cells, in the ventricles, that chips in and puts in an early beat. At no time does the normal heartbeat pause or stop, it just has to accomodate the early beat.

Our hearts are sensitive and can be stimulated by all kinds of things, like caffeine. When we get anxious we release adrenaline which can trigger palpitations or a fast heart rate. A doctor once told me that I probably exist in a state of slight anxiety all the time, even when I think I am fine. I think this is prob true as I never feel completely relaxed anymore. Thus, it wouldn't take much to turn a few anxious thoughts into enough adrenaline to set off palpitations.

On the other hand, my pvcs can start up when I seem to feel fine. Either way, in a structurally normal heart, they are pretty much considered benign. I would mention it to your doctor if it worries you.