[bigmoo]

Well, I wore the event monitor for 30 days, and let me tell you, that sucked. Having to shave my chest hair was the worst part I think.

Went to see the cardiologist and she showed me the results that had been recorded. There were many times where the monitor caught what she called SVPT or Supraventricular Paroxysmal Tachycardias.

She told me it was not life threatening, and could be controlled with beta blockers. Told me more than anything else, to learn how NOT TO WORRY.

Stress, anxiety and constant worry tend to really set this kind of thing into motion, she says. Makes sense to me, seeing is how I'm great at all of those things.

Started taking the beta blocker, and the very next day I had no symptoms at all, and this went on for a week. Then the symptoms came back. Feels like my heart is QUIVERING or FLUTTERING.

No pain, no tightness, nothing but the flutters, and of course that sends me into a near panic attack.

I know this has to be caused by stress and anxiety more than anything else, but I can't seem to control either of them.

I try to calm myself, and it works sometimes, but then that feeling comes back. God, I wish this would stop.

Does anyone here know anything about SVPT?

[Jeff]

SVPT is PSVT, actually. The doc just transposed the letters. Paroxysmal means it starts and stops without warning or seeming cause, and describes the type of SupraVentricular Tachycardia.

And hopefully since I typed PSVT, the site will auto-link to the page about that.

Oh! I'm hoping you're a guy. :p What with the chest hair shaving and all. Figured you may not want to me mentioning that publicly if you were a woman.

But your shaving proclivities aside, tell me about what was found, exactly. How many instances, how long they lasted, how fast your heart was going when it happened, etc.

Also, did your doctor mention any anti-anxiety meds? Or are you on any right now? Beta blockers are good, but they don't treat anxiety. They treat some of the physical consequences of it, like the things that happen when beta receptors are stimulated by stress and such, but you're still a stress monkey.

And yes - NOT life threatening. As my cardio explained to me, if I had that tachycardia for 12 or more hours (12 OR MORE HOURS), to call her and they'd schedule a conversion (paddles to the chest), put me on a med and send me on my way, but that there was no way an elevated HR like that could kill me. Just not possible.

[Miss Elizabeth]

Yes. They SUCK! Pardon the expression, but they are a major nuisance. I know it is easier said than done, but try to relax. I take beta blockers to help with my chest pain and arrhythmias too. I have been taking them for 13+ years now and I am still upright and functioning. (According to some of my friends this is not true but they are not referring to my heart rhythms!) LOL Some days are better than others and on the good days I focus on enjoying the day. On the bad days I try to rest and distract myself until everything calms down again.

[dr461]

Jeff is right--most of the arrythmias that people talk about on this site are MINOR, as they are absent any other serious symptoms, and 99% of the people who get tested find no abnormalities. All of these minor rhythm lapses are exactly as that article said--two drummers not in synchronization, and all it takes is some series of minor factors to get them out of synch. So many common denominators in terms of triggers--extreme stress, hormonal imbalances, pregnancy, caffeine, alcohol, lack of sleep--it stands to reason that these factors would mess up body chemistry, and cause some VERY MINOR disruptions of the internal adrenal blend sent into the bloodstream. This, in turn, triggers electrical impulses that are haywire, but not in a dangerous way--they normally self-correct, or just come and go. So, we are all in the same boat, for the most part. We need to get a handle on the difficult things in our lives, and that will aid our well-being, and cut down on extra beats.

[Jeff]

I should write an article this winter about stacking successes, in particular re: handling stress. The hardest thing about reducing stress in this particular scenario is that you know the stress is probably killing you, and so in order to stop yourself from dying, you need to stop being stressed.

Which is like asking a reformed alcoholic to keep his job as a whiskey taste tester. Or something like that. You know what I mean.

But once you have a little success, and can trust in what you did enough to find a bit more success, it gets easier and easier to make the anomalous rhythms go away when they crop up.

[bigmoo]

In response to JEFF. The doctor showed me the graphs that were printed out, and the symptoms occurred almost every day for 30 days. The heart rate would jump to around 150 bpm, but only lasted for a short time, then back to normal. Then it would repeat.

I have been taking Xanax for anxiety for many years, but this flutter/quiver PSVT thing only started last spring.

My job keeps me very stressed, and it's nearly impossible to control, even though I try.

The thing is, right after I started taking the beta blocker, all symptoms went away. But now, a week later, they have returned. And it just happens out of the blue, even while sitting still and watching TV.

The worst part of it is that it scares me, and I'm no chicken, but this really gets my attention.

It almost feels like butterflies in my chest sometimes. No pain, just flutters that make me very uneasy.

And yes Jeff, I am a man, with a hairy chest.

[Jeff]

Hmm. This may sound like I'm a pill-pusher, but I'm really a fan of Zoloft. It's different from Xanax in that the Xanax is a benzodiazepine (skip to the * if you already know all about the differences between benzos and SSRIs), and is an as-needed, short-lived drug where SSRIs like Zoloft are something you take daily, take a little time to build up in your system, and last much longer in your system. *

I know several people that take an SSRI and also have an Rx for Xanax to use on the really bad days.

I wrote all that to say - maybe consider something else for the stress instead of or in addition to Xanax?

Again I'm interested in knowing how long the PSVT lasts - you've said "not long" but I don't know how long that is, and in something like this, everything is relative. For me, I think the longest that was caught on an event monitor was probably 8 seconds, but I know I'd had a few bursts that were a bit longer than that when I wasn't on the monitor.

(As a side note I found it interesting that the change in heart rate for me was almost always in some multiple - my HR would jump 1.5X it's rate just before the PSVT, or 2X it's rate, but that's it. Never anything different than that, and almost never different from the 1.5X.)

And hey - I don't consider myself a chicken either, and those things scared the hell out of me! And yup, they could happen any time. In fact I had a short burst today when I was out jogging a couple miles, but it also sometimes happens just laying in bed, lounging around, etc.

The beta blocker working for a little while and then not any longer makes me wonder if you were getting some placebo affect from it when you first started taking it, and maybe you should ask your doctor if you shouldn't just stop taking it because it isn't really helping.

I was a super-proponent of lemon balm tea. Mild, lemony taste, which I liked, but the research I did online indicated it was a safe thing to drink often and it might help calm me down. And it did. And I think it did mainly because I thought it would. Now you don't need to tell me that lemon balm tea ≠beta blocker. I know that. But does it seem odd that your body would fight through a new Rx so quickly when it worked just a few days before? Unless maybe it wasn't working in the first place?

And I'm 6'2", right around 200#, work in a construction-related field, run my own business, punch the hell out of a heavy bag in my basement for fun and exercise. So like I said - I don't think I'm a chicken, either. But this isn't about who's chicken of what. Chicken doesn't even come into it. You've got something making your heart wonky, and the prospect of dying from that scares you - right?

And the stress of your everyday life brings it on, right? And then having it brought on only brings about more stress? Vicious cycle? Am I getting warm?

Now take all of this with a grain of salt, because all I know about you is that you're a hairy-chested man who has a cow for an avatar and a stressful job and you've taken Xanax for awhile - but as an outsider looking in? I'm thinking you need to find ways to ease your mental burden. Find some way to not stress at work. Take less responsibility. Take meditation breaks. Exercise at lunch. Hell - change jobs. And from a better living through science angle, see about getting on something to cut down on the daily stress that would be more proactive than reactive. And get a hobby, or if you already have one, delve into it deeper. Allow yourself distractions.

And? Trust your cardiologist.

P.S. I knew you were a dude - that was meant as a bit of a joke. Congrats on the hairy chest, btw. <--- that was, too.

[Miss Elizabeth]

Okay I am going to add my two cents to this conversation. It is my understanding that it takes several weeks to get the full benefit of a beta blocker. Big Moo are you at your full dosage of medication or is the cardiologist still titering your dosage up? You could, as Jeff suggested have had a placebo effect, or you could need a higher dosage to have the right chemical levels in your blood stream. Also, the Xanax you are taking may not be enough. You may need a compainion drug to make it more effective. I caution you to know and understand the side effects of these drugs before you take them as they are habit forming and will disrupt your sleep etc. I personally take the beta blocker metoprolol, and the ace inhibitor lisinipril daily, as well as the Xanax as needed. I get the flutters in the chest often and find them to be very disturbing although I know that they will not kill me. So I try to get mad at them instead of scared and tell them to take a hike. (It works for me!) I hope that this helps. Feel better!

[mairegra]

Before going deep into the drug route which all have serious side effects I would get an appt with an electrophysiologist if your cardio was not an electrophysiologist and get your arrhythmias fully evaluated. "Quivering and fluttering" does not sound like PSVT to me. There are arrhythmias which can be totally cured by ablation and let you be drug (poison) free. I take metoprolol and klonopin and hate them both.

[dr461]

Originally Posted by mairegra

Before going deep into the drug route which all have serious side effects I would get an appt with an electrophysiologist if your cardio was not an electrophysiologist and get your arrhythmias fully evaluated. "Quivering and fluttering" does not sound like PSVT to me. There are arrhythmias which can be totally cured by ablation and let you be drug (poison) free. I take metoprolol and klonopin and hate them both.

I don't understand why you keep trashing medication that has been invaluable for so many people. You go on about "poisons," and so many people benefit from this alleged poison, that some side effects are clearly outweighed by lifesaving and lifestyle saving benefits. Perhaps you have personal issues with meds, but stop trying to influence others not to take it--that is irresponsible, and contrary to accepted medical practice. You are not a doctor, so don't ever tell people not to take meds prescribed for them. Aside from you opening up yourself to personal liability, you are being needlessly contrary and negative.

By the way, Jeff, I LOVE your post. Very down to earth, and not preachy, but constructive and positive regarding a variety of treatments. You are clearly committed to following doctors' advice, and using common sense and relaxation techniques to make your life less stressful--bravo for that! I guess I fall into the "hairy guy-6'1 and about 190-200 pounds" as well, so am empathetic to your saga..lolol. Your post was funny and informative--thanks for that!!!