Comment from: Derek, 35-44 Male (Patient)Published: September 17
I first noticed my PVCs about 7 years ago. I literally thought I was having a heart attack because I had never experienced such a thing before. After a trip to the ER, the doctor told me there was nothing to worry about; however, he did recommend that I change my diet, stress load, etc. I made immediate changes, going from 223 lbs down to 180 lbs through proper diet and exercise. Unfortunately, the PVC's never went away. I experience them frequently; sometimes up to 10 per minute. Although I am hardly aware of them during the course of the day, they often haunt me at night, preventing me from falling asleep immediately. Although I find them to be irritating, I know they're not harmful, which provides some relief.
Comment from: 35-44 Male (Patient)Published: September 17
I am 42 years old, in good shape, with normal heart pressure. Four months ago, I underwent examination for sleep apnea that revealed ongoing allergies; treatment of the allergies relieved those symptoms of sleep apnea. After about a month of taking over-the-counter allergy medications, I began to experience all the symptoms of PVC described by others on this list. Like others, I have less trouble when exercising and more when I am resting or lying down. I have cut out the medications and sugar (which seemed to be the worst offender), and cut way back on caffeine. The symptoms have persisted, and an irregular heart now affects my sleeping more than the allergy ever did. What I find most disturbing is the possibility that the allergy medication (loratadine) seems to have triggered the PVC.
Comment from: Shauna, 25-34 FemalePublished: September 03
I am a 28-year-old female that is healthy and found out about my heart condition when I was 17. This past year my condition has worsened. I have had every test done out there, so I know what that is like. I had the Holter Monitor done about a month ago and they found out that I had 8,690 PVCs within a 24-hour period. That is beyond severe. I am always tired, always sick, feel like I can't breathe very well and my chest feels like it's going to explode sometimes. Very scary! I haven't been to a cardiologist in a long time, but my doctor is finally making me go again to get this checked out.
Comment from: 25-34 Male (Patient)Published: August 27
I am 26 and have been experiencing PVCs for three years. I quit caffeine at the beginning of 2008, which helped, but heavy exercise seems to make it a bit stronger. I am a cyclist and ride at least 10 hours a week. I also find that they are the worst after two days of full rest after a hard block of workouts. Stress, sugar spikes, and some beer and most wine will also make it worse. My PVCs are generally marked by a flutter, then a long pause (and I mean long because my resting pulse is generally 46), then a two- to-three times stronger beat than normal, and then finally back to normal beating. I find they mostly happen at night, and on the nights I have them, they are about two- to-three minutes apart.
Published: August 01
In response to the comment made on July 30th. I too experience everything you listed. Exercise decreases the frequency of the palpitations and rest increases it. I also get the urge to cough at times and will sometimes get a headache or migraine as a result. You are not alone. I am a 32 year old, healthy adult who works in the fitness industry, no history of high blood pressure or heart disease. It seems to come and go most of the time, but when it is active it keeps me awake and interferes with my day to day activities.
I have recently been diagnosed with PMC. I have no heart disease or high blood pressure, however knowing that does not take away my anxiety related to this condition. I have found that sitting and laying exacerbate the PMC and exercising decreases PMC. I have on average about 15 per minute and get a headache after a while and a tickle feeling that makes me want to cough, can others share their experiences please so I don't feel so alone in dealing with this.
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Suggested Reading on Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) by Our Doctors
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If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I first noticed my PVCs about 7 years ago. I literally thought I was having a heart attack because I had never experienced such a thing before. After a trip to the ER, the doctor told me there was nothing to worry about; however, he did recommend that I change my diet, stress load, etc. I made immediate changes, going from 223 lbs down to 180 lbs through proper diet and exercise. Unfortunately, the PVC's never went away. I experience them frequently; sometimes up to 10 per minute. Although I am hardly aware of them during the course of the day, they often haunt me at night, preventing me from falling asleep immediately. Although I find them to be irritating, I know they're not harmful, which provides some relief.
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