BH,

Did your cardiologist have you wear an event monitor or a holter monitor? These are a routine part of a cardiology workup when palpitations like you are describing are involved. If your workup was only an echo and an EKG exam you need to ask for one of the above. When the cardiologist sees on paper what you are talking about he will respond to it differently. I don't understand why you don't want to take the beta blocker. It could put an end to it and they are not addictive.

I've talked to people on the ********** website that have 1000's a day. They sometimes consider a procedure called an ablation. This is only after beta blockers have failed and they can't live with the discomfort of the palps. I still believe your condition could have been set off by any narcotic withdrawal and isn't limited to ultracet. Some people are more prone to palps than others and it sounds like you have it majorly. I can't imagine how stressful this must feel to you. Consider calling and asking for one of the monitors. The Holter is worn for just 24 hrs. and each time you have a palp you press a button on the machine. The machine is about the size of a gameboy and you are hooked to it in the same way your are rigged for an EKG. The machine is attached to your beltloops. The event monitor lasts a week or more but otherwise is the same as the holter.

Toprol XL(a beta blocker) in it's smallest dose is 25mg. Those can be broken in half to be 12.5mg. I have absolutely no side effects and I take just 25mg at bedtime. It really would take the edge off this.

BW

i went to the Cardiologist twice. Ekg picked up one palpitation but otherwise normal. Did a sono and a stress test. All normal. Actually while I was on the treadmill for like ten minutes running I had no palps. Internal Medicine doctor thinks I have clinical anxiety. Addictions counselor has no idea what is happening to me. Monday I go to see a Endocrinologist. I already had my thyroid, CBC, metabolites,and other blood test. Other test like, lyme, rheumatoid, Vitamin b screening, among others. They all came back normal. I also just went take a urine test today to test the cortisol and adrenaline levels in my body. I have not wanted to take the beta-blocker because I have thought that I could outlast this whole thing. I really deep down believe that this whole thing is caused by the Ultracet withdrawal. I mean the way I felt immediately after quitting would be too much of a coincedence to be anything else but withdrawal. THe short times that I do not have palpitations I have these feelings of anxiety come over me. Now one would think that it is anxiety that the palps will come back but it really isn't. At this point, I really expect them to come back and I do not really struggle over that part of it. The only relieve I get is thru exercise and I can't do that because as of yesterday morning I started with a cold. Freaking insane. If it wasn't happening to me I would think that it is craziness.

Yes, I think the ultracet withdrawal was what started the whole thing off, too. Any narcotic withdrawal could do that. The thing of it is, with palpitations you can feel just fine, not anxious, and they come. It doesn't necessarily happen just when you are feeling anxious. It's an electrical system fault so to speak...it happens when it happens. It's easy to think.."this can't be anxiety because I don't feel anxious." But then when one happens huge surges of anxiety and adrenaline wash over you and that is what will spur the next one..it may be hours away but they always come, don't they? I really believe that at this point it has very little to do with the ultracet...yes, you started off with this during withdrawal from it. But the ultracet is long gone. The ultracet can't damage your heart into having these if that's what your thinking....Palpitations can be a normal part of narcotic withdrawal and unless you get a holter test done your cardiologist isn't going to see what you are dealing with on a daily basis. I'm surprised they didn't suggest one..but you could call and ask for one.

I understand wanting to see it through without the beta blocker but look at like this..if you had strep throat you wouldn't try and see it through without an antibiotic..your body just couldn't throw off something that serious without help. This is the same in a way...your heart is out of whack ..it's sending extra beats and it's uncomfortable...the beta blocker is going to help it get back into rhythm by lowering your adrenaline level. You won't even feel the effects of a low dose beta blocker but your heart will. It'll thank you by settling down for you! What a relief that would be...

BW

I started taking a beta-blocker yesterday. It has made the palpitations a little less frequent. As soon as my bronchitis clears up I think I am goin to go off of them and return to going to the gym everyday. I feel depressed because I do not feel like I am ever going to return to a normal life. I actually work at a hospital and it is hard for me to take care of patients because I have so much going on with myself. I will tell you what is funny about this whole thing is this. the reason I began taking Ultracet was for pins and needles in my legs. I contributed these pins and needles to a disc in my back. It was not until I started getting these pins and needles in my scalp and arms that I realized it was not my back and it must be something else. I started thinking about my diet, habits, etc. Something alarmed me. I was consuming tons of nutrasweet a day. I decided to quit all of it cold turkey. This was right around the time I quit Ultracet. I know the whole nutrasweet thing sounds nuts but believe it or not my symptoms have improve by about 80%. I am not exaggerating when I say I was plagued with constant pins and needle all up and down my leags and arms. I t started out being a mild nusiance but progressed into constant hell. I was drinking crystal light by the gallon. I was also eating sugar free everything. I went to see a Neurologist and he said he has seen many people come in with migraines from nutrasweet consumption but not pins and needles. All I knoe is that I quit the consumption and it has gotten better so far. I say all of this to imply that if I had some sensitivity to nutraweet that was effecting me it could be causing some of the problems I am having now. I could be having withdrawal from Ultracet and nutrasweet. Please believe me when I say that I am no quack. I really think all of this is crazy myself but until you live it there is no way to know how this feels when doctors can not come up with any answers and you have to start searching for yourself,