Medication/Ablation for svt : pros & cons

[aussie mum]

I had my appointment with my cardio doc yesterday (left feeling VERY pleased with the fact that I'm dealing with my svt better now) however he did say that if they should happen more often or start lasting for more then a few hours then maybe i should consider some form of treatment.

Now should this time ever come (hopefully never LOL) he has told me the option would be up to me as to which road to go down etc medication vs ablation.

So I'm putting it out there " WHAT'S BETTER"....

Some of the things i would love answers for....

What types of medication are there for svt & there side affects ??

What about ablation ??

Hope my heart rhythm community can help....

Thanks

[aussie mum]

Hi Dawn thanks for sharing that with me :}

Sending both you & your daughter kind wishes & hope all goes well in the future !!

Take care

Mishele :}

[ddavey]

amber is going to be 23 in may, she is mildly developmentally disabled.  it is difficult to know how long she has had them,   when she would have difficulty they would last about 5 minutes, she would feel faint and her bp would drop...   after a couple of trips early after diagnosis we went to er but they would always stop before getting there.    i do know that since the amount of svt has dropped she has not mentioned feeling faint and has been feeling much better.   she would tell me she could "feel" her heart,  she has not mentioned that feeling since they have gone down.    i hope this little bit helps  dawn

[aussie mum]

Thanks all for your positive words :}

ddavey = How old is your daughter ?? If you don't mind can you tell me about her svt (how long she has had them, how long they last etc etc)

Thanks kindly

Mishele (aussie mum)

[ddavey]

digoxin is a very good med for svt    my daughter is currently taking digoxin in additon to coreg, inspra and vasotec and the amount of svt is down considerably and was the only medication that has improved her overall condition     she had an ablation but it was unsuccessful as they were not able to ablate on the left due a mass at the mitral-aortic junction and all pac's and svt are coming from the left      holter before digoxin showed 749 svt    after digoxin was added svt down to 166     wishing you the best,, dawn

[BLM_56]

I lived with PAT (paroxysmal atrial tachycardia) for a decade and never knew there was a curative track.  I was on sotalol (it eventually stopped working), then switched to metoprolol but it did NOT  work for me.  Then I went to amiodarone for a year but made my Cardiologist switch when, during a routine eye exam to update my glasses script, the Ophtalmologist asked me if I was on Cordarone.  Seems he could see the deposits of the amiodarone IN MY EYES (WTF!!!!????) and because of them he could not correct me to better than 20/25.  Since I used to be able to correct to 20/15 and had 20/5 when I was younger, I decided to change meds forthwith.  I then went to Rythmol (propafenone) and thought everything was OK till my Cardiologist told me to go to a hospital near his office age get a room.  Seems I was in A-fib and didn't know it.  Now I'm going to have an ablation in 2 weeks and HOPE it fixes things.  If one ablation doesn't do the job (and for approx. 40% it doesn't) they'll do a 2nd in 3 months.  If THAT doesn't work, 6-9 months after the 2nd ablation they'll just go in, blow away the AV node and pace my ventricles.  

Good luck, Mum.  

Bill

[aussie mum]

Thank-you all for your comments, hopefully i will never have to make that choice but if i do then i feel if any good is going to come from having these CRAZYYYYYYYY things is that i do get a choice in how i manage them......because as most (no sorry that should be ALL OF US) in the heart rhythm community know it was not our choice to be have these things happen to us in the first place !!

S = STOP

V = VISUALIZE

T = TAKE CONTROL

Anybody got some more ??

[rosetoes]

I totally agree with pg1949, after living with SVT for over 2 years and taking beta blocker (metroprol) and having a break through episode while on the medication, I decided to have the ablation and it's been almost two months no since my procedure.  It was the best decision for me, I'm free of worry now and I have my life back now.

It really isn't a bad procedure and I have absolute no regrets.  I feel great.

Best wishes to you.

[pg1949]

Your post reminds me of the first question I ever posted on this board.  I was asking whether I was making a wise choice, choosing medication over an ablation.  Well, it only took 3 weeks before my choice was made for me.  I was taking a channel blocker and, while on the medication, I had an SVT episode that landed me in the ER.  That made up my mind and I scheduled an ablation.  Over 6 mos. have passed and I feel great.  I'm almost glad that it happened, because it really pushed me into an ablation.   I was scared to death, but so glad that I'm done..better..and living life without a monkey on my back.  That's my story. Your body and mind will have a way of telling you what it wants. Good luck.  

[dredg]

For me personally, I chose to have the ablation.  I have only had 2 tachycardia episodes in my life outside of the EP study/ablation that I had last week.  I always knew that the episodes were far and few between but it was the anticipation that finally made me choose the curative approach.  I hated the fact that I couldn't go anywhere without wondering where the nearest hospital was, giving up my morning cup of Joe, giving up my weekend beer or two, If I had a cold there was little that I could take.  I especially didn't want my son growing up in fear of the next time daddy has to go to the ER.  

I tried some of the meds and I have to say that, for me, the side effects were terrible.  I was alway tired and groggy..blech.  

The ablation was an experience, not my top 10 things to accomplish in life.  It's been 1 week since my ablation and I'm back up working and living life again.  I had my 1st cup of coffee Monday morning in over 1 yr!!  I started running on my treadmill 5 days after the procedure and if it wasn't for my bruises on my groin, I wouldn't know anything had happened.  I'm not trying to downplay the procedure because it is a VERY BIG DEAL.  Weigh the pros and cons against medication and the curative approach.  This is a decision only you can make.

Brandon

[sueinns]

Agree that it is totally a personal decision. The medication choices are usually a beta blocker or calcium channel blocker.  I could not tolerate beta blockers.  Was switched to Calcium Channel Blockers but they stopped working.  I'm athletic and my SVT's were almost always brought on by exercise.  Therefore, they made a very negative impact on my quality of life.  For me, having an ablation was the best thing I could have done.

That being said, some people have a good response to meds.  The decision you make has to feel right for you.

By the way, I commend you on your proactive approach to this condition.  You are asking lots of questions and doing what you can to put your mind at ease.  Being well informed should be part of everyone's treatment plan.  

[isukathis]

Hey aussie mum, me again :)

I sent you a note regarding this. I have to agree with SillyHeart that its a personal decision. I prefer not taking medication and since I only have the couple of episodes a year I'm delaying an ablation until I absolutely need one (if that ever happens).

Do you drink coffee or anything with caffeine like soft drinks? I think the caffeine could be triggering my SVT but only time will tell. Also, I've been told to increase my Potassium so I eat a banana a day....

[SillyHeart]

It's impossible to say which is better.  It's a personal decision.

Ablation is curative.  Medications are not.  Most medications have side effects. Ablation has some risks, though the risks are low.

Medications used to treat SVT are almost always beta blockers.  Beta blockers have a lot of potential side effects like depression, weight gain, fatigue.  But some people respond well to them.

It's totally a person choice and nobody could tell you which option is definitively the best.