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When I Was A Teen I Was Told I Had
Question: When I was a teen I was told I had a heart murmur but ever since hardly any doctors have noticed it. At the age of 30 I was diagnosed mild hypertension low one in the 90s and was subscribed 50mg Atenolol which I have been taking daily now for 27 years. My BP has been normal ever since. The Atenolol has also helped with my anxiety although I have experienced panic attacks fast heart beat, palms sweating etc at times. What is more concerning to me is the missed or skipped heartbeats I have experienced from time to time. Only thing is that lately the skipped beats have increased in intensity with sometimes feeling 5 or 6 missed beats in any given minute. Twice I have been to the A&E quite worried and scared. They have done ECGs, checked BP and had a heart enzyme blood test done with all results normal on both occasions. I am waiting to have an eco sound and a holster test done prior to seeing a hospital cardiologist but that will not happen until late September early October and frankly I just cannot carry on with this uncertainty. The feeling I have is like a flutter or a hiccup in the chest followed by a slight cough and the odd blurp. Its weird because I dont have any other symptoms no dizzines no pain no breathlessness just a constant knot like feeling in the heart area. My GP increased my atenolol to 75mg so I am now taking 50mg in the morning as usual and an extra 25mg in the evening but the symptoms persist. In fact the duty doctor in the A&E advised me to stop the extra dose as it could increase the missed beats. I am confused as what to do on this one. She told me to take 2mg diazepam to calm down although frankly I am not nervous just heavy worried. Can you help please ?
When I was a teen I was told I had a heart murmur but ever since hardly any doctors have noticed it. At the age of 30 I was diagnosed mild hypertension low one in the 90s and was subscribed 50mg Atenolol which I have been taking daily now for 27 years. My BP has been normal ever since. The Atenolol has also helped with my anxiety although I have experienced panic attacks fast heart beat, palms sweating etc at times. What is more concerning to me is the missed or skipped heartbeats I have experienced from time to time. Only thing is that lately the skipped beats have increased in intensity with sometimes feeling 5 or 6 missed beats in any given minute. Twice I have been to the A&E quite worried and scared. They have done ECGs, checked BP and had a heart enzyme blood test done with all results normal on both occasions. I am waiting to have an eco sound and a holster test done prior to seeing a hospital cardiologist but that will not happen until late September early October and frankly I just cannot carry on with this uncertainty. The feeling I have is like a flutter or a hiccup in the chest followed by a slight cough and the odd blurp. Its weird because I dont have any other symptoms no dizzines no pain no breathlessness just a constant knot like feeling in the heart area. My GP increased my atenolol to 75mg so I am now taking 50mg in the morning as usual and an extra 25mg in the evening but the symptoms persist. In fact the duty doctor in the A&E advised me to stop the extra dose as it could increase the missed beats. I am confused as what to do on this one. She told me to take 2mg diazepam to calm down although frankly I am not nervous just heavy worried. Can you help please ?
Brief Answer:
Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Aslfc. Hope I can be of help for you today.
Through reading your query I would like to help you with this question. If your heart often seems to beat fast or hard, or skip beats are common in Ventricular Premature Beats or from palpitation. They can happen in healthy people or in stress patients. But they can also happen in people who have different types of heart disease. If your ECG and your heart enzyme blood test are normal and no associated symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain or dizziness it seems like you do not have a serious heart problem. Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease. You may need to wait and see a cardiologist to make sure that you do not have the heart disease that contraindication to atenolol such as kind of heart block. But because your ECG shows normal I think your GP is right to increase atenolol dose while you are very worried if your heart rate is not low.
Seeing counseling and psychologist would be helpful for your anxiety problem.
I hope that can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope you have good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Aslfc. Hope I can be of help for you today.
Through reading your query I would like to help you with this question. If your heart often seems to beat fast or hard, or skip beats are common in Ventricular Premature Beats or from palpitation. They can happen in healthy people or in stress patients. But they can also happen in people who have different types of heart disease. If your ECG and your heart enzyme blood test are normal and no associated symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain or dizziness it seems like you do not have a serious heart problem. Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease. You may need to wait and see a cardiologist to make sure that you do not have the heart disease that contraindication to atenolol such as kind of heart block. But because your ECG shows normal I think your GP is right to increase atenolol dose while you are very worried if your heart rate is not low.
Seeing counseling and psychologist would be helpful for your anxiety problem.
I hope that can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope you have good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Brief Answer:
Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Aslfc. Hope I can be of help for you today.
Through reading your query I would like to help you with this question. If your heart often seems to beat fast or hard, or skip beats are common in Ventricular Premature Beats or from palpitation. They can happen in healthy people or in stress patients. But they can also happen in people who have different types of heart disease. If your ECG and your heart enzyme blood test are normal and no associated symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain or dizziness it seems like you do not have a serious heart problem. Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease. You may need to wait and see a cardiologist to make sure that you do not have the heart disease that contraindication to atenolol such as kind of heart block. But because your ECG shows normal I think your GP is right to increase atenolol dose while you are very worried if your heart rate is not low.
Seeing counseling and psychologist would be helpful for your anxiety problem.
I hope that can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope you have good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Aslfc. Hope I can be of help for you today.
Through reading your query I would like to help you with this question. If your heart often seems to beat fast or hard, or skip beats are common in Ventricular Premature Beats or from palpitation. They can happen in healthy people or in stress patients. But they can also happen in people who have different types of heart disease. If your ECG and your heart enzyme blood test are normal and no associated symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain or dizziness it seems like you do not have a serious heart problem. Atenolol can help with your heart beat problem if it is high heart beat due to your anxiety and others heart disease. You may need to wait and see a cardiologist to make sure that you do not have the heart disease that contraindication to atenolol such as kind of heart block. But because your ECG shows normal I think your GP is right to increase atenolol dose while you are very worried if your heart rate is not low.
Seeing counseling and psychologist would be helpful for your anxiety problem.
I hope that can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope you have good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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