Propranolol not helping almost constant palpitations

[CreatingHavoc]

Posting again about my sodding palpitations because I'm at my wits end with them. I have 10mg propranolol to take as and when needed but it is doing absolutely nothing to help them. They will not stop. I'm having them pretty much every minute of the day. I've been to A&E with them recently they are than bad. Unfortunately I typically didn't have any at the time of the ecg so they have referred for 24hr monitor. They are relentless though and I'm very worried. Is there anything else that could help? I've bought iron, magnesium etc to take to try and help them but I understand these things take time. I just want my heart to beat normally again :(

Are you perimenopausal? Very common symptom if so.

Just wondered if you have anaemia, and if you have had blood tests for that. It can be a factor in palpitations. Most of the time it is anxiety and meno related.

If you can get your hands on Magnesium Taurate, it is very good for palpitations.

@margegunderson probably. Periods have been out of whack for about 6 months or so and been heavy for much longer. I'm considering a coil.

@Havalona I've just bought magnesium bisglycinate, is taurate definitely better? I bought bisglycinate because it said gentle on the stomach. I could be anaemic. Going to ask Dr to check tomorrow.

Well I don't know if it will work for you, but I take it for Atrial Fibrillation which is a heart rhythm issue and it helps me anyway. (I also take prescribed beta blockers for it) However the glycinate is not harmful and it may help YOU. I hope you get some relief soon.

Magnesium Taurate: Benefits, Side Effects And Uses – Forbes Health

go back to the GP there are loads of different beta blockers and they all work slightly differently..you just need a different one

@SeaToSki thanks, yeah I think need one that perhaps doesn't lower blood pressure as much as mine is pretty low a lot of the time anyway. Might be why I can't function on propranolol.

@Havalona thanks for the info, I'll stick with the bisglycinate for now and hopefully it will help.

Did they tell you what type of palpitations you are having? Have you got a referral to a cardiologist?

I was told last week that 10mg is a very low dose and to take a higher dose. Obviously something to discuss with your GP.

My app flagged up atrial fibrillation earlier so I've come back to A&E :(

Have they tested your thyroid?

Have you got health anxiety?
You seem to be in A and E a lot.

Palpitations were my most disconcerting meno symptom. Before I had one I’d also get this fleeting feeling of doom. HRT sorted it out immediately, so it might be low estrogen. Coil won’t address estrogen.

Echo pp have you have your thyroid tested?

If you are getting Atrial Fibrillation you should be seen by a cardiologist and can be treated by either medication or a radio frequency ablation. You also need to be on a daily blood thinner to reduce the risk of stroke..which is heightened with atrial fibrillation.

Please push to be properly assessed by a cardioloigst

@SeaToSki thank you, yeah I've been referred to cardiology now. Gp thinks it's possible paroxysmal afib and has given me bisoprolol to try. Hoping I don't need blood thinners as it's not present all the time. The ectopic beats are still very regular though. Starting the bisoprolol today so here's hoping.

10mg is a small dose. I used to take 40mg as and when

I've just recently on bisprolol as I was having very regular ectopic beats and resulting tachycardia. They offered me the 'pill in the pocket' option of use when you need it, but it was happening so often they agreed to a daily dose instead and I haven't had the tachycardia now for a month. I was also advised not to have caffeine or alcohol, as that can both increase the palpitations and hinder the bisprolol working. Pinapple and bananas I have also discovered are unhelpful as they contain potassium.
I ended up paying for a private ECG for 48 hrs which was £300 with £200 for a consultation afterwards. If you can afford it I would recommend as it all happened and was sorted in a month: the NHS were saying January next year before they could do the 24 hr ecg on them. It's a lot of money but worth it for piece of mind if you can afford it.

@afromom thanks, yes thankfully the bisoprolol seems to be helping. I feel a bit dizzy and out of it but hopefully my body will adjust. I've been considering private but can probably only afford the monitor at the moment. Going to find out when my NHS cardio appointment is first and take it from there but I know there's a 14 week waiting list for the 24hr monitor. I'm not sure I can wait that long!

My daughter had severe ectopics , always picked up on ECG because they are so frequent and she has a low BP usually average 105/60 and at one point she was on 120 mg of propanolol ( 40 3 x day) so 10 mg as and when is very low . She’s under cardiology , had all the investigations ( twice ) and is having an MRI next month but they actually seem to be getting better on their own so there is hope . She’s improved so much she’s only taking 30 mg propanolol per day now .

@CreatingHavoc you could just have the ecg, I requested the follow up as I wanted more info, but they didn't offer it, just sent the results straight to my GP initially. I know the 24 hr version was around £200 but I asked for the 48 to make sure I had more chance of something happening, if that helps with the cost.
The Bisoprolol took me a week or so to get used to, I felt a bit dizzy for the first few days.
I hope you manage to get to the bottom of it, it's so scary when it's your heart that is causing concern.

@Floralnomad thanks, I think I'm going to have to go back on the propranolol and be consistent with it and/or up the dose slightly as the bisoprolol ended up making me feel horrendous. Shame because it actually worked for the ectopics but I couldn't function at all. There's lots of other beta blockers as well so hopefully I'll find one that suits eventually.

Flecanide. Sorted my eptopics out from the very first tablet. Can you try that? I still get the odd breakthrough but take my pill in a pocket. I’m on a tiny dose - 50mg am and pm - max dose is 800mg! Try it, it worked for me where bisoprolol didn’t. It only slowed my heart rate down, whereas flecanide puts it back into rhythm.

@CreatingHavoc my daughter lasted 2 days on bisoprolol , made her feel terrible and constant tingling in her hands and feet .

What strength Bisoprolol were you taking? I have Afib and it took a lot of tweaking to get the dose right for me. They started me on 7.5mg and I thought I was a goner. Then moved down to 5mg and I was still spaced and my heart rate was on the floor. Eventually found that 3.75mg was the ideal dose for me. Sorted the arrythmia (well mostly, I still get the odd flip flop and racing heartbeat) and I have zero side effects now.

Bisoprolol is a good drug for Afib, widely used but the dosage has to be right for it to work correctly and to minimise side effects. It lowers heart rate significantly so the dose must be right.

I'm on 3.25mg. They originally said 1.25mg which was too low, upped to 5mg which was too high, so now I take 2.5mg in the morning and 1.25mg before I go to bed as it starts to wear off around 7pm. Seems to have worked well for month now for me.