Blood pressure / Epilepsy

During the day my blood pressure has spikes to 150/100 while sitting. However when I lay down in bed, it normalizes to the 120/80 range.

I am wondering if taking medication could cause my blood pressure to drop too low at night. Normally this shouldn't be an issue I'm guessing but I also have epilepsy so I'm wondering if too much of a drop might trigger a seizure.

Last year, I was completely blindsided by multiple cardiac diagnoses. CAD, heart failure and ventricular tachycardia. I saw more doctors in the past year than I had in my entire life previously. I've always lived a healthy lifestyle...never smoked, decent diet, regular exercise. At 74 I have a body builders physique with a 32 inch waist. Needless to say, I was shocked and a bad heart was never on my bingo card. After a battery of diagnostic tests it was found my ejection fraction was only a tiny bit below normal...here's a pill. My arteries were only slightly obstructed...here's a pill. Two cardiac catheterizations later...no, you don't need stents or bypass surgery and no, you don't actually have v tach...here's a pill. Good news all around I suppose but now comes the task of rebuilding my sanity and self confidence overcoming the notion that I was a ticking time bomb. Is the mental trauma common?

I am a 37-year-old male and have been experiencing intermittent heart palpitations (extrasystoles) for quite some time.
In March 2025, I underwent a full cardiac evaluation, including a 48-hour Holter monitor, ECG, and echocardiogram.
My results were as follows:
48-hour Holter:
Extrasystole burden: 0.35%

I experienced my typical palpitations during the monitoring period.

My cardiologist reassured me that the results were fine.

Resting ECG:
Heart rate: 73 BPM

QRS duration: 98 ms

QTc interval: 398 ms

QRS axis: 46°

Echocardiogram:
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): 50%

Global longitudinal strain (GLS): -12%

Left ventricular dimensions: 48/30 mm

Left ventricle not dilated, with nearly normal contraction

Normal diastolic function

Normal left atrial size

No significant valvular abnormalities

Good right ventricular systolic function

No elevated right-sided pressures

My cardiologist reviewed all these findings and told me everything was fine.
My current symptoms:
I still experience extrasystoles in episodes. Sometimes I have frequent palpitations for approximately two weeks, followed by an entire month with almost no symptoms at all.
They mainly occur when I am resting, sitting, or lying down, although occasionally I also notice them while walking.
The sensations are essentially the same as those I experienced during my cardiac evaluation in 2025.
I also struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, and these palpitations sometimes trigger significant anxiety because I worry about serious heart problems or sudden cardiac death.
My question is:
Considering my previous cardiac examination and the fact that my symptoms have remained similar, does this pattern sound consistent with benign extrasystoles? Should I be concerned about my LVEF of 50% and GLS of -12%, despite my cardiologist reassuring me that everything was fine?

I’m so confused where to go from this point. I have had ECG’s, a holter monitor, echocardiogram, stress tests. Blood work. Breathing tests. Nothing has been solved. It’s been a year. I get these weird crushing/tightening feeling that goes away always but can take hours. It’s never painful enough I feel I need to go to the ER but it’s there. Sometimes pangs or shocks of pain in my chest area too, but those have mostly disappeared over time. Is it GERD? It just seems weird it’s like every night or almost every night. Sometimes the day too but less often. I did nothing out of the ordinary tonight and yet it happened bad tonight for like a solid minute and then disappeared. Literally had it during the holter monitor and they said not once did an abnormality show up on the reader, and it was definitely on correctly it took me an hour to get the thing off it was on so good! My cardiologist said he has to let me go as a patient because they can’t find anything wrong. I am on a wait list for an echocardiogram but it can take over a year, and I just go on the list in August. Please anyone point me to what to do now? I cannot live like this! I will add I’m 29, totally healthy besides thyroid condition which is controlled. The chest pain all started when I started thyroid medication, but nobody believes that’s related… I have been off it once before but only for 7 days, I didn’t really notice if anything improved or not because I was so jittery and full of mood swings from not being on my thyroid meds. I’m 126lbs and 5’6. I don’t drink or smoke and while I cut caffeine significantly the pains happen regardless to me drinking caffeine or not.

Hello, im 25 male, 180cm and around 120kg. I take sertraline 75mg every day, and have no history of health issues, except health anxiety and slighty high cholesterol. I never smoked in my life or taken drugs and dont drink either.

Today i had some brazilian jiu jitsu training, and after the training ended, i felt a sharp localized pain right in the area where the heart is. But it was like a 3/10 and lasted for a couple seconds , so i initially ignored it. However, my health anxiety kicked in later and i went to the ER, where i am now. Did couple EKGs and they were both fine. First blood tests were done around 1:30 after onset and they showed D -dimers at 469 ng/mL , troponin T at 0,011 ng/mL and CRP at 12.32 mg/L

The doctor advised to repeat the blood tests , so they took another sample 4 hours after onset. The blood tests showed troponin T 0,020 ng/mL , and slight drop in CRP.

Then they told me to wait another 6 hours and they would repeat the blood tests.

Im 1h10 away from doing that next blood test but I am in panic, can someone give me some guidance on what this can be? I am incredibly worried that this is something dangerous that will either kill me fast or shorten my lifespan by a lot.

I have a friend 26 female and every single thing on her lipid panel was very high and her coronary artery risk is 5.88 cut off is 4.44 I think and she was not referred to cardiologist should she ask for a referral they put her on a statin but doesn’t seem to be helping her levels.

I’m 29 year old female.

I've been experiencing a strange sensation in the left side of my chest, almost like a hot chemical or adrenaline rush spreading through my heart/chest, almost like a burning sensation on the left side.
(not sure if burning is the right word, but it’s hard to describe). I don’t think it’s reflux as I’ve had reflux before and it doesn’t feel like that.

It usually happens in the early hours of the morning, sometimes literally a second after my alarm wakes me up or sometimes it wakes me up on its own. It slowly builds, lasts around 1-2minutes max, then gradually disappears. Afterwards I feel completely normal, just really awake. (Apparently it’s too short to be angina?? But it feels like it could be?)

I've noticed it's worse after stressful days, caffeine, alcohol or stimulants, and much less frequent when I'm relaxed or on holiday.

I am a healthy weight and eat healthy, although the last year or so I have not been exercising as frequently as I used to (I struggle to get to the gym tbh) I also probably don’t manage stress that well so I seem to be in fight or flight mode lately.

I had mild pericarditis following a Pfizer vaccination several years ago and took around six months to recover. I've recently seen a cardiologist about these newer symptoms, and she said my heart looked healthy and recommended exercise and avoiding stimulants. (I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t do further tests, and left feeling unsure)

I'm wondering whether this could be an autonomic nervous system response, adrenaline surge or something like coronary artery spasm.
Has anyone experienced anything similar, particularly immediately after waking? Did you ever find out what caused it?

I have been advised to have pacemaker installed to cure my slow heart rate (40-45 bpm) & low blood pressure. I can’t afford private hospitals cost, neither I can travel to my home country due to serious health issues. Can someone advise where should I approach? Who is the specialist cardio Electrophysiologist here in Sharjah Dubai or Ajman, what is the cost in Govt Hospitals?

Hi. I’m 34, a mom of two little girls. It’s just over a year now that I have developed tachycardia, lots of heart palpitations. Dizziness from time to time, shortness of breath especially with exertion. 6 months ago I also developed chronic headaches. Been to cardiologist, gastroenterologist, ER 3 times.. and so on. I also have intermittent pain in my left breast that radiates into my shoulder and arm. I’ve also had 2 ultrasounds of my breast and a mammogram. MRI of my thorax. And nothing…. It’s so difficult dealing with this. I’d like to know if anyone experienced something similar.

hey guys, Please give me an advice.

promise i wont come with same question again.

I am a 31YO female

In 2017 (First cardiology visit) Found T inversions v1-3 and Mild apical trabeculations at the apex. Had stress test and echo and all fine. EF was 55-60% doctor was not concerned.

2024 - Had MRI and Holter for the Pvc that I had just in bed before sleeping ( Anxiety started as My dad passed away at 65 sudden in sleep, but with symptoms of Heart attack) No early death or sudden in my family. Doctor understood that they suspected me in My country for non compaction but no, they suspected me for Myocardial bridge. So they asked for MRI for a suspection of Non compaction cardiomiophaty

MRI showed mild reduced EF 56% (hipokinesia)

no fibrosis ,scar, or other abnormalities but Said that im suspected or Early stage hipokinetic non dilatated cardiomiopaty and plan was to repeat the Echo 3 years later . I said Okaaaay and didn’t care

in 2025 I started with bad panic attacks, somatic Anxiety, sometimes , HR is up every morning for the first 30mins(90-110) And I feel heavy, Scared, chest pain ( few seconds) even hand pain😅

CT is perfect so no ischemia.

I ve been so many times to AE (38+ in 1 Year) with Anxiety attacks and also I must confess.. I did lie few times about pains duration, That I get breathless while walking and so on.. because I been so many times and I couldn’t tell them: You know.. I had doom feeling and some heat around the body)

And now every cardiologist in UK is looking at that “suspected cardiomiopaty”)

my EF at Every echo is 60% and I had 4

Stress test show no hypokinetic or reduced EF . Is (60+)

or cardiomiopathy usually sits quiet ?

I wonder did I made the doctors add and continue with this diagnosis because What I told them ? I am even scared to belive doctors anymore because:

I had CT in Uk and showed possible LAD stenosis 50-70% LAD. And started statin and aspirin 3 months

Treadmill was negative for ischemia and they discharged me and booked a stress Mri (with adenosine)

because MRI was not ready after 2 months and I was so scared for my life that, I did call hospital so

many times told them : Hey I got Lad stenosis And I need MRI to see if I must proceed with angiography

The result was All fine Viable segments ,Heart function 60%+ (but keep in mind it was stress mri) but possible Ischemia in 2 segments within Lad

doctors added me to waiting list for invasive angiography.

So I did Fly to my country , And had repeated CT on a very performant CT scanner(Somatom Force)

and showed 0 calcium and 0 stenosis(perfect CT)

They didnt want to listen to me that I have a perfect CT in Romania and they said that because MRI they cant listen to Romania CT

I did book privately with my Cardiologisst and gave the CD with my CT angiogram and so, Doctors and tehnicians compared the CT and they sent a letter saying that ( Stop statin and aspirin) There were artefact in processing images

that s why I am scared .. what if they tell me about cardiomiopaty because I already had a “suspicion” which is not true.. I explained the doctor wrong As they suspected a myocardial bridge as per Ekg

I repeated Echo 3 weeks ago and was ok… 60% amd no hipokinesi

Is better to search other doctors in my country for the MRI ? To accept I have early stage cardiomyopathy for the past 10 years and no medication ?

i had repeated mri here but by the same doctors. results are not ready yet

I’ve cut out caffeine. I’ve tried eating a very light meal in the evening to eating a heavier one. Morning exercise instead of evening. Nothing changes it. I’ve worn a heart rate monitor and the specialist just said yup it’s fast but I only recently paid attention to the actual pattern which is very consistent with my heart rate being a lower number as I fall asleep and usually within 30 min a steep climb. I would like to figure it out as it can’t be healthy to never get that restorative time. Any ideas?

33M, non-smoker, no drug use. I’ve been experiencing PVCs consistently for around 12 years, usually with a very low burden with no known trigger.

About 3 months ago, I suddenly experienced a significant increase in PVCs, to the point where I felt thousands in a single day. This was very unusual for me, as my normal PVC burden is quite low.

I’ve attached the results of my cardiac testing, including my Holter monitor and echocardiogram. From my perspective, the results looked reassuring, but I saw my family doctor this morning and she described them as just “okay” and told me to keep an eye on things. The way she explained it left me feeling a little concerned.

My Holter report shows only 49 PVCs and 25 PACs. I was originally supposed to wear the monitor for 14 days, but I removed it after approximately 8 days because the adhesive stickers were giving me a rash. I still feel at least a couple of PVCs per hour on a daily basis

A couple of questions:

Is it possible that the Holter monitor missed some of my PVCs, or that I am imagining that I feel more? I find it unlikely I only had 10 per day since I feel at least a couple per hour and personally counted 50 in one of the days I was wearing the monitor.

Based on these test results, would you consider them generally reassuring? I understand that no test can guarantee everything is fine, but I’m trying to understand whether these results are a positive sign or whether there’s something concerning that I’m overlooking.

I’ve dealt with PVCs for over a decade, but the sudden increase a few months ago has made me much more anxious about them.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone with similar experiences, particularly those who have had PVCs for many years. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m almost 39 and I’m looking for some thoughts or shared experiences regarding premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) I've been experiencing since 2024, as well as their potential risk profile.

Background & Workup History:

2019: Passed out (syncope) in a very hot work environment. EEG, brain MRI, ECG, and echocardiogram were all normal. Tilt table test was positive only after nitroglycerin. Ajmaline test was negative. No faints or presyncope since 2019.

Loop Recorder: Had an ILR implanted until December 2024; no significant arrhythmias were detected.

Cardiac MRI: A 2021 scan noted a minimal "suspicious" area, but a repeat cardiac MRI in May 2026 came back completely normal (the previous finding was deemed an artifact).

Coronary CT (2024): Normal, calcium score of 0, no significant stenosis after contrast.

Electrophysiology Study (Jan 2025): Negative for inducible arrhythmias, even after an aggressive isoprenaline protocol.

Other tests: Subsequent echocardiograms and stress tests showed no significant abnormalities.

Family History: No known family history of sudden cardiac death, cardiomyopathies, or inherited arrhythmias.

Holter Results & Pattern:

First Holter recorded ~100 monomorphic PVCs per day.

Latest Holter (October 2026) recorded 830 monomorphic PVCs out of ~110,000 total beats. 828 were isolated, with 1 couplet during sleep. 4 short episodes of trigeminy were noted, but no runs or anything higher grade.

Trigger Pattern: They occur mainly when I move or when my heart rate increases, and are almost completely absent at night.

Given that all major tests (EP study, MRI, Coro-CT) are clear, I’d love to hear from others who have had a similar workup or pattern:

Does this picture align with benign PVCs in your experience?

How significant is this jump in burden (from ~100 to ~830/day, still under 1%)?

What kind of long-term follow-up or routine monitoring do your cardiologists usually recommend for a case like this?

Thanks in advance for reading and sharing your insights!

Hello everyone,

I had a catheter ablation Aug 27th for SVT. I was told the ablation was successful and that I could stop taking my Diltiazem. Since then I have been having random episodes of high heart rate 100-140bpm that are very distressing. Dod anyone else experience this in their “blanking period” I have been told and have read that it is normal due to the heart “healing” but I’m really considering going back on Diltiazem so my heart can feel calm again. It’s causing me so much anxiety and I’m almost regretting getting the ablation done so soon.

Any positive feedback would really be helpful right now. Thank you 🫶🏽

I wanted to share my 72-hour Holter results and see if anyone here has had a similar experience.

One important bit of context is that I continued taking metoprolol (my 25 mg daily) until the day before the monitoring started, even though I had originally been advised to stop it about a week beforehand. I had some travelling and important events leading up to the Holter and was concerned about how I might feel without it, so the timing didn’t work out as planned. I realize this may have had some influence on the results.

The main findings were:

Sinus rhythm throughout the recording.

Average heart rate around 93 bpm.

My heart rate was above 100 bpm for about 43% of the entire recording.

2,275 supraventricular premature beats (SVEs/PACs) over approximately 72 hours.

Only 1 ventricular premature beat (VE/PVC).

No actual pauses in ventricular activity.

There were episodes where my heart rate suddenly increased by around 50–100 bpm and then came back down after about 3–4 minutes.

They were described as bursts of SVT.

One of these episodes was recorded when I changed position.

The overall conclusion still states sinus rhythm, and I’m being followed up by the arrhythmia clinic.

For context, I’ve been experiencing very noticeable changes in heart rate with posture, especially when standing, along with dizziness and only one time presyncope, sometimes cold hands while upright, and episodes of tachycardia. POTS and IST have both crossed my mind, although I obviously don’t know yet what is actually causing this.

Has anyone had similar Holter results? Did POTS or IST eventually turn out to be part of the explanation?

I’m also curious about so many PACs/SVEs — if you’ve had a similar amount, did you ever find out what was causing them?

(I am a female, 25 years old.)

I live with EDS, chronic iron deficiency, and have heart palpitations. I have gone to the ER a few times over the last few years for higher heart rate, and was always told it was fine, I was fine.

I got very sick the other day, felt weak and had terrible heart palpitations, so I went to the ER.

They told me that I had an abnormal EKG, and that it was also abnormal in 2025, but *no one ever told me it was abnormal in 2025.*

I’m going to do an echocardiogram, holter, but I’m scared shitless. My doc initially felt that some of these things could be attributed to low iron stores, but it seems like some of them are a little beyond iron’s pay grade.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for. I feel so sad, very betrayed and wished I was told about this last year when I could have responded to it and done something about it then.

should I be worried?

25M, no family history of heart disease. Referred to cardiology for echo because of EKG right axis deviation of 93 degrees which turned out to be a normal variant in fit individuals.

First echocardiogram was done by a doc in training. They took a bad picture but used it to diagnose me with BAV and mild aortic insufficiency. Second echocardiogram one week later was done by a different doctor and they said my valve is actually tricuspid. They still wrote down “mild aortic insufficiency” on the report.

All measurements are normal. EF was 60-65%. Stress test was 19.3 Mets. PHT values were 599ms on first echo and 540ms on second.

Is it likely that they also misdiagnosed the mild AI? How common is this in people my age? I get really anxious reading the reports, even the one with the misdiagnosis.

FYI: this is not an official ekg, I was in my class lab with a machine from the 60s learning about ecgs but this is my reading. Still learning but a q waves is abnormal no?

Im a 22 yr old male, I has a EKG done today because my heart was racing and I felt a bit dizzy. Im prescribed vyvanse and it causes my resting heart rate to be 90-130 throughout the day. I’ve had all types of blood work and labs done recently and they’re all perfect. Also had a recent echocardiogram and holter monitor test and they were all clear. They thought my EKG today wasn’t alarming but looking for some more opinions. The machine suspected ACS so it kinda worried me.