Have a health question? Get reliable answers here.
Q: I have heart palpitations and chest pain. It occurs during periods of stress and non stress times. Is there anything out there to stop this pain? Do you suggest alternative medication, or something to relax my nerves?
A: Palpitations is a term used to denote awareness of the heart beat. Patients may describe this phenomenon in various manners, such as pounding, fluttering, thumping, throbbing, or skipping of the heart beat. This may be a normal phenomenon, such as, for example, when due to exercise, freight, anxiety, or sexual arousal. Furthermore, use of coffee, tea, alcohol, or tobacco may also lead to palpitations. These type of palpitations are physiologic and merely represent awareness of a heart which is overactive since it is beating at a rapid heart and with increased contractility. This type of palpitations due to an overactive heart may also occur in certain pathologic conditions, such as fever, anemia(decreased red blood cell count), and when there is an overproduction of thyroid hormone(hyperthyroidism). Palpitations may be also caused by cardiac conditions that increase stroke volume(amount of blood the heart pumps out in a heart beat), or due to abnormalities in heart rhythm and conduction(arrhythmias). Whenever the palpitations are associated with a decrease in the -pressure of the arteries or the amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute, there may be impairment of blood flow to the brain, which can be manifested as dizziness, blurring of vision, loss of consciousness, etc.
Whenever palpitations occur in non-physiologic situations, the patient should contact his/her physician so that he/she performs a work-up. Parts of this work-up should include an electrocardiogram, and a 24 Holter monitoring examination. In particular, use of Holter monitoring permits the physician to determine whether abnormalities in heart rhythm do in fact occur and whether they are indeed associated with the symptoms of palpitation. Other tests that might be necessary to perform may include an echocardiogram for evaluation of the heart and its valves as well as a stress test, in order to determine whether the abnormalities in heart rhythm only occur during stress or there may be chest pain occuring during the palpitations because of coronary artery disease.
Specifically addressing your question as to whether the discomfort associated with the palpitations may be relieved, the answer is yes. However, you should consult your physician so that he/she performs a full work-up to determine what kind of palpitations you are experiencing. For example, in many cases of palpitations, use of a class of substances referred to as beta blockers frequently provide relief. In addition, if the palpitations are related to anxiety, substances which relief anxiety also improve the symptoms of palpitations. I do not suggest the use of alterntive medications or the use of substances that relax nerves in order to relief palpitations. Since, as mentioned above, there may be many causes of palpitations, and some types of palpitations may be dangerous, it is extremely important that a proper medical examination and work-up is performed by a physician in order to establish the cause of palpitations. Once the type of palpitations has been established, standard medical therapy can be very helpful in improving symptoms.
Updated: 07/10/99
Click Here to ask a MDAdvice.com doctor your medical question.
