Skipping Heart Beats

[Magic8Ball]

Yesterday was the first day that i switched My beta blockers from Antenol 25mg (1/2 a tablet) to Bicor 2.5mg (2 x 1.25 tablets) on recco from my cardiologist.

Now the day went fine, i lost that 'dizzy' feeling when standing up quickly and basically felt great all day although i was aware from wearing my heart rate monitor that my heart rate seemed to be higher than the previous day.

Everything went well until i went to bed and i began to notice regular skipped heart beats, no click = no beat right ? although the heart rate remained constant and wasn't speeding up/slowing down or anything. It really freaked me out to the point that i called the ward that i was operated on to ask them and the head nurse said that if i felt fine then just speak to the cardio on monday....if i felt any other symptoms or just got worried too much to call back and she'd get in touch with the surgeon's cover to discuss. I also had a little headache, very mild, which i took a paracetamol for, never had headaches on the antenol.

So i sat in the recliner rather than the bed, didn't take a sleeping pill and bang, 15 minutes later i was asleep for 6 1/2 hours so the new beta blockers fixed the sleeping problem.

However, today i've gone back to the antenol just until i can speak to the cardio incase i need a slightly higer dose or something. He said i could switch back if i had any symptoms.

The dizzy spells standing up are back and no doubt i'll need a sleeping pill to knock me out tonight but my heart rate seems slightly lower (not as much as i thought it was higher yesterday ) lying here on the bed its 78bpm but i'm certainly not experiencing as many missing beats....probably one or two an hour as opposed to a couple a minute last night.

Has anyone else had this 'skipped beat' symptom either on beta blockers or when changing between them or even just had it after valve replacement, i'm assuming its a normal thing to have at any level just didn't like it happening several times a minute.

i think there was an alternative to bicor, the cardio usually flips between two types alternatively and said it was bicor's turn when he prescribed it for me yesterday. so i'll discuss with him on monday.

I was also given an ACE inhibitor script at the same time but i didn't start that yesterday as i wanted to introduce one new medication at a time, does anyone know if the beta blocker/ace inhibitor would have worked better if changed to/taken at the same time?
Regards.

 

[geebee]

Magic,

Your heart is still not healed so any medication change will disrupt things. Whether the skipped beats are dangerous can only be found out with a monitor to determine just what is happening.

If you determine that the skipped beats are benign, then you need to decide whether they are preferable to dizziness and insomnia. Unfortunately sometimes there are trade-offs.

I take Inderal which is a fairly mild beta-blocker but it keeps things under control and even helps with my migraines. I cannot address the ace inhibitor issue but I am sure someone will come along to help.

 

[lcwhitney]

Any BP medication change or taking a fluid pill can cause skipped heart beats I would call cardiologist for advice.


Lettitia

 

[Karlynn]

It may be skipped beats or Ventricular Bigeminy - which feel like you're skipping a beat, when you're actually taking 2 really quick beat in a row and then the heart pauses to gather "energy". I had a lot of VB prior to my replacement. It isn't usually considered dangerous. But as always, let the doc dx it.

As Geebee said, sometimes changing meds will cause some heart sensitivity and irregular rhythm will result. Or it may be that the new stuff wasn't taking care of it well enough, although you really weren't on it long enough to tell.

Be patient, it will get sorted out. It's just kind of disconcerting to feel that way.

 

[EireCara]

Hi.......

Hi.......

*Hi, I havent had valve surgery but I certainly can 'talk' about irr heartbeats. You said you had a couple a minute...Iv had a couple of months of having them every 1 or 2 seconds..literally....it isnt pleasant...and almost impossible to sleep. Sitting up definitely helps, a little, lying down makes it worse. And all this while taking a beta blocker, EMCOR. I also take an ACE Inhibitor...Dilzem...I was taking 90mg for the last few years but a few weeks ago it was upped to 120mg twice a day and for the last 4 or 5 days my irr beats have lessened greatly.

I would imagine the dizziness you get when you stand up is caused by a drop in blood pressure...prob caused by the medication. Iv learned to stand up VERY CAREFULLY, even if I need to go to the bathroom during the night, in a sleepy state, I first sit on the side of the bed for about 20 seconds and then stand up slowly.

As for heart rate..I find if it is too low, 40's my heart becomes more irregular, and equally if my hr is high it becomes irregular. But as the beta blocker should keep it from being too high, this shouldnt be a problem. The problem can be that the beta blocker makes the hr too low. Thats my experience anyway.

I hope you sort out your problem as I know how annoying it can be and how it can affect your life.
Best Wishes, Jacuqi

 

[Marguerite53]

About a month post surgery my heart went bonkers. It lasted for a week and by the time we found out it was benign, it was gone. I had been on 50mg Atenolol for a year pre-surgery and did not change the dose following surgery, or during this event. So, still on 50mg, a month ago, when I, too, was having trouble sleeping and being dizzy, we halved the dose to 25 mg. It took me 2 weeks to feel "right". I was surprised at how unsettling the change was, seeing as how we were reducing it.

I think it is definitely a good idea to consult your cardio regarding the sudden change. He/she may want to put you on an event monitor so that they can precisely determine the kind of palpitations you are havng. That said, I do think you will notice some changes for quite awhile as you adjust to a different med.

Good luck. Let us know.

Marguerite

 

[Magic8Ball]

Got to speak to the cardio today and he said that they were probably "eptopic" beats which should settle down. As everyone has said, its still early days and i need to become more 'in tune' with my body.

The beta blockers wouldn't have increased/decreased them it was probably just my perception as i was paying more attention to the issue.

So i'm to go back onto the bicor tomorrow on the same dose and stay on for four or so days before i introduce the ace inhibitors that he also prescribed me. He said on the phone not to introduce them at the same time (didn't say that when prescribed) so luckily i took it on my own to do this.

The dose may be increased in time but stay on the initial dose of 2.5mg for now.

 

[aussiemember]

Sorry to hear you have had a minor setback but sounds like you were just pushing things a bit far. Time to rest and relax a bit more - perhaps watch the Ashes??