Heart palpitations

[pyater]

Started TRT back in February of 2019. Fine for 8-9 months and last two months have been getting heart palpitations. Went to see cardiologist and wore halter for 14 days and no issues shown and had a CT calcium score which is zero. Last week have been not taking cream and seems to go away.
Had been feeling much better on TRT. Don’t want to stop but can’t handle heart palpitations. My resting heart rate has been higher since starting TRT as per my Fitbit.
Protocol is empower cream 2 clicks AM and 1 click PM.

 

[Vince Carter]

Started TRT back in February of 2019. Fine for 8-9 months and last two months have been getting heart palpitations. Went to see cardiologist and wore halter for 14 days and no issues shown and had a CT calcium score which is zero. Last week have been not taking cream and seems to go away.
Had been feeling much better on TRT. Don’t want to stop but can’t handle heart palpitations. My resting heart rate has been higher since starting TRT as per my Fitbit.
Protocol is empower cream 2 clicks AM and 1 click PM.

no labs, no list of things you're taking...curious how you think any one is supposed to help here? Note the tenor of this forum, it's based on lab tests and numbers. You can't have an intelligent conversation with out basic factors and you're omitting all of them. Starting and stopping, too, recipe for failure. You don't list the strength of the cream...

 

[pyater]

Sorry - last round of labs.
Labs 3.5 hours after cream application.
200 mg/ml cream

Iron Saturation 21
Dihydrotestosterone 122
Reference Range:
Adult Male: 30 - 85

DHEA-Sulfate 268.0
Prolactin 11.0
Prostate Specific Ag, Serum 1.4

IGF-1 - I 236 High

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy -47.8 ng/mL
Estradiol, Sensitive 29.6 pg/mL

Ferritin, Serum 71
Sex Horm Binding Glob, Serum 25.5

ALT - 47 - high
Testosterone- 326
Free T - 8.5
T4 free - 1.25
TSH - 2.33
H

 

[S1W]

Heart palps are not exactly uncommon with TRT - it seems like this comes up somewhat frequently. And as in your case, most of the guys who see a cardiologist are told there are no problems. I would go with what the cardiologist says and continue along, not worrying about it. Also, the heart palps seem to occur most frequently when guys are making changes to their protocols, etc.

On another note, your TT/FT numbers are low, especially 3.5 hours after 2 clicks of 200 mg/ml cream. That is getting into hypogonadal range. I would want to do something about that.

Had you made changes/skipped doses in the days/weeks before those labs were done?

 

[pyater]

Yes I was tinkering with dosage 1 AM click instead of two around these labs. Previous DHT levels were very very high.

 

[CROM]

Started TRT back in February of 2019. Fine for 8-9 months and last two months have been getting heart palpitations. Went to see cardiologist and wore halter for 14 days and no issues shown and had a CT calcium score which is zero. Last week have been not taking cream and seems to go away.
Had been feeling much better on TRT. Don’t want to stop but can’t handle heart palpitations. My resting heart rate has been higher since starting TRT as per my Fitbit.
Protocol is empower cream 2 clicks AM and 1 click PM.

I was diagnosed with benign palpitations in 2007. Had all the same tests you had and more. I have zero abnormalities of the heart. For 10 years not a single day passed without me having at least a few PVCs. Some days it was a few palps, others it could be thousands. The week I started TRT my palpitations stopped. I had also started dieting a few months before starting TRT, mainly low carb, and lost weight.

Ironically the only time I have had palpitations in the last 2 years while on TRT was when I went to the cardiologist. I was stressed cuz I had to strip down, get hooked up to a bunch of electrodes and run on a treadmill being watched by like 6 woman.

I would do what doctors recommend in your case:

Lose weight (be under 15% body fat​

Get your T levels about 600​

Exercise​

Reduce stress (major factor)​

Eat healthy low carb (sugar increases stress)​

Don’t smoke​

Limit coffee​

Expect healing to take months not days​

When I started TRT my natural testosterone level was 159 (had major palps). The testosterone gel brought me up over 300+ (palps stopped). Eventually the testosterone gel suppressed my natural T and I was right back where I started before TRT (total T was now 147 and palps started again). My dosage was too weak so I went with injections. I brought my T level above 600 (palps stopped). Maybe your T level is not high enough and dipping way below 326 during the day.

 

[Vince Carter]

Where are you applying the cream on your body? I agree above with @S1W that your numbers for 3.5hrs post application are very poor. @pyater

 

[pyater]

1 click to shoulders and 1/2 to shoulder and scrotum AM and 1 click to shoulders PM.

 

[Checkdis]

My father is going through the same thing you are. He has done all the tests, from stress test to calcium readings. Everything came back better than normal. He still has palpitations and to me it seems like stress and anxiety. Good luck

 

[Smokin Joe]

I've had palpitations for years even prior to TRT.
Can say that one benefit of TRT is that it has calmed the palps for the most part.
Still have them occasionally but have had all the work ups mentioned
and no concerns.
I do continue to have a cardiac workup every few years to monitor.

 

[Rock H. Johnson]

A couple of weeks ago I ran out of protein powder and because of my geolocation was not able to get anything proper. I started eating 3 whole boiled eggs in the morning and after working out or at night to a total of 6 full eggs a day. I have had no palpitations ever since. My heart spins like an oiled machine and feels great, no weird feelings of an empty space or bubble around it. Just solid pumping heart muscle without the skipping. I check my HRV and pulse with a Heartmath EKG and it is pumping along smoothly and it goes into higher coherence very easily and stays there. I am assuming that the exgenous addition of the cholestrol and the downstream hormones have something to do with it, but I have no bloodwork to show for it as that is not available here either. I have no fear for high cholestrol as I am not following that line of thinking. I will bring them back to eating 3 a day when I get the proper protein powder again.

 

[Kimpe]

This is my first post on this forum so hopefully it's a helpful one.

Taurine and l-arginine has been found to help with palpitations (PVCs and PACs)
Elimination of cardiac arrhythmias using oral taurine with l-arginine with case histories: Hypothesis for nitric oxide stabilization of the sinus n... - PubMed - NCBI

I have suffered from palpitations for as long as I can remember, a while ago I saw this article and added Taurine.
So far I have been almost completely palpitation free (knock on wood), and that's with only using taurine. The study states you need the l-arginine as well.

10-20g taurine per day reduced PACs by 50% and prevented all PVCs but did not prevent pauses. Adding 4-6g of l-arginine immediately terminated essentially all remaining pauses and PACs, maintaining normal cardiac rhythm with continued treatment.

I'm gonna add the l-arginine to the mix and see if it helps me be totally free from palpitations. Hope this will help you too.

 

[Vince]

Some just need to supplement with magnesium, to stop heart palpitations.

Among the most serious symptoms of magnesium deficiency is heart arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat ( 38 ). ... However, in some people, it may cause heart palpitations, which are pauses between heartbeats. Other possible symptoms of arrhythmia include lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain or fainting.Dec 15, 2017

Healthline › nutrition › magnesium-...
7 Signs and Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency - Healthline

 

[pyater]

I had Magnesium levels checked with my last round of blood work for this very reason and it was normal.

 

[Vince]

I had Magnesium levels checked with my last round of blood work for this very reason and it was normal.

Do you supplement with magnesium? Here's a thread of mine.

1 Mineral for Everything: Magnesium

Magnesium is a common element that has many functions in the human body, from energy production to providing bone density. It is also necessary for cardiovascular health. In fact, this simple mineral has been shown in a German study to dramatically reduce both cardiovascular disease mortality...

www.excelmale.com

 

[Rock H. Johnson]

This is my first post on this forum so hopefully it's a helpful one.

Taurine and l-arginine has been found to help with palpitations (PVCs and PACs)
Elimination of cardiac arrhythmias using oral taurine with l-arginine with case histories: Hypothesis for nitric oxide stabilization of the sinus n... - PubMed - NCBI

I have suffered from palpitations for as long as I can remember, a while ago I saw this article and added Taurine.
So far I have been almost completely palpitation free (knock on wood), and that's with only using taurine. The study states you need the l-arginine as well.



I'm gonna add the l-arginine to the mix and see if it helps me be totally free from palpitations. Hope this will help you too.

I would like to share my experience:

I use(d) high dose(7grams) taurine for his reason and adrenal function(related to my palpitations, arrythmia´s) as it also improved the length of my non-rem sleep. But it did not do the trick on the palpitations completely.
I use a mixture of Beetroot powder, Taurine, L-Arginine and L-Citruline(2:1) with a magnesium spray(30min before sleep) if I experience BP spikes which often happen around dinner time.
It is also great as a pre/post (NO)workout drink with BCAA´s. I experienced also some muscle cramping and twitching. I need to keep an eye on my electrolytes as I live in a hot country and sweat a lot while working out. Keeping a good electrolyte balance is very important in proper firing of the heart muscle.

I have since using this not experienced any heart palpitations or arrythmia´s.
I use a Maisense Freescan to measure BP, it has a ECG which measures also heart irregularities. The app which comes with it keeps track and calculates multiple parameters like rPWV this is the speed with which the heart pulse reaches your extremetes and is used as an indicator of artery health through the capacity of vasilidation of the endothelium, as I understand it. This is translated/calculated together with your cholestrol numbers(manual input) into areterial age.

With my NO mixture and this meter I brought my arterial age down(according to the app) by 10 years, experience no heart irregularities and can better time when to take my mixture twice a day.

I added the full research paper on Taurine for who is interrested.

 

[pyater]

Thanks for the feedback. What dosage of Taurine is suggested?

 

[Rock H. Johnson]

I take a gram with my mixture but for nighttime sleep somewhere between 3-7 grams.
You have to see what works for you ofc.

 

[pyater]

Taurine has been a huge help! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Tony Dco]

I'm 69 and have had little exercise and lousy diet. Last year I was in the hospital with Congestive Heart Failure. One coronary artery was completely closed, another about 90%. My ejection fraction was about 7%, normal is 60. I had 2 stents put in the artery that was 90% blocked. The other artery is still closed. They put in an ICD, similar to a Pacemaker.

To clean my arteries I started taking Arginine/Citrulline (~5g total) and R Lipoic Acid. Both have been proven to reverse atherosclerosis.

This year I went into the hospital again because my heart rhythm was abnormal and my ICD "kicked" me 6 times. In the emergency I was stabilized. I don't know what they did. That night I transferred to ICU. In the early morning my heart muscles were "locking up", unable to absorb oxygen, even with a respirator full on. There was no doctor on the floor. The head nurse gave me a fast drip 2 gram magnesium in my iv. My heart returned to normal in minutes. I read when someone has a heart attack, the first thing they do is give a magnesium drip.

Heart rhythm problems (PAC, PVC, palpitations, pauses, etc) they are all, imo, abnormal electrical signals going to the four heart chambers. What creates the electrical signals? Electrolytes; calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium. They all need to be in the middle of the highly inaccurate serum blood levels. My magnesium was "normal"; 1.9,(1.6 to 2.6) yet my heart muscles locked up and it was a magnesium drip that saved my life. I received 2g of mag in the drip, it increased my blood serum level to 2.0 for a couple days and dropped back to 1.9. After leaving the hospital I had a lot of arrhythmia's. My cardiologist prescribed amiodarone. After reading it can cause irreversible lung damage which can become fatal. It also have a very long half-life. I refused to take it and started looking for alternatives.

I take supplemental arg/cit, mag, pot and 3g taurine. Taurine has tremendous benefits. It helps balance and regulates electrolytes. I previously read the above study of 10-20g of taurine with arginine. That's a lot of taurine. This is a dose to overcome a deficiency.

Magnesium also has tremendous benefits, including dissolving calcium deposits in the heart. I take liquid elemental magnesium, it is very powerful and no diarrhea.

After a few weeks, my arrhythmia's were dramatically reduced in number and milder, and I look forward to more improvement. My "recipe": arginine/citrulline to clean arteries, increase NO, and improve blood flow, sufficient levels of mag, cal, pot, sod, and taurine to regulate/balance the electrolytes.

This info may be more useful to your parents or grandparents.

One last thought, I have begun high-intensity exercise to create "collateral" arteries to make up for the one I have completely blocked.