Went to go see the Cardiologist again yesterday and he wanted to put me on a beta-blocker again for my palpitations. He will not even consider the fact that maybe taking the Ultracet for 4 weeks could have given me a withdrawal syndrom. To him, it is more likely that this is all in my head or that I am having panic attacks and palpitations for no reason. Why is that!! Why can't ge see that I did not have palpitations or panic attacks before I quit the Ultracet. His thing is that it would be out of my sytem by now and "The drug's half-life is short." Well from research I have done this drug can have the same effect as an SSRI. We all have heard of the horror stories that people have experienced coming off of that stuff. Anyway, I am not taking a beta-blocker because then I could have side effects from that. He said it was not mandatory to take them because my heart is perfectly healthy and the pvc's or palpitations cannot hurt me. As long as I can get a couple of hours of sleep a night I am going to try to stick it out.

BH...i'll bet if you went and saw an addictionologist they would say differently. Ultracet is supposed to be like getting off of opiate and SSRI all in one big jump. I am pretty sure you are still having the after effects of ultram abuse. Try some chamomile tea or kava kava herb...just make sure with your pharmacist that kava won't interact with any of the meds you are on, if any. Also, i try to do deep breathing when it starts...in thru the nose and slowly out threw the mouth.....give that a whirl. I can't count how many of those "attacks" i have in a day, but i can tell you one thing, this is a normal complaint from people that are trying to get clean off of opiate/ultram....
I have even asked many in the rooms, if they experienced any anxiety and or panic attacks when they first sobered up.....everyone said YES!!!
So hang in there. Your heart is fine, this is just another step we have to take to get thru this whole addiction thing. You gotta learn how to stop it in its tracks when the anxiety begins. Easy on the caffeine too...that can really get me going if i have too many in a row!!!!
hang in there!!!!!
luv,
LISA

BH,

I have a lot of experience with both of these issues meaning ultracet and palpitations. I think you and your doctor are actually on the same page...it's entirely possible and probably true that the ultracet withdrawal set off palpitations. Palpitations are often caused by too much adrenaline in our bodies. The ultracet with it's SSRI attributes was calming and now that you don't have it you are releasing adrenaline. The ultracet is now out of your body and can't really be blamed directly for your current palpitations but you are left with a high level of adrenaline surging through your body which is made worse by your worry of the situation. I've seen this again and again..the worry over the palpitations causes an increase in adrenaline which causes more palpitations which causes more adrenaline etc...your heart REALLY IS healthy if the tests said so and it is responding right now exactly how it's programmed to. High levels of adrenaline set off palpitations in just about everyone regardless of what the initiating factor is(for you it was ultracet withdrawal, for others it could be panic attacks or even caffeine, or I even have a friend who went through this and her precipitating factor was the palpitations themselves. She had some loud thumping skips etc... and then tensly waited for another and it inevitably came and off she went in a vicious cycle) I think the trick to this, at least for me this worked, was to NOT CARE if I have palpitations. In other words, I tell myself "whatever" when I have one. Let them become just a normal part of who you are and don't concern yourself with them! I guarantee this will lower your adrenaline and eventually eliminate them. The more focus you put on them, the more you release the adrenaline. Not caring about it takes some practice...you have to tell yourself when it happens that you are fine and this will pass. Then patiently give it time and don't get upset when they happen. Your body will heal these just as it would heal a broken leg. But you have to sit back and let it without pouring more adrenaline on it.

About the Beta Blockers...they really do help. They block the release of adrenaline. I take Toprol 25mg just at bedtime for mitral valve prolapse syndrome that causes a racing heart in the middle of the night. The side effect of Toprol because of the adrenaline suppression is fatigue, but at night that is good.

I understand I can't give you a website from this forum, but I have one that is just chocked full of people with this exact problem. Do a google search under ********** and you will find a site of the exact name. At that site many people have this..whether or not they have mitral valve prolapse. Hope this helps you...I know this is so unnerving. I went through it terribly after my first child was born. I thought I would never be the same. But when I learned that this is just a normal reaction to the adrenaline I was creating over the situation(like butterflies in the stomach would be) I accepted it as normal. That eventually cured me...the adrenaline dropped and they stopped. I often now get one here and there but I don't care. I've had them for 15 years and I'm perfectly healthy with the exception of my scoliosis problem/pain.

Don't write off the beta blockers so quickly..they really don't have bad side effects at low doses.

BW