How do I get my heart rate down??

I've been in afib since last Friday night and on Propafenone and metoprolol. Sunday afternoon my blood pressure went almost back to normal but heart rate only lowered to about 100 bpm and that is where it has stayed ever since. I don't think I will be able to convert with that rate and evidently the drugs are not working. Any suggestions?

Jill have you ever tried any manuevers? holding your breath and pushing hard as if having a baby....worked for me 2 or 3 times shut 2 off like a light switch.......cold shower, breathing into a paper bag, dunking your head in ice water.........others here may off a more detailed version of these

Some can exercise their way out of afib.........

Tom

Jill
Diltiazem will lower your heartrate. I was at about 115 bpm yesterday and with 240mg once per day it is now down to about 80-85, sometimes even lower if I don't do much. That drug is commonly used to treat tachycardia...it will also lower blood pressure. Call your doc and get some or another rate reducer - I bet that was just overlooked somehow.
My experience with the manuevers is that they will work only at the time of onset, and IMO you should be careful about aerobic exercise when in tachycardia as the oxygen starvation that occurs only intensifies the afib (oxgen starvation causes more cells to initiate electrical stimulus). How do I know that?..duh, I went into full blown horrific tachy twice trying that...both times had to go to the hospital. I have used exercise as my main means of stopping afib in the past... but only when I bring my oxygen demand just up to the aerobic threshold.
Tom

I remember reading that several people here were pretty negative about cardizem (diltiazem) but I did have good luck with that acouple of times at the hospital bringing my rate down. I am at 5 days now in afib and miserable. I can't get my rate much below 100 and can't risk my blood pressure going much lower. (80s over 60s) I am so depressed and don't know what to do.
By the way, for those supplementing with potassium- I was cramming in the K with foods and K powder thinking I had to get the level up from 3.9. Well yesterday my blood results showed 5.1! Its encouraging to realize You can raise it by supplementing but worrisome that it can change that fast.I thought I was being careful. I wish I could get my magnesium to do that!
George- how in the world did you tolerate staying in afib for 2 months and how in the world were you able to convert after all that time? I seem to be stubbornly stuck!

I was on Toprol XL for 6 years when I had lone afib. Now ablated 6 years ago with 100% success. When I went into afib (about 3 X month),
my heart rate was tolerable with the Toprol. As I recall, my heart rate was in the 80's while in afib.

Tom Poppino Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jill have you ever tried any manuevers? holding
> your breath and pushing hard as if having a
> baby....worked for me 2 or 3 times shut 2 off like
> a light switch.......cold shower, breathing into a
> paper bag, dunking your head in ice
> water.........others here may off a more detailed
> version of these
>
> Some can exercise their way out of afib.........
>
> Tom

Mr Larsen gives a list of these strategiess to try, elsewhere on this site. I was impressed recently when I was in hospital in hopes of trying Flec. A junior doctor had me sitting on the bed, leaning forward & breathing deeply while she tapped my back. (I can only guess that she thought, if I was old and had AF I might have pneumonia too.) I had been in AF from 3am to about 2pm but it suddenly clicked off from 150-160 to 80 (which is very nearly normal for me). Back home I checked on this site and found a very similar manoevre suggested. I tried a DIY version at the start of my 2 most recent episodes (sadly, without the tapping). It didn't work but it may have helped.

Alexandra,

This is a new one for me. Do you have a link for the post where this is talked about? Or can you explain in more detail what was done at the hospital?

Thanks,

lisa
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So much of medicine is looking solely down the wrong end of the gun barrel, and that is really a pity for all of us---Shannon