How long does one usually remain on an anti-arrhythmia drug during their blanking period after an ablation?

I wonder if there is a time range average one remains on a drug during their blanking period? Just a poll to see if longer is better. I’m stopping multaq 6 days prematurely tonight after 52 days for health reasons.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 01:29AM by susan.d.

My first I was on them for 6 months. No issues once I came off for many years.

The second 3.

3rd none.

My first I was on them for 6 months. No issues once I came off for many years.

The second 3.

3rd none.

It's unlikely that 6 days will make a difference.

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Carey
It's unlikely that 6 days will make a difference.

Time will tell.

So I am curious the length of time you folks remain on an anti-arrhythmia drug post ablation and the length of time afterwards off the drug does af return if not lucky??

Natale put me on Multaq for a month. I tried to stop early after 2 weeks but AF started creeping back in so I restarted the Multaq. A week later I tried again and I've been in NSR ever since. That was 3 years ago.

The thing is, this depends on so many patient-specific and doctor-specific factors that I don't know what these answers are going to tell you. If you look at my previous, unsuccessful ablations, the answers are all over the map. I've been on flecainide, sotalol, Multaq and Tikosyn at various times for various lengths of time.

I agree Carey. I posted to relieve some future guilt over my actions of stopping 6 days prematurely to see if it’s common for AF.

My liver enzymes are high with multaq. I’m off crestor and another drug to keep my liver scores from rising. Everyone is different. Multaq increases my liver test results further. It’s been high since May when I started. Multaq is known for a select few not to be liver friendly. But that’s not why I stopped. My throat kind of closes and tightens up a tad. I can’t swallow even my saliva and drool until it passes. I just cough and don’t speak much. My GI wanted to eliminate a GERD mechanical narrowing by me having a barium swallow test. My esophagus is fine. I should have had the test right after a dose to capture the event. I can breathe so I take the drug. This occurs after taking multaq. Usually the first month and then it just GERD. Last night’s episode felt like a tightening. I am not a doc so I speculate since I can breathe between coughing it’s not anaphylactic but still it’s not pleasant and painful at times. I’ve had a few bad episodes. Last night was one of them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 05:27PM by susan.d.

No need for guilt because stopping or continuing Multaq isn't going to affect the success of your ablation one way or another. Either it was fully successful or it wasn't. All the Multaq was intended to do was to keep things quiet during the blanking period, and all that does is keep you more comfortable. It has no effect on the ultimate outcome.

Thank you Carey for the positive encouragement. I’m dealing with very symptomatic PVCs like before. I’m just not in the mood also for any AF activity from healing at the moment —yet gasping for air and coughing and drooling from multaq is also no picnic. Mainly guilt and frustration that I can’t handle multaq.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2020 08:57PM by susan.d.

Like I said, everyone's different, and Natale is more likely to write textbooks than follow them. He put me on Multaq for 30 days and you for 60. Neither one of those periods are the full blanking period, so clearly he's not following such a simple criteria. And I know other patients of his who got other antiarrhythmics instead. So how does he choose which drug and how long for each patient? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he does. Anyway, I don't think you're going to do yourself any harm by stopping 6 days early. Worst case is AF creeps back in and you resume the Multaq.

Susan, just a note to say I hope your having a better go at it this evening.

Thank you Walt. I’m always better off multaq but I prefer no AF and it was as helpful at times.

Carey - you wrote ". It has no effect on the ultimate outcome." Wouldn't more time in NSR keep the heart from learning non-nsr rhythms?

I'm in week 9 and still seeing mixed results but almost always higher rates regardless of rhythm.

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NotLyingAboutMyAfib
I'm in week 9 and still seeing mixed results but almost always higher rates regardless of rhythm.

Just to show everyone is different. We both had the same EP perform our ablation days apart. You have higher rates at week 9 and my HR is steadily dropping to 52-53 in the evenings. I used to be on 50mg Tenormin a day just to keep my HR to the 60s. Now my heart rate has changed. I wonder if having my CS and LAA isolated is the reason or if it’s the effects of the blanking period...?

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NotLyingAboutMyAfib
Carey - you wrote ". It has no effect on the ultimate outcome." Wouldn't more time in NSR keep the heart from learning non-nsr rhythms?

No way is 6 days enough time for remodeling to occur. The success of the ablation depends solely on the EP finding all the sources of AF and creating durable lesions with no gaps around those sources. If he does that, the AF will stop when those lesions heal and form non-conductive scar tissue, and that will happen regardless of what drugs you're taking or not taking. The purpose of antiarrhythmics following an ablation is just to keep things calm and keep the patient comfortable.