Anxious about sudden onslaught of missed heartbeats

[IrritableBitchSyndrome]

Hi, has anyone had a sudden onset of ectopic beats? This past week has been terrible. I'm having lots each day, and my resting pulse is up to 90 rather than the usual 80. Getting up and moving around brings on lots of skipped beats. I know they are usually harmless but I hate them, I find them really scary.

You really need a medical opinion and an ECG.

How old are you?

i had this, it came out of "nowhere " orso i thought.

Its really scary and horrible. I had an ecg and drs ordered a 24 hour ecg recording. I was off on holiday and was convinced i was about to die.

It was in june

EBs getting worse - my heart would beat so hard it hurt.

came home. had the 24 hour tape fitted. Nurse saod "btw these are a magical cure by which she meant that peoples palpitations often subsided when these were fitted and the results obtained.

Turned out it was a "normal" thing that i had become awate of , because anxious about it and made it worse.

Anyway, it stopped and i put it down to what the nurse said.Then my hay fever started again so i restarted my beconase inhaler - back it came!

Pretty much don't get them very much now if at all but now if i notice them i am not bothered (its weirdly not unpleasant) . Everyone gets them from time to time and its NORMAL.

I get them if i drink too much coffee too do maybe think about cutting caffeine?

Worth a visit to your dr but you are fine x

I've had an ECG that came back normal, and blood tests that were normal, but the symptoms are becoming more intense by the day. I don't drink or eat anything with caffeine, or alcohol. This morning I have woken up with a pain in my chest that I can't seem to shift by moving around. I have been feeling really exhausted since the ectopic beats started. I have prolonged times where I feel as though I'm full of adrenaline and can't stop shaking. I'd love to get to the bottom of these symptoms and get rid of them!

I'm 42.

I get this regularly. A few times a week. Only when resting. Have done since I was young. I've never gone to the Dr because it's a random event and won't be captured by a 24 hr thing and I expect the Dr will be dismissive. Sometimes my heart revs up so fast the bouncing about of it kind of tickles my lungs and makes me cough!

I have phases of these - never really been to identify a pattern though. ECG and 24 hour monitor showed nothing (although as above poster, didn't bloody have one when they were being taken - grrr).

Afraid I can't help much but to say that I have them often and over many years and am still here - doesn't stop me worrying when they happen though.

Is there any chance this could be related to your menopause starting?

I had HORRIFIC missed beats, I couldn't catch my breath and it was awfully scary. It finally drove me to my GP where I had an ECG and bloods taken...but it was just my stupid menopause. I'm 43.

It could well be nothing as other pps have said but you don't know for sure. Go to your doctor, explain your symptoms. He should do an ecg , bloods and arrange a 24 hour monitor for you. Worth getting blood pressure cheked too. Good luck but please get it checked !

TonySopranosVest - yes, I have been wondering about that, although my periods are regular as clockwork. Also, I wonder if its so bad this week due to hormones as my period is due in a few days.

Babyinarms - my ECG was totally fine, bloods normal. Seeing GP on Wednesday to discuss why I have all these symptoms when test results seem fine. In the meantime I feel as though I've been hit by a truck. All I've done today is brush my teeth and I'm exhausted!

Have you had your thyroid checked op? I had the same off and on for years until I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. Had no problems since being settled on meds

Not wishing to alarm you but, if you have chest pain you need to get checked out today not wait for Wednesday. Ring 111 and ask for advice.

I have this (or something very similar) too - menopause related for me. Started when I reached 51, palpitations, missed beats - scared the heck out of me! Spoke to doc - oh, that's normal "FOR A WOMAN YOUR AGE" - did all the tests anyhow - no problems found.

Still getting the odd period - can tell if I will get one - since 2 weeks before - hormonal - I get the racing/missing beats.

An ecg would be normal unless your where having the ectopic beats whist it wa a being taken. A 24 hour holter ecg would be more suitable in these circumstances. There is something Called atrial fibrillation which is fast and irregular which can lead to an increased risk of stroke if not managed correctly. It also could be a simple symptom of menopause but AF does make you feel awful and tired too. When you feel these awful symptoms feel you pulse and see if it's regular or not. You could also have SVT which is regular but fast. Not trying to worry you! Both are treatable x

Please ask your GP to test you for the menopause markers.

Are you having any other symptoms such as sleep disturbances? (I used to get this thing when I dropped off to sleep and the woke up 10 minutes later with an electric shock feeling - HORRIBLE! All gone now thanks to the my lovely HRT)

I was really frightened as well as we have a history of heart disease in my family. I actually high fives my GP when he told me I was menopausal 😃

Please ignore my dreadful spelling errors. Fucking iPad

in all honesty this could well be anxiety driven. In your shoes id be inclined to present myself at Ooh and get checked out. As pp mentioned, you need a 24 hr ecg.

Try not to worry but don't dismiss your symptoms because if this is caused by anxiety even, if its causing that level of symtoms that in itself needs treatment.

You don't have to feel like this.

It's good that the ecg and bloods were fine. Just check that they have done hormone levels and thyroid levels also. As a pp has said, the ectopic beats maybe periodic, that's why a 24 hour monitor is needed.
I'm sorry you feel so exhausted with it. If it's worrying you this much , could you present at an a&e with it and get checked out there. I'm from ireland, we have a different health system. I know I'd go to an a&e in your shoes.
Try not to worry, as there are many things that can cause your symptoms but you do need to get answers and get it checked out. Wednesday is a bit far off if your feeling this miserable and worried. Anxiety ( which is totally understandable ) will not help, so try to get checked out sooner , even if it's just to put your mind at ease .

Update to everyone who has been so helpful. So I called 111 who sent an ambulance. The paramedics did another ECG and said it looks completely fine, and that I don't present in any way as if I'm having cardiac problems. They were clear that they could not rule a heart attack out 100% without going to hospital for a blood test, but were very comfortable with me not going, and were basically advising that they thought it extremely unlikely.

TonySopranosVest and BeyondThePage - having looked into perimenopause symptoms more since reading your posts, 80% of them seem very familiar. It seems likely that I'm having a patch of 'crashing fatigue' which perfectly describes how I feel today. Apparently oestrogen balances out stress hormones, and I am completely sure that I have adrenalin problems this week, as my body seems convinced that I am in severe danger at random moments, setting off palpitations, flushed face, cold hands and feet, uncontrollable shuddering, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, urgent need to go to the loo...

So. I think I will live til Wednesday :) But oh God... I could be having these symptoms for years?? How on earth do women cope?

babyinarms - my thyroid was tested a fortnight ago and seems normal. Also fasting glucose, full blood count, liver, magnesium and calcium levels, iron levels - all super healthy.

Hormones... seems like the obvious thing to look at next at this point!

At least I'm well prepared for my GP appointment. If I could just get up off this chair by Wednesday, which currently seems as doable as climing Everest :)

irritable how long have you feeling this lack of energy? Would you have a virus or something, sometimes that cam mess with the heart rhythm also. Best of luck with everything and mind yourself !

Glad u got check out today

I had this turn up at the start of the peri-menopause. along with the panic attacks. Even if your magnesium levels look OK, it's worth trying supplementing as a starter. Apparently the menopause depletes magnesium, but whatever, I found that supplementing (get a decent one, not mag oxide) sorted it out.

Oddly, I'm back on an extra dose just this week after a set of panic attacks*, and adding in magnesium oil (rub into your skin) as well as the tablets.

If the magnesium doesn't work enough, I used an adrenal supplement for 6 months as well which did help.

*magnesium is used to process vitamin d, and I wonder if the increased levels from sunshine mean that I am suddenly running out of magnesium once the sun comes back each year. I've googled, and there seems to be a lot of people who get this in spring, but I have no idea whether this is a true theory or just me making things up.

Chopchopchop I have been taking quite high doses of magnesium. It's hard to find out what's actually in any supplement though isn't it? I'm taking magnesium bisglycinate. I once managed to give myself a full on migraine taking vitamin D, and when I looked it up, found that it could be due to magnesium levels being low so it's interesting that panic attacks increase in spring. I have definitely felt worse over the last few weeks. My blood magnesium test came back normal, I believe. Not sure how accurate blood magnesium tests are though. Which magnesium supplement do you take? Which adrenal supplements do you take? How long did they take to shut down your symptoms? Do you find you can manage them pretty well?

I get this sometimes too (48), I hate it, there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it either. It showed up on 24 hour Holter monitor but they didn't think it was anything to worry about. Healthcare staff have said to me if I feel dizzy or breathless to call.