Medicine vrs No Medicine... for psvt Quit?

[Kim_1970]

Hi all,

I need your advice.  What would you do if you were me?
I have been on Metaprolol Tartrate for over a month now and developed tinnitus. My EP dr switched me to Cardizem because of complaining of the tinnitus. After switching meds being on it (Cardizem) for 4 days I had an other event.  A rather scary big one.  I was meeting with my sons teacher and I felt some odd thumps then very irregular heart beat. (I had actually been having lots of irregular beats the night before but nothing too impressive)  So back to the meeting..... The irregular beats caused me to feel like I was going to black out. I was not able to carry on a conversation either.  I left to sit in the car and try the valsalva.  It did not work.  The different thing is now that I am on bp meds my heart was not going as fast as tachychardia spells.  This was more irregular and when I felt my pulse it paused for a few seconds and then thats right when I would feel the pressure going up my neck and into my head and then I felt like I was going to faint.  That is usually what used to happen when I would have svt attack except my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest.
So I called a friend to take me to er and by the time I got there it got a little normal.  Still had the weird feeling in my head, pressure like I was going to faint but did not ever faint.  At that time I became kinda anxious.  
The nurse took my pulse and said hmmmm 90 bpm thats not tachycardia like.  So I waited in waiting room and did not get admitted. A family friend was the nurse and suggested I call my cardio and EP and they said if it "converted" on its own go home and dr will call me later.
So EP called me few hours later.   Said to quit cardiazem and go back on Metaprolol 25 am and pm.  That evening it did quiet my heart down but the ringing in my ears ramped up and now its full speed eeeeeeee now that I have been on it since yesterday.
I am scheduled for ablation in Jan. Some of you I know did not medicate prior to ablation. Should I ask about not taking anything before my ablation?  I guess the med just makes us feel better and heart work less hard.
I am worried about my ears and the T. Fear being- what if it does not go away. I am on a low dose but am familiar with "ototoxic" drugs and what can happen. If I am only on the M for a couple months prior to ablation, maybe the T will go away upon quitting?
I am very depressed about this whole situation and cannot concentrate on much.
Should I ask to switch to another bblocker?  Should I ask to quit the Metaprolol?
They all can potentially cause the T.  
I have 3 kids and am getting ready to take this wonderful trip for christmas to see family and spend a week at the beach.  But the way I feel-- I just want to be in a cave.  I don't want to go any where cause I am scared. What if IT happens.  I guess they have hospitals at the place I am going...
Also my EP doctor really focused on the risks not really the positive other than he does not "think" I have the life threatening kind and he thinks it will cure me 80-90 % chance of that. But he cannot tell till he gets in there. I want someone to tell me everything is going to be fine and that I am going to get through this.
I am rambling but I am really becoming sad about his.  Its feels like this situation is sucking the life out of me..

ALSO--before I took meds I never felt the weird beats it was just a few times a year then once a month then every week or so I would get an svt attack and it was usually brought on by a somewhat stressful event. My attacks are BAD and I get faint.  Caught a good one on holter monitor.   I am lucky for that.

Anyway, I appreciate this community forum so very much.  Its nice to be heard (well read...) somewhere where people can relate.

[MichelleP_3811]

I can't say why but my doctors never advocated going on medication for the svt or pvcs.  They don't believe it really does a whole lot.  The drugs may help regulate the heart a bit and cut back on the episodes but the medicine wont stop them so they don't see the point of someone going on medicine they don't need.  They will recommend beta blockers if the pvcs are such that one is having a lot of symptoms and is having difficulty functioning but I am not at that point so I am working on living with them.  As for blacking out I never once did though I would feel like I might.  I have read up on the subject a lot and apparently very few ever do pass out.  It is not common to pass out.  It is probably a little late now though it is never too late to start a cardio routine but in this instance for this problem since you are close to getting this resolved it probably wouldn't help but taking up a cardio routine really helped me tremendously.  The episodes were far less hard on me.  I could almost even function.  Not quite but not nearly as taxing on me as they were before I started to exercise.  That said, I do believe that your ablation will go just fine.  I can't say that for certain but odds are in your favor.  If you do indeed have one of the more run of the mill svts your odds are actually closer to 98%.  But be prepared to continue to have the irregular beats if you do indeed also have pacs or pvcs.  Prior to my ablation I was having a lot of flutters or flip flopping feelings which is sinus tachycardia and also weird pause sensations which was the pause after an extra pvc.  It is during this pause that I would sometimes fall into tachycardia.  I was not aware or informed of the pvc/pacs and so I was a bit taken aback when the symptoms continued after the ablation until I was made aware that they are a different condition.  The sinus tach and pac/pvcs were still firing after the ablation to a point that I got a bad case of them for about a week but with time all has calmed down.  But then again I also calmed down a lot emotionally.  Part of the problem was I was not aware of the pvcs/pacs and so I got stressed about them which made them worse.  So the best thing you can do for yourself is to try and trust all will be ok.  The more stress you are putting on yourself the more you will get pvcs/pacs and subsequently the more chances of you falling into svt.  It's a vicious self fulling cycle that is fed on stress.  I know that is easier said then done but please do try.  And again, your odds though no can guarantee 100% your odds are way better than most procedures.  For example an appendicitis has a 15% complication risk. So really good odds with the ablation.  So go, have a good time, the end of the svt is in sight.  And when you get back and have the ablation make sure you give yourself a good 3 months to heal before stressing about anything that is still going on.  Your heart has been though a lot and will need some time to heal.  Take care and happy holidays.    

[DeltaDawn23]

I have Afib, not psvt, but some of my experience might be useful  I would request another beta blocker, perhaps the tinnitus would not be a side effect.  I took Toprol XR 25 mg. and found I could not tolerate the 25 mg. dose without my bp dropping too low and I felt faint and dizzy.  I then went to Atenonol which does not pass the blood-brain barrier and I take it 1/4 of a 25 mg. tablet at a time.  I worked this out with my primary care physician.  I keep a check on my bp as it the beta blockers tend to make it low very quickly.  If bp or heart rate is low, I delay the dose.  I also went to a psychiatrist because I was told originally I was having "panic attacks."  It didn't hurt, but the panic/anxiety was after the attack, not before.  It was only lately I learned my symptoms were classic Afib.  This IS scary, but it can be managed.  I got by 7 years on just a beta blocker and then had to go on an antiarrythmic after being electroconverted 2 times 4 months apart.  I have stayed out of the hospital for 8 months and have had no episodes of Afib.  The anxiety is real, keep searching for answers and perhaps a second opinion.  The concern about going out, being alone, all the symptoms you describe are not unusual.  Doctors tend not to be sensitive to these issues in my opinion.  Anxiety just makes the whole situation worse and fuels the irregular beats.  Anything you can do to calm yourself  -- yoga, meditation, deep breathing -- will help.  I take a low dose of Xanax when it gets bad and that has allowed me to function.  Good luck -- don't give up.  Good luck with your ablation -- keep us posted.