SVT- HOW DO YOU STOP IT ?

1) bear down like youre having a bowel movement

2) Feel your carotid pulse and apply firm pressure (one side at a time!) for 5-10 seconds

3) metoprolol or verapamil can sometimes work (immediate release forms)

4) get an ablation--permanent cure

Hope this helps

-an electrophysiologist

Hi Jay. I've been very lucky that I have always been able to control my svt by crouching down and bending over at the same time, whilst holding my breath. This puts pressure on my heart and seems to stop the svt. It's the only thing that's ever worked. I have also discovered this year that exercise can reduce symptoms; I was getting up to 10 svt episodes a day but regular exercise and restricting caffeine in my diet has really helped reduce them. I'm having ablation next week as I can't take medication so perhaps talk to your doctor about that. I hope you find a way to help your svt. 

HI Jay!!!!

All the posting are correct! Bearing down works for me as well as a deep cough. Drinking cold water does the trick. Exercise daily! A well balanced diet.. No more junk food. Last, Lots of prayer to the lord above. This really works. He's willing and able!! God Bless you! Jay

Hi

Recently had to have adenosine a couple of times but whilst in A&E I was told to sit with feet up on the bed and blow out (like when you struggle blowing a balloon up) for 15 seconds then lie down with legs in the air for 15 seconds.  I have found this works everytime for me as long as I do it as soon as possible.  Hope this helps.

Sounds crazy but I use rubbing alcohol under my nose. It works better than cold water

I recently had a short attack,followed 30 seconds later with another, I tryd all the normal ways to stop it, coughing, trying to take a deep breath, sitting with my head between my legs but none worked,I managed to get downstairs and have a glass of icecold water, it stopped straight away. 

Hi Jay. To stop my SVT I would hold my breath (have a really big deep breath, filling my lungs up as much as possible), tense my diaphragm muscle as much as possible (this is the muscle that sits under the lungs so hold all your tummy muscles really tightly and you've probably got it), then crouch down or bend over at the waist and then breathe out really slowly and repeat. If this didn't work after two or three tries, I'd stand up (trying to not fall over as I would generally get quite dizzy!), relax and repeat the whole process again until the SVT episode stopped.

The breathing out slowly was always the most imoprtant; I would focus on my breathing and not on my heart (as hard as this was) but by completely focusing on my breathing I was able to stop the SVT episode. I have a slight unfair advantge of being a flute player so I have excellent breath control.

You could try beginning with some breathing exercises like breathing in for a count of 4, then out for 4; breathe in for 6, out for 6; breathe in for 8, out for 8 and so on. Count slowly and breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Doing this regualrly will help your lungs to develop better capacity and may help with the above. I suffer with a crazy amount of ectopic heartbeats too and these simple breathing exercises really help with reducing those (along with cutting out caffine).

I hope this may of some help but I've realised this year that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. I do hope you can find a way to cope. If you get the chance to opt for ablation I would totally recommend it. I'm 8 days post ablation now and I've not had one episode; it has changed my life significantly. Good luck.

After suffering spasmodically for 4 years I am now starting to believe its movement that brings them on. I have had 98% of mine in bed when turning over from right to left half asleep in bed mostly around the 5 oclock time. I have spoken to the Arrhythmia Alliance who advised that laying on the left side could squash the heart and may cause an SVT. The other twice was when I bent over, once late at night and the other aroun 8 oclock in the shower. I have never had in the daytime.

Hope this helps.

Thank you. I get mine so spasmodically it doesnt seem worth an op. Its just that at my age more than 4 hours with your heart rate at 189 and feeling as if you are being choked takes a lot out of you. I also get a very bad stomach and a few times my heartbeat has come back to normal after vomiting or having a bout of Diarrhea. Its scary. I cant understand why a tablet cant do it. The first time I went into hospital they gave me a tablet and it worked.

If it got bad, I used to take an extra metaprolol. Otherwise I used hold my breath and cough hard at the same time. I had to get it ablated as it affected my life in a big way.

I find that lying down on a flat surface and putting my legs up on something like a table helps. Not sure why but a nurse I met said she does the same. Ive never stopped mine by massaging my carotid and only once or twice by bearing down. Try and lay down as soon as you feel it come on. See how that goes. Good luck

Lying down with feet up has always worked for me. Takes 2 to 3 minutes

Cold water helps sometimes

What causes it: rigorous and sudden exercise after a big meal

Smoking (Glad I quit)

Eating without chewing