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Avatar universal

I found my PVC cause and cured it.

Hey all, for the better part of the past 10 years I suffered terrible, terrible flare ups of PVCs. I could never find a trigger and couldn't handle it anymore. For me, it was hard, because I would go 10 months without any then all of a sudden, I'd be having 20 a minute for days to weeks. Most days, 12,000 a day when I had this so called flare ups.

I'm not saying my cause is the same as yours, I am saying when you go 10 months without them, and they randomly hit you from nowhere multiple times a year, there is most likely a trigger.

I do have mitral valve prolapse with mild regurg, I do have hashimotos hypothyroidism. But was told a is asymptomatic, and b. is treated so those should not be a cause. I was told my 12,000 skipped beats were benign and I had a structurally normal heart. I was told there was no malignant cause and that I would just have to learn to cope with them. I saw a cardio, a electro, did ultrasound, stress test, mri, multiple ER visits.

My fiance started paying attention to my flare ups, and she is actually the reason I am now, for the most part, PVC free. I have one or two very rarely, which I consider common. but nothing to what they use to be.

Now, my cause - ASPARTAME. I can relate it to every flare up to when I was a kid. Anytime I have aspartame, they hit me like a storm. I avoid sucralose as well as I believe it has a negative effect on my body. But aspartame is my trigger. Aspartame is in most things sugar free. I can relate it to soda, yogurt, dental visits, gum. I remember anytime I ate gum, I would get skipped beats.

To anyone experiencing these flare ups, pay attention to the food you eat. I suffered for many many years. The depression and fear was unbearable, and I am really happy to say that I have not had these flare ups since I have cut out all fake sweeteners.


A cause for concern is the dairy industry though. They are right now fighting to have aspartame added to all dairy products, UNLABELED.

There is a petition to sign against it. I recommend all to look into it.
19 Responses
1703392 tn?1307454100
I'm 44 and also suffer from PVCs. My PVCs seem to come from many things, but mostly from post exercise adrenaline. I've tried to nail it down to one specific thing but have had no luck. I don't use a lot of sugar free products, so I cannot say if aspartame is causing my PVCs.

Please send a follow up message in the near future and let us know if your PVCs are still gone. Mine come and go so it will be interesting to see if you have found the cause.  
Avatar universal
I have been pvc free for nearly two years now, since cutting aspartame from my diet. I guarantee if I was to have aspartame, I would have them again. I guess someone could legally get away with poisoning me, eh?
1423357 tn?1511089042
I'm an aspartame lab rat.  In a typical week I consume approximately 40 little blue packets.  Then there's perhaps several quarts of diet soda that I drink weekly which also contain aspartame. It's the only artificial sweetener that I can pour directly into my mouth.  It just tastes sweet. I have to tell you that I experience none of the ill effects that you alomg with others report.  If removing aspartame from your diet worked for you, I think that's wonderful.  PVC are a pain to deal with. But is it poison?  Not according to my body.  But we're all different.   Some people feel deathly ill when taking statins.  Yet I've been on one for years with no effects except a 130 cholesterol reading? So personally, I wouldn't condemn aspartame.
Aspartame IS poison and should never be consumed, it turns into formaldahyde at higher temperatures, causes one to eat more, increases pain, inflames your joints and will kill you. is that enough? if it wasn't for corrupt politicians it was going to be labeled that before FDA paid off and passed it.
I am a PhD analytical chemist. aspartame does NOT break down to formaldehyde!  If it did it would probably kill you before you gained any weight.
86819 tn?1378951092
In the us, putting aspartame in products requires a label (for some phenylalanine is a problem)
Avatar universal
Regarding ectopic beats in structurally normal hearts, it comes down to individual reactions, to say nothing of individual hopes, which are a big deal.

In numerous studies of the 'placebo effect,' you can see that this phenomenon exists.  It really works.  The trick is this:  The outer boundary of the placebo effect appears to be something in the vicinity of three months.  If your favorite nostrum, herbal remedy, food avoidance, or meditation regime stops working after three months, then your brain was probably providing you with blessed relief through the Placebo Effect.

Three months.

brettfable appears to be enjoying a genuine response to a specific irritant or whatever.  If it works for him/her, that's an individual triumph and worth a shot.
212161 tn?1537898045
Wish I could find mine, mine are like that when they come they last from 2-10 hours every other heart beat than go away.

Pray they never last for days I would be nutts
Avatar universal
I used to drink tons of aspartame and thought that might be the culprit for me.  I cut it out entirely and almost 2 years later to no avail.  The only way I can eliminate mine is by eating a low fat low cal diet.  If I do that, I don't have even a single premature beat.
1464004 tn?1384139333
I really think triggers are different for each of us. It takes time to learn your own triggers and then I think they may lessen symptoms but I don't know about curing them. I never have aspartame and still get ectopic.
1423357 tn?1511089042
I went low carb two years ago, and my occasional PVC's vanished as well.  Humans were not designed to run on carbs, yet they make up the majority of our daily food intake.  Carbohydrates were seasonal treats in ancient times; raw honey, fruits and berries.  The human body was, and still is designed to run on fats, and protein, and minimal carbohydrates.  I'm talking about eggs, nuts, seeds, cheese,fish,, and meat.  I comsume approximately 30 pounds of nuts annually now.  When you hear the reports of rampant Type II Diabetes in today's youth, you need only to look at the use of high fructose corn syrup along with the mass consumption of starches. Dump the carbs, and perhaps the PVC's will go away.  I know your overworked pancreas will  breathe a sigh of relief.   Can you tell that I'm passionate of this subject?  :-)
Avatar universal
it is hard to believe sometimes, but even when you're told your pvcs are benign, there is still something happening in your body thats triggering them. i really went through hell with these things. 12k a day for two weeks straight then poof. It would happen 2 - 3 times a year. I was even tested for ARVD.

In the end, it wasn't what my body was doing to me. It was what I was doing to my body.
Avatar universal
iam 42 now  and i had pvcs and palps for a long time    i have good days and bad  lately it seems bad again     does anyone have those pvcs when you lay on your left side?  its about to drive me crazy,and its ruining my life.
YES which is crazy because I primarily slept on my left side till recently. had terrible bronchial cough in january and took a lot of over the counter cough med and suddenly started having almost nightly episodes where before I would have one every few months. now they occur too often, then stop. have to lay on my back which i didn't do much of and did read where that is the worst place to be if your are experiencing or prone to pvc's.
I absolutely notice that I'm more likely to have a PVC episode if I sleep on my left side. My doctor suggested it was because when you're on your left side, your heart shifts closer to your chest wall and therefore you're more likely to feel them... I call BS on that. For me, when I sleep on my left side now, I've gotten in the habit of putting a pillow under my right arm, so that it lifts it up off my body it takes some of the weight off of my chest. This seems to have reduced the frequency of episodes when I sleep on my left side.
Avatar universal
I have had two lots of EP studies and ablations in the past 4 weeks the last lot being only 5 days ago.  So far my palpitations are only minimal which I was told would be normal for the next couple of weeks as my body is highly intoned with the palpitations.  I am hoping they will eventually disappear but they are a lot better than they were.  I too experienced pvcs after exercising which would let for anything up to 5 hours.  IT was exhausting to say the least especially at night.  Medications were not an option as my BP and pulse rate were low and the side effects of the meds would have only made this worse. THe procedure isn’t pleasant but if it has worked I will be more than happy to recommend it to any fellow PVC suffer.  
Avatar universal
I agree  they can drive u crazy 15k per 3 month for 5 years for me  yes they say they are benign they may be benign but boy are they imposable to cope with---I feel every one that skips.....I'll try anything...I have a pacemaker & defib. and yes thank the good Lord they worked....my life was saved on 6/29/2013 Docs said noway I could have been saved in time unless it happened in a hostpital, but me defib kicked like a rocket six time knocking me on my *** but saved my live....Now i'm on 10 pills a day and that suks but without them who knows. It is waht it is but these pvc's r driving me crazy... and belive it or not I them when I talk to much or just typing on my H/C and most of all when i'm cooking. Must be a way to help this condition? PVC suffrer . Mike Smash.
Avatar universal
I wish aspartame was the cause of my PVCs/PACs/possible NSVT. I don't touch aspartame containing food and I still get them :(. I also have Hashimoto's and my palpitations seem to flare up when my thyroid goes borderline/subclinical hypo. There also seems to be some connection between my palpitations, gas (SIBO) and food.
Avatar universal
I have skin sensitivity to dairy, so I had to switch to different protein powder for my morning smoothie. It turns out, substituting it to pea protein  causes my heart to skip, and so does soy. I know this because once I stop taking either one of those, it goes away, and when I try again, it comes back.  I'm not sure what option I have left for protein in my blended breakfast. I've tried spirulina as protein source for awhile, and had no sensitivity. But recent blood test shows high liver enzyme, indicating liver damage  (from microcystins contamination in algae?) Another thing that causes my heartbeat to skip is taking Benandryl. So long as I stay away from these things, along with taking enough calcium,  magnesium,  and potassium (orotate), my heart is regular. Hope this helps.
Can chia seed be a protein option for you?
Avatar universal
Add Fish oil to your diet- it fixed my arrhythmia within two days- and I’ve had it for 60 years
I wanted to try that until I read fish oils can cause palpitations.  Now I'm scared to try it.
Avatar universal
I am a rather new PVC sufferer and have suffered from PVCs for a year now.  I understand when you say they drive you crazy.  I feel pressure in my chest and in my head, neck and jaw with each skipped beat and I normally skip every 3rd or 4th beat every single day.  And yes it feels worse when I lay on my left side.  It is like have a muscle spasm that won't stop or when your eye has an annoying twitch for days. I have Celiac Sprue and since I have a malabsorption disorder I think mine is connected to a vitamin deficiency.  The reason why I think that is because I just found out I was pregnant 3 weeks ago.  My first concern was that they would get worse because of the added blood volume and the higher workload on the heart during pregnancy but instead they have almost gone away.  I never take vitamins which I know I should but they usually hurt my stomach.  I found a prenatal vitamin that doesn't upset my stomach and  since I started taking them 3 weeks ago my PVCs have stopped.   It is a freaking miracle.  I have not stopped drinking the occasional diet soda or splenda in my tea or coffee however I have reduced it greatly.   I think the person who said to add fish oil to their diet is on to something.  Sweet sweet relief.... either that or I will need to have another baby as soon as this one is out because it is the only relief I have had from these PVCs in a year.
Avatar universal
Glad you found your trigger. I’ve never purposely consumed Aspartame as it tastes like poison and is known to cause brain cancer. So I’ve avoided that along with all other artificial sweeteners.

The only thing I’ve ever found to be a trigger for my PVCs (which all of my doctors refuse to believe), is PMS and ovulation. This doesn’t really help for the guys, but at least I’ve kind of been able to pin point a possible cause. I’ve had PVCs, Bigeminy, and Trigeminy for over ten years. Outside of mitral valve prolapse, which everyone seems to have these days, Cardiologists I’ve been to said they can’t find a real cause.

My cure has been 1,0000 mg of hemp (no THC) CBD oil sublingually twice per day. It stopped my PVCs for two months straight. As soon as I ran out, then halved my dose when I got a new bottle, the PVCs came back. Twenty minutes after reintroducing the second dose, the PVCs stopped. It’s a miracle cure for me.
Thank you so much for your post. After much investigation, it seems that PMS and ovulation seem to be two main triggers for my PVCs/trigeminy  also. And my cardiologist did not seem too interested in any hormonal links. Cutting out artificial sweeteners has seemed to help although not entirely.
I don’t understand why doctors refuse to believe the hormonal trigger. I can show you a diary of PVCs, Bigeminy, and Trigeminy that is many years long, filled with dates tracking it all. Every single incidence occurs the week before my period, and during the week of ovulation. I’ve shown it to doctors and they’ve rolled their eyes at me.

I also tracked the handful heart incidents that landed me in the ER. Was exactly a few days before my period started, every time. I just don’t think any of it is a coincendence. I’m fine the rest of the month.
Avatar universal
AMEN, this is a Major cause of my PVC's, and to go a step further, I eliminated ALL artificial Sugers and 90% reduction in PVC activity!!!
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