Rythmol

So my doctor is suggesting I go on Rythmol on a daily basis. I tried it a while back as something to stop afib after it started. Worked once in an hour, then didn't work next couple of times. So stopped it.

Before taking it daily, I wanted to check in with the group for pros / cons / experiences on it.
Nancy

I recommend taking the SR version of it for daily use. It's much more effective than the short-acting version (at least for me, it is). The brand name is horrendously expensive, but it comes in generic, now. I haven't noticed any difference in efficacy.

I've often wondered why more here don't use it instead of flec.

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

Hi Nancy,

I've been on it for a little over 5 years. I take the generic SR version twice a day. If you do start it, make sure you allow the dosage to get into your system for at least a couple of weeks before changing doses or giving up. Mine had to be tweaked a bit the first week or two. I like it (even though I strongly resisted medication at first) because since I've been on it I've had very infrequent breakthroughs - coffee (even decaf) seems to be a trigger for me, along with high sodium products, and forget anything that has MSG - afib within an hour.

I still take the potassium and magnesium supplements every single day, and my goal is still to gradually wean myself off the medicine. My EP sends me for an exercise stress test every year to check for QT issues, but so far, so good. It does cause dry mouth for me, but no taste issues. If it loses effectiveness, I'll probably need an ablation, but I've resisted so far due to genetic clotting issues, and my EP also suggests avoiding one until the success rate is higher first time around.

Lisa's right - the generic is MUCH cheaper than the name brand.

Best wishes whatever you decide.

Doreen

Rhythmol was the first antiarrhythmic that I was given. It worked for 16 days, then something startled me, which set off afib, and it didn't work at all after that.

Rhythmol significantly impacted my liver enzymes, and I became quite ill and lost a drastic amount of weight before the liver issue was discovered. It took months before i recovered. Very scary experience!

Nancy - As with so many things, much depends on the individual. A very long time ago, one of our afib posters was an MD who used Rhythmol for a very long time and was satisfied with it. If you go way back in the archived posts and type in Sadja Greenwood MD, you can probably find her comments on Rhythmol experiences.

Jackie

My doc has prescribed Propafenone HCL - once a day.

Nancy

Lisa,

What is wrong with using flecainnide instead of Rhythmol? I'm on flecainide and it is working very well for me.

I've read that both flecainide and Rhythmol have the potential to cause 1:1 atrial flutter in exercisers (which I am), but so far flecainide has worked well for me with no problems. I take a beta blocker with flecainide to reduce (or hopefully eliminate) that risk.

Other AADs don't do that, but then they have other side effects.

Diane

Diane, There's nothing "wrong" with Flec. I was merely wondering why that gets prescribed on what seems to be a much wider basis than Rythmol. I know this is true among the wider AF community as well, because every time I refill my prescription, the pharmacy has to order it. They don't stock it because they don't dispense much of it.

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

I'd be curious to know the reason as well. Is Rhythmol more expensive? Does it have side effects in more people than Flecainide? I heard it has one side effect I wouldn't want: dry mouth (that significantly increases the risk of dental cavities which are a pain).