My PVCs Source?! Surprise!!

[Eva]

At last, I went yesterday to the cardiologist I was seeing after my surgery. I shared with him my fears about my increased PVCs and my perception of what could ne the causes.

He agreed that anti-depressants may cause PVCs, but does not believe that Brand names may not have the same effect.

He looked at my blood work results of early August which I had at my PCP's office and was unhappy with my thyroid medication dosage. He believed the dose is high and could be causing my PVCs! He listened to my heart and instantly heard my PVCs and noticed the beats were fast and too strong.

He recommended I withhold the medication for three days and resume with 100 mcg dose instead of 125 mcg and retest in 4 weeks.

What do you think about this?

Never mind :wink2:. Keep on reading.

I followed his recommendation...I did not take my thyroid medication this morning.

WOW! surprisingly, I had ONLY 4 PVCs in 15 mins (I stopped the timer) vs. 35 PVCs in 15 mins.! I kept listening to my heart with the stetoscope all day not believing my ears! Almost none!

More surprisingly, I had great energy all day with better focus and better moods. So, if anyone with thyroid problem is experiencing PVCs, check your TSH.

I could not go to bed without sharing these news with you :smile2:.

Thanks for always listening and cheers.

 

[Cooker]

Eva,

So glad you are getting some relief! ... keep us posted:thumbup:

 

[hook]

Every mad add complications, many we don't know about. I noticed that when I stopped my amioderone my PVCs slowed down, and my heart physicaly felt stronger. I know amio can do things to the thyroid, so you may be on to something with this connection.

 

[nngbwh]

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Even better to hear you made it your cardiologist office in one piece.
Your job right now is to make sure you're keeping up with the appointment. Sound like your cardiologist gave you great advice.
Thanks for the update and keep us posted.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

I'm wondering who prescribed your Thyroid medicaiton.
That prescriber (and your PCP if he is not the prescriber) should be advised of this discovery as an FYI.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Eva]

Eva,

So glad you are getting some relief! ... keep us posted:thumbup:

Thanks, Cooker. Will definitely keep you posted as I hope this is not just a few days' relief. And if PVCs won't come back as much on the lower dose, I definitely want to become an advocate on this issue!!

BTW, I love your signature! Typical of Chimps' freedom of choice :wink2:

 

[Eva]

Every mad add complications, many we don't know about. I noticed that when I stopped my amioderone my PVCs slowed down, and my heart physicaly felt stronger. I know amio can do things to the thyroid, so you may be on to something with this connection.

Thanks for your post, Todd.

I tried your Fish Oil dose prescription twice last week. My PVCs became less :cool2:, but only for a few hours!!

I shared this with my cardio. But, as a scientist, he wants to see some scientifical data before he accepts to recommend it. He recommends it when someone's triglycerides are extremely high.

I noticed the days I took Fish Oil, I was more hungry. Is this in my head only?

My hypothyroid started in 1989, and I always complained that something changed in me after taking medication by two hours. No doctor wanted to pursue this and I gave up after all these years and tried to adjust to my new me.

 

[Eva]

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Even better to hear you made it your cardiologist office in one piece.
Your job right now is to make sure you're keeping up with the appointment. Sound like your cardiologist gave you great advice.
Thanks for the update and keep us posted.

Thanks, Nelson.

I will definitely keep up with my appointments with him and will not switch to other doctors. He was the only one who listened to my complaint about the Thyroid medication and how I feel different after taking it by a couple of hours, while other cardiologists would not care to discuss any subject outside the heart issues.

My husband took off from work and took me to make sure I reached his office safe and sound.

A new avatar?!! carefu with the fireplace glass

 

[njean]

Wow, that is amazing Eva! Sometimes the best doctors around are none other than ourselves!!! We have to learn to listen to our bodies & go through the process of elimination in order to reach a solution. This is what you have done!

I hope that you continue to experience relief from those annoying PVC's and your thyroid becomes acclimated to the new change too!

 

[Eva]

I'm wondering who prescribed your Thyroid medicaiton.
That prescriber (and your PCP if he is not the prescriber) should be advised of this discovery as an FYI.

'AL Capshaw'

Thanks, Al.

I will definitely let my PCP know about this. He was the one who requested the blood work but did not see any reason to lower my dose then. I gave hime the benefit of the doubt since from experience I would have become hypo even with the minimal decrease. Also,
to be honest, I no longer argue...I got tired of complaining without getting anywhere.

In 1989, when my hyperactive thyroid was, unfortunately, treated with the radio active Iodine I-131, it switched to hypoactive after two months of the treatment. And since then, I had never been able to stay on the same dose for longer than a few months. I complained and complained to several doctors and endocronologists (back in the East Coast and here in CA since I moved ten years ago). The only doctor who was able to help me stay euthyroid for a long time was the one who listened to my complaints and trusted my judgement and adjusted my dose accordingly rather than according to the lab work figures! Unfortunately he retired earlier than he was expecting.

I am not sure for how long this cardio will be able to follow up on it, but I do hope at least he may recommend later someone who will be able to analyze this *labelling*.

Cheers

 

[Eva]

Wow, that is amazing Eva! Sometimes the best doctors around are none other than ourselves!!! We have to learn to listen to our bodies & go through the process of elimination in order to reach a solution. This is what you have done!

I hope that you continue to experience relief from those annoying PVC's and your thyroid becomes acclimated to the new change too!

So true, my dear friend.

As I mentioned in my reply to Al, the only doctor who helped me was the one who believed in how I felt. One time I told him I was feeling like 'hypo'! Since he trusted my feelings, he accepted to challenge me and sent the blood samples to a *sophisticated lab* as he did not think I could switch to hypo by that time. When he got the results, he called me and since then started addressing me as "Dr. Eva"! My TSH was borderline of hypo!

After that he allowed me to change the dose on my own, but to keep him informed. I did this for three years, and those were the best three years since my thyroid problem!

Take care

 

[Ruth]

I get PVCs when my thyroid meds are either too high OR too low. In fact, the only time I don't have any PVCs is when the dosage is *just right*. Euthroid=No PVCs . I had the same experience as you in reverse. When my doctor moved me up from 75 to 125 all of a sudden one day the PVCs just stopped and my heart was beating perfectly all day. I couldn't feel it leaping about in my chest, it was so weird, I just wanted to sit and take my pulse time and time again in amazement. I'd increased the thyroid med dosage but my heart rate had gone DOWN and the rhythm setted out to perfectly spaced nice beats for the first time in months.

I'm not sure the cardio docs give the thyroid enough blame for PVCs sometimes......

 

[ottagal]

Wonderful news my dear Eva! I will pray that this good news with your 'decreased' PVC's continues...
Take care,

 

[Lily]

Hi Eva - I hope this is just the fix for you. I don't know if I've posted this to you before but my doctor keeps my thyroid score on the sluggish side of normal; and his reasoning is two fold: to hopefully avoid excessive heart beats and to reduce the possible calcium leaching caused by excessive thyroid meds. Did you have a bicuspid valve?

I wonder how many of us valve patients have thyroid issues and if there is any other pattern or tendency to be seen, aortic valve issues or mitral valve issues. Might be an interesting thing to poll about. My hypothyroid was diagnosed, many years ago, around the time I began to notice more heart issues.

 

[Eva]

I get PVCs when my thyroid meds are either too high OR too low. In fact, the only time I don't have any PVCs is when the dosage is *just right*. Euthroid=No PVCs . I had the same experience as you in reverse. When my doctor moved me up from 75 to 125 all of a sudden one day the PVCs just stopped and my heart was beating perfectly all day. I couldn't feel it leaping about in my chest, it was so weird, I just wanted to sit and take my pulse time and time again in amazement. I'd increased the thyroid med dosage but my heart rate had gone DOWN and the rhythm setted out to perfectly spaced nice beats for the first time in months.

I'm not sure the cardio docs give the thyroid enough blame for PVCs sometimes......

This is interesting, Ruth! Thanks for sharing. I shall stay alert when I go hypo next time, as it is definite! I keep switching from hyper to hypo even with the minimal dosage change. I am glad my cardio gave much attention to this...I was amazingly surprised...I always felt the fast HR, but never felt the PVCs before. If it was not for Al's recommendation to buy a stetoscope, I would not have known what was going on.

Luckily. this labelling slightly improved after my surgery...better blood circulation or ??? not sure, but is not resolved. So, now I change the dose every six months instead of 3 or 4 months before surgery. Back and forth all the time...and in between a few lbs are up before the doctors believed I was hypo

Wow, what a relief to hear these assurances....
Let us stay in touch.

Just out of curiousity, do you know at which TSH level do you feel "euthyroid" or at your best?!

I personally, after months and years, I was able to plot on an excel chart that I feel the best when I am between 1.89-2.50 (Normal is between 1-5). Not one doctor was able to keep me within that range for a long time.

Take care and stay "euthyroid". Thanks again for sharing

 

[Eva]

Hi Eva - I hope this is just the fix for you. I don't know if I've posted this to you before but my doctor keeps my thyroid score on the sluggish side of normal; and his reasoning is two fold: to hopefully avoid excessive heart beats and to reduce the possible calcium leaching caused by excessive thyroid meds. Did you have a bicuspid valve?

I wonder how many of us valve patients have thyroid issues and if there is any other pattern or tendency to be seen, aortic valve issues or mitral valve issues. Might be an interesting thing to poll about. My hypothyroid was diagnosed, many years ago, around the time I began to notice more heart issues.

OH! I hope so too, Lily. I got tired of complaining since 1989 about going up and down and kept challenging the doctors to keep me in the exact middle of the range, but no one succeeded nor accepted the challenge...they thought I should feel normal as long as TSH is between 1-5. NO NO. Not for me. I felt my best when my TSH was between 1.98-250. And as you said, I noticed that I always felt better when it was lower and one doctor in DC, whom I mentioned above to AL, was able to keep me there and I was feeling great.

Another cardio in DC always stressed the importance of staying euthyroid for the sake of my heart.

My heart problems started in 1970. My thyroid started in 1989 and definitely worsened my heart's condition with the extreme high rate and the PVCs I did not fell then.

This is interesting and let's think of a poll!:thumbup:

Thanks again for sharing.

 

[Eva]

Wonderful news my dear Eva! I will pray that this good news with your 'decreased' PVC's continues...
Take care,

Thanks you, my dear friend. Please continue to pray and I hope this is it. Today was the second day without my thyroid medication, and again I was feeling great in every sense...mentally and emotionally and physically. ALMOST NO PVCs either....2 pvcs in 15 mins.!

During the past years, whenever I rushed out of the house without my medication I used to feel the same as today. No doctor believed the change was due to the medication. I always felt it was like poison!! two hours after taking them, I always became a different person.

Thanks, Wanda. Stay healthy.

 

[Bina]

Great news, Eva.
Last year my blood showed TSH as 3.05
I'm wondering if my HR would be better with a slightly lower TSH, but I'm not on any thyroid meds.
My father and sister both take thyroid meds.....Hmmm. Might be worth investigating further.

 

[Eva]

Great news, Eva.
Last year my blood showed TSH as 3.05
I'm wondering if my HR would be better with a slightly lower TSH, but I'm not on any thyroid meds.
My father and sister both take thyroid meds.....Hmmm. Might be worth investigating further.

Bina, if you were not diagnosed at anytime with hyper or hypo-active thyroid, 3.5 is normal and no need to worry. Even if you are on medication. This is normal, as the normal range mostly is between 1-5.

Note: The lower the TSH is the more hyper the thyroid is!!