anyone have any of these.I noticed last week and this that at certain times in day I have them.Not doing anything different.I remember years ago I use to have some but doctor says that this is normal to h ave them sometimes.My blood pressure is great 115\70.Just thought that I would ask.Problably body just adjusting to all the changes in diet although I have been on it for 4 months.I love you guys and all your support

I haven't really noticed weird heart palpatations but i have noticed alot more muscle spasms... like my leg will start to twitch or my eye twitches.. with is really annoying...
not sure if it has anything to do with the diet or not... just has been happening alot more frequently... since i started Atkins in the beginning of August.

Maybe we are just noticing things more now... cuz we aren't always sooo tired... just kidding..

Are you taking magnesium, Rachelle? If you are, you might find upping the dose slightly helps... its very good for steadying the muscles out a little; especially whilst your body adapts to the new way of eating.

I was the opposite to you I'm afraid suntanlove: I had really bad palpitations before I started the diet and they've all but disappeared now. Hope someone manages to give you a more helpful answer than that at some point though...

Hi suntanlove,

I am copying this from a post I did awhile back as you might find it useful:

I had to start taking potassium and also mineral supplements after being on Atkins for a month to help control PVC's (heart palpations) that are a result of having two heart surgeries to replace valves. It seems this WOE and its diuretic effect, depleting electrolytes, intensified the problem. The mineral supplements alone helped, but when I added Taurine almost all have stopped. I have not seen any effect on my weight loss or BP which is now quite low anyway. I am still taking HTCZ (diuretic) and atenolol, but at my last check up my cardiologist said to eliminate them and the potassium when I was comfortable doing that. From all I have read, Taurine is a very safe and commonly needed supplement with no bad side effects. I take 500mg daily, 99mg potassium and a combo mineral pill containing 1000mg calcium 400mg magnesium, and 15mg zinc. These are all 100% of your daily requirement.

Palpations should be checked by a physician if they are a new event as they could be from an underlying cause other than diet. Most, however, are harmless and are caused by a multitude of things, making it very hard for a doctor to prescribe a cure. My cardio man says "I just can't help you with those" and to live with them. I have found that mental stress is my biggest trigger and before I truly believed and knew that mine were harmless, each one I felt caused more....ahh, that active imagination at work.

SO, if you want some amateur (but experienced) advice over the Internet, I would suggest adding these supplements in this order, one at a time for a week or so to see if it helps: potassium, combo mineral, L-Taurine.

Best wishes,
T.

When you're talking about your heart, I'd rather be safe than sorry and go see the doctor! It could be nothing but it won't hurt to have it checked out.

I heard that sometimes ingesting aspartame can cause these palpatations. I used to have them once in while...where I would feel my heart racing.

Since starting Atkins, and consequently cutting way down on aspartame (usually try to use splenda products), I have noticed that the palpatations have disappeared!

So you may want to stop eating/drinking aspartame if you are!

Froufie

I don't eat aspartame because I hate the taste, but i've definately been having both heart racing and palpatations as well as an eye twitch now and then. Guess I'll go get some potassium!

I have a history of them. They had gotten better until I started Atkins, and now they are a tiny bit worse, but nothing I worry about.

Thanks guys I got some free sugar free gum from my bro and I have been eating 3 or 4 pieces a day.I already take potassium and a mutil and omega,calcium,folic,vit E,physilium,pro biotics,vitC.Must be the gum

I also think it could be the aspartame. I'm reading a book called "Sweet Poison" which describes all the damage that nutrasweet does to your body. Heart palpitations were one of the most common ones. Seizures, too. It is scary...

Thanks Latingirl, I am fine today and have had a whoosh of 4 pounds this week.I think it could also have been that as well as the aspartame but I am getting off the gum.

From your birthdate, it could just be one of the delightful effects of peri-menopause or the Big M itself.

Thank goodness I found this forum AND this topic.

I am on day 11 of Induction with Atkins and three days ago I started to have heart palpatations and I hate them! I have several a day and it seems to be getting more frequent.

I do take a potassium supplement, but not magnesium... it sounds like this might be what I am missing, do you think so?

Another forum said my electrolytes are messed up and to take a calcium supplement, but electrolytes are also magnesium from what I have read.

My BP is perfect, my blood sugar is tested and perfect, but I have to figure out this palpatation thing, it's really bothering me. Any further thoughts I truly would appreciate.

Christine
Atkins 1/5/04- 278/267.5/150

also, I drink zero caffeine and I'm not using any sweeteners in anything so I have ruled that out for the palpatations.

THis is a post for KristyC. Your weight loss is phenomenal, congratualtions.

I'd like to ask you if you had a regular exercise routine to take all this weight off, and if yes, what you did and how often. I'm amazed you never hit a stall either in all those weeks.