Caffeine and ectopics

[countrygirl]

Just to continue the ectopics threads has anyone noticed a def connection between caffeine and ectopics?? I am always told to avoid anything with caffeine in it but I can avoid coffee and chocolate and diet coke for weeks on end and still get bad ectopics. I have never been a big coffee drinker although I have to admit I love the stuff, frothy cappa's the best.

I was having one of my blow it days today and saw different friends morning and afternoon who all offered me coffee so I had a mug in the morning and then two very strong cups in the afternoon. I have to say I felt wonderful all day but now the hit is wearing off and bang are my ectopics bad. Because I can get the bad ectopics when I have been caffeine free for weeks I am loathe to make the connection.

anyone else any comments on this as I cannot find a def cause and effect with me just a probable one.

[TracyL]

HI Countrygirl

I too was told to lay off the caffeine. I have drank de-caffinated tea but was really hooked on the iced coffee (they love it here in Aussie lol). I also eat heaps of chocolate. Well considering my beats are really bad i thought maybe i'd cut the iced coffee out and try cut down on choccie. Did that about three weeks ago and my beats are worse than the've ever been. I bought myself an ice coffee today but havn't drank it yet.
I am sitting here with yet another 24 hour monitor on. I'm feeling mixed emotions. I want my beats to be as bad as ever, every other beat which they have been cos then this monitor will record it but on the other hand, i'm petrified they'll then say i have a serious heart problem. Can't win lol

Well take care and enjoy the coffee

TracyL x

[Krakers]

Hi countrygirl - an interesting post, certaily.

From what I read recently, the top 4 stress related foods are :

1 Sugar
2 Caffeine
3 Alcohol
4 Chocolate

Interesting you say you drink diet coke - did you know it still contains caffeine ?

I didn't, but I'm wise to it now. I haven't taken sugar or caffeine as an addition to my diet in 7 months. While I'm still anxious as hell, I haven't had a PA in that time. Food for thought ?

Krakers.

[Krakers]

Hi countrygirl - just re-read your post (correctly this time I hope).

I can't advise on ectopics, but I will say this :- Keep a diary. Write what you eat, when you eat, any exercise you do etc. Also write any symptoms you suffer. Throw everything in there including sleep, if you're a bit moody, alcohol consumption, everything. If you're looking for a correlation, the best thing you can do is keep notes.

Best wishes ...... Krakers.

[Elly 2]

Hi countrygirl, I get ectopics from caffeine but my doc told me to cut down gradually because you can have withdrawal symptoms from the caffeine which give you ectopics as well, especially if you drink a lot of it. So my advice would be to cut down gradually until you cut it out completely. Hope this is helpful.
Take care
Elly x

[countrygirl]

This is strange thing I was never a caffeine addict in first place - mabye one cup of coffee every few days and couple of diet cokes a week so couldn't work out how this amount of caffeine could cause such bad ectopics.

I can literally go for 12 weeks with no caffeine and still have odd weeks of really bad ectopics which makes me think there isn't a connection.

But if after going months with no caffeine and I still get the ecopics I tend to thing blow it and start drinking the coffee moderately again but as soon as I get ectopics bad again I feel I should stop - just confused thats all!!

[TracyL]

It does get confusing. My ectopics have been as bad as ever since i stopped drinking my coffee. I do still have choccie though. Does make you think you may as well carry on drinking the coffee etc.

[Elly 2]

Hi Countrygirl, it might not be caffeine alone that is the problem. It can be anything that is a stimulant, ie chocolate, smoking, tea, cheese, alcohol, the list goes on! My doc explained it me me like this: When we get ectopics and notice them we start to feel anxious which makes us produce adrenaline which of course as we all know is a stimulant which makes the ectopics worse, it's a vicious circle I know but when he explained it like that, it made sense to me so now when I get them I do my best to distract myself. Don't laugh but I put music on really loud and dance, it's just a good job no one can see me, they'd think I'd gone mad!!
Hope this helps to reassure you a bit
Hugs
Elly

[Phill2]

I haven't drank coffee for years but noticed a big improvement when I changed to decaf tea
Chocolate doesn't seem to affect me though.
Phill :shades:

[Scarlett]

I have had ectopics for years and caffeine definitely has an impact on how many I get. Smoking, msg, aspartame also contribute to ectopics. Oddly enough, I find that I am more likely to get them with temperature changes, particularly if I am cold!

[countrygirl]

A few days ago I noticed that after I had drunk quite alot of strong coffee about the time the effect would be wearing off I got really bad ectopics.

Well today I decided to try it again and see what happens - I had two mugs of strong coffee around lunchtime and by 5pm my ectopics were doing the tango for about two hours then improved.

I am now going to avoid all caffeine for a few days and see if I get the bad ectopics at same time of day in which case its nothing to do with caffeine or not.

[Krakers]

Hi Countrygirl - I'm not one to tell people what to do, as theres certain things in my life that antagonise my anxiety and I still do them.

I've read your last 2 posts and it seems that while you may suffer ectopics without taking caffeine for 12 weeks, drinking coffee certainly looks like its not helping.

Theres been some wise words by others - caffeine is but one thing that can start anxiety off, but its certainly not the only one. There are other foodstuffs that can trigger our internal "fight or flight" body responses. Its certainly worth keeping a record and looking back at it further down the line.

12 weeks without caffeine is commendable - thats longer than I've ever gone without my (usually daily) crutch.

Please bear in mind though, that stimulants aside, we all have our good days, bad days, good months, and sometimes otherwise. If you can go so long and suffer much less, then its usually easier to accept that not every day is going to be rosey.

Instead of looking for a cause, look to accept it for now. Habbit is far stronger than self will. The longer you go without symptoms, the more it will become your natural state. If you can keep going without caffeine, then its likely when you are down you know it'll be short lived. Just knowing that can make all the difference - go one step further though, believe it. You've done it before, you can do it again, and if todays a little difficult, tomorrow doesn't have to be that way.

Krakers.

[dimblonde]

Hiya :)

Newbie to the forum here, I have suffered with ectopics since Christmas 2005, the first attack was horrendous and lasted for 2 months, I underwent heart scans, thyroid tests and a whole lot of other things to find out that these are so common it's unbelieveable.

I also was told to avoid caffeine by the specialist.

I learned that I had become "heart aware" in other words I was looking out for these ectopics and therefore more likely to feel them.

After having my mind put at rest that I a) had a heart lol and b) they could be lived with I went into remission.

They came back in the summer of that year during my holidays, lasted for the 2 weeks and then remission again.

I read somewhere that its not uncommon for up to 3,000 of these ectopics in a 24hr period, my consultant confirmed this.

Krakers final paragraph is so correct, our natural state can be a case of mind over matter sometimes, I have learned when I have them to say to myself "woman, they are are a part of you, deal with it"

Not ideal for eveyone but has helped me and I can't stress enough that once we become "heart aware" it can get us in a pickle.

Ectopic beats are something that the majority of the population have it's just most people don't actually feel them, that's what my consultant told me.

I know most of you will probably know all this already but it has helped me by writing it down as well, I hope everyone is having a good day today :)

Jo

[countrygirl]

thanks everyone - today I had no caffeine and still had the bad ectopics late afternoon so maybe thats just me - as you all say I am sure there are many things that are triggering them and instead of trying to find a cause just learn to accept them:wacko:

I still think it is best to avoid coffee etc if only because after my caffeine dose yesterday I spent most of last night wide awake:mad: so caffeine does have other effects on me as well.

[Krakers]

Hi countrygirl - don't be worried about sleep. Stopping taking caffeine is like stopping taking any drug - it takes time to become non dependant.

You've taken a big step and it will become easier as time goes on.

K.