Flecainide for PSVT

[Oneshotted]

Hi everyone,

I’m 42 years old and I had an episode of PSVT once in my life 4 months ago while on vacation.

Doctor prescribed Bisoprolol 2.5mg which is working very good. It has been causing insomnia, so the doctor said to drop dosage to 1.25mg.

Today, I met a cardiologist and he said I need an ablation and I also need to take Flecainide since, in his opinion, Bisoprolol does not work for PSVT.

He wants me to keep taking Bisoprolol and also take Flecainide. He said that I will have other episodes of PSVT if I don’t take Flecainide.

He told me there are no side effects with Flecainide, but reading online, I see that he lied to me. Flecainide seems to cause so many side effects, I’m afraid to take it. He will see me only in 1 year, no follow up until that.

I’d like to have other opinions on that. I don’t like to take drugs and this one is very scary. I feel like it should be used for worst cases than mine.

Thank you!

[Kati66]

Hi Oneshotted

I was on flecanide when diagnosed with AF in my 30s. When I moved to Australia age 42, I saw a cardiologist who said “why are you on that poison?” And promptly took me off it!! You know Australians are a bit blunt and straight to the point!! I’ve since been diagnosed with pulmonary stenosis and SVT.

[LittleElf]

Hello

I just wanted to share my own experience in case it helps. I was diagnosed with SVT and VT in 2022 and was prescribed flecainide. At first, I was terrified to take it because of all the horror stories I read online - I actually delayed starting it for as long as I could because of this. But in the end, I had no choice, and honestly, it was the best decision I ever made. Flecainide gave me my life back.

From what I understand, this medication is usually prescribed for more severe or life-threatening cases. Before starting it, I was having up to three SVT episodes a day, sometimes lasting hours, along with multiple VT episodes, I was completely debilitated. So in my case, medication was necessary.

That being said, from everything I’ve learned, if you’ve only had one episode, it might not mean you need medication at all. Even people without underlying conditions can experience a one-off episode of SVT or PSVT and never have another. If you don’t truly need medication, avoiding it all together might be the best option. But of course, always follow the advice from your doctors and do what feels right for you.

Please do feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Wishing you all the best on your journey - take care!

[Oneshotted in reply to LittleElf]

Thank you for your answer.

The cardiologist was not listening to me at all he was very rude and he ignored everything I said about insomnia when using Bisoprolol.

He also did not do any test at all and prescribed Flecainide without asking questions. He also requested for me to have an ablation based on an electrocardiogram I had while I had my episode in december.

I cannot trust this kind of doctor. The cardiologist that I saw 3 months ago in a private clinic told me that I most likely don’t need an ablation and that I should reduce the bisoprolol dosage to 1.25 and see how it goes.

The healthcare system in Canada is very bad and we cannot change doctor easily, except when we pay for a private clinic.

I really don’t think that my condition requires me to take Flecainide. The cardiologist told me that SVT is not deadly or dangerous.