Metoprolol as rate control only?

So after my last Holter showed 8500 episodes of SVT (Atrial Tachycardia) in 14 days, with a 19% burden of Atrial Ectopy and 11% burden of tachycardia, my EP recommended an echo (which was normal, thankfully), starting Metoprolol, and Eliquis, while I wait for another ablation. I have tried, and failed, about six different antiarrhythmics, and he seemed to indicate that he would prefer just using the metoprolol because the others seemed to make my SVT worse.

The question I have, though, is that the Metoprolol doesn't actually STOP any of the episodes, and he knew that , so what would be the purpose? I am guessing it is simply to slow the rate down, so that even if I am in SVT, it is slower, so I can minimize any potential risk of Cardiomyopathy until I can have the ablation? Does that make sense? I plan to ask him tomorrow, but thought I would run it by my online experts 😀.

That's exactly what he has in mind. Just slow down your heart rate so it doesn't do you an harm.

Usually peoples symptoms are proportional to how high the rate is, so by lowering the HR, you should be also less symptomatic in addition to protecting yourself from tachy-cardio induced cardiomyopathy. Also, I suggest you ask your EP about adding in a CCB like Diltizem to augment the rate control of the Metropolol. Many of us have found that by combining the two types of rate control agents were get better results and don't have to take as large of a dose of the Betta-Blocker (Metropolol) which causes sedation and lethargy in many patients.

Good luck