Hi,

I know exactly what you are talking about.  I had the same thing years
ago .. and wore a halter monitor for it.  I also did extensive research
on this over the years.  And I have good news for you.

Relax.  Skipped heartbeats are often normal for people.  Many
experience them all the time and aren't even aware of it.  There are
basically two types of arhythmia.. one is bad .. the other is not a
problem.  It sounds like you have the kind that is benign.  Whenever my
blood sugar is wacked out .. or my salt intake is high .. or my blood
pressure changes .. either up .. or down .... I get irregular
heartbeats ... skipped heartbeats... and I have had this for about 15
yrs.  Many many people have this.  If you had the irregular heartbeat
that is the dangerous kind (the kind that comes from the lower part of
your heart) they will be able to detect this with the halter monitor...
but I doubt this is the case.  Everything you said sounds exactly like
me .. when I first started having this.  I was major panicked.  Opiate
WD can indeed precipitate this because of the major fluctuations in
blood pressure.  Also, the waking up with these feelings of panic go
hand in hand with the anxiety of being scared that something is wrong
... and also this is part of opiate WD.

I'll bet this isn't the first thing that you've gotten all worried
about when it comes to health issues.  I have always been a bit of a
hypochondriac <spelling> and the panic comes naturally for me as well.
My guess is that you may keep having these skipped heatbeats as long as
you are going through a taper which brings on WD.

One other thing.  Whenever I would have diarhea ... I would get these
skipped heartbeats .. and they would come like every couple minutes.
It never failed .... must have been triggered by some electrolyte
imbalance.  You can try drinking gatorade .. this sometimes helped me
during those times.  Man, over the years though ... I'll bet I talked
to 30 people who had these skipped heartbeats.

Get on a good diet .... cuz if you are not eating right .. this can
definitely trigger them if you are prone to them.  I was told that
these skipped beats do not really harm you (believe it or not) but
because they scare me .. so I always want to do what I can to get rid
of them.  Eat a balanced diet ... fruit and vegatables ... and
something with healthy oils (olive, flax, sunflower) .. and make sure
you are getting at least 300 calories a day from those oils.  Also, up
your protien (try getting some whey powder from a store like GNC).
I'll bet you $100 that if you drink a whey protien drink (limit the
carbohydrates ... get ones that are low in carbs) and stir fry some
veggies with healthy oils .. and eat some fruit that within a day you
won't have many, of any, more skipped heartbeats.  Remember though ...
make sure you are eating at least 1500=2500 calories .. cuz I would
always get these skipped beats when I would cut calories as well.  If
all this is too much for you right now ... try drinking lots of whole
milk (it's pretty balanced and always works for me in a pinch).
Good luck ... and rest easy .. you are fine.

brian

the hydro you were taking...how much acetominophen did the doses
contain?...did you use any form of extraction method?
psmith.

Apologies for top posting, I am still looking for an outlook
express fix to enable me to bottom post easier.

As to your question, most people indeed do feel "skipped"
beats and this is often referred to as a "palpitation".  It is not
necessarily a PVC (premature ventricular contraction) but could
be a PAC (premature atrial contraction) as well.

Many people feel these or are more sensitive to feeling these
when going through anxiety reactions which certainly are common
long after the initial withdrawl phase of opiate addiction.  It could
be a problem or it may be a transitory thing that will take care of
itself.  The fact that you were put on clonidine is a good thing, it is
a good drug for your problems.  It seems that having an EKG and
wearing a halter monitor is a good clinical approach to proper
diagnosis by your doctor.  I would also agree as others have
posted that the acetaminophen that is in the hydrocodone you
were taking could be a problem and could have caused some
liver damage unless you somehow removed the apap through
some extraction method, generally the maximum apap that one
is recomended to have is 4000 mg. / day.  This assumes that you
are not drinking or taking any other medication that would also
be liver toxic, I would assume that your doctor did some blood
work to check your liver enzymes which would indicate liver
damage.

I really did not think it was common for someone to become
addicted to hydrocodone but have seen many posts recently
that indicate I was very wrong about this.  I have had vicodin
before myself and felt no "high" from it and thought since it was
a schedule III that it had a low abuse potential, especially when
compared to things like dilaudid or percocet.  I guess I have been
mistaken but my concern would be that you take care of yourself
and find a 12 step program such as narcotics anonymous to deal
with your addiction in addition to the diagnostic regimen that your
doctor has outlined.  It seems like you are in good hands but I
would have a strong fear for you if you did not seek out help
from a 12 step program.

Addiction is a disease not unlike diabetes or tuberculosis, I hope
that you are treated for it and that you are not stigmatized because
of it.  I wish you luck and hope you seek out proper treatment for
not only the palpitations and anxiety but also the addiction.

Good luck,

PHM

And this has what to do with me?  Sheesh..

0)You can't have heart problem becasue of w/d
That is the only think is sure ( and that you do not need
catapresan).

it's
1) you have an heart problem,but not related to opiates
2) you have something like anxiety/panic attack.
3) you have something else

I suppose it's 2)

Take more drugs!
That's what I'd do.

Michael

What does it mean to skip a heartbeat. sounds weird and hard to measure
to me. More like some kind of anxiety.

I see, EKG is irregular. So what. Don't triip on it.
Drs. will act like they know what is happening and what to do, but its
like bleeding for a fever or shcock therapy, they really don't know
sh.t, as the body is too complex to understand, and will be for quite a
while.

woke up twice last night one time my heart seemed to be racing again in
my dream. So, my question is can anyone offer any advice? Should i
continue valium or xanex at low doses? Should i excercise or do i need
rest from my heart going crazy for days. I have been to the doctor and
the hospital and not getting much advise or help.<

Yes. valium or xanex is always a good idea, and probably what you
should have done in the 1st place. But then you will be dependent on
them to remain calm, so its sort of half and half.

Van