Ladies I Have had two episodes in the last week that scared me to death. I wake up in the early morning from a sound sleep with an extremely fast and powerful heart rate that lasts for about a minute. This is a new symptom that has me very scared I'm going to have a heart attack. Have any of you ladies suffered with this??
Debbie ❤️
Yes Debbie I've had this quite a few times. It's very frightening when it happens but I find getting up and doing something sort of helps xx
That has been happening to me since January, very scary! I wake up with heart thudding in my chest and skipping beats and have to turn over and stretch out as though I have been squashing my heart. I've had ECG and heart monitor and was told its an ectopic heartbeat and palpitations. Apparently common in menopause, yet another symptom. Anaemia can also cause this which I also suffer from. I've cut out caffeine which can make it worse and cut down on evening glass or two of wine. I sort of linked it to night sweats and only sleep with a sheet over me now its warmer. I think half the battle is accepting you aren't going too die and breathe through it. I am a litlte better whether thats because iron level is up or not who knows! I have been prescribed beta blockers to slow heart rate but not confident yet to take them as friends have said caused them leg aches and weight gain.
Hope you find some relief from this soon x
HI debbie, I use to have those until I started taking St. John's wort, which got rid of those horrible symptoms and the panic attack mode. GIve it a try if you can find it, it flies off the shelves here in the States, and I can see why it really does work.
Hi Debbie I had those for years still here,I know how scary it is pounding or racing first time I had them I call Ambulance was so scared heart was fine thank god it's normal but if your worried have it check OK.
Thanks for your reply Michelle. It helps knowing other women out there are experiencing this symptom. It's so so scary. I will get up next time, I just stayed in bed praying my heart would just slow down. Very scary!!!
Thank you so much for your reply. It really helps to hear others experiences with these horrible symptoms. I've been to cardiologist, had a week long monitor on. He said I have a very rapid heartbeat but the rhythms are normal. I had one palpitation episode logged on the monitor, they are sending me to a heart specialist who specializes in the electrical part of the heart just to make sure everything is okay since my heart rate is higher than normal. He did say I had no heart disease and not to be scared of having heart attack, just possible misfiring electrical impulses. I have never had any of these problems ever until I started going through perimenopause.
Thank you for your reply all the encouraging words help with the fear.. I have St. John's worts but don't take everyday, will keep trying.
Thanks for your reply Maria it really really helps. I'm seeing a cardiologist right now, but goodness that racing heart is the scariest perimenopause symptom yet
Your right Maisie, accepting that I will be okay might help my anxiety after I have the episode of the racing heart racing. Three different doctors have given me beta blockers but I'm hesitant to take them, I almost took one while I had my episode this morning.
I've had heart palpitations for 30 years! Yes, it can be very scary. Try not to eat or drink anything but water after around 7 p.m. And sit up or at least prop up on 2 pillows when it happens. And breathe normally. Also, a beta blocker is great! Don't be afraid of it. I've taken a very low dose for years and it helps a lot. I can tell when I don't take it. Only one a day but I break that tiny pill and take half in the morning and half at night.
Yes, have this too. I have two leaky valves, so I get that feeling often, and my heart doctor told me to try this trick when this happens, to make myself cough really deep 3 times what it does is acts like a compression, and can kind of “reset” things. It doesn’t always work, but it does help that feeling that it is jumping all over my chest, or it is missing a beat! Sure can’t hurt to try it. I do still use this trick, and I’d say 9 out of 10 times it does help me. I wish we didn’t have go through this crazy business!!!
Yes I have that during ovulation, my period and right when I go off. It wakes me out of my sleep and pounds hard and fast. It goes down after a few minutes. It's definitely hormones and it is scary. You are not alone in this feeling.
Thank You Becky for the wonderful advice. I will definitely try propping my head up the next time it happens, and I will try breathing more normally through it. You know I never eat sugar gluten or chocolate anymore but late last night I had a chocolate chip cookie. I'm so tired of denying myself of everything that tastes soooo yummy!! I really wonder if that was the culprit. I think I might start breaking my beta blocker in half too sounds like a good idea. Anything to help me get through this time 😊😊😊
One cookie probably wasn't the culprit. Sometimes there's no explanation. But when it happens, we get anxious, which makes it worse. the beta blocker regulates blood pressure too and can sometimes makenit drop which has some strange symptoms too. So if you take it at night, that might be an issue. breaking it and spreading it out migjt help And don't deny yourself of everything you love! I believe that moderation is the key.
Debbie that sounds awfully familiar to me as well. At certain times of the month, usually mid cycle and before a period I can wake up with my heart racing, like it's trying to run out of my chest!! It's really awful and very scary, probably the worst Peri symptom for me. I find around the same time this happens that I am really anxious but not like normal anxiety. It's an uncontrollable anxiety with the shakes and buzzy head feeling that will just switch off one I have gone over mid cycle or my periods start. Really weird, but thanks to this group I have found someone else who has identical symptoms so I feel a bit less like I am going mad!!!!
Hi Debbie, i suffered with this for the past year and only after starting a bleed in march after yr and half did it subside but i had one episode last week. it is a terrible feeling. i was sound asleep also and woke up with the same. thats how it usually happens with me. pretty sure its part of the peri symptoms
Hi Debbie, yes, had these and it's when I decided to start taking St. John's wort, it got rid of it, along with the panic attacks and anxiety. They are all natural herbal with a proven track record to help reduce symptoms. Hope this helps.
Hi there. I have had episodes since coming off my betablocker so now I am back on it. Just a low dose and it does help. If you have attacks of brachacardia ( racing heart) time them so you can tell your Dr how fast its beating. Also for skipped beats, try coughing to re set heart or you can massage gently your common carotid artery in the right side of yr neck. I get skipped beat and erretic beats at times. Got worse of late along with multiple other symptoms of menopause. And breathe. Breathing helps too relax you. Stomach breaths in for5 holdfor 2 and out for 5. Good luck.
See a cardiologist and ask them about Prinzmetal's angina. I have it. It sucks. Does it come in waves? Periods of no activity, then periods of high activity?