Question:

What is the drug of choice for digitalis-induced ventricular tachycardia?

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Think of the class Ib antiarrhythmic used to suppress ventricular ectopy in glycoside toxicity.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Lidocaine
  • Reducing dosage of digoxin itself reverses the condition
  • Verapamil
  • Beta blockers
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Digitalis (digoxin) toxicity classically produces arrhythmias, including ventricular ectopics and ventricular tachycardia, along with nausea, vomiting, confusion, and yellow-green vision.
Step 2: Ventricular arrhythmias in digitalis toxicity are best controlled with lidocaine (lignocaine), which suppresses the ectopic ventricular activity without significantly depressing AV conduction. This makes it the drug of choice here.
Step 3: Verapamil is wrong because calcium channel blockers can worsen AV block and raise digoxin levels. Beta blockers are reserved more for atrial tachyarrhythmias and may aggravate any conduction block. Merely lowering the digoxin dose does not acutely abort an established ventricular tachycardia.
Step 4: Definitive therapy for severe toxicity is digoxin-specific antibody (Digibind), but for the ventricular arrhythmia itself the answer is lidocaine.
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