Low BP after Afib Episodes...Any one ever have this?

As always, I appreciate greatly the time and the info provided by all in this forum.
I have been lucky that mostly my once weekly episodes became far an in between since going on Flec.
I now (hopefully it remains that way) get one or two episodes every 8 - 12 months (since 2009). I am VERY symptomatic.
Last night and early this morning I had a 6 hour episode (long for me) that was verified by a pacemaker readout that was done at Tufts at noon today.
My blood pressure drops dramatically with the episode. All day today it was around 85/50 BP or thereabouts. No sure why or how this happens. But it does take me a few days
to start to feel normal again.

Are you taking a Beta-Blocker during episodes for rate control? That could cause it.
I always felt calmer after an episode, not sure why, something to do with the bodies reaction to the stress of an episode.
Hans the site originator used to talk about this cyclical reaction after an episode.

As Anti Afib noted a beta blocker used for rate control of in a case like yours where you .r episodes are infrequent that would be an unlikely indication but could still be the case if you needed it from BP control ... And in either event could contribute to such a drop.

But also for years here we have discussed this cyclical nature often seen in paroxysmal AFIB as if the periodic events themselves were almost a scheduled release from a kind of biochemical/physiological build up of some sort of 'steam' that needs to be blown off, and after such an episode of AFIB aeries of real calm and rock steady stability ensued.

I certainly experienced those clock work like gradual build ups, triggers, blow off episodes followed by peaceful stability for quite some time during my many years of paroxysmal AFIB, and before the whole thing repeated again in a slowly but steadily progressive dance towards persistent AFIB.... often with very long periods of quiet.

Whatever the stimulus/release mechanism for this kind of paroxysmal manifestation, I now see it as almost a kind of innate AFIB survival and propagation method ... Not unlike a virus which may have its own hide and seek ploys to lure the victim away from taking more serious action while the disease itself can continue to get more entrenched. I know that makes it sound like a living organism with a survival instinct ., but it almost seems that way at times, in effect at least.

These rapid swings from the sudden urgency of an AFIB attack to the relative calm and so welcomed stability of NSR is the master pyschogical trick AFIB deftly plays on the majority of us during its gradual 'entrenching' years where during the episode would would practically sell our mothers to the lowest bidder to get it to stop and we are ready to speed dial Dr Natales EP Lab for instant helicopter service ( sound familiar??), but within 15 minutes after NSR returns we suddenly shift to seeing it as not such a big deal after all and something that we will handle okay when, and if, it happens again. And then all the urgency to really and truly DO something about it tends to fade into the woodwork ... God forbid consider one of those dreadful 'ablations'!

This process tis one that almost perfectly plays off our human natural tendency to try to minimize any concern and push off any medical treatment once the crisis has eased up or passed. If AFIB were a living virus looking for a way to sustain itself within its living host, it could hardly devise a better trick for insuring a long and progressive life for itself in said hosts.

But I digress from your question a bit, although it could be that the larger BP drop you experienced is due to a similar compensating mechanism after the 'release ' of an episode that may have overshot to a degree of decompensation.

One speculative, but possible, mechanism that could cause such a drop is in the backdrop of an underlying adrenal stress scenario where either a temporary drop in adrenal output and cortisol building block metabolite reserves, which may well have been drained a good deal when trying to address the urgent stressors during the AFIB attack, may have been more severely impacted than usual after that episode, leading to a modest adrenal decompression drop off and thus a notable drop in BP and likely blood sugar at the same time as well.

People that often run low BP for no other obvious cause often are found to have weak adrenal functioning with low levels of adrenal metabolite reserves. A generally fixable problem when caught and treated early enough, but in a scenario like yours where it's more of a rare or one off event I wouldn't worry too much about it, though if it repeats definitely bring it up with your doc, as something elsewhere may be going on.

Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2015 04:33PM by Shannon.

Tibbar:

Yes, that also happens to me, my BP is lower for a while after an AF episode, it doesn't last as long as what you say. If I go back into SR, say in the early afternoon, then that day my BP is low, the next day it is back to normal. I have noted the lower BP after AF for many years, I have had many tests over those years and my heart is fine. The lower BP tends to make me a little tired, but as I said it doesn't last too long.

Liz

Thanks The Anti-Afib, Shannon, and Elizabeth,
I appreciate your comments and inputs. I did have some kind of flu-feveree type thing in mid June that went away but snuck bacl a little last week. For several years I have taken 100mg of Flecainide before bed and 50 mg in the AM. I take 25 mg of Metoprolol because I take the Flecainide and I take Lisinopril
because normally my blood pressure all my life has been on the high side of normal. Since going on the Flec, so far it works pretty well. Episodes not too ofen and if I get one it is usually at night or in the AM and I usually have to pee a lot, get sort of sea-sicky, anxious, and thick headed and/or light headed with no energy. You are right Shannon some day
I may be asking you guys who to go for ablation. But hoping for now to keep status quo. Hope I am doing the right thing.

The peeing is normal. It is discusses in the Conference Room <[www.google.com]

also known as "the big pee" <[www.google.com]

ANP seems to be the actor.

George



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/02/2015 08:48PM by GeorgeN.

Quote

where during the episode would would practically sell our mothers to the lowest bidder to get it to stop and we are ready to speed dial Dr Natales EP Lab for instant helicopter service

This really made me LOL. Guilty!

Shannon,
Thank you for your reply. Can having a virus with a low grade fever contribute to getting an afib attack?
Also, in Boston, is there a Dr Natalie type or two at one of the major hospitals?

Thanks again Shannon. Very helpful. Joe hare