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Heart beat feeling like it is pounding very hard...feeling and hearing each beat

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48
Guys we should perhaps create a group on telegram and just chat about these problems there, it is faster 🤔
 
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2
I have similar symptoms. I can always feel my heart beating. On bad days, it isn't just beating in my chest, but I can also feel it in my arms and hands. Sometimes it also feels like a weight is on my chest and it is hard to breath. I feel drained and have no energy when it gets bad. The doctors say it sounds like a panic attack, but it never goes away. I've been to the cardiologist multiple times and they say everything is fine with my heart. I've had episodes that last a couple of months then go away and everything is back to normal for years, but this time the symptoms have lasted for nearly two years.

I had tried all the suggested supplements without any success but I wanted to come back and post here if I ever found something that helped me... in case it might help someone else.

Like Katoo1, one day I took Ibuprofen (Motrin) for a headache and realized that I felt a lot better. I woke up the next morning and could barely feel my heart beating. I started taking Motrin every day and realized it worked best if I took it right before going to bed. I would wake up feeling better and all my symptoms were improving. The only problem was that after weeks of taking Motrin, I started having stomach pains and my doctor said not to take Motrin regularly because it can damage your stomach and create ulcers. I tried Aspirin and Tylenol but nothing helped like the Ibuprofen.

My doctor did every blood test she could come up with and never could find anything wrong. My levels always looked fine. Eventually she tried putting me on a Beta-Blocker (Propranolol). This worked great! It was better than the Ibuprofen (Motrin) but it wore off in 6-8 hours. It made the constant heart-beat-feeling go away and everything was normal again. I started taking the prescription medicine 3 times a day and didn't have any side effects, so she suggested that I stay on it. It doesn't seem to actually fix the problem as much as mask it. When it wears off I can start feeling my heart pounding again.

At some point, I had a few bad nights of sleep and even with the Propranolol my symptoms flared up and were bad for a while. When I got good sleep, I felt better again. There seemed to be some connection with sleep. The Ibuprofen/Motrin worked best when I took it before bed. I talked to my doctor and she suggested that I try some sleeping medicine as a test. I tried ZzzQuil, a non-habit forming sleep aid you can buy without a prescription. It was amazing! I started taking it before bed and waking up with almost no symptoms. Over a couple of months, I've reduced my Propranolol to only two pills a day and now only two half-pills a day. The symptoms seem to be fading away the more good sleep I get with ZzzQuil. I'm supposed to go to a sleep specialist next to see if they have any experience with this.

I'm sure different people have different issues that result in these symptoms and what worked for me may not be the solution for others, but I just wanted to let everyone know what helped me in case it might help anyone else.
 
Messages
48
I have similar symptoms. I can always feel my heart beating. On bad days, it isn't just beating in my chest, but I can also feel it in my arms and hands. Sometimes it also feels like a weight is on my chest and it is hard to breath. I feel drained and have no energy when it gets bad. The doctors say it sounds like a panic attack, but it never goes away. I've been to the cardiologist multiple times and they say everything is fine with my heart. I've had episodes that last a couple of months then go away and everything is back to normal for years, but this time the symptoms have lasted for nearly two years.

I had tried all the suggested supplements without any success but I wanted to come back and post here if I ever found something that helped me... in case it might help someone else.

Like Katoo1, one day I took Ibuprofen (Motrin) for a headache and realized that I felt a lot better. I woke up the next morning and could barely feel my heart beating. I started taking Motrin every day and realized it worked best if I took it right before going to bed. I would wake up feeling better and all my symptoms were improving. The only problem was that after weeks of taking Motrin, I started having stomach pains and my doctor said not to take Motrin regularly because it can damage your stomach and create ulcers. I tried Aspirin and Tylenol but nothing helped like the Ibuprofen.

My doctor did every blood test she could come up with and never could find anything wrong. My levels always looked fine. Eventually she tried putting me on a Beta-Blocker (Propranolol). This worked great! It was better than the Ibuprofen (Motrin) but it wore off in 6-8 hours. It made the constant heart-beat-feeling go away and everything was normal again. I started taking the prescription medicine 3 times a day and didn't have any side effects, so she suggested that I stay on it. It doesn't seem to actually fix the problem as much as mask it. When it wears off I can start feeling my heart pounding again.

At some point, I had a few bad nights of sleep and even with the Propranolol my symptoms flared up and were bad for a while. When I got good sleep, I felt better again. There seemed to be some connection with sleep. The Ibuprofen/Motrin worked best when I took it before bed. I talked to my doctor and she suggested that I try some sleeping medicine as a test. I tried ZzzQuil, a non-habit forming sleep aid you can buy without a prescription. It was amazing! I started taking it before bed and waking up with almost no symptoms. Over a couple of months, I've reduced my Propranolol to only two pills a day and now only two half-pills a day. The symptoms seem to be fading away the more good sleep I get with ZzzQuil. I'm supposed to go to a sleep specialist next to see if they have any experience with this.

I'm sure different people have different issues that result in these symptoms and what worked for me may not be the solution for others, but I just wanted to let everyone know what helped me in case it might help anyone else.


Thanks for this information man, i heard that ibuprofen can help with the palpitations and so on... I think i also noticed that my hearts gets better after taking ibuprofen, it moves blood easier thus making a better blood flow circulation and similar... Currently i only take onzapine only when needed tho, not regularly and i manage to fall asleep consistently for the past year... just few off and ons tho.
 

Pyrrhus

Senior Member
Messages
4,172
Location
U.S., Earth
Eventually she tried putting me on a Beta-Blocker (Propranolol). This worked great!
I tried ZzzQuil, a non-habit forming sleep aid you can buy without a prescription. It was amazing!

It definitely sounds like your cardiac symptoms were due to some sort of dysautonomia, which might have been alleviated by the beta-blocker. The fact that the ibuprofen also relieved the symptoms suggests that there might have been mild inflammation of the autonomic nerves.

But the question remains: why did better quality sleep resolve the dysautonomia?
 
Messages
48
It definitely sounds like your cardiac symptoms were due to dysautonomia, which was alleviated by the beta-blocker. The fact that the ibuprofen also relieved the symptoms suggests that there might have been mild inflammation of the autonomic nerves.

But the question remains: why did better quality sleep resolve the dysautonomia?

I think because poor sleep also induces inflamation within the body...
 
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8
It definitely sounds like your cardiac symptoms were due to dysautonomia, which was alleviated by the beta-blocker. The fact that the ibuprofen also relieved the symptoms suggests that there might have been mild inflammation of the autonomic nerves.

But the question remains: why did better quality sleep resolve the dysautonomia?

It's because a lack of sleep/poor sleep leads to an increase in norepinephrine (norepinephrine controls the contractile force of the heartbeat) - from a study "Sleep deprivation significantly elevated the serum concentrations of stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine)", so sleep deprivation or poor quality of sleep = more forceful heartbeat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3391620/

It's the main reason ibuprofen is very effective at reducing the force of the heartbeat, it directly lowers norepinephrine. Lower norepinephrine = less forceful heartbeat

ibuprofen.jpg


This image is from a study where they gave patients 800 mg of ibuprofen before surgery, even pre-op before the operation it reduced norepinephrine by ~20%, during the actual operation the group that received ibuprofen had less than half the norepinephrine of the placebo group. So while beta blockers block the effect of norepinephrine leading to a reduced contractile force, ibuprofen directly lowers the force by inhibiting norepinephrine itself. Link to study where image is from - http://www.asaabstracts.com/strands/asaabstracts/abstract.htm?year=2014&index=2&absnum=3975

The main problem with this "forceful heartbeat" issue is that a lack of sleep makes the heart pound harder which then means that it's more difficult to get to sleep, and when you actually are able to sleep it's of poor quality since the stress hormones are affecting your mentality (almost everyone I've spoken to with this problem suffers from nightmares/bad dreams). Also the fact that you're literally being moved by every heartbeat is a large sleep disturbance by itself.

Like at @Doren mentioned with the zzzQuil helping them get sleep thus reducing the pounding over time, people really need to look into things that can improve their sleep quality, everyone is different and responds to things differently but definitely talk to your doctor about propranolol people with this issue seem to respond really well to it.
 

nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
i have slight mitral valve prolapse but doctor said it doesnt give those palpitations i feel.
People with Graves disease may develop mitral valve prolapse. Graves can cause your heart to beat really loud and fast. One of the triggers that causes Graves is an EBV infection. Just putting this out there for anyone that didn't already know.
 
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People with Graves disease may develop mitral valve prolapse. Graves can cause your heart to beat really loud and fast. One of the triggers that causes Graves is an EBV infection. Just putting this out there for anyone that didn't already know.

That makes sense, i will do test for thyroid next month so that might be the cause of my 24/7 heart beats... 😭

Has anybody suffered from graves disease tho?
 
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nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
That makes sense, i will do test for thyroid next month so that might be the cause of my 24/7 heart beats... 😭

Has anybody suffered from graves disease tho?
I have and so has one of the neighborhood cats. We both have MVP as well.

These are some of the tests people have done:
One or more of the following blood tests may be performed to determine whether your thyroid is functioning properly:
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) — typically low in Graves disease
  • Free T4 — usually elevated
  • Free and Total T3 — often elevated
The above tests may also be ordered periodically to monitor thyroid function and hormone production.

Laboratory tests used to help diagnose Graves disease and distinguish it from other autoimmune conditions may include one or more of the following. These tests detect the presence of thyroid antibodies:
  • Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) — presence of this antibody is diagnostic for Graves disease
  • Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibody (TRAb) — less specific than TSI
  • Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) — this autoantibody is found in most people with Graves disease as well as in Hashimoto thyroiditis
 
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nyanko_the_sane

Because everyday is Caturday...
Messages
655
Cats? And how do you feel as of lately? Do you have heart thumping
Yes, even animals can have thyroid issues, and they can get the same treatments as humans.

I don't because my thyroid levels are under control for now. But I had issues for a good long time before I knew what was going on. I ended up in the hospital at one point because of it. I have been dealing with this for over 10 years, It is just part of having ME/CFS, all the surprises without any of the fun. I developed thyroid issues within four years of having ME/CFS.
 
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Yes, even animals can have thyroid issues, and they can get the same treatments as humans.

I don't because my thyroid levels are under control for now. But I had issues for a good long time before I knew what was going on. I ended up in the hospital at one point because of it. I have been dealing with this for over 10 years, It is just part of having ME/CFS, all the surprises without any of the fun. I developed thyroid issues within four years of having ME/CFS.

Is it easily treatable? If i have it in my case... Will find out at 6th nov. Tbh i would rather have that thyroid issues then to suffer from extreme palpitations for years until i get a heart attack, so if it is treatable then i will be happy! Can MVP in general give that hearth pounding 24/7? Or it is just directly connected with thyroid
 
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@goxus Can't remember if I have asked you this, but do you notice worse post meal pounding after high carb meals vs low?

Could it be something with my stomach being out of position or anything similar? I never have pain neither in my stomach nor heart tho.