Questions about palpitations, fast heart rate

Hi. I dont know your heart history, but palpitations can be normal. Definately call your provider though and address this issue.

Did you start taking the Flonase before or after you got a "virus"? Because a side effect can BE symptoms that seem to be a virus.. You should call your doctor, in my opinion, and likely get an EKG so it can be checked to make sure where your irregular heartbeats are originating (to especially rule out atrial fibrillation). Palpitations are usually benign but it makes sense to be checked if you have an ongoing arrhythmia like this. Being dehydrated can increase palpitations , by the way , so I would suggest keeping up the water. It sounds like you tend to drink a lot of soda which, by the way, is not exactly healthy . good luck..

Hey, guys. Yes, I do drink an excessive amount of soda. I’m very aware it’s a bad habit. I don’t smoke or drink or anything, but that seems to be my habit I need to break. However, it never seems to give me palpitations. The virus is finally subsiding, and after I posted my original message I went to sleep and woke up like nothing even happened. I’m wondering if it was a side effect of the Flonase, because that’s literally the only thing I did different that day. I haven’t had any palpitations since (or any Flonase, for that matter), and that was two or three days ago. As for the EKG, I’ve had a ton of them and they’ve all come back normal. I have a history of severe anxiety—especially concerning heart health—which has led to many an EKG over the years for reassurance. Also had a full heart physical and stress test some years ago by one of the nation’s leading cardiologists that turned up zero results on any irregularities. Thanks, guys!

Hello byrdwhybaby. Well, that is good news. Just make sure you keep FAR AWAY from soda with caffeine in it if you are prone to palpitations. That's Coke and energy drinks and of course, coffee and tea etc.. Personally, I hate the feeling of all those bubbles in my throat; always have.
You do know that carbonated drinks leech calcium from your bones, don't you? How about plain water with a bit of cranberry juice (not cocktail) in it?
Sugar will cause my heart to race.
There is nothing that bad about one's heart skipping occasional beats or speeding up somewhat. No need to worry. It's when there are many skipped beats; like many per minute... AND you feel dizzy and needing to take in more oxygen etc..which is what I had when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. So, just be happy that all seems fine.You'll probably live to 100 and die of old age!
And btw, Flonase has no stimulants in it. Maybe you didn't have coffee or Coke that day when your heart was fine. Or maybe you had been taking decongestants which are a BIG heart stimulant, and you didn't that day that all was fine.
Wishing you continued good health!]

Well, there you go! Caffeinated soda! That will cause many people to have palpitations. I only just read your first post now. Easy solution, stop all caffeine intake. Simple solution. No need for visits to the doctor, EKGs, ER visits etc... A racing heart is a normal response to caffeine. Problem solved! Hurray!

@brdwybaby There's several erroneous statements above and I would like to add some facts. First, it is very wise to always question if a new symptom is related to a new medication. It is often a coincidence but may not be . And, in fact, Flonase, while not having arrhythmia listed as a side effect, does show up in several case studies in the actual medical literature as, in fact, precipitating arrhythmia - most notably, and rarely, atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. It is also NOT true that you must feel dizzy, have shortness of breath etc if you have atrial fibrillation. Yes, some people do have those symptoms. Other people are totally unaware they have a-fib until it is caught at a check-up. In addition, just because you've had multiple EKGs and all was normal does not mean you were not having an arrhythmia when you experienced your symptoms - that would only have been revealed on an EKG taken at the time you were experiencing said symptoms. However, because EKGs in the past have been fine, that is reassuring and points to a cause of your palpitations that is not worrisome. It is also NOT true that carbonated beverages "leach calcium". This is a long touted myth, according to Harvard docs: "The theory is that the phosphoric acid (phosphate) used to enhance flavor in some carbonated beverages can interfere with calcium absorption and result in the loss of calcium from bone. Fortunately, there's no good evidence that a high phosphate intake affects bone metabolism or bone density," Yes, excessive caffeine can trigger palpitations in some people ( oddly, if one reviews the actual medical literature, recent studies have been surprising and not found that caffeine triggers atrial fibrillation - which has brought up much discussion among physicians about whether their standard advice for people with a fib to eliminate coffee is not warranted.) My best guess and, of course, this is from afar and only a guess is that you were dehydrated (common cause of arrhythmia and, along with the stimulate effect, caffeinated beverages in excess are dehydrating), you were tired and perhaps not sleeping well due to the virus (lack of sleep is also associated with palpitation increase) AND you are one of the rare people for whom Flonase can trigger arrhythmia. You also have a history of anxiety which is not just emotional/psychological but produces physiological effects which can also precipitate palpitations - i.e. release of stress chemicals (cortisol and adrenaline ) which can trigger palpitations. Being anxious about the virus and skipped beats could actually have made them worse! Bottom line: I'm so glad you are fine! My best guess is you need to reduce caffeine, drink a lot of plain water, get plenty of rest - and mention the episode to your doctor at your next check-up. But it sounds like the palpitations were certainly benign!

Alrighty then, we all learn something new everyday. I figured I'd Google your symptoms, and entering words on Google, they are making suggestions for what you might be asking. I got as far as "palpitations felt in" and I noticed "Neck" was a search suggestion. That's a good sign, that means that there are sufficient numbers of others searching for "palpitations felt in Neck" to warrant them making the suggestion.

So, they also gave a percentage of the article and it was from an article at the National Institutes of Health.

Here is the quoted section:

""Palpitations are feelings that your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering, pounding, or beating too hard or too fast. You may feel palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck during activity or when you are sitting still or lying down.""

So, they define your symptoms as being commonly encountered. The preview of the article also mentioned the need to see a doctor for anyone experiencing palpitations, if I understand your comment correctly, you are already doing this and are, or will be, wearing a monitor. So you're doing the proper thing there too.

There are also fasciculations, spasms of muscle groups unrelated to the heart. They can give the impression they are palpitations, I'm sure your doctor will be able to sort things out.

I was diagnosed with pac a few months ago, while on 48 hr heart monitor, was told it was no big deal, I recently ( about 2 weeks ago) started having "palpitations" in left side of my neck, (I had this happen only once in early summer.) after a week of putting up with this I called cardiologist that diagnosed me with pac. was told to start mortoprpol 12.5 2 x daily, also just got 30 day heart monitor on yesterday. My question is how long does it take this medicine to work? I started my 1st dose on last Friday evening and im still having palpitations on a frequent basis. Im nervous and worried. Ive never had anything like this before. Im hoping someone can give me some help and understanding on this subject. I am 58 yrs old, female. I do have high cholesterol and am on lovastatin as well, also was diagnosed with high calcium score this past year of over 200 ( I have heard others are much higher) Please someone give me some insight and tell me why would someone have palpitations in neck? thank you

Can anyone Please tell me why There would be "Pulsating" veins or arteries in the left side of neck? I asked before but this is getting worrisome, my heart monitor so far is not showing anything I was told, but I can actually see it thumping or pulsating! I actually took a video of it today. Im hoping its just spasms or something but i have no idea what to think, ive only talked to cardiologist nurse over phone since all this. im going to try sending video to dr. tomorrow, i need answers its been almost 2 weeks of symptoms

Sorry for the delay in writing. I get sidetracked. You mentioned the ENT and it made me think, do you feel the palpitations in your neck or hear them? Feeling, palpitations can evidently be the cause, or fasciculations of muscles, but if you're hearing them, even like tapping in the ear, Tympanic spasms (tensor tympanic spasm), I get these, a tapping or fluttering in one ear, at times. Just wanted to mention that. Sounds like you're seeing the right people, I'll check back to hear your progress.