How long does it take for tachycardia to cause heart failure or damage?

I’ve heard 2 years but I don’t know.... been suffering tachycardia and meds affect me badly....

[Hidden]

Tachycardia, even persistent tachycardia, doesn’t always lead to problems like heart failure or permanent damage. Some of it depends on the type and underlying cause: things like inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) don’t routinely lead to further problems, but can be a pain to live with. The extent that your heart rate is high also plays a part - if you were constantly in the 150s 18 hours a day, then obviously your heart is working a lot harder than if your resting heart rate is in the 50s or 60s, but the minute you walk across a room it jumps to 130 (as in my case), or you hit sustained highs with activity. Obviously everyone is different, but if it’s reassuring at all, I’ve been living with this and another arrhythmia involving tachycardia for almost 12 years and my heart is currently still fine with regards to permanent damage. Another thing to bear in mind is that if tachycardia always, or even regularly, resulted in serious problems, they’d be much more bothered about getting it properly treated when people presented with it.

What tests have you had and what medication have you tried? Do you have a formal diagnosis of anything such as IST or another form of arrhythmia? There are options other than beta blockers for forms of sinus tachycardia. It’s also worth cutting out stimulants like caffeine and making lifestyle changes to promote a lower heart rate. There’s some good information here about sinus tachycardia generally:

medicalnewstoday.com/articl...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much. May I ask what beta blocker have you used? I’m still debating about it...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I’ve taken 2 different beta blockers in the past, the first being sotalol, and was then switched to bisoprolol, which is very often the first one the nhs put people on. Took that for about 8 years with no real issues at all, even at the top dose, before switching to a type of drug called a calcium channel inhibitor or CCI, specifically a med called verapamil, for the last 3 years or so. There are lots of people out there that say beta blockers are awful, or that they’ve had a bad experience with them in terms of side effects, but it’s worth pointing out that lots of people take them with no issues at all, or find the side effects decrease (if not disappear completely!) if they persist with them for a period of time. Even if someone does find a drug intolerable, there are at least half a dozen beta blockers available to try, and options like CCIs if you really don’t get on with a BB.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much!

[dazzer1 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Charlie_GI can totally relate to your issues. My situation/history is as follows. H.A. in 2001, Rotorblation (after failed Angioplasty) & 2 stents 2018. Started feeling rough just priod to this Xmas. Cardiologist got me to wear a Heart Patch over the Xmas period which flagged up both narrow & broad tachycardias although both really short lived. He also wants me to go for a cardiac mri scan at a fairly distant hospital. I have had this scan before and all was good aside from the introduction of adenosine!. Due to the current pandemic i am really concerned about attending any hospital and cardiologist suggested he was happy to postpone. Beta blockers were mentioned but i had side effects when i took these previously and cardio wants to wait until results of mri. You have slightly worried me with your question about tachycardia leading to heart failure etc as i always thought it was the underlying condition that was the concern not the tachycardia itself. Hope the future is good for you and thanks for listening.

[tunybgur]

After my heart attack I started getting arrhythmias, these began a few months after my HA I guess when the scar tissue started to form and mess with the electrical pathways. I used to get sudden tachy attacks when out walking, up to 170/180 for no good reason. They used to settle down after a rest and the medics really didn't think it was a big problem, but they weren't sitting there waiting for their pulses to get back to normal!

Anyway, cutting to the chase, after a few months suffering I was persuaded to try a beta blocker, something we had avoided because my resting pulse rate was about 50.

A tiny dose of bisoprolol was tried, 1.25mg, the pill was tiny and I couldn't see it making any difference....but it worked a treat, and also dropped my resting pulse further to 45bpm, and knocked 10 points off my BP to boot!....but no more tachy

Powerful little pills beta blockers....

Good luck

[ling in reply to tunybgur]

Sounds amazing!

Pulse at 45 any symptoms?

Read your profile. LAD 90% blocked. Any blockage in other arteries?

Thank you

[tunybgur in reply to ling]

Hi Ling,

My pulse has always been low, but 45 doesn't seem to have any major immediate effects on me .

My main concern is the long term effects of artificially limiting blood flow around my body, especially to the brain. We know that beta blockers cause your extremities to feel cold due to reduced circulation, but what about the rest of our body? Have any studies been made about Alzheimer's or dementia in people on drugs designed to reduce the load on the heart? Our bodies have evolved to balance all the systems, what happens when we disrupt that balance over a long period?

My pulse often goes below 45, as low as 42....the last specialist I saw wanted to fit a pacemaker, he said I had sick sinus syndrome but until I start getting dizzy spells I'll blunder along as I am.

My ticker's not in bad shape, I was always very fit, hence my low pulse rate. My distal LAD was measured as 90% blocked and I have diffuse atherosclerosis, but I'm still here, my ejection fraction is 60% which means it's pumping ok, so hey ho.

I won't spend my life trying to prolong it, I will live what is left of it as much as I can.

Good luck

[ling in reply to tunybgur]

Many thanks for sharing.

My mom has sick sinus syndrome. Her heart rate went as low as 20+ 30 but she never felt dizzy nor faint. It did cause, on off, extreme fluctuations in her heart rate and BP like in AF.

What is diffuse atherosclerosis?

[tunybgur in reply to ling]

Widespread plaque and fatty deposits....the things which lead to heart attacks

[ling in reply to tunybgur]

Are u on cholesterol medication?

[tunybgur in reply to ling]

Yes, atorvastatin, no problems with it.

[Smileyian]

Well, it is a very broad question. If you read my history, I have had tachycardia, ectopics and Afib for over 35 years. No heart damage at all but a lot of anxiety along the road. Charlie G makes some good points that I can resonate with. Of course we are all individual human beings and present in many different ways. You take care and listen to your specialist E.P.