Feeling just so overwhelmed with anxiety and depression since my recent SVT diagnosis.

[HowMyHeartSings]

Feeling just so overwhelmed with anxiety and depression since my recent SVT diagnosis. I have lost a sense of perspective. It seems to have tapped into emotional pain I've had for years. Anyone been prescribed useful meds for these debilitating feelings in the short-term? I am surprised to be so taken over with these emotions - I feel my world is shrinking and I'm fearful. It doesn't help that the beta blocker Bisoprolol is giving me poor sleep with periods of sweat-drenched unrest.

[BeaVerGal]

A new diagnosis so often makes us feel

Like our lives will be over and our mortality as close as the next morning . This will fade . It is a matter of a mental adjust to your new situation . I had a cardiac arrest and was fitted with an ICD and had to stop driving for 6 months ! I felt like I was an invalid scared to do anything in case my ‘machine’ would have to stun me back to existence. I didn’t even want to breathe hard for a bit . But you know what ? You adjust and change and learn to live with your condition in the best way you can . I am also on bisoprolol and also needed several months adjustment before my body was happy with it . Like everything ..... it takes time . Be your own best friend ... and give yourself time to adjust. The sun will shine again and you will realise how lucky you are to live here and have the benefit of an NHS that can treat you when needed . Things will improve. I promise . I am now 6 years post arrest and feel very lucky . Best wishes c

[HowMyHeartSings in reply to BeaVerGal]

Thank you.

[lettingoffsteam]

I really feel for you.Anxiety and depression are awful...going through it myself.I'm trying CBT and I have started a meditation class.That said I'm very anxious today but I hope it works soon.

[Bevlainda in reply to lettingoffsteam]

Try also EFT and timeline therapy I found them more useful than CBT above all speedy recovery to you xx

[lettingoffsteam in reply to Bevlainda]

Hi Bevlainda what is EFT and timeline therapy? Never met those terms before.

[Bevlainda in reply to lettingoffsteam]

Emotional Freedom Technique which provides tapping at point of the body whic trigger better responses and bring you to whatever space in your life us your happy place

It’s worked for me as the practitioner programmed me with tapping my happy place

The timeline therapy was with master practitioner inKent called Tina Beckham through Guild of Therapists she went through my life and looked at specific times in my life and through hypnosis cleared them

Hope that helps and you feel better. Maybe CBT will work for you where it didn’t for me I had no benefit from the sessions at all

[lettingoffsteam in reply to Bevlainda]

Ah thanks for this I will look into it.

[Timsywhimsy]

I could have written this myself, truly. I was diagnosed a couple months ago and am also on a beta blocker (metoprolol xl). It makes me tired and depressed—on top of the anxiety/depression of the SVT. My doctor said I can switch to cardizem but I’m afraid to mess with the meds. Knock on wood, haven’t had an episode in the six weeks I’ve been on them. Have an ablation scheduled for beginning of October—so may just stay on beta blocker. It’s awful. I’m sorry :(. For me it’s started going beyond the SVT—making me afraid of other sudden, terrifying health problems that could come out of nowhere like the svt did. No one really seems to get it. It’s like all they here is that it’s a treatable condition and that’s as far as they think about it.

[Surreychica_1]

I felt the same as you when I first started to have problems with my heart, I felt depressed and could not sleep thinking I would have a heart attack every night. I have had stents fitted and of course that was a load of my mind, but even so I felt like an invalid and I was still worried about having a heart attack and took everything carefully in care I prompted one. However that has got a lot better now and I feel much more confident then I did and I am slowly getting back into my exercise routine and walking and swimming. I do know how you feel and a lot of others felt or feel like you do. The first beta blocker I took made me feel terrible, my joints ached in all directions. I got the doctor to change to a different one and I do not have that problem any longer. Ask you doctor to change to another one and tell him about the symptoms you are having. Sleep is important and the lack of it will make you feel depressed. Hope you feel better soon.

[Hidden]

I can’t really comment too much on the depression side of things other than to say that there aren’t really any short term medication options because most anti-depressants take a good 6 to 8 weeks to reach therapeutic levels in the body. I didn’t feel depressed after my first SVT, but I did feel very anxious and fearful for quite some time. All I can tell you is my own experience, and that is that 10 years on from my first major episode, I’ve only had one other massive one requiring A&E intervention (4 years ago), and probably only a dozen or so eps that passed on their own and without reaching anything close to 200+ bpm. There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of episodes, starting with taking your meds, and there are a number of medically recognised food triggers that some people find benefit from cutting out. I personally quit caffeine, dark chocolate, anything but a tiny quantity of white chocolate and ginger as I discovered these all had a tendency to increase my hr and trigger palpitations (I’d never had a palpitation before in my life prior to my SVT), and I’m also sensitive to certain drugs added to cough and cold remedies: the worst episode I ever had that passed on its own was after taking a dose of Covonia cough mixture of all things. I also make sure that if I have a local anaesthetic I request one that doesn’t contain adrenaline, but that’s mostly because the second major ep I had at 31 was a couple of hours after having dental treatment with lidocaine and the cardiologist seemed to think that was a possible cause if a small amount had entered the blood stream. I decided after that it wasn’t worth the risk and when I told my dentist what had happened he looked horrified and plastered a note all over my dental records in any event.

I completely appreciate that it’s a frightening experience, but with time and distance from your episode, and as you hopefully find the meds keep your arrhythmia under control, that fear should begin to dissipate. If it doesn’t, then speak to your gp to try and get some psychological support, but life can and does return to normal for many people with SVT.

[Khonkaen]

Like most on this forum I am no expert, but if you google the suject you get this:-

Is Supraventricular Tachycardia Dangerous? In the vast majority of cases SVT is a benign condition. This means that it will not cause sudden death, damage the heart or cause a heart attack. It will not shorten life expectancy.

Anxiety and depression is part of a vicious circle, so combatting it with purposeful things in your life is crucial. An improved diet, increase in fitness, relaxation techniques and as Baddha would say, helping others.

I spend half the year in Portugal and the other half in Thailand, in Thailand there are many opportunities to help people, the poor and the sick. I have a lot of plans now since my HA and have done a few projects in the past, it is hugely rewarding. Just the smiles you get.

The worst thing is to sit at home and brood. Good luck.

[Bevlainda]

Fully understand and as a person with a Diagnosis I wasn’t expecting and the sweats too I can feel your pain - bless you were not alone xxx

[Twobells]

I had an ablation done to cure mine in 2015 via angiogram, its not that different in procedure to having stents . Ask it sorted mine out.

[Fazerboy]

Hi,

I've got SVT. It meant that my hr would suddenly jump from say 70 to 140 for no reason. It used to be only about once a week and it would stop on its own or if I lay on my back I could stop it. Anyway it got more and more frequent and now I have it almost all the time. I went onto Bisoprolol 1.25mg a day and this stops it altogether. I get more tired at times and it makes my hr beat very slowly at times. I'm putting up with this until I have an ablation. I'm told that an ablation for SVT is relatively straightforward.

I hope this helps.

[shwills]

Hello

I have SVT among other heart problems

It’s scary at first but you do learn to live with it. I have had many times in hospital and also 4 ablations ( I am just unlucky they didn’t work) but most do and it’s ok. You will conquered your fear and realise life is still there for you. I have lived with it for many years now and it doesn’t stop me doing things

[daisy2311]

I have SVT and can totally relate. I have had episodes of anxiety throughout my life but my last episode of SVT in 2017 triggered a massive bout of anxiety around health that is still with me but is now much more manageable since I started counselling. Bizarrely, my health anxiety seems to be based more around other health issues rather than the SVT, but I know this was the trigger point...it also didn't help that whilst in A & E they discharged me with someone else's notes. This led my GP to think I was dangerously anaemic...and this was the start of the anxiety really. I am a massive advocate of talking therapies (I am a hypnotherapist, previously a volunteer bereavement counsellor with Cruse and now training to be a counsellor), I would definitely recommend you try some counselling to help you get through this tricky period.