Managing and Living With PACs and PVCs

I also deal with PVCs and PACs. I've tried different meds, but what has helped me, although not a cure all, is a beta blocker called Bystolic. It has the least amount of side effects and not even severe side affects at that. The generic Nebivolol does not work, only the name brand Bystolic. It causes a little tiredness but nothing extreme. I also take Magnesium which everyone should take as we dont get enough in our regular food intake which helps regulate your heart beat. I exercise which helps keep stress and anxiety down. I don't exercise to the point of getting my heart rate too high (max 120bpm-130bpm) but try to stay 110-120 as any more causes too much adrenaline which causes PVCs and PACs. Stay hydrated and make sure you are good on your electrolytes. This is what has worked for me. Hopefully that helps.

@rr1967, I also have experienced PVC's & PAC's since my mid 20's, and eventually in my 40's the cardiologist said there was really no reason to continue being followed, as many people live with this condition and there is no need to treat it, as the treatment can be more harmful that the arrythmia. I, like you, had episodes where the PVC's were more frequent, usually when I was sick or dehydrated, so it has been pretty easy (although annoying, because the thumping in your chest IS annoying) managing the situation throughout the years, and I really stopped worrying about it. I have had numerous Zio monitor tests throughout the years when the episodes increased in frequency, & they have always shown a relatively low burden (1% or so). I/ve also had a few treadmill stress tests & echocardiograms, all good. Thankfully my heart is more steady during exercise. However, occasionally when I am exercising & bend over to pick something up off the ground (I play pickleball & bend over to pick up balls) it triggers episodes of tachycardia that usually resolve fairly quickly with some valsalva maneuvers. In August of this year, I was playing pickleball, bent over to pick up a ball & my heart began racing and was very irregular. Unfortunately my Apple watch, once my heart rate came down below 150, informed me I was in Afib! And since then, my PVC's are much more frequent (the 2 week monitor after my ER visit said I now have a PVC burden of 5.6%. This is well below the "danger zone" but is much more annoying than when I was at 1%. So now I am on Eliquis to reduce my stroke risk, and am being followed by a cardiologist & an Electrophysiologist. I am scheduled for an EP study with possible ablation for SVT (as the EP suspects SVT triggered my Afib). If he can't elicit SVT, then he will do an ablation for Afib. Either way, I will have a Continuous Loop Recorder implanted the next day, and if I am free of Afib for a certain amount of time (I believe it's 3 months), then I can come off the Eliquis. The monitor will stay in place & if it detects any more episodes of Afib, I would need to start Eliquis again.

Good luck to you, and I hope you can find a way to live in harmony with your flips & flops!

As a fellow pickleball player, ( currently sidelined with a foot injury), may I suggest you buy a rubber suction device ( available on Amazon) that attaches to the end of the grip of the paddle. You don’t have to bend over as far to pick up the ball. Bending over is one of my triggers that sends me into PSVT. It stays on permanently and for me, is not a hindrance at all to playing and holding the paddle comfortably.

I am in my early 80s. I have been dealing with AFib and AFlutter since 2015. I’ve had 4ablations. The most recent in April 2025 The first ablation cured the AFib but shortly thereafter I experienced many episodes of flutter. HR would zoom up to 160bpm with deep chest pressure. Episodes last upwards of 40 minutes. Each one leaves me tired and anxious and then the PACs and PVCs start. After my last ablation I went into AFib twice with a visit to the ER. Fortunately I converted on my own. Since April my heart always feels “wobbly”. My cardiologist says it’s nothing to worry about. Really,, I would like him to experience it and then see what he says
The next phase of my journey through this wobbly heart, PACs and PVCs has been a total knee replacement just completed 6 days hence. WOW! Pain, fear, mind numbing pain meds and oh yes here come the palpitations. I can take the pain but the wobbly heart has been the most scary I’ve stopped the pain meds resorting to just plain Tylenol but the thing that helps me most is Lorazepam. I take a half dose .5mg and it calms me and the Wobblies diminish. My GP however is so reluctant to prescribe Lorazepam. I was given 30 pills and told to make them last for 3 months
I am not an old 80+. I have been fit and exercised my whole life but I sure would like to free my mind and my body of this fear that locks me down. I am writing all of this to see if anyone out there can relate. When arrhythmia strikes we all are on different journeys. Thanks for listening.

@sandrah2024 Yes, I can relate. I am highly symptomatic with AF, but fortunately my second ablation has me stably in NSR for 33 months now. Before the second ablation, people told me I looked gray. I felt it, too.

We all have one, two, several triggers that set off our AF. For me it's adiposity and stomach distension, but also unique stressors such as purchasing a vehicle. That experience is what set me off the last time.

You might wish to investigate Vagus nerve tonality and the Valsalva maneuver. There are two kinds of AF, Vagus and adrenergic (really, they're just two arms on the same body). The adrenergic response gets us wound up, ready to deal with danger. It's more widely known as the sympathetic response. The parasympathetic response is managed by the Vagus nerve, and it's the calming effect. Some people's Vagus nerve loses tone and this encourages arrhythmia.

@gloaming yes have used the vagus nerve maneuver but need to look at it more in depth and learn the techniques
I truly wish that all of us who suffer from arrhythmias in all their forms could live without the constant fear that something is going terribly wrong. I appreciate this forum so much it gives me a bit of comfort. Good day all!