When a benign palpitation occurs, depending upon its influence it can cause brief changes in blood pressure. There are sensors in the carotid arteries of the neck known as baroreceptors, which detect the drop in pressure and signal the brain to increase cardiac force and rate to quickly compensate so that pressure is restored to normal. Epinephrine is released from the adrenalin glands atop the kidneys and all together, the net result is an increase in pressure to normal through physiological compensation.

The side-effects of this compensation can really take you for a spin on occasion, but they are entirely harmless. Beta blockers are a good choice to relieve the intensity of benign palpitations because they not only reduce cardiac force, they also have an anxiolytic effect on anxiety, reducing symptoms. You'll be just fine and remember that just because the quality or intensity of the palpitations has changed, does not indicate a heart problem. This type of palpitation is extra-cardiac in nature, meaning that its origin lies outside the heart and actually occurs via stimulation by the Vagus nerve.

If you've experienced a change in GI habits, i.e. indigestion, cramping, constipation, etc. then this is highly suspect for causing the Vagus nerve to become stimulated. The Vagus nerve innervates the GI tract as the "gastric nerve."

You'll be fine.

Best regards and Good Health

If your interest in beta blockers is to address the palpitations and anxiety, although it's a good choice it can make symptoms more apparent with regard to lower blood pressure in some patients. It might be possible to try a smaller dosage range of about 25mg per day to see what effects are observed. Realize that these drugs in the dosage range being described cannot simply lower your pressure beyond a certain threshold. But again, if you are already sensing some effects of low blood pressure, which by the way does not appear abnormal by any means in your case, then using an anti-hypertensive agent may exacerbate those symptoms.

There are plenty of options should your primary care physician feel the beta blockers would be unwarranted.

Best regards and Good Health

Hi Seffie,

You seem to be getting very similar symptoms as me.  The lurch feeling is 'so me' its untrue  

I dont know if you remember my recent posts but I have started taking Betablockers recently 80mg propananol a day.

I was very worried and had some very strange experiences on it for the first couple of weeks, but now im mostly fine with them, and they have helped the palps and especialy the intense thumps and bumps and lurches I was getting.  I do notice it if i miss taking them.

Dont get me wrong its not a perfect solution, and they still make me feel a bit strange sometimes, but, they ARE helping ME.  And if it gives me space to get my life back on track, then so be it.  Hopefully in the future I cope without them  

My advice would be give them a try if your doctor thinks its wise and you have his/her supervision.  

I was very very wary about taking them, and on a number of occasions had taken beta blockers for a day or two then thrown them in the drawer and vowed never to take them again.  But I can see the other side now and why they are used.  No-one likes taking drugs but if they help you then give it a go.

Hope you feel better soon.

Stu

Dear Seffie
I just read your latest post and you sound like you are having the same amount of ectopics as me. I get about eight per  minute at the moment but sometimes have them on constant for half an hour. They are horrible. Stu has been getting on better with beta blockers so I think they are well worth a go for you. You can only try them and they are not dangerous to take. and if you try propanolol it is out your system in a very short space of time, unless you get the long-acting kind.

I take a very low dose because a higher dose actually made my ectopics worse, so perhaps aim to start out low, especially if you have lowish blood pressure because while low blood pressure is actually a sign of a healthy person you don't really want the symptoms that can go with it if it does go a bit lower. I have blood pressure in the normal range (but at the low end I have been told) and when I took the higher dose they did affect me and make me feel a bit odd. so now I only take 10mg propanolol twice daily and actually I don't think it is helping because it's all the same if I forget to take one. I am thinking of asking my cardiologist if it is worth taking them - and could there be an option to take one-off tablets if really fast and pounding heartbeats come on - because I get this too.

Good luck with taking the tablets, Seffie. They can't really do you any harm (I don't like taking tablets either). I know this might be an off-the-wall suggestion, and I hate taking drugs myself, but have you considered anti-anxiety meds for your anxiety while you work on things. I don't like to tempt fate but I have been taking citalopram for about six weeks now for panic attacks and very bad anxiety that was affecting my life badly, and the ectopics are improved on what they were. It's kind of proof that anxiety makes them worse, so if you are having bad anxiety out and about if you cure the anxiety by whatever means (medication or therapy) it could work.

I am trying to really work on myself and my way of thinking about everything - because I do react badly to stress and I think this has brought anxiety and panic into my life and all its associated horrible symptoms. Let's just say before anxiety and panic I never had any issues with my heart rythm or its rate. It would be too much of a coincidence for them not to be related, I want to believe.

Let us know how you get on
bead

hello
no I don't have digestive problems either. Perhaps they are hormonally linked with you - how old are you, do you mind me asking? some people say you can get them during menopause and others notice they can get worse before their period or whatever. I have noticed no pattern to this myself. I have tracked everything.

If you think they are hormonally linked and you still have periods, what about taking the pill because this might level out your hormones a bit?????? A bit of an experimental idea there! I don't know if it's the hormones that would make your ectopics worse, or if it's hormones that make the anxiety worse. I think that my hormones make my state of mind a bit more loopy at certain times of the month.

The only thing I notice is that in certain situations or body positions they are worse. eg. when I went to a wedding recently they were terrible. I didn't know anyone there and I'm not very good at anything like that. Also if I bend over or get up quickly this can trigger a real bout.

I have come off ssri's before - I had no problem at all coming off them. But unfortunately after a few months off them the panic attacks and anxiety came back and the ectopics got a lots worse. so I have spent the last two weeks going on them - I found going on them worse but it's several weeks in and my anxiety is feeling improved. I am no longer avoiding going out. I am completely anti-medication really - things have to be really bad before I take anything because I don't like putting stuff in and messing around with myself. But honestly after the nightmare month of going on the tablets I can honestly say that it was worth it - my sleep is better than it was, and I don't feel weird 100% of the time - much less often, and sometimes I even forget about my ectopics, and other symptoms.

I wouldn't worry about low BP - most doctors would say it is a good thing. sometimes you can get it a bit if you aren't drinking enough - so make sure you are taking plenty of fluids - water, herbal tea, weak tea whatever takes your fancy but nothing dehydrating or that will make your palpitations worse  In fact low blood pressure is probably desirable because it means your arteries aren't all clogged up - think of it that way.

I think that kind of thing can be worse if you are tired too, and if you have a lot of anxiety then you probably do get quite exhausted - I know I do, so try to take a break if you ever can and slow down what you are doing.

Best of luck and hope some of this wibbling helps you with your thoughts
bead x

Hi Seffie,

The beta blockers are definately helping me at the moment, and I can only be glad of that fact even though im on medication which i dont like.  But hey, if they help you go to do whats best.

You can ask what weird side effects i got, by all means,

I felt realy sick,  my heart rate is consistantly between 50 and 55 (low for me), Felt and look spaced out, Felt like my lower rear part of my brain is burning hot, difficulty sleeping, although Im tired all the time, Felt like my upper chest is full of cotton wool, Metalic taste occasionaly in mouth  and was general floaty, not quite with it.

This lasted about 2-3 weeks, but was unpleasent whilst it lasted, all is back to normal including heartrate (which worried me at the time).  I missed my tablet by accident again last night, and i hardly slept at all, have shakes, sweats and have had about 50 skipped beats today.  Not as many as some of you I know, but on the beta blockers i am getting on average 2-5 a day!

Im not saying it will work for you Seffie, or indeed its right for you, but if your GP says its safe etc I would say give it a go, and try and give it a few weeks.  I feel I am VERY slowly now starting to give my body and mind a rest and I do think a lot of it is the b.blockers calming things down a touch.  They are not perfect but they are helping at this point.

Dont know if that helps any

Stu