Flecainide dose (100mg) too high?

To all,

I read in someone's post that one should start at 50mg Flecainide twice a day, then go up to 100mg if 50mg doesn't work. My EP started me with 100mg.

On two occasions I have forgotten to take my mid-day dose, and both times, I had no afib.

Should I ask him to let me try a 50mg dose and see how that goes? I'd really like to try a lower dose first, especially since it seems to be working so well.

Another question: Does grapefruit interfere with Flecainide? I love grapefruit and love to have 1/2 a large grapefruit daily when its in season. I know grapefruit interferes with a lot of medications (it inhibits elimination of them, thus making them stay in your body longer and can potentially cause harm over overdosing). I hate to give up one of the only healthy foods I enjoy (especially given that grapefruit is high in potassium).

I'm not about to cut my Flecainide dose without first discussing it with my EP but I wanted to get people's thoughts on this.

Dianne,

I take 100 mgs of Flecainide twice a day and eat grapefruit with no problems. I looked up grapefruit on a drug interaction website and saw no listing of Flecainide so decided it should be okay.

As to taking 50 mgs. of Flecainide instead of 100 mgs, that probably depends on how long you've been on it. I had a doctor who told me to just stop taking Metoprolol after I had been on it several months, and I had a severe reaction for weeks, but I am highly sensitive to drugs. Some people can do that, but I can't. My doctor did start me on 50 mgs. of Flecainide, but I continued to have afib events so he upped it to 100. I continued to have attacks even on 100 twice a day, and it wasn't until I came to this website and learned to change to a low sodium, no processed food diet and to take the right supplements that my afib has stopped. If I had come to this website sooner, I would have tried diet and supplements rather than going on Flecainide. I'd love to get off it, but I have other health issues I must deal with first. So my advice is, if you haven't been on it long, try to taper off and use Jackie's Strategy Report to find out what supplements to take, and get advice on diet, etc. from the great people on this website.

Many blessings to you,
Windstar (Nancy M)

I am 170 lbs and when I used a PIP I used 300mg Flecainide a day with 40mg Diltiziam with no ill effects (except for feeling drugged).

Was originally started with 100 mg 2X/day. Don't believe that's unusual.

I'm 160 lbs.

I used to take 1X50mg in the morning and 2X50 mg at night, because as a vagal all my attacks were during the night
Since retiring and the stress abating, and more exercise my nervous system has settled down so I am back to just 50 mg twice a day
So i believe it can be reduced , when your body allows it
My doc always said if i have a bad day i can always 'pop' another
On grapefruit, not sure about flecainide , but it can interfere with statins and some blood pressure medication