Post ablation afib

Do some EP's prescribe an arrhythmia drug post ablations to keep the heart in NSR? I was on sotalol before the ablation. I am 8 days in and have already had 2 very long bouts of afib and I don't want my heart creating new pathways for new afib in the future. Is this unreasonable?

Mine kept me on Flecainide for three months for just that reason, but I went longer because I wanted to.

Flecanide causes me too long pauses between beats. I have reported it to the doctor though, hoping there might be something.

No matter the dosage? How much were you taking? I'm no doctor, but I have moved my own dosage around between 150mg and 50 mg a day with my EP's OK within that dosage window. I take it some days if I'm feeling a little jumpy. But only 50mg to settle me down.

Quote
keeferbdeefer
Mine kept me on Flecainide for three months for just that reason, but I went longer because I wanted to.

Flecainide has a black box label for a reason. It isn’t a drug to experiment with. I suggest you wear a two week holter to determine how many pauses you get.

I haven't been on it since the pauses

Yes, it's common for EPs to prescribe an antiarrhythmic following ablation, but not all do. Although you're in no danger of forming new pathways in a few days or weeks of afib, it's still a patient comfort issue as you've clearly discovered. It should be okay to resume the sotalol, maybe at a reduced dosage, but call your EP and check with them on that. I don't want to tell you it's okay in case they stopped it for a specific reason.

I couldn’t go back on sotolol because of my pauses. So my np told me. I’m in multaq instead.

Carey thanks for saying that it takes a while to form new pathways. That helps, especially since these episodes have been so long.

By the 8th day post successful ablation i had exper. 3 ARR. so i know what you mean.....3 more in the next 4 days were to come for me in late 2018 for a total of 6 in 12 days (6 in 9 really) that i knocked all down in an hour with 150mg chewed Propafenone my best friend ever (used the right way that is) so as the saying goes don't judge a book by it's cover or don't judge/sweat an Ablation esp. by the early portion of the blanking period.
Give it at least a month or 6 weeks before starting to sweat + that may not be enough time....don't take anything too seriously until AT LEAST then.

I would look more into a temp. solution like a PIP (Flec. a side) just to get you over the hump......now that your heart in all likelyhood is very soon going to be fine.

GL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2021 02:51PM by vanlith.