1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Supraventricular Tachycardia

beta blockers and still high bpm

Posted , 6 users are following.

ocgirl9301
ocgirl9301

My daughter was recently diagnosed with SVT and overactive sinus node.  She has recently started taking a beta blocker and has been on them for 3 weeks.  She is still having episodes of 150bpm.  She recently had a ekg, echo and now we are scheduled for stress test to rule out any issues but so far everything is "normal" (I laugh every time a doctor tell us this) so my question is for those who suffer with this, is this normal behavior for her diaognosis to be on a beta blocker and still have beats in the 150 range?

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Tinkv22
    Tinkv22 ocgirl9301

    Posted

    The beta blockers never worked for me and I had the Ablation done. Have not had any more occurrences since.
    • ocgirl9301
      ocgirl9301 Tinkv22

      Posted

      We are on our second cartiologist and so far the Ablation was treated as the last thing they wanted to do.  sad
    • ocgirl9301
      ocgirl9301

      Posted

      Did you have any weight issues before the Alation was done?  My daughter kept gaining weight but since the beta blocker she is now starting to drop pound.  Just was curious if that was a problem for you.
  • ciaran33745
    ciaran33745 ocgirl9301

    Posted

    Hi, sorry to hear you are in this difficulty. It can be distressful, but reassure yourself that it is extremely rare for SVT to cause a heart attack (I had long SVT episodes of about 230bpm over 15 years and never had one!). 

    Although it might seem scary, I think a resting heart rate of about 150bpm is at the low end of the scale for SVT, because of this it might be worth asking the medics how confident they are about the SVT diagnosis (but maybe she had faster heart rates before the meds? or maybe has a type of SVT I am not familiar with).

    How old is your daughter? If she is quite young you need to be careful of the advice you seek and heed from non-medics like myself.

    There are severy drugs and combination of them that keep SVT under control (almost absent) nowadays, so pester your GP and specialist until that happens.

    I have not had a single SVT episode since I had an ablation almost four years ago so would strongly recommend one for her if she is a suitable candidate.

    All the best wink

    • ocgirl9301
      ocgirl9301 ciaran33745

      Posted

      These started about a year ago, she is 19 years old. They said her rates would climb and they have.  It started at 130 but now we are getting to 150-160.  Was there shortness of breath and chest pains with your diagnosis?  She has been complaning of sharp pains for a while,pains in her arms, dizzyness and blurred vision.  She said she can feel them coming on and has to pull over if she is driving.  VERY SCARY for mom.   They have reasurred me its not a heart attack.  I also ask could they have misdiagnosed her and she has Pericarditis but they are saying her lungs looked good.  Very frustrated.  Thanks for your information!
    • ciaran33745
      ciaran33745 ocgirl9301

      Posted

      Hi again. I suppose I did have some shortness of breath with SVT but I wouldn't describe it as one of the main symptoms. I would probably say the same about dizziness in that there was probably some disorientation, but not a main symptom.  I was too busy feeling panicky to notice!

      I only rarely had pain associated with SVT, not really in the chest area, but instead usually in the wrists when bad SVT (e.g. 200+bpm) had been going on for over an hour or so and it was time to head for the A&E.

      There are different types of SVT and related heart complaints, and maybe others here will relate to your daughters symptoms better than I do (anyone?). Also, I'm not at all familiar with Pericarditis or with how that interacts with, or complicates, SVT.

      I can only say that the main symptoms you mention do not convince me (a complete layman) that it is 'classic' SVT. To put your mind at rest about the diagnosis, I would seek a second opinion from a cardiac specialist, and a mobile heart monitor if she hasn't already worn one for a few days. 

      The important thing is that you are getting medical help, and are somewhere on the road to controlling or eliminating the problem.

      I really wish you and your daughter well wink

       

  • jim53704
    jim53704 ocgirl9301

    Posted

    Hi,

    I started using a very low dose beta blocker this week - just to cover me until my ablation appointment at the end of March.  So far, I have found that the beta blocker has very effectively lowered my heart rate - to the point that intense aerobic exericise that normally raised my heart as would be expected now the same exercise results in a heart rate that is at least 20 bpm lower.  And, I've had no heart rate spikes.  The real test will be during a ski race this weekend but I'm pretty happy with the effectiveness of the beta blocker that I was put on - so far, anyway.  But, I'm still going to proceed with the ablation surgery; I don't care to take a daily med to prevent SVT symptoms for the rest of my life.  As others have said here, there are different beta blockers available; perhaps your daughter needs to try a different one.

  • brandi6481
    brandi6481 ocgirl9301

    Posted

    I am on my third Beta Blocker . She will need to stop drinking all caffeine and eating chocolate . She should keep a diary of what she eats or what she is doing when she has the episodes . Certain foods trigger mine . I know this is tmi I am a nurse though . My monthly triggers it and if I am sick . Have them check her iron levels to see if she is low this triggers it to . Bystolic has the least amount of side effects and works well . Hope this helps
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.