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Managing and Living With PACs and PVCs
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (187)Comment receiving replies
So sorry to hear this. I am a 58 yr old female and have been experiencing some of the same things for years. I have PAC’ and PVC’s. I don’t have them every day but when my HR gets out of rhythm I feel absolutely exhausted, when it’s out of rhythm with long pauses in between and my HR slows to around 40, I feel horrible. Sometimes it’s out of rhythm and my HR will go up to 150 and it makes me feel anxious. I’ve been on so many meds and the side effects are as bad as the rhythm problems. I’ve had one failed ablation and the Dr just wants to keep trying different meds, which aren’t cheap and I can usually only tolerate them for a few days before my BP crashes and headaches start. I did all the right things by choosing a top notch Dr at Vanderbilt but I feel like she doesn’t take me seriously. She said only about five percent of people have the extreme problems I do from PAC/PVC’s. So since she doesn’t see this problem regularly, she doesn’t even consider I may very well be in the five percent 🤦🏼♀️.
I’m currently looking for another Dr.
I hope you find some answers.
Replies to "So sorry to hear this. I am a 58 yr old female and have been experiencing..."
For all of you who have experienced difficulty with PVCs and PACs, I have been able to relate to your experiences. I have had PVCs, and PACs, off and on since I was 20 yrs old. Sometimes the episodes would be very bad. About 3 years ago I developed Afib. Tried a couple of meds which work for a while, also had an ablation that failed. Ended up going on dofetilide, which controlled the Afib, but my PVCs and PACs were out of control and I could barely function (I think that previously the flecainide had helped to control them). I found that deep breathing and meditation helped my anxiety and worked a little with the PVCs and PACs. The doctors had me try three different beta blockers and I reacted terribly to all of them. Then they had me try Acebutolol (a beta blocker that works in a different way than most of them). It is time released, so I reluctantly took the chance and tried 200 mg a day (very low dose). It has worked really well to keep the number and intensity of PVCs and PACs under control and with very few side effects compared to the other beta blockers. For any of you who have not tried Acebutolol, you may want to talk to your cardiologist about it. Good luck. I understand your misery!!!
I am in Nashville. I work with an EP at St. Thomas. I like him a lot, although I haven’t had much relief from my pvcs. He is open to doing an ablation but it seems that it’s rarely a long term fix. So I probably won’t go that route until I can’t take it anymore. There are several really good EPs here though. Good luck in your search for a new Dr.
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Hi @robynn300, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You found a good discussion discuss having both PAC and PVCs with members like @rr1967, @megansims, and @dnk1kinney already discussing how they manage.
@robynn300, it sounds like you are not satisfied with your current provider and are seeking a second opinion. How is your search going to see if you can find someone more responsive to your experiences?