Managing and Living With PACs and PVCs

Hello! I have posted here several times and I appreciate all the feedback and support.
Recently, my PACs seemed to become worse, again. I can just sit in a chair and just feel the extra heartbeat 6-10 times every minute. My electrophysiologist has reviewed all of my labs, tests, etc and simply states that I have PACs and need to learn to live with them as they are benign, but worrisome.
We tried Diltiazem and that did nothing. Now we are trying Verapamil.
I know that PACs will never go away, but I am simply trying to find way to reduce their frequency or impact. Even as I type this out, I am feeling them. I ran to the ER last week and of course, all results were normal.
I am not sure what else to do and I feel like I am losing hope.

Thank you,
RR

Hello! I have posted here several times and I appreciate all the feedback and support.
Recently, my PACs seemed to become worse, again. I can just sit in a chair and just feel the extra heartbeat 6-10 times every minute. My electrophysiologist has reviewed all of my labs, tests, etc and simply states that I have PACs and need to learn to live with them as they are benign, but worrisome.
We tried Diltiazem and that did nothing. Now we are trying Verapamil.
I know that PACs will never go away, but I am simply trying to find way to reduce their frequency or impact. Even as I type this out, I am feeling them. I ran to the ER last week and of course, all results were normal.
I am not sure what else to do and I feel like I am losing hope.

Thank you,
RR

Hello, I have posted in this forum several times and I am thankful for your help.

I am still suffering and dealing with daily PACs and PVCs, all day and most nights.
Just to refresh: 56 years old, non smoker, vegetarian, proper weight, male, and have been dealing with PACs and PVCs for over 20 years. Blood pressure is good but I take 100mg of Losartan every morning. Borderline type 2 diabetic. Suffer from chronic anxiety and mild depression.
Since this past May, the PACs and PVCs have become much worse. Numerous ER trips since then: all blood work normal, chest Xray normal, EKG normal with the exception of PACs and PVCS.

I wore a Zio patch in June and it showed normal sinus rhythm with PACs. 1.5% burden. I do see an electrophysiologist and he says I just have a lot of PACs and that everything is fine. In the past six weeks they have become even worse so I was given another Zio patch and I am waiting for the results. I did get a second opinion from a cardiologist at a heart clinic and they said I have to learn to live with these ectopic beats and that they are just a part of who I am and they increase with anxiety. Right now, I feel like my burden is at 10%. I can easily feel them when I check my pulse: anywhere from 6-9 times a minute to maybe 2-3 a minute.

They are worse in the morning and after I eat a meal. Sometimes in the evening the quiet down a bit; sometimes they do not. Exercise does not make them go away and I have become very scared to work out as I can feel them. Cardio and EP says not to worry!

Medications:
1. Tried two different beta blockers. No effect but they lowered my resting heart rate from 50s to the 40s. Had to discontinue.
2. Tried Flecanide 25mg twice a day. No effect, but I was really lethargic and had to discontinue. I felt like sleeping all day.
3. Tried 120 mg of Diltiazem..no effect at all. Now I am on 240 mg of Diltiazem, started almost three weeks ago, and no effect at all.

I can feel literally every skipped or extra beat and they are driving me crazy. I feel like I am losing hope. Not sure what to do. They PACS and PVCs are preventing good sleep even if I take Klonopin or Hydroxizine before I go to bed. I have been told that magnesium supplements are not affective, but I also eat a lot of veggies, soy, and fruit every day. No allergies and I have reduced my consumption of alcohol to once a week during the weekends. None this past weekend.
I do see a therapist and we have tried CBT, etc. No help at all.

Ablation might be my next step if they get to 20%. Or even a different type of anti arrhythmic.

How do you folks with chronic ectopic beats cope with all this? What have tried that works even a bit to reduce them. I know they will never go away, but I need just a bit of relief.
Thank you!

Hello, I have posted in this forum several times and I am thankful for your help.

I am still suffering and dealing with daily PACs and PVCs, all day and most nights.
Just to refresh: 56 years old, non smoker, vegetarian, proper weight, male, and have been dealing with PACs and PVCs for over 20 years. Blood pressure is good but I take 100mg of Losartan every morning. Borderline type 2 diabetic. Suffer from chronic anxiety and mild depression.
Since this past May, the PACs and PVCs have become much worse. Numerous ER trips since then: all blood work normal, chest Xray normal, EKG normal with the exception of PACs and PVCS.

I wore a Zio patch in June and it showed normal sinus rhythm with PACs. 1.5% burden. I do see an electrophysiologist and he says I just have a lot of PACs and that everything is fine. In the past six weeks they have become even worse so I was given another Zio patch and I am waiting for the results. I did get a second opinion from a cardiologist at a heart clinic and they said I have to learn to live with these ectopic beats and that they are just a part of who I am and they increase with anxiety. Right now, I feel like my burden is at 10%. I can easily feel them when I check my pulse: anywhere from 6-9 times a minute to maybe 2-3 a minute.

They are worse in the morning and after I eat a meal. Sometimes in the evening the quiet down a bit; sometimes they do not. Exercise does not make them go away and I have become very scared to work out as I can feel them. Cardio and EP says not to worry!

Medications:
1. Tried two different beta blockers. No effect but they lowered my resting heart rate from 50s to the 40s. Had to discontinue.
2. Tried Flecanide 25mg twice a day. No effect, but I was really lethargic and had to discontinue. I felt like sleeping all day.
3. Tried 120 mg of Diltiazem..no effect at all. Now I am on 240 mg of Diltiazem, started almost three weeks ago, and no effect at all.

I can feel literally every skipped or extra beat and they are driving me crazy. I feel like I am losing hope. Not sure what to do. They PACS and PVCs are preventing good sleep even if I take Klonopin or Hydroxizine before I go to bed. I have been told that magnesium supplements are not affective, but I also eat a lot of veggies, soy, and fruit every day. No allergies and I have reduced my consumption of alcohol to once a week during the weekends. None this past weekend.
I do see a therapist and we have tried CBT, etc. No help at all.

Ablation might be my next step if they get to 20%. Or even a different type of anti arrhythmic.

How do you folks with chronic ectopic beats cope with all this? What have tried that works even a bit to reduce them. I know they will never go away, but I need just a bit of relief.
Thank you!

Hi 713j...thank you for the prompt response.

How do you manage your PACs and PVCs all these years, especially when they seem like they are firing off willy nilly for no reason? I have had my potassium levels checked and they are normal. I do drink coconut water and soy milk every day. I have also tried the 4-7-8 and it does really nothing. I just spoke with the nurse who works with my EP and we are going to discuss the magnesium option.

Thanks!
RR

Hello, I have posted in this forum several times and I am thankful for your help.

I am still suffering and dealing with daily PACs and PVCs, all day and most nights.
Just to refresh: 56 years old, non smoker, vegetarian, proper weight, male, and have been dealing with PACs and PVCs for over 20 years. Blood pressure is good but I take 100mg of Losartan every morning. Borderline type 2 diabetic. Suffer from chronic anxiety and mild depression.
Since this past May, the PACs and PVCs have become much worse. Numerous ER trips since then: all blood work normal, chest Xray normal, EKG normal with the exception of PACs and PVCS.

I wore a Zio patch in June and it showed normal sinus rhythm with PACs. 1.5% burden. I do see an electrophysiologist and he says I just have a lot of PACs and that everything is fine. In the past six weeks they have become even worse so I was given another Zio patch and I am waiting for the results. I did get a second opinion from a cardiologist at a heart clinic and they said I have to learn to live with these ectopic beats and that they are just a part of who I am and they increase with anxiety. Right now, I feel like my burden is at 10%. I can easily feel them when I check my pulse: anywhere from 6-9 times a minute to maybe 2-3 a minute.

They are worse in the morning and after I eat a meal. Sometimes in the evening the quiet down a bit; sometimes they do not. Exercise does not make them go away and I have become very scared to work out as I can feel them. Cardio and EP says not to worry!

Medications:
1. Tried two different beta blockers. No effect but they lowered my resting heart rate from 50s to the 40s. Had to discontinue.
2. Tried Flecanide 25mg twice a day. No effect, but I was really lethargic and had to discontinue. I felt like sleeping all day.
3. Tried 120 mg of Diltiazem..no effect at all. Now I am on 240 mg of Diltiazem, started almost three weeks ago, and no effect at all.

I can feel literally every skipped or extra beat and they are driving me crazy. I feel like I am losing hope. Not sure what to do. They PACS and PVCs are preventing good sleep even if I take Klonopin or Hydroxizine before I go to bed. I have been told that magnesium supplements are not affective, but I also eat a lot of veggies, soy, and fruit every day. No allergies and I have reduced my consumption of alcohol to once a week during the weekends. None this past weekend.
I do see a therapist and we have tried CBT, etc. No help at all.

Ablation might be my next step if they get to 20%. Or even a different type of anti arrhythmic.

How do you folks with chronic ectopic beats cope with all this? What have tried that works even a bit to reduce them. I know they will never go away, but I need just a bit of relief.
Thank you!

For what it's worth....magnesium taurate 400 mg daily works best for me. I sometimes take an extra 200 mg if my heart gets "touchy". Mag oxide didn't help at all and had unpleasant GI side effects. I also drink no sodium V8 vegetable juice at least once daily. It has potassium in it for flavor enhancement instead of sodium. Not a cure, but it seems to help. Seems like everybody responds differently to different "remedies". I also take dofetilide and diltiazem for afib. Over the years I also learned that worrying about the PACs and PVCs was sometimes worse than the arrythmias themselves. It took me a while to get to that point.
Good luck to you.

Hello, I have posted in this forum several times and I am thankful for your help.

I am still suffering and dealing with daily PACs and PVCs, all day and most nights.
Just to refresh: 56 years old, non smoker, vegetarian, proper weight, male, and have been dealing with PACs and PVCs for over 20 years. Blood pressure is good but I take 100mg of Losartan every morning. Borderline type 2 diabetic. Suffer from chronic anxiety and mild depression.
Since this past May, the PACs and PVCs have become much worse. Numerous ER trips since then: all blood work normal, chest Xray normal, EKG normal with the exception of PACs and PVCS.

I wore a Zio patch in June and it showed normal sinus rhythm with PACs. 1.5% burden. I do see an electrophysiologist and he says I just have a lot of PACs and that everything is fine. In the past six weeks they have become even worse so I was given another Zio patch and I am waiting for the results. I did get a second opinion from a cardiologist at a heart clinic and they said I have to learn to live with these ectopic beats and that they are just a part of who I am and they increase with anxiety. Right now, I feel like my burden is at 10%. I can easily feel them when I check my pulse: anywhere from 6-9 times a minute to maybe 2-3 a minute.

They are worse in the morning and after I eat a meal. Sometimes in the evening the quiet down a bit; sometimes they do not. Exercise does not make them go away and I have become very scared to work out as I can feel them. Cardio and EP says not to worry!

Medications:
1. Tried two different beta blockers. No effect but they lowered my resting heart rate from 50s to the 40s. Had to discontinue.
2. Tried Flecanide 25mg twice a day. No effect, but I was really lethargic and had to discontinue. I felt like sleeping all day.
3. Tried 120 mg of Diltiazem..no effect at all. Now I am on 240 mg of Diltiazem, started almost three weeks ago, and no effect at all.

I can feel literally every skipped or extra beat and they are driving me crazy. I feel like I am losing hope. Not sure what to do. They PACS and PVCs are preventing good sleep even if I take Klonopin or Hydroxizine before I go to bed. I have been told that magnesium supplements are not affective, but I also eat a lot of veggies, soy, and fruit every day. No allergies and I have reduced my consumption of alcohol to once a week during the weekends. None this past weekend.
I do see a therapist and we have tried CBT, etc. No help at all.

Ablation might be my next step if they get to 20%. Or even a different type of anti arrhythmic.

How do you folks with chronic ectopic beats cope with all this? What have tried that works even a bit to reduce them. I know they will never go away, but I need just a bit of relief.
Thank you!

Hi @rr1967, you may notice I moved your discussion and combined it with your previous discussion titled: "Managing PACs and PVCs" -https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/managing-pacs-and-pvcs/. I did this so you could reconnect with the members who you previously discussed these ongoing concerns with: @713j, @gloaming, and @dcw.

Hi 713j...thank you for the prompt response.

How do you manage your PACs and PVCs all these years, especially when they seem like they are firing off willy nilly for no reason? I have had my potassium levels checked and they are normal. I do drink coconut water and soy milk every day. I have also tried the 4-7-8 and it does really nothing. I just spoke with the nurse who works with my EP and we are going to discuss the magnesium option.

Thanks!
RR