It’s Official November 02, 2019 02:18PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 04:19PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 04:27PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 06:46PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 07:14PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 08:04PM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 728 |
I have taken flecainide and propranolol for a few years and it has been very effective for me. I take the lowest dose that works in order to minimize possible side effects. I took 50 mg of flecainide twice daily until last January when I had one breakthrough episode (I had the flu at the time and that probably contributed). Now I take 75 mg twice daily and no breakthroughs yet. Good luck with it.Quote
pgrove1
Thanks Carey. The side effects of flecainide make me a little nervous. I know the chances of proarrhythmic side effects are very small (especially for someone with a structurally normal heart) but it’s still slightly concerning. I’m planning to do daily or at least every other day ECGs with my Apple Watch or Kardia 6L for a while just to keep an eye on things but I’m trying to just relax and hope the meds can at least space out some of the episodes. If I could get to once a month or less it would feel like really good progress.
Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 09:38PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 09:40PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 10:55PM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 728 |
When you say that you took 3 pills in 24 hours, how many mg were the pills—50? 100?Quote
susan.d
Pgrove1:
I was successful on flecainide from 9-14 to 3-6-19...15 year run of minimal AF. Hopefully with your 5 minute episodes you should be ok.
I had a flecainide overdose (3 pills in 24 hours with 121 weight) in August, stopped flecainide and had an ablation with Dr. Natale on 9-19.
.
Re: It’s Official November 02, 2019 11:18PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 10:44AM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 11:47AM |
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Quote
katesshadow
It seems that a lot of people with Afib are prescribed flecainide, but I wasn't. What is the criteria for prescribing it?
Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 01:12PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 03:37PM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 269 |
Quote
Carey
It seems that a lot of people with Afib are prescribed flecainide, but I wasn't. What is the criteria for prescribing it?
There are criteria for not taking it but taking it is mostly just a judgement call on the EP's part, and it's pretty common to try more than just one. There are only a handful of antiarrhythmic drugs to choose from. Some come with hefty side effects (amiodarone), some require a hospital stay to initiate them (Tikosyn), and some are expensive (Multaq, Tikosyn). Flecainide has none of those drawbacks and it's usually effective, so it's a common choice, but it's not the only choice so it's not really surprising you were never prescribed it.
Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 04:48PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 07:02PM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 269 |
Quote
Carey
An ER doc wouldn't pay much attention to afib because it's not going to kill you. ER docs don't do follow-up care or often even give referrals. A regular cardiologist is also likely to pay little attention to afib, especially if it was just a single episode. If you have another episode, you need to find a electrophysiologist (EP). You probably should have been given an event monitor to wear for a month to make sure you don't have any silent afib. You probably don't since you said you were highly symptomatic so would know it, but an EP likely would have done that to make sure.
Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 08:09PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 08:23PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 08:31PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 08:52PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 09:04PM |
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In the ER the only attention you are likely to get is something to convert you. The ER doesn’t provide continuous care—itheir job is just to get you out of the emergency and send you home. For actual “care” for Afib, you will need an EP and EPs do take it seriously—by making a plan with you to keep it from recurring.Quote
Why is Afib given so little attention? Even if it's not going to kill you, it's considered serious, isn't it?
Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 09:30PM |
Registered: 11 years ago Posts: 4,222 |
Quote
katesshadow
Why is Afib given so little attention? Even if it's not going to kill you, it's considered serious, isn't it?
Quote
Elizabeth
Heavy exercise has induced AF, there has been a few posters here that have cut back on their exercise because of it causing their AF. .
Re: It’s Official November 03, 2019 10:35PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 706 |
Quote
GeorgeN
Heavy exercise has induced AF, there has been a few posters here that have cut back on their exercise because of it causing their AF. .
I would be one of those. It is another cornerstone of my plan. My question to myself is always how to remain fit, yet not push the limit. My limit has been subjective all these years. One of my guides is to always breathe through my nose, if I have to open my mouth, it is too hard. I can even to short duration, high intensity with my mouth closed (like HIIT Tabatas). I hope to write more about objective ways to figure out how to stay below a threshold at some point.
George
Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 12:37AM |
Admin Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 5,343 |
Quote
katesshadow
Why is Afib given so little attention? Even if it's not going to kill you, it's considered serious, isn't it?
Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 09:34AM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 27 |
Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 10:02AM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 27 |
Quote
Joe
pgrove, how much flec are you taking? I take 50 mg only at b'time. So far so good.
Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 12:00PM |
Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 920 |
Quote
pgrove1
Thanks for all the responses. Honestly, it's hard not to be super depressed about this. I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects. I've done about all I can cutting out possible triggers and I was never an extreme exerciser. The only thing I haven't been tested for is sleep apnea (scheduled with sleep medicine doctor in december). I'm praying almost constantly that the medications will give me some relief. I'm just not sure what my life is going to look like for the next 30 years. Am I looking at decreased physical capacity, decreased ability to work, decreased functional capacity to play with my kids and help my wife around the house? Hard not to feel really pessimistic about everything at the moment.
Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 01:42PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 01:52PM |
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Re: It’s Official November 04, 2019 10:43PM |
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I sympathize with your stress but look at it more optimistically as the research will offer much improved treatment in the future. Easy for me to say at 69yo and having had the first episode in 2015(about 4 month permanent af and a 4/5 week one last year), i know.Quote
pgrove1
pgrove, how much flec are you taking? I take 50 mg only at b'time. So far so good.
Hey Joe,
He has prescribed 50mg BID at this point. I haven't started taking them yet as the pharmacy my insurance asks me to use is mail order and the meds probably won't get here until Wednesday. How long have you been on your 50mg at bedtime regimen? Has it been effective for you?
Re: It’s Official November 05, 2019 10:11AM |
Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 269 |
Quote
pgrove1
Thanks for all the responses. Honestly, it's hard not to be super depressed about this. I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects. I've done about all I can cutting out possible triggers and I was never an extreme exerciser. The only thing I haven't been tested for is sleep apnea (scheduled with sleep medicine doctor in december). I'm praying almost constantly that the medications will give me some relief. I'm just not sure what my life is going to look like for the next 30 years. Am I looking at decreased physical capacity, decreased ability to work, decreased functional capacity to play with my kids and help my wife around the house? Hard not to feel really pessimistic about everything at the moment.
Re: It’s Official November 06, 2019 10:16AM |
Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 1,102 |
Quote
pgrove1
I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects.
Re: It’s Official November 06, 2019 12:12PM |
Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 27 |
Quote
wolfpack
I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects.
It should do the opposite. You have paroxysmal AF, not long-standing persistent, and you are very young. Even a greenhorn EP can't kill you (well, he/she'd have to try really hard). Time is totally on your side. You can explore medications and also ablation procedures. You use the time and relative good health to your advantage to find the best possible caregivers and practitioners that you can. You'll come through this just fine. Even if AF returns at some later point in your life, say age 50, the technology and knowledge will be so advanced by then I can't imagine any person who desires permanent freedom from it won't be able to find it. It's just not going to happen.
Re: It’s Official November 06, 2019 01:24PM |
Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 2,515 |