Ive just recently been prescribed calcium channel blockers from my cardiologist.
Have been on them for about 3 weeks, so I feel my body is just starting to used to them & the initial side effects are starting to go away.
I can sympathize with you & find myself in a very similar situation, although a different heart condition.
I began suffering a few bouts of sudden onset rapid heart beat while cycling . Started around mid 2013, didn’t know what the fuck it was at the time,
But after some of my own research & talking with friends & family it seemed like tachycardia. Bouts would come & go, sometimes id be episode
Free for a few months, then bam, id get a few in a week. I learnt the vagal maneuvers which most of the time helped bring my HR back to normal after a few minutes,
But 95% of time I had to stop cycling, get off the bike, sit down to have the vagal maneuver to work, & bring my HR back to normal rhythm.
My symptoms became more frequent towards the ned of 2015, so I finally sought advice from a cardiologist.
After my initial consult, describing my symptoms in detail, my cardiologist was fairly certain I was suffering from ( SVT ), supra ventricular tachycardia.
Had all the tests done, 24 hr holter monitor, but as would have it I didn’t have an episode. My cardiologist advised me to get a
http://www.alivecor.com/home
Which is a mobile ECG recorder for your smart phone. With this device I was able to capture numerous bouts of sudden onset rapid heart beat, & email them to my cardiologist.
With this, I was diagnosed with supra ventricular tachycardia in January 2016.
Thru 2014, 2015 I was regularly racing XC, as well as a little cyclocross, & some crit racing, racing at A grade club level, & always racing for the win, podium etc.
I was training about 15 hours a week on the bike, totaling around 450-500kms a week, 20k for the year.
For many, they would consider this over training, but for me & my group of cycling peers its what we do & considered normal, what you have to do to be at the pointy end of racing & I didn’t feel like I was in constant fatigue.
Since my diagnosis I’ve reduced the training somewhat, & have avoided going beyond threshold into the anaerobic V02 max HR zones, while I gauge how the calcium channel blockers effect me.
Im also not racing, but am hopeful that ill be back racing in the not to distant future.
Its been a roller coaster of emotions, but my cardiologist is also of the view that my condition is manageable & I don’t have to completely give up on racing at this point. Just back it off for a little while & begin
Treatment of low does calcium channel blockers, see how that goes. Also considering catheter ablation which is another treatment option.
Im taking a somewhat holistic approach to treating my SVT, & am making quite a few lifestyle & diet changes, along with the low dose of calcium channel blockers.
Eg, reducing caffeine intake, avoiding any foods which contain additives or preservatives, anything that is processed, no sulphites, msg etc that is hidden in so many foods, I'm drinking coconut water daily for natural electrolytes, magnesium supplements, plus cutting out alcohol ( I’m not a heavy drinker at all, but enjoy a beer on the weekend ).
My training volume has reduced by approx 40% for the moment, so down to around 8-9 hours per week, 300kms, 100km of that is just commuting, so its a big change to what I’ve been doing the last 3-4 years.
PM me if you want details of my cardiologist. He is in Sydney’s East, & is also a cyclist.
Also note that my cardiologist didn’t want to put me on beta blockers as it would be to detrimental to my cycling performance, & is of the opinion that the calcium channel blockers would have less of an effect on my cycling performance, but since being on the heart meds there has been a definite drop in performance, but I haven’t quantified this with an ftp test to see just how much. Really don’t want to know haha.
good luck carpetrunner with your journey.
