View Full Version : Hi to everyone in the same holiday camp!
I feel a bit of a fool coz i'm not too sure how to use the site properly yet, and although ive posted a few bits and pieces I don't think theyre getting through to the right people, with the exception of Chalky the administrator that is! I think this forum is fab (and i'm aloud to say fab coz i'm now a golden oldie) and just reading through everyones experiences has helped me so much today:) ...so thanks so far to you all.
I suffer mostly from the dreaded ectopics and have done off and on since age 22, am now 54. I get on with life really well between 'episodes' and bad ones still have the ability to floor me! Ive had all the usual tests over the years, last set...treadmill, holster for a week etc was 2006 and all negative. My new doc here in germany wants me to have some tests done in the near future just to rule out anything as ive been having some bad ectopics for the last month.
I was given a beta-blocker called propranolol last november '07 for migraine and high blood pressure (until then i was fit and healthy so the doc put it down to the stress of moving over here to live. My weight soared on them though and they made me feel like i was climbing a mountain when going upstairs, and even breathless when talking! So for the last few weeks ive been taken off them, but now my anxiety symptoms are back with a vengence, worse than its been for a long time, though claustrophobia has always been with me in its many forms, the anxiety has been low-level for a few years now really, but now...bam! the ectopic beats are always the worst thing about it and theyre back with a vengence too:blush: I really don't want to go back to the propranolol and have started to up my alcohol intake to take the edge of my symptoms...yes I know I know, but who's perfect?
Does anyone else know about the tranquilsing effects of beta-blockers or propranolol in particular? Many thanks...Cathy V x Oh and apologies if any of you have read this info in other postings on here..I will get to grips with how it works i'm sure hahaha!
hello just to say welcome and you will get loads of advice and support here and make new friends too xxxxxx
Welcome Cathy :)
I too suffer from the dreaded Ectopics, but hey, if it wasn't that it would be something else ;)
Jaco :)
Thanks so much for the welcome, ive obviously got it right this time:blush: and look forward to the sound advice and hope i can help too! x
Hi Cathy, a big warm :welcome: to NMP
x
Hi Pickle, thanks so much for the warm welcome, hope I can be of some help at some point. everyone is so kind...where have you all been for the last 32 years? ok I know most of you werent born then but you know what i mean:)
Hi Cathy :D , I'm not one of the young ones lol, and like you I was so glad when I found this site. Just logging in makes me feel better and when you get to know everyone it's like you find a whole new family - if you know what I mean
Don't be afraid to post, no matter what the problem, there is always someone around to help or just listen :hugs:
Hope to see you around
x
hia cathy :welcome: to nmp hun its lovely to have you here :D . so you have the dreaded eptopics one of the nasty symptoms of anx/panic. i fortunetly dont suffer with them myself my main symptom is the tight chest/breathing and the lump in the throat symptom ( which drives me crazy) and makes me think silly things. you will get so much advice/reasurance and support from all these great ppl. dont forget to visit the chat room were you can talk to us all and see you are not alone in this. keep a postive mind hun this can be over come and things can get better.
best wishes
take care:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
kellie.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Kellie, and sorry to hear about your own set of symptoms. In the past i also suffered with the awful breathlessness and lump in throat...feeling i couldn't swallow and of suffocation etc. I only seem to get it now if i find myself in a possible claustrophobic situation:ohmy: and believe me, i can have a panic attack in a tight sweater hahaha!
Thanks for the tip about the chat room, i'll try it when i can x
Quote Cathy V - "and believe me, i can have a panic attack in a tight sweater"
I can to ,just looking at one on the right figure ,does it for me , Lol :whistles:
Oh Naughty, naughty Decca. :blush:
Yea the dreaded ectopics . I didn't know I was having them until a doctor told me I had them, then I started feeling that thud and the palps, strange.
I've learnt to ignore mine and found that they gradually went away, well almost.
Best wishes
Decca.
Decca
Dear Cathy,
Hi! Welcome to no panc. I hope you find it really helpful here. I too am an oldie (42) who wishes this site ....and computers had been going since i started with anxiety symptoms 30 odd years ago!
Ectopic beats have scared me silly for the last year or so! This is quite a new one for me. I had the lump in the throat thing to begin with which sent me into agoraphobia at 15 years old. Since then i have had the whole symphony of symptoms and i think this one scares me the most. However, what i do now is say to myself....ooooohhh lurverly ectopics! Ooooo how i love them! Really! It makes me smile a bit ans i think after a while it helps....it sound daft but while you are thinking positive thoughts you can't be clocking up the negatives! Try it hun. Others have said, icy cold drinks, sneezing...(not sure how u do that on demand tho!) Doctor told me to 'strain' like i was trying to go to the toilet but all that did was make me look stupid!
Regarding the beta blockers, i had them and they made me so tired i was crawling around and begging to lay on the setee! Thet gave me quite a heavy dose and said try a lighter dose but it put me off.
You can get slow release beta blocker called inderal, which i have had in the past and was much gentler and ok as i remember it.
I want to try not to be scared of them, as i know ultimately that is the goal. The people in the chat room are my life line. Thy are all so kind and helpful. I only found the site a few months ago but i feel like im friends with everyone. Its so refreshing to be able to talk to people who don't think you are crackers!!!
If i can help you further, do let me know. I hope yoou feel better soon. Oh, steady on the drink....alcohol exasperates ectopics like mad!
All the best,
Loopy Loo. xxxx:)
Southern_Belle
04-05-08, 23:23
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the site. Many here feel exactly how you do and you will find some support and make many friends.
Many hugs,
Laura
Hi Cathy,
Welcome to the Forum.
:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
You will get loads of support and advice here.
Have a good look around the Main Menu and learn all about people with similar conditions to yours.
Read some of the Success Stories for inspiration.
You can get better.
Believe in yourself.
Best wishes,
Chalky
Lindalou64
04-05-08, 23:38
Hello Cathy And Welcome ...i Wish Ya Well......linda
:welcome: to the site! :yesyes:
:) Thanks to everyone (including cheeky decca) for the great welcome, i feel better already..ish! To loopy loo thanks also for the understanding and info about the beta blockers, i'll have another chat with the doc about them. Ive read that propranolol is one of the older betablockers and can cause insulin levels to become quite high, so can cause alot of probs, including excessive weight gain without change of diet. The article gave details of the much newer ones that don't do any of this so ive written down the names of these also.
And yep i know about the alcohol/ectopic connection and am trying to be sensible and only have my glass of red with my meals but its hard when your body is asking for calm. I hope the withdrawl from the propranolol is kind to me! Today is week 5 without taking it and ectopics are still bad (thats assuming they are down to stopping the drug, who knows?) but they don't wake me up at night so at least i can get some sleep coz i know sleep is hard for alot of people. Catch y'all soon x
I'm having a few probs downloading to get into the chat room. I'm not too clever with this sort of thing. my son Andy looks skywards when i tell him my latest boob:blush: but i don't know if its because my tinternet provider is german and i have to access Google via the providers' search engine, would that make a difference...and am i making any sense to anyone?
Cathy v
You should have asked me, I speak some technical German.
Vorsprung durch technic, there you go, try that, if it doesn't work, get the hammer out ;)
Hahahaha!:D thanks for that jaco, i'll put it to the test and let you know!
hi cathy ive suffered with similar symptoms as you with weight gain and the breathfulness even just when im sitting down i feel as if ive run a marathon and ive been on propranolol for 5 years now so your not alone hope this helps .take care lin:)
Thanks lin, good to talk to people on the same meds who will also know about the possible side effects. I'm eating as sensibly as i can but the weight just don't wanna budge :weep:
Ive jotted down the names of one or two other beta-blockers to ask the doc about next time...theres gotta be a better way :wacko: !!
Cathy V x
"Cheeky Decca" hmm I like that,suits my personality,Lol.
Well you gotta look on the bright side and have a laugh ,haven't you eh?.
Well I don't know ageist or what ? -You say you're a golden Oldie and Loopy Loo thinks she's an Oldie at 42 , I'm 61 so I guess I'm ancient, Lol , only joking.
Loopy Loo said -
"Doctor told me to 'strain' like i was trying to go to the toilet"
This is the Valsalva Maneuver,which is really usefull if you get frequent runs of tachycardia caused by stress or anxiety,I've never known it work for ectopics though, read about it here.
http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/topic100587639.
I get bad asthma so can't take Beta blockers so my Cardio has put me on Calcium chanel blockers and 2mgs per day Diazepam to control my heart rate and palps.
Best wishes
Decca
Hi Decca, thanks for reply...theres more golden oldies here than i thought, I'm in good company :D !
I understand about the asthma and beta-blockers, ive heard thats a no no with them. Interestingly, around about 3 weeks ago my doc took me off the propranolol at my request because they make me feel like ive run in a marathon just walking to the local shops, and out of breath at the top of the stairs. They also increase weight with no change of diet. He put me on a drug that deals only with high blood pressure and that was the calcium inhibiter similar to the one you mention (the betablocker was given because i had migraine so it'd help with both conditions). Problem was that my anxiety was so bad and the ectopics a nightmare, so the doc put me back onto the propranolol and within an hour my body was completely relaxed again.
So now ive got to face the fact that i might have a problem withrawing from the beta-blockers as they seem to affect the system in much the same way as tranquilisers, and my memory of that part of my life in the 80's isnt very sweet i can tell you:weep: it was a nightmare coming off Tranxene and i became a counsellor for others in withdrawal too. I wonder how many of us on here are actually suffering more from the meds than the origional anxiety? :wacko: interesting.
Best wishes Cathy V x
Hi Cath,
Yea that seems to be common side effects of Propranolol,Iv'e heard it so may times and actually seen it when my son in law's dad was prescribed it.
Regarding withdrawal symptoms , I've found this which might help
"The potential hazards of abrupt withdrawal of propranolol have been described in patients with angina pectoris; however, the effects of abrupt withdrawal from long-term therapy with verapamil have not previously been investigated. The comparative effects of withdrawal from long-term treatment with propranolol and verapamil were assessed in a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized crossover study of 20 patients received placebo for 2 weeks, then increasing doses of propranolol (60 to 320 mg/day) or verapamil (240 to 480 mg/day) for 3 weeks. Patients were then abruptly withdrawn from drug onto placebo for 1 week, followed by crossover to the other drug treatment and a second withdrawal period. All 20 patients were withdrawn from verapamil without evidence of a rebound increase in frequency of anginal attacks, blood pressure, heart rate, or rate-pressure product and without a rebound deterioration in exercise tolerance. In contrast, with propranolol withdrawal, 2 patients (with the highest baseline angina attack rate) had a severe exacerbation of their anginal syndrome and could not undergo formal exercise testing; the other 18 patients were withdrawn from propranolol without incident. Plasma catecholamines were increased during exercise compared with rest during all treatments; however, the levels of catecholamines during exercise were significantly higher with propranolol than with verapamil and placebo (p less than 0.05). Levels of exercise catecholamines returned to placebo baseline values after withdrawal of propranolol."
Tranxene (Clorazepate) has a serum half life of about 48 hours whereas Diazepam ( Vallium) has a much longer half life of about 100 hours which makes withdrawal easier and it might just be an idea in the short term to allow things to settle down a bit. just another option.
God bless,
Decca
Lilith1980
06-05-08, 16:52
Hi Cathy
Welcome to NMP :)
Jo xxxxx
Thanks for the welcome Jo, and hi to you too:byebye:
To Decca, that info was really great thanks so much. Ive made an appointment to see the doc on friday so will discuss it all with him then. How are you doing also?
Cathy V:)
Hi Cathy,
Glad it was of help to you.
I'm doing very well at moment thanks. Had my Heart meds review last week and the Docs are very happy for me to continue with the one 2mg Diazepam tablet per day (mustn't increase it though) and have put it on repeat prescription for me as an adjunct to my normal heart meds,it's helped me so much to turn the corner, my Pulse rate and BP have returned to normal.
I'm starting to enjoy my retirement now.
Hope you feel better soon.
Best wishes,
Decca.
Hi decca, I wish i'd logged in earlier so that i could have had more time to chat, because i was going to ask you to tell me your story..y'know about health history and stuff how it all began for you. Thats only if you want to of course. But now i'm so tired and need some sleep (I was up late last night reading about the trouble in the chat room which unerved me a bit):blush:
Anyway, if i'm lucky i should sleep until about 4.30 before trying to sleep more, only to give up and get up for an early breakie.
Sleep well yourself, and pleased for you that you seem to be on track with your health for now at least...long may it continue.
Regards, Cathy v :)
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