Indigestion and Palpitations

[dodo]

Hi

Can anyone please tell me whether there is a link to acid/ indigestion and palpitations?

I have been suffering with chronic indigestion for a couple of weeks now. Have had ranitidine (sp) which did nothing for it and now I have been given lansoprazole (sp) which has got rid of the pain but not the reflux. Only first day of taking it though. Was at the park today playing with my daughter and felt fluttering in my chest, skipped beats etc. Two in a row and felt like fleeing home as I felt dizzy.

I have since had welling from the bottom middle of my chest and burping a couple of times so I presume I still am suffering from heartburn. But can the heartburn be causing the palpitations?

PS Have had an ECG as I have been worried there was something wrong with my heart and that was normal. But I cannot get out of my head that there's something wrong. I have always been taught: indigestion + palpitations + dizziness = heart.

[dodo]

PS I have had shortness of breath, heaviness in chest with it and a sort of welling feeling, like something is brewing up. I've also had jaw pain. Am only in my early thirties.

[NeverRelaxed]

acid indigestion/reflux...had symptoms for 7 months myself...from asthma-like symptoms to chest pains, upper back pain..wheezing..THE LOT!

It all began with HEART SYMPTOMS! like palps, flutters, pauses...At first, like you, I was convinced that I had heart disease or an irregular heartbeat. I even saw a cardiologist...Had 6 ECGs and a 24 Hr ECG and everything was normal!

I was then given both Omeprazole and Lansoprazole...Took the former for 1 month..It wasnt working so my doc switched me to 30mg of Lans and I took it for 3 months and decided to stop taking it to see if it had any effect...Things are just about starting to calm down for me..Its about time after 7 horrible months.

I also had and still have spells of lightheadedness etc..The jury is still out on whats causing this...A theory I have is that reflux can cause palps and funny heart sensations..and even lightheadedness...I think it ties in with the vagus nerve.

[shaz01]

Hi dodo,

Further down this page I posted recently, its headed 'chest pain and reflux' and someone left a link for me to look at which is very interesting as it shows the connection with the vagus nerve and indigestion/reflux etx.. I would copy the link to here but not that clever haha.

Anyhow have a look at it.

Shaz x

[dodo]

I have asked the Dr before whether there is a link but have been told no. That something else must be causing the palpitations. I have been adament before in my mind that something was going on in my stomach to cause it. Sometimes I don't hve pain with the reflux, just sensations of gurgling etc.

[blueangel]

This seems to be really common - I've chatted to a number of people who feel that there is a link between indigestion and palpitations. I certainly have had this myself on many occasions. The only explanation I can come up with is that maybe when we've had a big meal, we are more aware of the blood flow because our stomachs are full. Also, when we are digesting there is more blood flow to that part of the body anyway, so we're more likely to be aware of it.

That's my theory anyway!! But I suspect there are loads of other people on here who would report the same symptoms.

[dodo]

Thanks everyone :)

[CheshireGuy]

Hi all,

I have had, on and off, these symptoms for a number of years. The onset of significant indigestion with trapped wind and belching with heart palpitations is well known, with the link between the two being the Vagus nerve network. In my experience the indigestion causes the nerve network to trigger the ectopic heart beat that gives the impression of a missed beat, defined as a palpitation. In my case this could be as frequent as every third beat until the trapped wind was released. Over the counter indigestion remedies helped a little but only for a few hours. The underlying issue, from reading many many posts, and definitely from my own experience, is underlying stress causing the indigestion in the first place. Some years ago I found what appears to be a remedy, helpfully a herbal one! I have recently returned to this because of a recurrence resulting in going to hospital for investigation. The product is from the Swiss company Biostrath AG and is their product called Strath Mucosa Drops 30ml. It is available from Adler Apotheke online (search exactly for "bio strath magentropfen 30ml Adler") but unfortunately only available by post by prescription - OR in person at any of Adler Apotheke stores in Switzerland. This product has significantly helped me address the problem of skipped heartbeats and indigestion and I hope this information is helpful to you.

[Bigboyuk]

Hi CheshireGuy and welcome aboard to NMP:) as you can probably see this is a very old thread but thanks for the info it will help some for sure! Cheers

[Thelegend27]

I'm 25 years old and I have had heart palpitations for years, acid reflux definitely increases the amount of palpitations I get. However I doubt it's actually the acid reflux causing the palpitations, it just increases the amount that you get. I say this because acid reflux plays a big role in my palpitations, but 2 years ago I had my first episode of afib due to vomiting and I had another episode 7 months ago for the same reason. So it's likely to be an electrical issue within the heart and the gerd is just irritating the problem that already exists. Just because you have an electrical issue in the heart doesn't mean you're going to die, there's a lot of heart arrythmias that are benign or carry low risks of complications, such as my situation with afib, since it happens so infrequently the doctors don't even see a reason to treat me for it because it's such a very low risk of causing any complication at all, I did the stroke risk calculator and I have the same risk as the average person even though I can possibly experience afib again. Don't worry so much, a trip to the doctor and a hokter monitor can give you a lot of peace in mind. And also most arrhythmias are very manageable, and there a lot of treatment options out there especially for tachycardia (fast heart rate)

[Huningmint1]

Fascinated to read the experience of palpitations with acid reflux. My experience is simple and I am hugely relieved to read others' experience. For hiatus hernia - caused I am sure by severe coughing - I was on 15mg once a day (35 mins before first food) of Lansoprazole (for life I am told) until another issue led to the doctor upping it to 30mg in January 2017. Within days I noticed frequent "missed beats" from 3 to 4 times a day to sessions lasting half an hour. I reverted to 15mg and all that stopped within days. Having run out of 15mg I am currently using 30mg again and, within days, I am back to constant "missed beats". My reflux/indigestion symptoms are completely relieved by 15mg and doctor was happy I revert to 15mg.
My experience suggests that for me my palpitations are wholly due to the higher dose of Lansoprazole as any other possible causes, as far as I am aware, are not present.