Heart palpitations

10-09-2005, 06:46 PM

Hi-I just started my Herceptin treatment plan. I had a heart echo prior to treatment and everything looked good. I have always had heart palpitations occasionally in the past without any problems, but I am noticing that after my 1st treatment, I'm having frequent palpitations following the treatment a few days ago.(more so than normal for me) This is worrying me. I have no other symptoms. Anybody else notice this and for future checks of the heart, should I have a Muga Scan or Echo? Thanks a bunch!

Berta · 10-10-2005, 04:04 PM

I've just been on herceptin since late July so I'm no expert but I would suggest you call your onc and report what's going on. They have told me to report any thing unusual that happens. Berta

Diane H · 10-10-2005, 04:27 PM

I felt like I was having more palpitations than usual also, but have since had two echos and everything is fine. In my case I think I was very nervous about the herceptin and was maybe just noticing them more than usual. Do mention it to your doctor, but hopefully it is just an anomaly. I have been told that the echo and the muga are equally good at judging ejection fraction and condition of the heart. I like the echo, it's very quick and no injection is needed. But I've never had a muga so don't know much about it.

RhondaH · 10-10-2005, 05:32 PM

I TOO had a few palpitations after my 1st and 2nd dose (I am on the 3 week regimen). My onc nurse wants me to talk to my onc ( I see him this Thurs) about doing the every 2 week dose and see if it doesn't "perk" me up...

Rhonda Hoffman

Christine · 10-10-2005, 09:32 PM

Guest
Palpatations can sometimes happen from the premeds given before herceptin to prevent allergic reactions from the chemo treatment Ask the nurse or onc about the pre-meds you are taking and also if palpatations are common. I sometimes had gastritis, also causing heart fluttering. Decadron is also another premed that can cause you to be hyper active and cause stomach acidity. Speakto your onc and I'm sure he will listen to your symptoms.
I always took echo-cardiograms routinely, and never went for a Muga scan. Either is Okay
Warmm well wishes, Christine

Sheila · 10-12-2005, 06:13 PM

I get the heart palpitations but it was due to mitral valve prolapse....I do know that stress & caffiene can make them more pronounced.
Hugs
Sheila

Gina · 10-12-2005, 10:32 PM

This is actually pretty common. One not-to-difficult-to-solve cause could be lack of magnesium...Calcium and magnesium must maintain homeostasis in your blood for TWO very important reasons...calcium causes the heart muscle to contract and magnesium causes the heart muscle to relax. Her-2 folks, in general, are notoriously magnesium deficient (you can check your own levels very simply by looking at the PLATELET count on your most recent CBC...if your platelets are below 300, you are officially Magnesium deficient)...when the levels of mag drop in the blood, too much unbalanced calcium remaining can cause the heart muscle to flutter/spasm...the same way other muscles do when magnesium is low...so try eating a magnesium -rich diet (whole grains, nuts, cocoa, advocados, etc) and I honestly think a PLAIN magnesium tab (but NOT mag citrate) a day wouldn't hurt.

Of course the flutter could be an indication of a more serious underlying condition...so best to keep your onc and primary care physician carefully informed..also, note the time of day the flutters happen and what you were doing and eating or NOT eating or drinking... sometimes, just being sure you are pushing enough fluids and not dehydrating will smooth the flutters out...also, watch your coffee or soda intake as caffeine can be a benign cause of this too, sometimes...:-) Also, remember that it is my educated opinion that her-2 folks should not regularly ingest free calcium supplements as they can make this symptom worsen, as the blood mag to calc ratio is thrown even further out of whack...fyi.

Best of luck to you,
Gina

10-13-2005, 08:11 AM

Hi,

I was interested to see your post about heart palpatations.

A couple of days after a Herceptin treatment, I felt my heart racing, which stopped after about 10 minutes. I had never experienced anything like this before.

A few days later, when the palpatations started again, I was aware things weren't right because I have been a medic for 20 years. I ended up in the emergency room with an irregular heart rate of 200 beats per minute which wouldn't stop. I was diagnosed with SVT which is something I was probably born with but have never had a previous episode (that I am aware of.) I am now on a beta blocker to avoid another episode. So far so good.

SVT is not life threatening (although it feels like it.) Herceptin did not cause me to have SVT (I have an extra electrical pathway in my heart) but I wonder if it is a trigger? Things like caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, and of course stress are triggers. Maybe this is a side effect that the doctors don't know about yet.

The only way to really diagnose the problem is to have it recorded on an EKG while you are in the irregular rythym. Wearing a Holter monitor is one way to try and catch it. Otherwise your heart is probably normal except for the electrical problem. My MUGA scans have always been in the 60's.

Not all palpatations are SVT. I would certainly let your doctors know about your symptoms.

Good luck!

Linda