Heart flutters fast, shortness of breath, coughing stops it

Hi there, I have also had these problems, but my palpitations don't go away, I've had 3 emergency scares to the hospital with chest pains, palpitations and feeling ill, the doctors have found nothing wrong and I have been diagnosed with panic disorder and I'm on a course of citalopram 10mg, I get this urge to cough every now and then and a feeling like my hearts going to stop. Do you worry about anything, obviously worrying about the problem won't help it can make it worse.
The doctor at A & E told me that the only thing that could be wrong is super tachycardia but it hasn't shown on any of the ECG's, I feel like life's ebbing away every now and then and that I'm not going to get better, I keep feeling for my heart beat, which is a big no no, if you want to feel your beat feel for it in your neck, your groin, your wrist or just above your elbows on the inside of the arm.
Everyone has palpitations, infact people have them throughout the day, but because they aren't worried about their health it is not something you would notice. If you are anxious or stressed, you basically turn up your bodies amplifier, you feel everything that's quite normal louder than it really is.
I worry about dying, but I can't see the point anymore, the hospital can't see nothing wrong, my parents and doctor think its a mental problem which it most probably is, so I might aswell keep going and if I do drop dead I do and if I don't well that's a real plus.
Also anxiety can cuase spa3ms, lumps in the throat and oesophagus. If it is really troubling you ask your doctor to refer you to a cardiologist, but I can assure you unless you are over the age of 40 and you have heart problem history in the family or have had siblings who died of sudden death in there teens that this is 99.99999% in your favour of not being life threatening.
Hope this has helped you and that you will get back.

Hi - I'm 30, female, and also healthy so far as I know. I've recently started having the exact same symptoms you described - a couple of episodes over the last 3 months. It is a bit unsettling, to say the least. I'd felt things like this before, rarely, but in the past it has only felt like a single skipped heartbeat. Recently, when it has happened, it has been off and on for a few days, and then gaps of a few weeks without anything. I haven't yet been to see a doctor about it because it is not very predictable. I've been trying to watch to see if it is associated with anything else, such as probable dehydration, menstrual cycle, or colds. I have twice noticed it happening in the week or so preceding the onset of a cold, once in August and once in the last week, but I'm not certain that's the only time it's happening. Have you noticed whether it has happened to you before a cold, or any other patterns?

I've been getting the same thing and after reading the second blogger's expeditions to the hospital and them not finding anything, then I feel better. I think stress and worry is definately a factor as was said by that blogger. I actually just got through debating a very heated topic and found myself reaching for my chest 1 hour after it was over. This is when I decided to look online to see if anyone else has the same problem. Thanks for posting this guys.

Yeah, I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and a recent history of panic attacks. And I'm classified as obese, with a history of high blood pressure, and a family history of hert problems. So I definately at risk, but not because my cholesterol or blood pressure (which have been stable for a year now) but because of the fear or heart problems. Panic attacks cause heart flutters or chest discomfort, and they also amplify normal everyday ache's pains and adjustments. I've been to the ER 3 times, and tthey have done ECG's, MRI and I'm fine. (atleast I hope so) But it's very difficult dealing with the issue or uncertainty about the heart or any other organ. But stress and worrying only makes things worse. Does anyone else have any idea on what can be going wrong. I've been exercising daily and eating the right foods, but the heart flutters or so called growing pains are quite frequent. Anyone have any suggestions on what they may think is wrong, besides the panic attacks.

I also have brief periods of brain shivvers, the feeling you get when you wake up suddenly after dozing off? Anyone ever heard of that. I get them intermittently and their usually precursors to headaches.

hi all i too have the same flutterings and thumping they are horrid but have had them since i was 19 now 35 have had many ecg even while they were presant but been told they are ok nothing to worry about by specailist i have been to a very useful forum called uncommanforum.com has 1000,s of people that suffer with the same it may help some one
stay well
tina x

hmmm hello all...i am getting the same problems...exactly as you say it guys...Quote:

feels like my heart is catching and it makes me cough.

exactly the same!!! and when i lie down it gets worse...sometimes i get extra saliva too...dont know what it is..i am 26 yo and never had a heart problem...altough i sometimes felt weak at heart...anyways i have not seen a doctor yet...also i have a problem with the upper intestine because of stress it pupls and causes minor inconviniences sometimes..i dont know if that causes the sudden heartbeat changes...and if i take a deep breath something does not feel right,,,shall i see a doctor? or is it cuz of stress...because my intestine problem is causes by anxiety and stress...also i had some panic attacks some time ago and that left me with a constant stress out of nowhere and about everything (dont know if u understand what i mean here but thats how i felt)...thank you.

Hi, I also get heart palpitations. Mine is worse during the day though when I'm active, stressed and consume caffiene. I find that a B-complex vitamin helps me with the stress and vitamin E and pottassium helps with the heart. Also purple grape juice helps. Like anything else though don't over do it, especially the potassium. Once I cut out the pop, coffee,ice tea
and replaced them with orange and grape juice and good water the palpitations slowly ceased. Never completely went away but are better. I
don"t smoke or it probably would be worse. I would say if you do smoke and have this problem, STOP. I,m not a doctor but this has helped me. If it doesn"t help you within a couple of weeks, see a doctor. Hope this has helped.

I have had this issue and the only thing that helps me is taking a B Complex. The one I take is for stress relief and it is time-released. It usually takes a couple days to kick-in, but if you take them daily.... I bet your symptoms will subside. A lot of people with stress/anxiety related problems are simply missing vitamins and minerals.

... since I thought I might have been either going crazy or on my way out! I have very similar symptoms, the fluttering heart beat or extra heart beats, almost like a continuous smasm, which feels like it puts me closest to what I would call a mild asthma attack, which then makes me feel like if I cough, it should straighten everything out ... but when I cough sometimes, it goes away, and other times I cough, it makes it worse. I do suffer from a lot of stress, and anxiety, and take Zanax, and I do find, at times when I take my Zanax, it subsides somewhat. I have autoimmune problems such as Lupus, fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome, and take different medications some on a regular basis, and some as needed. I do drink alcohol occassionally and although I am not a smoker per say, I do enjoy cigarettes during social gatherings, when I drink I usually smoke, and believe it or not, it seems to make these symptoms subside ... go figure! It is just as confusing to me as the darn autoimmunes I've been dealing with for over 12 years now. I too, suffered a fainting spell which lasted the whole trip to the E.R. by ambulance and part of the E.R. visit before I could fully understand where I was. Weird thing about it, I could hear everything around me, and remember some of the events taking place such as the paramedic asking me things like my age, medical history, etc ... yet I couldn't respond ... long story short, I came too in E.R., blood pressure was a bit high, ( I suffer from flexuating blood pressure, sometimes as high as 160/110, and as low as 103/60, and after three days in hospital, and every cardiac test imaginable, there was no explaination to this episode. Some of the common things I can associate with the previous blogs are low potassium at times, palpatations w/cough, blood pressure issues, stress and anxiety. It wouldn't surprise me, after reading all of your experiences, if their isn't some other weird immune disorder, they haven't found a name for which would tie us all together and explain our experiences. Good Luck to all ... and I say, as long as you live life to it's fullest and in moderation ... and you've been checked out, and they still can't find anything wrong? ... just take care of yourselves, get plenty of rest, and hope that if their is something wrong with you, that they catch it during one of your episodes, so their is some understandable explaination to it! God Bless!

well :( i feel this felling at this moment ....iam an 18 year old female....and last night my hear was pounding so fast alli had to do was put my hand on my chest. and i felt the hard fast beat of my hear/////scary :cry: ...nerve raking because when i woked up in the morining i felt the same as last night...a small sharp pain in my upper left arm..and weakness in my left arm.....a little dizzie but not a lot. i am scared iam afraid of a sudden heartattackt...afraid of death,,,i mean who isint?????i wan tto get checked....but i dont know how to exsplain to the doctors what i feal!..............scary thing iam only 18 y ears old....none smokker....never drink..........healthy...at leat thats what i tought.....................what should i do? ..please email me...**********

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I'm 19 yo and had a UTI and an abscess. I was given anti. Suddenly my heart flutters and i have this urge to cough. I'm scared cause i don't want to die, I just wanna know if its normal or something that should be observe? Any solutions?

Hi All with this heart problem.
I am a 21 year old who for the past 4 years has had palpitations with light headedness and a tight chest, like a rubber band is wrapped tightly around my chest. Up until last year I was a nursing student, now a nurse. I had an episode in my emergency class where i collapsed and luckily for me I was surrounded by ED nurses one of which sufferes from what I suffer from. It's called SVT or supra ventricular tachycardia also known as atrial tachycardia. It can be prolonged which will need immediate medical attention to revert the heart back to normal or it can be quick and be over with 2 seconds to 30 seconds. It causes low BP, hence fainting, as not enough oxygen is moving to the brain and is diagnosable if the HR is between 160 and 240 resting. The major problem with SVT is that no number or ECG's will pick it up UNLESS it is occuring at that particular time. No Echocardiograms will pick it up. That is because the heart functions normally until it reverts into SVT and can the just as quickly revert back to normal. It can only be picked up if you are in SVT at the time of an ECG.
The reason coughing fixes it is because there is a nerve called the vagus nerve which regulates heart rate. When this is stimulated the heart returns to normal. A Valsalva manouver stimulates this (when you bare down to use your bowels for eg) however it is quite likely that coughing also acts as a valsalva manouver.
I recommend that if it is something that interferrs with your every day living or is distresing you or happens regularly to get a referal to a cardiologist and ask for a halter monitor. It will be like a continuous ECG (but stores it in memory rather than prints it) and will pick up any arrythmias should one occur.
Good luck!

I have had the same symptoms since I was in my teens. I am now 52. I told doctor after doctor what was happening...felt like a fish was flopping around high up in my chest, felt like I wasn't getting enough air even though I was breathing, needed to cough. It usually seemed to happen when I was sitting quietly. I think they thought I was just a hypochondriac...until I went into 8 hours of atrial fibrillation following surgery. It was amazing how I was suddenly believed. I told them this was just an extended version of what I had been experiencing for years. Coughing is the natural reflex and is one of the ways to get your heart to rest itself. After several heart scans, 24 hour holter monitors (that showed nothing), they put a holter monitor on me for 30 days and had me push the button every time I felt the symptoms. Every time I pushed the button, I was in atrial fibrillation. Caffiene, chocolate, and alcohol make it much worse. I take a beta blocker and was on Warfarin to thin the blood for about 9 months. In simplified terms, the upper part of your heart goes into a fluttering state, the bottom starts beating really hard and fast to compensate, and it essentially creates a kind of whirlpool effect in the blood, which can form clots, leading to strokes. My best friend had a stroke from A Fib. I just normally have short 5-20 second bursts of this, but it is a bit disconcerting. An aspirin a day can help with keeping the blood a bit thinner. So can high doses of fish oil or other EPAs. I find that avoiding alcohol and caffiene, and really taking lots of magnesium, calcium, and potassium keeps episodes way down to almost not at all. There is an operation using a catheter that goes up into the heart and pinpoints the tiny section that is malfunctioning, causing the fibrillation. They zap that area with something, and it often corrects the problem. It is called and Oblation (of some kind or other). I am going to look into this, as I will absolutely not go back on Warfarin. Look up atrial fibrillation and see if the symptoms fit. Bonnie

Oh, a couple more things. My friend was told her problem was panic or anxiety attacks, and she was given drugs to help with that. She was having severe atrial fibrillation for 2-3 years before they figured out what it was. By that time she had had a stroke. It does make you feel anxious and weak. A doctor friend of mine set off a fibrillation episode in himself by drinking an ice cold drink. I guess the esophagus runs right next to whatever controls all of this, and so cold drinks or vomiting can cause the problem sometimes. I was nauseated after surgery, and vomiting set off my 8 hour episode. Normally, it just seems to do it when I am at my quietest, like watching TV, laying in bed, or driving in the car. Really the only way to tell if this is what is happening is to be hooked up to an ECG or holter monitor when it is happening, and it is amazing how it avoids happening when you are wired up. That is why the 30 day monitor worked on me, although by the 5th day they took it off because they had so many AFib episodes, they didn't need anymore.