Quick Question About Propranolol Reduction?

[mischamoonlight]

Have had a bit of dizziness today on and off today, might be a bit of the anxiety flaring up. Some palpitations and my PVCs felt more noticeable, haven’t had this since I started the 40mg propranolol on Wednesday. So feeling a bit panicky and jittery. The PVCs usually feel more after I eat, for about an hour or so.

I’m trying to space my eating out a bit more but it’s hard when I’m getting my dinner late after working all day, then I’m having a little snack of chocolate about an hour later. But yeah, I get a spike of PVCs after eating, which then of course I feel my heart rate go up. Very stressful, but the dizziness was something that’s after coming back after not having any at all for several weeks.

[mischamoonlight]

I was just sitting watching tv, my heart rate was normal, but then jumped up and then down again, then I started to feel worried and it shot up to 110, and then it went back down again. My stomach hurts a bit, little sharp pains, and my legs and arms felt jittery and shaky. Not sure if it was just a massive panic attack and that’s what caused it.

I think I’m panicking about my PVCs again too, or just that I’m feeling them when my heart rate jumped around. Very frightening.

I thought having my propranolol a couple hours ago would have helped. I don’t know what’s going on with me lately, and it’s so stressful and frightening.

[panic_down_under]

I'm trying to space my eating out a bit more but it's hard when I'm getting my dinner late after working all day, then I'm having a little snack of chocolate about an hour later. But yeah, I get a spike of PVCs after eating, which then of course I feel my heart rate go up.

The gut has its own mini brain, the enteric nervous system, which not only controls the gut, but is directly connected to the heart, lungs and main brain via the vagus nerves. It seems to have considerable influence over all 3 organs. Digestion needs additional blood flow which can trigger an increase in heart rate.

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine both of which may trigger arrhythmias, palpitations and PVCs and may increase the heart rate. It also produces nitric oxide which dilates blood vessels causing a drop in BP which may also raise the heart rate. This doesn't mean chocolate is bad for you in moderation. Dark chocolate at 10-20mg/day reduces the risk of heart attacks and ischemic strokes, but it does have side-effects.

However, I suspect at least some of the symptoms have more to do with anxiety than eating and chocolate, or are amplifying them.

[mischamoonlight]

@panic_down_under Hi! Yeah my stomach was at me all night, which I think was made worse by my panic. Im gonna try cut the sugar down, my worst vice honestly. Definitely got a spike or something last night and then had a massive panic attack. This morning my stomach is gurgling really loudly, likely because of how upset I was last night when I got the palpitations.

I have an appointment with my doctor this morning, to discuss about getting therapy. Tell her all my symptoms and what’s been happening, see if they can help. Maybe start taking the other meds to help with these bouts I’m having. It’s really tiring and frightening. Deep down, I know it isn’t the change in a lower dose or anything like that but it’s hard to switch that very loud voice off. It’s the same with my PVCs, I know their normal even when they don’t feel nice, but it still upsets me when I have many of them in a bad episode and then when I feel better they ease away and I have few. But they do flare up after eating, so definitely a gut connection.

I will update when I see my doctor. I know it can sometimes help people on here to see what’s happening or going on in a thread.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

Every time I eat, I get PVCs. Have for years. Doctors have either said it's not possible, or that it's normal. You'd be amazed how many doctors don't recognize the gut/heart connection. But there are that do and they say it's normal.
I get it really bad at night. When lying down to go to sleep, my stomach always gets really gassy and my heart starts skipping and that lasts for like 30 minutes. I've long stopped being afraid of them, they're just annoying.
But I definitely get them more, when I'm more anxious. My digestive system is also the first thing that gets hit when I'm anxious. And that in turn annoys my heart. It's alllllll connected. You're not alone
But this too shall pass. Maybe not the sensations, but your fear about them will

[mischamoonlight]

@Sparkling_Fairy Hi! Funny you should say about the whole gut thing, because I was at doctors this morning after my horrible massive panic attack last night, and told her what happened and she said about the gut connection. She said about improving my diet, obviously she did the tests, did an ECG as well, which was normal, and examined my heart and oxygen, all normal too. She gave me a prescription for the stomach issue, can’t remember the name, something pinewood or something. Said to take it when I need it and not all the time, and definitely made the connection with the gut in the conversation and all that.

The PVCs are worse at night for me too, I can be busy all day, because well, have too working and taking care of everyday stuff, but at night when I’m trying to relax, I think because I’m so hyper aware and sensitive to my heart beat and every pvc I get. I’ve always struggled to sleep but with these it can be hard to concentrate or to relax but I think I’ll get use to them eventually. I’m understanding more that their normal, at least as normal as they are really. Think with just the anxiety it’s hard to make the difference between them.

I think I need to learn to calm down a bit more and stop letting other stressors in my life effect me and then it turns into obsessive thinking and then symptoms and then panic. Mine can last like an hour or two, but it did settle down last night, eventually lol! Sometimes you feel so alone trying to explain this to others but it does help knowing like yourself, understands and can share that, and hopefully it won’t be as scary for me in the future thanks again for replying.

[mischamoonlight]

I’ve had a really rough night, I’ve barely had any sleep. Yesterday evening, after dinner, I got really bad diarrhoea. It settled down later but when I went to bed last night, I felt like my heart was pounding but it wasn’t racing, it just felt very loud or something, does that make sense? I kept tossing and turning because I was warm, I even took my temperature to see and it was normal at 36.7. My PVCs were there, had one every few minutes, just a loud thud or pause, so that was unsettling as well. I don’t know if it’s panic but I feel shaky, and anxious this morning. My heart rate isn’t racing, but but it feels like it’s loud or very audible?

I checked my heart rate, it’s been consistently going between 60s to 70s, but sometimes it jumped to the 80s and slightly to the 90s but so far it’s staying in the 60-70s range.

I’m feeling ver panicky, not sure if it’s just because I had a bout of diarrhoea last night and it was warm with a lack of proper sleep, or if somethings going on…so stressful and frightening, almost agitating…

[panic_down_under]

I suspect it was mostly panic fed by the diarrhoea and what the enteric nervous system might have broadcast to the heart and brain in response, the temperature and lack of sleep. I don't think it is withdrawal.

It will probably be a one-off caused by a couple of potential triggers occurring simultaneously, but if it continues I urge you to talk to your GP about alternative treatments for anxiety/panic.

[mischamoonlight]

@panic_down_under hi! Still haven’t had much sleep, maybe 2 hours and very broken. Feeling it now. Yeah, still had a bit this morning but more solid but not normal still. Drinking plenty of water. I think I get really panicked when my heart rate can jump from the 60s all the way to 100, but comes back down again, I mean is it normal or is it a panic thing?

It is warm, especially with the insulation in our house, and no air conditioning too, we rely on opening windows and fans. But sometimes my heart will drop to 60, and then sometime later, it can be up in the 80s or jump to 100 or so. I see it come back down, but it’s very frightening. I do feel very nervous and anxious lately. I keep trying to tell myself that I just had an ECG at my doctors earlier this week, it was normal and the doctor checked me too. But my brains not registering and just feels afraid lately. Why I felt jelly legged last night too.

And when I get one of those PVCs, sometimes it’s just one, then I get a few in a row. Think they set me off because my heart can be steady and then it goes up and down quickly.

[mischamoonlight]

Not sure if it’s just me but I woke up from a nap today and my heart was racing, does that happen to anyone else? It’s come back down a bit but it’s disorientating. Also, heart jumps up after eating as well.