Caffeine and palpitations

[Ged1975]

I just thought I'd share my experience with caffeine and palpitations.

Over the last 2 years I was getting palpitations on a daily basis. 5 days ago I completed stopped drinking tea (I used to drink about 5 to 7 cups a day) and the number of palpitations I get has decreased dramtically.

My next step is to cut down on chocolate and most foods with sugars as I know they can cause palpitations too but that's a bit more difficult to give up.

 

[Nupur]

Thanks for sharing that, Ged. I have the same experience, and lack of sleep adds to it, maybe also because lack of sleep is always followed by caffeine to get through the next day. I wish I could stop caffeine. I used to drink coffee and now I am switching to tea, but still drink a LOT of tea every day.

 

[tobagotwo]

It's a fairly common for people to have a higher rate of palpitations (PACs & PVCs) when they drink coffee, or even tea. And for some, sugar as well. Chocolate, of course, has both caffeine and sugar.

It's certainly a very good place to look for relief. However, it should be noted that this is not an entirely universal effect of caffiene or sugar. Some folks are greatly affected, some hardly note an effect at all.

Best wishes,

 

[Ged1975]

Thanks for sharing that, Ged. I have the same experience, and lack of sleep adds to it, maybe also because lack of sleep is always followed by caffeine to get through the next day. I wish I could stop caffeine. I used to drink coffee and now I am switching to tea, but still drink a LOT of tea every day.

It is difficult to give up tea and after 2 days of no tea I was getting withdrawl symptoms such as headaches. However I noticed I am sleeping much better, But you're correct it's a nasty cycle: caffeine which leads to lack of sleep which leads to more caffeine the next day to stay awake which then leads to lack of sleep again and so on...........

 

[Bina]

maybe slowly cutting back is an idea for now......
my triggers are: stress, caffeine, salt, etc.

 

[Ged1975]

maybe slowly cutting back is an idea for now......
my triggers are: stress, caffeine, salt, etc.

Perhaps you're right, going cold shoulder could be a shock to the system. I never knew salt could cause palpitations.

 

[Bina]

sorry, salt raises my BP mainly, which in my case my heart reacts to.

 

[Star54]

And don't forget about those foods with MSG, my heart races when I eat Chinese Food, or cannned soups......anything with MSG. I stopped all caffeine years ago.I am hooked on Senseo de-caf coffee and Barry's Irish De-caf tea.

 

[escargome]

And don't forget about those foods with MSG, my heart races when I eat Chinese Food, or cannned soups......anything with MSG. I stopped all caffeine years ago.I am hooked on Senseo de-caf coffee and Barry's Irish De-caf tea.

You are so right about the MSG. I try to stay away from the stuff, but sometimes it is almost impossible. I used to drink coffee most of the day, but did notice palpitations, so switched to tea, then to de-caf tea. Now it seems I have evened out, so I'll keep with that since I can't seem to give up my hot drink first thing in the morning. Thanks for posting Gerarad.

 

[Ged1975]

And don't forget about those foods with MSG, my heart races when I eat Chinese Food, or cannned soups......anything with MSG. I stopped all caffeine years ago.I am hooked on Senseo de-caf coffee and Barry's Irish De-caf tea.

I love Barrys tea, very difficulty to give up.

 

[Star54]

Try the De-Caf...i have it sent from your homeland...by the case!

 

[Ged1975]

Try the De-Caf...i have it sent from your homeland...by the case!

I'll drop into my local shop on the way home from work tonight and pick up a packet of Barry's de-caf.

 

[Adrienne]

I'll drop into my local shop on the way home from work tonight and pick up a packet of Barry's de-caf.

I would start by mixing the decaf with the caffeinated and then gradually put more and more decaf in the mix.

 

[Ged1975]

I would start by mixing the decaf with the caffeinated and then gradually put more and more decaf in the mix.

Sounds like a good idea.

 

[Mentu]

Gerard, I, too, discovered that caffiene was the prime culprit behind my palpitations. After several nights reminiscent of the movie "Alien" when I thought my heart was trying to escape through my chest I stopped all caffiene. I am sad to report that my jumping bronco heart faded rapidly. I still have palpitations every evening but less so during the day and never of the intensity I experienced before I sat down my cup of Ethiopian and my pot of Qimun. That first pot of tea later this autumn is one of the little rewards to which I look forward. For me, it has become a symbol of recovery after my AVR in a couple of weeks.

 

[Duff Man]

I read a story on the net a while ago about a guy that had wolfe-parkinson-white syndrome and he drank a dr. pepper and just about died due to unabated ventricular tachycardia. Later he had an ablation to get rid of the errant pathway, but it was a pretty dramatic story. He actually knew that he would have problems because of the caffeine before he drank it because his palpitations were so predictable, but he didn't think it would actually nearly kill him. His heart actually stopped after several minutes of the v-tach, but lucky for him there was a paramedic on scene that was able to restart his heart with a well timed pre-cordial thump.

 

[deano89]

i had a similar experience and swapped coffee and coke to decaff and have no palps i am aware of now, used to have the bed rocking and had to get up when i layed on my left side they were that bad
i also have decaff tea
i did have bad headaches because of caffiene with drawall this lasted approx 2 weeks ,the best way is to cut it out gradually not cold turkey as i did

 

[Kathy McCain]

Yes, I have had "the flutters". I have been tested. The valve and heart is fine. My cardio isn't concerned. Stress and caffiene. They are the major culprits. I love my java, and my tea. It' gonna be tough, but I'm gonna try to maybe go for de-caf more.

 

[Mileena46]

Once I was put on the Cardiac floor awaiting my surgery, there was no more caffeine for me! I only kept a headache for about 24 hours and believe me i miss my coffee "pick me up" before work, but I didn"t go back to my old habits. As a matter of fact, I had such horrible palps before my MVR that I had trouble sleeping or climbing stairs because my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest! So, thats something else good my surgery did for me.....and I don't miss the palps at all!

Mileena