Re: Palpitations and Veparamil

[Guest guest]

Steve:

One of my concerns with internet garnered information that is passed

around in groups such as TL & HI, is both the certainty with which

people make claims that are unsubstantiated and the emphatic nature of

the claim that suggests that what is being stated must be correct. I

don't believe that it is particularly helpful to tell people, who are

seeking to educate themselves following what may be an episode of

iatrogenic harm, what their doctor should have done.

The medical training and experiences of one clinician, will help to

shape the medical practitioner's viewpoint and it is a nonsense to

make a statement in isolation such as " your doctor should have

recommended magnesium " , in a manner that suggest this was some sort of

universal truth. It isn't. In the linked page, below, I do not see

Magnesium deficiency mentioned as a frequent cause of palpitations. If

there is a credible research hypothesis that I am unaware of, please

educate me and show me where the science supports the notion that

depleted Magnesium is a frequent cause of palpitations. The science

does not appear to support that proposition.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050215/743.html

The differential diagnosis for palpitations is seen at Table 1, which

I have quoted from below:

" Table 1

Differential Diagnosis of Palpitations

Arrhythmias

Atrial fibrillation/flutter

Bradycardia caused by advanced arteriovenous

block or sinus node dysfunction

Bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome

(sick sinus syndrome)

Multifocal atrial tachycardia

Premature supraventricular

or ventricular contractions

Sinus tachycardia or arrhythmia

Supraventricular tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Psychiatric causes

Anxiety disorder

Panic attacks

Drugs and medications

Alcohol

Caffeine

Certain prescription and over-the-counter

agents (e.g., digitalis, phenothiazine,

theophylline, beta agonists)

Street drugs (e.g., cocaine)

Tobacco

Nonarrhythmic cardiac causes

Atrial or ventricular septal defect

Cardiomyopathy

Congenital heart disease

Congestive heart failure

Mitral valve prolapse

Pacemaker-mediated tachycardia

Pericarditis

Valvular disease (e.g., aortic insufficiency, stenosis)

Extracardiac causes

Anemia

Electrolyte imbalance

Fever

Hyperthyroidism

Hypoglycemia

Hypovolemia

Pheochromocytoma

Pulmonary disease

Vasovagal syndrome

NOTE: The categories of palpitations are arranged from most common to

least common; within the categories, conditions are listed in

alphabetical order. "

Ann:

It is not easy to advise you without knowing a lot more about you,

including your personal circumstances and your full medical history.

The internet would not be the ideal way to do this. If you trust your

cardiologist, then the tests that have just been carried out, should

allay any fears which you may have about your state of health right

now. Palpitations can be an unpleasant sensation because we are not

normally aware of our heart beat. Cardiologists are specialists in all

things to do with the cardio-vascular system. Where the solutions to

problems are suggested and you do not feel they are helping you, you

can opt to get a second opinion. The BP reading suggests that the

systolic reading could come down a little. If you are taking the

reading with an electronic device, you could consider this...

I have never used an electronic device that produced an accurate

reading (except in cases where the patient is unconscious) when

compared with listening to the 5 Korotkoff sounds through a

stethoscope, noting any auscultatory gap and observing the pulse

pressure, while manually deflating a cuff of the correct dimensions.

Taking your own blood pressure readings with a self-operated machine

is likely to be useful for creating a log of the blood pressure over a

period of time, because the inherent errors of a single reading will

be standardised over time.

When you are taking your blood pressure readings it is often useful to

know a separate value for lying down and standing up but as with all

readings of blood pressure, your mental state is likely to affect and

change these values. Anxiety can cause marked variations in blood

pressure values so all of the readings you measure may be affected.

Blood pressure readings vary according to the time of day and making

several readings during the course of the day (try to make the

readings at the same time each day) is another way to establish a log

that has some real value. It also removes much of the anxiety

associated with thoughts about 'what if I find something that is

abnormal', and other such natural fears.

Kind regards,

Jeff

On 14 Nov 2008, at 19:24, Steve wrote:

> Your doctor should have recommended Magnesium. Palpitations are

> frequently caused by low magnesium. Getting 500-600 mg/day in divided

> doses was a frequent solution in the group which deals

> exclusively

> with this problem. The majority of Americans are Magnesium Deficient.

> The regular CMP doesn't check magnesium cellular levels. I personally

> use magnesium citrate because it is one of the better absorbed forms

> and

> I believe easier on the stomach.

>

> Palpations can come from being on statins as well as they deplete

> CoQ10

> which is needed for effective heart function. When I was on Lipitor, I

> had to take a LOT of CoQ10 in addition to as much magnesium as I could

> handle to limit most palpitations.

>

> Steve

>

> fortviewlodge wrote:

> >

> >

> > Hello to all,

> >

> > Yesterday I was feeling great and then all of sudden I started

> have fast

> > heart beat and palpitations together this was very frightening, I

> went

> > to my cardiologist who did an ECG and bloods all of which were very

> > normal I do get a lot of palpitation a few months ago I was on

> Cardicor

> > and stopped it cause I was not feeling well on it,

> >

> > The cardiolist gave me Veparamil yesterday to take with Micardis

> Plus

> > which I currently take, my bp this morning was 110/60 , can any

> one give

> > me advice, I feel im going mad.

> >

> > Thanks

> >

> > Ann

> >

> --

>

> Steve - dudescholar4@...

>

> Take World's Smallest Political Quiz at

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>

> " If a thousand old beliefs were ruined on our march

> to truth we must still march on. " --Stopford

>

>