heart palpitations with the urge to cough

Hi, I'm having the same symptoms and read your post. I'm curious if you ever got a diagnosis. I would truly appreciate it if you could enlighten me on this condition. Thanks much :)

I want to tell you guys how helpful this thread has been for me. I had the same symptoms flip-flops+cough reflex and I will tell you how I fixed it. It has been a low level problem for a while, but got really bad last few days. I found this thread and realized my problem is mineral depletion (specifically potassium). I drink 2 cups of coffee per day, use nicotine patches in the evening, and also play soccer 2-3 times/week here in Florida. I am a heavy sweater during soccer, and loose a lot of salt to the point I need to take salt supplements (gatorade helps too). After reading these posts I realized I had not eaten a banana in a long time, my vitamins I take once every 2 days have no minerals, and given that caffeine and nicotine cause excessive neurotransmitter release (and therefore neuron salt usage - potassium, calcium, magnesium) it seemed clear to me as a science guy that my problem was mineral deficiency. I was having the flip-flops yesterday when I realized this and we just happened to have bought some bananas so I ate one. Didnt have a flip flop after this. In addition I could previously tell my heart was struggling or somehow not right during the flip-flopping time period - this sensation also seemed to disappear. It couldnt be that easy could it? A potassium deficiency? I looked at the labels of all the products I use - a vitamin called Alive, my salt supplements I use prior to outdoor soccer here in the Florida sun, none had any potassium. So I went and got some potassium, and calcium+magnesium+zinc supplements as well as a co-Q10 supplement (the last two just for the heck of it) the next morning and took them. After drinking my morning coffee no flip-flops - huge change from yesterday (which was so bad I was really freaking out) I conclude at this point my lifestyle choices definitely require mineral supplementation. The change has been like day/night or black/white - very sharp reversal in not only the flip flopping but the sensation that there was something not quite right - I feel 100% normal, ready for soccer today, so relieved. Hope this helps. I think mineral deficiency may be more common than people think depending on your diet and lifestyle choices, and I suspect the symptoms of this can build up over time.

I have had the same palpitations with the cough but it doesn't happen very often (maybe 3 or 4 times a year). I also suffer from chronic fatigue with a feeling of pressure on my chest and that is something I've been to a million doctors about and got really very little help other than finding out I had low Vitamin D levels. The one thing that helped was a Homeopath (she puts me on various supplements). However, this past Friday I had low grade palpitations for two hours (a few every few minutes but only one of them was big with a cough). I went to the ER, the EKG was normal, altho' my blood pressure was a little low, but not too much. But I had low Potassium (and I had also worked out an hour before they started). I have not been stressed, but having a little more fatigue than usual. I just went out and bought a Potassium supplement and have been eating bananas every day. So far, so good, no palpitations and its' been 3 days. But I also have allergies and have a runny nose. I

I've been experiencing the skipped beats for several weeks only at rest, now I also have a dry cough with them. Saw the cardiologist for the first time today. Of course nothing showed up on the 12 lead ekg. Nothing when he felt my pusle. Nothing regular. He said probably pac's or pvc's. He asked if I've been under stress. Yes I have been. Going thru some changes in my life. He said could be brought on by stress, but going to do some tests to make sure everything is okay.

Be careful with the potassium.

It could be heartburn or reflux. It causes the same symptoms. I have it and its the same feeling

If you're having swelling of the ankles and your father had CHF, you should be checked for myocarditis. My son had CHF at age 24 that wasn't diagnosed until he was 25 and was so swollen, he couldn't put his shoes on. NO ONE caught it until he went to a local urgent care place with an amazing doctor. They did a chest x-ray and got him in to the cardiologist that same afternoon. He was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy. Within two days he was on an external defibrillator because his heart was only functioning at 33%. About eight months later, I started having swelling, chest pains, palpitations, and tachycardia (high pulse rate). I went to the same local urgent place and they were concerned about the tachycardia. Because of my son's history, I was able to get in to see the same cardiologist the next day. It turns out that I also have viral cardiomyopathy. Apparently in some families, there is a genetic predisposition to certain viruses causing myocarditis. While lots of people are exposed to the same viruses and are completely fine, for some people, they get one of those viruses and it starts to damage their heart. It is nearly impossible for a doctor to diagnose cardiomyopathy without a MUGA scan, but it's an expensive nuclear test so most doctors don't want to order it. An echo can give a general estimate of the heart's function, also known as the ejection fraction, but it is highly subjective and depends a lot on the skill of the person performing the echo. While the genetic aspect is extremely rare (our cardiologist said we are the first mother/son he's ever seen in his entire career, and that my daughter needs to be checked as well), it does happen.

Finally , i have found other people who have this same experience that I do. I thought I was crazy.. I have tried to explain this to my doctor and he basically said its nothing to worry about. Its the weirdest thing. you feel a palpitation and it forces you to cough. I never went to a cardiologist but after reading all these replys i feel that it is nothing to worry about. Thanks!

Hi all, I have this too and apparently it is not abnormal or cause to worry (ha, ha although I do!), here is a link to what it is online and that aligns with what my dr told me, all the best
 

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Coughing in this case is a response to the body trying to restart the heart. It is said that if you have heart attack and there is no one to assist you then forced coughing can keep your heart beating. There are many reasons for the sensations being reported but the first thing to do would be to cut out caffeine and other stimulants and as stress and anxiety are another cause then Yoga/meditation can also help. If the problem is physical then longer term heart monitoring is used and in some cases require a pace maker.

Guys I have the exact same problem but have been checked out my doctors and no diagnosis my heart skip's 10 to 15 times a min when it happens and can't stop coughing got to a point were it is scary please help

I have just started having the palpitations and have had the urge to couch occasionally. Today the "andrenaline" Rush has been going on about 80% of my day. I take lysinopril for high blood pressure, water pill and metformin for diabetes. Pulse resting is about 83 and blood sugar was 183 before dinner. I have had this issue occasionally over the past few years but never this long. Going to make appt with doc tomorrow.

This was me

I have had minor palpitations for most of my life, but lately they feel stronger. Itonly hahappens to me about once in every several weeks, or maybe once a month, and it only lasts for a minute or less. But they are so strong that it actually feels like my heart is thumping against my left lung, forcing me to cough. I mentioned it to one of my specialists, and also to a dentist taking my medicine history, and both suggested I pursue this further, either with my primary doctor, or my cardiologist, and I plan to do both. I encourage you to pursue it also. I am a lot older than you, 57, but the problem is similar, and I really want to urge you, that if this is still bothering you, that you try other doctors until you find someone who will take it seriously. By doing so, you may be able to have a potentially serious problem diagnosed and treated. Even if the problem turns out to be very minor, or insignificant, you could gain a better understanding of what is happening, which will give you some peace of mind, and even a better quality of life.

I hope that you are feeling better. I am not sure what the thud and cough are about, but I have this problem also, and I am looking into it. However, be careful of heartburn that comes with any other unusual symptoms, because according to what I have read in medical literature, heartburn and heart attack can sometimes mimic each other. This is not intended to cause you to be afraid or to panic, but it is important to seek out a second opinion, or even a third one, if you are not satisfied with the answers your doctors are giving you. My husband has heartburn, but on one occasion it seemed different than the others. We ignored it, and about a month later, it happened again. We went to the ER to check it out, and it turned out to be a full-blown heart attack, which was related to the blockage of several coronary arteries. He was also throwing up a lot - nausea is a common symptom of heart attacks. The story has a good outcome, because with a lot of prayer, and excellent medical treatment (which was provided to my husband, as a completely UNinsured person at the time), my husband came through it, underwent a successful double-bypass surgery, and with continued monitoring and the support of his doctors, can live a fairly normal life. He also has several gastric problems which include regular heartburn, but he is very careful to pay close attention to the type of pain he is having, which other symptoms may come with it, and what makes it go away. We don't want him running to the ER with every tummy ache, but we also don't want him to ignore the pains that are the body's warning signals when they're saying, "Help!" Listening to our bodies, and having doctors who listen to us, are just as impossible as listening to our doctors.