I'm 19 years-old and I may have Heart Palpitation...

[Prof.]

Since I can remember, I've always had a slight palpitation of the heart. Once in a great while my heart would flutter for a microsecond then return to normal. However, over the past three months, it has been getting worse. About two weeks ago, I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep then all of the sudden, my heart starting twitching; almost as if it was having a seizure. This "seizure" of my heart lasted for about three to five minutes and it really scared me because I didn't know what the hell was happening.

So later that week I told my mom and she said it may be Heart Palpitation. She said her brother had a heart condition and so did my dads mom. She said it's quite possible I inherited whatever they had. I'm making an appointment with my doctor for later this week to find out what is happening.

IDK if there are any doctors on MacRumors but I want to know what you think I may have before I go to the doctors. Is it possible that I may have HP at such a young age or does age not matter?

Prof.

 

[0098386]

I had this for a while. Started when I was 17. I used to get them from time to time but there would be periods where they would last hours and I'd get a few a week. The doc prescribed me some beta blocker but it sorted itself out after my 2nd or 3rd pill.


Personally I think anything to do with your heart needs to be seen by a doc, even to just confirm it's nothing.

 

[Mord]

I get heart flutters occasionally and I'm the same age as you... never really thought much of them tbh.

 

[EricNau]

Heart Palpitations can be caused by caffein intake, so if applicable, you may want to limit or cease your coffee, tea, and energy drink intake.

However, your doctor will provide far more useful and reliable information regarding your specific case. I recommend waiting until your appointment before you reach any conclusions.

 

[Prof.]

Heart Palpitations can be caused by caffein intake, so if applicable, you may want to limit or cease your coffee, tea, and energy drink intake.

I don't have a lot of caffeine. I prolly have one coke a day at max. No tea or coffee or energy drinks.

 

[Iscariot]

I was experiencing similar symptoms. I saw a doctor, had the whole "wear a heart monitor for a week" thing.

Minor PR interval abnormality. Nothing to worry about.

Edit: It's been quite a while since I've had any palpitations that I can remember. I've been drinking more soy milk, which is high in magnesium, something that is considered a "natural treatment" for palpitations. Many other factors have changed since then, so I'd take that with a grain of salt.

 

[iBlue]

I've got a dodgy ticker. I have had palpitations for several years and tachycardia. A doctor sent me off to get an echocardiogram and they found that I had a lazy heart valve, regurgitates into one of the chambers and thus it has to work a lot harder and faster to keep blood circulating. <shrug> It's just an inefficient thing. Apparently in my case it's not that serious so I don't give it a lot of thought. I just notice that when I work out my heart rate jumps high very quickly. (170-180-ish)
Too much caffeine always made my palpitations worse, by the way.

Might be worthwhile to get it checked out. Chances are it's perfectly fine.

 

[iSaint]

My palpitations are when my heartbeat reaches about 120bpm for sixty seconds or less. Sometimes, if I walk around then go lay down on my back, they go away.

I have a mitral-valve prolapse, but it's not serious enough to treat. It's been going on for twenty years or more, I'm 45 now. I had an echo-cardiogram performed two years ago, and the heart doctor confirmed no need for treatment.

Caffeine and stress can play a part in increase instances.

Just my story...good that you're going to a doctor. I think I was 20-22 when I first had it looked at.

 

[toolbox]

Are you worried or anxious about something? Mine would start like that. Mine haven't happened since i have learnt to calm my self in situations that i know will stress me.

 

[SamIchi]

2-5 mins that's a long time. I'm not sure if I've had this palpitation, but it feels like my heart gets stuck and then gushes back, but this only lasts for about a couple seconds. I haven't had any in a long time so I guess I'm good.

While we are on the topic, recently I've notice my pulse to be more prominent. Like in my temples, when I go to sleep I can feel my heart beat, like annoyingly so. Could this be a sign of high blood pressure?

 

[ipodtoucher]

Definitely go see a doctor!!! And then come here so I can take care of you!!

 

[Phillyzero]

Wow...I never thought I'd come across so many people with heart ambiguities. In fact, I'm also 19 and I know I've had this 'fluttering' of the heart a number of times, but I haven't had it for a while now (at least a number of months), it usually came after periods of stress or for some reason after I played the trumpet.

I plan to go see my family doctor about this soon though, thanks for reminding me :/

 

[NP3]

Couple things to keep in mind: Most medications on a stronger level than Tylenol have a possible side effect of increased heart rate. Which, after a period of time being elevated, can show up as a very small double beat. (dr. said so)

Also, the "feeling it" that you & others are referring to might be the chest muscle thats directly above the heart. Mine would twitch in the periods I changed the level of my exercise. I had two doctors tell me it was only the muscle, not my heart. Yours will tell you how to tell the difference.

Only a doctor can say--people with heart 'experience' would naturally be drawn to this thread, so keep your chin up--it might be nothing.

 

[MyDesktopBroke]

I'm 18 and have not only palpatations, but severe pains in my heart area. It got so bad I couldn't sleep for a while, so I went to a pediatric cardiologist. She said I was in perfect shape, almost no bad cholesterol, low blood pressure, and no holes in my heart chamber (thank goodness). Because there was physically nothing wrong with my innards, she suggested that the pain was caused by muscle/skeletal trauma (which I have 'cause I'm a contortionist that pushes himself), to cut back on caffeine, and to make sure I got lots of vitaman B12, which is hard to get for a vegetarian, which I am.

 

[lordjonny]

im 18 now and and have recently had a ablation to cure my tachycardia....this involves burning out an extra electrical circuiting in your heart...however i was special and had an extra av node(sends out the electrical impulses) in my heart instead! so i had tubes stuck up near my groin to burn my heart:O not the most pleasant experience! it was bloody scary! it would be set off by an excess of exercise...caffeine...or alcohol! so i couldnt do anything basically.

now though, i guess you could call them palpitations, i get random heart flutters that just feel weird and go away.

the other day i was on night shift and was taking a sneaky nap...when i woke up with a start...i had sleep paralysis and my heart was going mental like it used to! i was bricking it...so went back to sleep

lordjonny

 

[Xfujinon]

1. Go see your family doctor and discuss your family's history, then if necessary, get a referral to see a cardiologist.

Everything hereafter is my opinion (I worked in clinical cardiac electrophysiology for four years, and am a medical student).

2. Most people have occasional "palpitations", described as a skipped beat or a period of twitching. The proper term is a premature ventricular contraction, or PVC. These care caused by a variety of external factors (stress, caffeine, exercise, medications, etc.), and may also be completely idiopathic, meaning they have no detectable cause. On average, most people actually have several a day and don't notice it. More frequent or sustained PVCs can be indicative of underlying heart problems, so get it checked out. These premature beats can also be of atrial origin (atrial premature contractions), and can cause a feeling of rate quickening.

3. Muscular contractions of the intercostal muscles or the musculature of the chest and arms can produce a similar sensation. This is nothing to worry about, but can be mistaken for heart problems.

4. Dilated, insufficient, malformed, or stenotic cardiac valves can also cause rate and rhythm abnormalities. These can be diagnosed via echocardiogram.

5. Electrical conduction abnormalities, such as Wolf-Parkinson-White or Lawn-Ganong-Levine syndrome can cause intermittent periods of tachycardia (high, fluttering heart rate). Sometimes these disorders can be serious, and warrant examination and treatment. They can have a genetic (familial) component as well.

6. Talk to your family doctor or internist about the problem, and describe the symptoms you are having. They will likely order an EKG and/or a Holter Monitor device you will wear for a day or more to continuously monitor your heart's rate and rhythm. From this, the doctor(s) may be able to learn more about the problem and recommend a solution.

Best wishes. If you feel profoundly weak, dizzy, or disoriented while these are happening and feel a sense of panic, get help as soon as possible.

Best wishes, I hope you feel better or get some answers soon!

 

[JoshLV]

I don't know if this is the same, but randomly my heart gets a quick sharp pain then goes away. It's like someone stabbed me in my heart. I haven't gone to the doc for it, but after reading some of these posts I think it would be wise.

 

[bobsatwork]

I'm 23 and was having heart palpitations about a year or so ago. Consider lifestyle changes.

I was under a lot of stress as I had just graduated and was looking for a job. I also smoked cigarettes at the time and drank a lot of coffee and caffeine.

You can get palpitations at any age, and they are not really that dangerous to my knowledge. At least I was told mine weren't. I quit smoking and drinking caffeine and I'm no longer stressed out. I have not had the palpitations for a long time. I know consume coffee and energy drinks regularly but they still have not returned. I guess it's a matter of figuring out what could be causing them.

 

[Fiveos22]

You can get palpitations at any age, and they are not really that dangerous to my knowledge.

True you can get palpitations at any age and they can be due to a multiplicity of factors (Xfujinon's post was a good overview). However, there are many conditions involving "palpitations" that are potentially very serious if untreated. Physicians are trained to rule out the most serious conditions first (at least, that's what I'm being taught as a medical student). For example:

I don't know if this is the same, but randomly my heart gets a quick sharp pain then goes away. It's like someone stabbed me in my heart. I haven't gone to the doc for it, but after reading some of these posts I think it would be wise.

My first reaction would be to see if the patient is tall (possibly abnormally so), has hyper-mobile joints, long thing spidery fingers, or an indented sternum, any significant family history - - - all under the suspicion of Marfan's which may indicate risk for Aortic Dissection (suggested by tearing pain in the chest that radiates toward the spine). That's a serious condition and should be ruled out with careful history taking. Combined with a thorough examination, the History and Physical give a good picture of the physiology that surrounds a patients complaint. (FWIW, I'm just shooting from the hip here, this isn't any sort of diagnosis that should be printed out and tacked to the refrigerator).

I imagine Prof has already gone to be evaluated, but I just wanted to clear up what seems to be a sentiment that you should only go to the doctor when you are sick (which seems like a self diagnosis sort of thing, no?). Lots of problems (or potential problems) can be alleviated or successfully managed with a little preventative medicine (i.e. check ups).