Hello Deepak,I'm sorry to hear that you are going through a rough period with your health. Maybe my story can help you.
When I was 46, right after drinking a cup of strong tea (with an Indian dance teacher!) and during a stressful period where my mother was dying, my heart began to race AND skip beats. Within days my heart was ALWAYS racing and skipping beats. Of course, I was very alarmed. After a few visits to Emergency, a Holter monitor test over a 24 hour period, ECGs and finally a visit with a cardiologist, I was put on beta blockers to keep my heart even and steady. The cardiologist told me that of every 10 people he sees with skipped beats and racing heart, he only medicates one…and I wasthe one. He told me that if my heart races (and 110 – 120 is not too bad), to bear down as if you are pushing in the bathroom. That will often stop the episode. But VERY IMPORTANT: he said was that if a person feels faint or weak, he or she needs medication.
I was put on a high dose of beta blockers which controlled my racing heart and arrhythmia (aFib) for 2 years. Then I discovered that by going to the gym every day and pushing my heart, I was able to slowly get off the beta blockers and my heart remained steady and strong. My cardiologist was surprised and said that the aFib would be back. But a very important thing he advised me to do was to avoid ALL stimulants; tea, coffee, chocolate, sugars, caffeinated soft drinks, spicy foods, alcohol, cigarette smokey environments, decongestants and other drugs that contain ephedrine and dental freezing. You can believe that I was highly motivated to stay well. I proved the cardiologist wrong because it is 22 years later and the condition has not returned. I do occasionally have mild episodes of racing heart (around 110 beats per minute after sugary foods) or a blip here and there which is fine.
All this is to say that you will likely find that avoiding all stimulants (above) and pushing your heart through aerobic exercise (walking just won't do it) will solve your problem. So often, lifestyle changes can solve problems instead of resorting to drugs. I wish you good luck!

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My father's sister also suffered for periods where her heart raced and skipped beats (Atrial Fibrillation Afib) and she was on beta blockers. She had to have several ablations…a medical procedure to shock the heart back into a steady rhythm. She would not stop drinking coffee or smoking…but she lived to age 88. I am 70 and besides the usual arthritis et..my heart is absolutely fine. I am sure you will also be fine. But until you see the cardiologist, stop all stimulants…even tea unless it is decaffeinated. I will bet you have no more episodes. And get exercise every day.
Are you taking any other drug that can cause your heart to react, such as thyroid medication? Are you taking decongestants for a cold?

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My father's sister also suffered for periods where her heart raced and skipped beats (Atrial Fibrillation Afib) and she was on beta blockers. She had to have several ablations…a medical procedure to shock the heart back into a steady rhythm. She would not stop drinking coffee or smoking…but she lived to age 88. I am 70 and besides the usual arthritis et..my heart is absolutely fine. I am sure you will also be fine. But until you see the cardiologist, stop all stimulants…even tea unless it is decaffeinated. I will bet you have no more episodes. And get exercise every day.
Are you taking any other drug that can cause your heart to react, such as thyroid medication? Are you taking decongestants for a cold?

Jump to this post

My father's sister also suffered for periods where her heart raced and skipped beats (Atrial Fibrillation Afib) and she was on beta blockers. She had to have several ablations…a medical procedure to shock the heart back into a steady rhythm. She would not stop drinking coffee or smoking…but she lived to age 88. I am 70 and besides the usual arthritis et..my heart is absolutely fine. I am sure you will also be fine. But until you see the cardiologist, stop all stimulants…even tea unless it is decaffeinated. I will bet you have no more episodes. And get exercise every day.
Are you taking any other drug that can cause your heart to react, such as thyroid medication? Are you taking decongestants for a cold?

Jump to this post

My father's sister also suffered for periods where her heart raced and skipped beats (Atrial Fibrillation Afib) and she was on beta blockers. She had to have several ablations…a medical procedure to shock the heart back into a steady rhythm. She would not stop drinking coffee or smoking…but she lived to age 88. I am 70 and besides the usual arthritis et..my heart is absolutely fine. I am sure you will also be fine. But until you see the cardiologist, stop all stimulants…even tea unless it is decaffeinated. I will bet you have no more episodes. And get exercise every day.
Are you taking any other drug that can cause your heart to react, such as thyroid medication? Are you taking decongestants for a cold?

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Hi @deepakkumar,

I’m so glad you’ve joined Connect and ‘connected’ with incredible fellow-members – thanks @nene22 @danab @afrobin for your insights and suggestions. Deepak, might I also suggest you look into another form of tachycardia known as SVT – supra ventricular tachycardia? Episodes of SVT can be triggered by exercise, stress, gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, medications, caffeine, but most of the time it can occur for no particular reason at all. Basically, SVTs reflect and abnormal or extra electrical connection in the heart.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/supraventricular-tachycardia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355243
I’ve had SVTs ever since I can remember, and I know how debilitating these episodes can get! A few years ago, I had a cardiac ablation procedure, (which “resets” the heart’s electrical circuit), as my episodes were getting prolonged, occurred too often, and I couldn’t stop the fast heart rate with any of the vagal maneuvers. In my case, my heart rate was 210 beats per minute! Most people experience an improvement after SVT ablation, but there’s a fair chance that palpitations may return – as they have in my case – and the procedure can be repeated. But, here I am, and so far so good for the both of us, I should say:)
Fortunately, SVT is rarely life-threatening, yet if your heart races for more than a few minutes, or if you start experiencing chest pain, you should go to the emergency room.

I’m tagging @ronbyrd @sue225 @ajmario @ktcrosswalk1 @jigglejaws94 @loli @cheris @martishka @texas7777 @mikeyp @hilly2016 @anniegk Mentor @predictable and you may also wish to view these discussions on Connect:
– Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) and Running https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/supra-ventricular-tachycardia-psvt-and-running/
– Feeling Skipped Beats, Palpitations: What could this possibly be? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-could-this-possibly-be/
– New and totally lost https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-and-totally-lost/

@deepakkumar, how often do the episodes occur? Do you know if any family member has a history of tachycardia?

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Your racing heart doesn't happen often so don't worry about it. My heart was racing and skipping beats all day, every day and I felt light headed, faint and weak. You could see it very clearly on EKGs. I couldn't live like that so I had to be on a drug to make my heart steady. Your issues only happen once in a while so I think you can control it by being very careful to avoid stimulants.

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Hi @deepakkumar,

I’m so glad you’ve joined Connect and ‘connected’ with incredible fellow-members – thanks @nene22 @danab @afrobin for your insights and suggestions. Deepak, might I also suggest you look into another form of tachycardia known as SVT – supra ventricular tachycardia? Episodes of SVT can be triggered by exercise, stress, gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, medications, caffeine, but most of the time it can occur for no particular reason at all. Basically, SVTs reflect and abnormal or extra electrical connection in the heart.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/supraventricular-tachycardia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355243
I’ve had SVTs ever since I can remember, and I know how debilitating these episodes can get! A few years ago, I had a cardiac ablation procedure, (which “resets” the heart’s electrical circuit), as my episodes were getting prolonged, occurred too often, and I couldn’t stop the fast heart rate with any of the vagal maneuvers. In my case, my heart rate was 210 beats per minute! Most people experience an improvement after SVT ablation, but there’s a fair chance that palpitations may return – as they have in my case – and the procedure can be repeated. But, here I am, and so far so good for the both of us, I should say:)
Fortunately, SVT is rarely life-threatening, yet if your heart races for more than a few minutes, or if you start experiencing chest pain, you should go to the emergency room.

I’m tagging @ronbyrd @sue225 @ajmario @ktcrosswalk1 @jigglejaws94 @loli @cheris @martishka @texas7777 @mikeyp @hilly2016 @anniegk Mentor @predictable and you may also wish to view these discussions on Connect:
– Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) and Running https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/supra-ventricular-tachycardia-psvt-and-running/
– Feeling Skipped Beats, Palpitations: What could this possibly be? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-could-this-possibly-be/
– New and totally lost https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-and-totally-lost/

@deepakkumar, how often do the episodes occur? Do you know if any family member has a history of tachycardia?

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