A fib or anxiety?

[Ethansmom]

I have a questions and please feel free to comment or chime in if you have experience with this.

When i'm really anxious--- for example, waiting for the doctor to give me test results, waiting for a doctor's appointment, etc. I get palpitations that include a very fast rate and then lots of skipping (maybe every couple beats). I think they are PVC's which cause the skipping feeling. Does this sound like A Fib? I'm worried that these episodes will turn into a deadly cardiac arrhythmia! When these episodes happen, I take a Xanax and it goes away immediately. Would Xanax help an afib episode?

I'm working on CBT and am trying to write down irrational thoughts versus rational thoughts. Thank you!:blush:

[Fishmanpa]

The fact that the Xanax calms things down affirms it's anxiety related heart palps.

Positive thoughts

[Ethansmom]

Thank you fishmanpa! I am adding that to my rational thought column.

[SLA]

Writing these things down is a great thing to do.

It helped me get through depression, and my separation last year.

[Sphincterclench]

Writing these things down is a great thing to do.

It helped me get through depression, and my separation last year.

Im careful what I put on paper. Writing down POSITIVES is a great thing to do, otherwise your just immortalizing bad days and thoughts.

[Kate10]

I have arrhythmia- I get PVCs, PACs, atrial runs and I also have NSVT which is non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. It was really terrifying when I was diagnosed with NSVT because many people with that arrhythmia get a defibrillator put in. I saw the one of the top electrophysiologist in the world and he said in a healthy- disease free - structurally normal heart these arrythmias are benign. I had to let that sink in for a good long while until I felt ok with that!!! Also magnesium was really helpful to me, the best type that worked for me without flushing out all my electrolytes from loose stools was magnesium taurate. I used to take 125mg in the AM and 125mg at around 2PM then 125-250mg before bed. This is a safe dose according to my cardiologist and electrophysiologist and they said that upping it is also safe for me. You could try to email your doctor and see if it is safe to try taking magnesium taurate with your condition. After consulting the doc try that to see if it helps your heart calm down when it gets going. If you have had a stress test and the doctor says it is fine or even just a monitor and he says it is fine- please don't waste your time worrying yourself sick over it (easier said I know- I freaked out too!), the stress we are under with all this anxiety is so detrimental to our health. Also there is a support group on FB for heart skippers that i belong to and some of these people have thousands of ecoptics daily and they are fine!