Gabapentinoids Gabapentin causing PVCs/Heart Arrhythmia / Palpitations????

[JackARoe]

I had a gabapentin night last night and of course checked heart rate and BP. Seemed normal

The sensation only lasts like 1 second. But some times they're so intense that it takes my breath away or causes me to have panic attacks.

I did make me feel better when I realized a lot of these lines were in songs. Heart a futter, take my breath away, etc... Those thumps in the heart that happen with exhilaration and being in love.

Yes most are harmless. Most are not detected by people as most have some periodically and they ignore. It doesn't hurt so why not. Tickles at best.

Saying that however I am unsure why a doc would not help. When I went through it I brought it up at a doctor they said I have a strong heart beat. But it is totally unnerving to constantly go through them. But a doc should prescribe something for short term. Beta blockers? Maybe that was already mentioned.

Thanks for the Update Death, that helps everyone involved. And they will go away. Or at least lessen. We all have them. I forgot all about that period in my life. So since I went through that if feels good to have forgotten it. And you know what? I made them worse by worry. Magnesium did help and then I just forgot about them. I was told I had a healthy heart. The strong thumps told them that.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Yeah I'm not really sure if gabapentin was causing them, since I'm still having them every day.


It would be nice if my GP would refer me to a cardiologist, so they can at least rule out a structural problem. I'd feel a little better know it's just a conduction issue & not because I have scarring in my heart or something.


One thing that's kind of helped is reading the PVC sub reddit on Reddit. Seems like so many people are dealing with the exact same issue & some of them have thousands and thousands of PVCs a day. Thankfully I have about 50 of them in a day.

I'm still very confused by it. Cause doctors & people keep saying it's normal & everyone has them & such, but why would I have not noticed them for the first 35 years of being alive? It's not like I just woke up one day & made a conscious effort to suddenly feel them. If I was having them but not actually feeling them, then I wouldn't care as much. But when they happen, it literally takes my breath away. It's like being jump-scared randomly 50 times a day & then having a doctor tell me it's normal or I'm just crazy for caring about it.

Some days I'm able to just push through it & tell myself "i'm not gonna let fear control my life". But then other days I can't help but feel like I need to prepare for death soon.

I find that they're worse if I'm up and moving around or exerting energy in any sort of way. Although I still have some when I'm just sitting here doing nothing as well. But some mornings will start off nice like I'm not gonna have any that day, but once I go to the store or get my body moving, then they start acting up.


I've been trying electrolytes (including magnesium), coQ10, taurine, L-Arginine, L-Acetyl-Carnitine, vervain extract, propranolol (some days) and my clonazepam usage has gotten more frequent (which sucks cause I don't wanna be heavily dependent on benzos), but I can't really tell if any of it's been helping, because some days it's still bad.

 

[sludgekatana]

Premature Ventricular Contractions.

Normally your heart has 2 chambers that send electrical signals back n forth to tell each other when to beat.

But with PVCs, your heart is sending out an electrical signal from a spot it's not suppose to (usually the Purkinje fibers). This electrical signal then tells one of the chambers to beat before it's suppose to. And since that chamber isn't completely full of blood yet when it gets the signal, it has to squeeze harder to pump & then it sort of resets itself back to your normal rhythm.

This causes a sensation at the top of my stomach, right under my sternum, that feels like my heart just stopped for a second. Some times it feels like a flip-flopping sensation & other times it feels like something's being squeezed. So even though it feels like my heart is missing beats, it's technically an "extra beat".

The sensation only lasts like 1 second. But some times they're so intense that it takes my breath away or causes me to have panic attacks.

And I've been feeling these damn things anywhere from twice to fifty times a day, since February.

the more you describe this the more i think i must be experiencing something different. i feel like my heart is beating suddenly stronger and faster. my breathing feels totally unaffected by it. never a squeezing sensation or a stopping sensation. and as ive been trying to pay closer attention to it, ive realized that it genuinely never happens when standing upright. only when laying or sitting down. and it definitely never happens to me when im sober. only on some combination of stimulants and gabapentin, or just gabapentin. im switching from gabapentin to pregabalin soon so we'll see if anything changes.

is your doctor still not taking you seriously? hearing about that happen to you genuinely breaks my heart.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

the more you describe this the more i think i must be experiencing something different. i feel like my heart is beating suddenly stronger and faster. my breathing feels totally unaffected by it. never a squeezing sensation or a stopping sensation. and as ive been trying to pay closer attention to it, ive realized that it genuinely never happens when standing upright. only when laying or sitting down. and it definitely never happens to me when im sober. only on some combination of stimulants and gabapentin, or just gabapentin. im switching from gabapentin to pregabalin soon so we'll see if anything changes.

is your doctor still not taking you seriously? hearing about that happen to you genuinely breaks my heart.

Yeah you're probably thinking of something else. Cause there's no mistaking the sensation of PVCs.

My heart also did what you're talking about for about 2 years before this all kicked off.
My heart would beat so hard while laying down, that it often felt like some one was jerking off in my bed, but it was actually my heart thumping so hard that it was vibrating the bed. It could be your heart's way of telling you it's working harder though, which could turn into an arrhythmia though, so watch out for that.

Actually it can be a good sign if your heart beats that hard, cause it means it's not weakened. My heart was beating like that during 2021-2023.
And now suddenly in the past few weeks, that heavy thumping has disappeared. Which makes me a bit worried that my heart is starting to get weakened & can't thump that hard anymore (except for when I have these dumb PVCs).


Still inconclusive about gabapentin having anything to do with it, since it's been 3-4 weeks now since I quit & I'm still having PVCs every day. Although I do think gabapentin irritates it for whatever reason, since whenever I take it, I get a ton of PVCs the next day.

My psychiatrist told me to go back to my GP & demand more testing, but I have yet to pick up the phone & make that appt. Too tired & anxious every day to wanna deal with it. And in a way, I almost wish I would just drop dead anyway.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Finally made another appt with my GP today.

This is getting ridiculous. Morning started off okay but then I started having really intense, painful PVCs that were taking my breath away.


And they can't get me in until August, like jesus fucking christ.

 

[DeathIndustrial88]

Finally got a referral to a cardiologist.

Had bloodwork done today, along with a d-dimer test. All of it came back normal.

So the rest will be up to the cardiologist. It's possible my heart is completely healthy & I just ended up with PVCs some how. Prolly have to deal with them the rest of my life, but hopefully not.

 

[JackARoe]

Finally got a referral to a cardiologist

I really appreciate the updates DI88. It helps everyone involved who could be wondering. And also I felt good at how much this troubled me 45 years ago only to have it forgotten it. You have a strong heart and this will be a memory. Most people get episodes of this and sort of ignore it. If the strength of your heartbeat is strong then the cardiologist may just give a beta blocker. I am willing to bet you are healthy as an ox.

Magnesium and hawthorn berry tea. At the very least.

Keep us updated.