Colindo, thanks for the info there on inaccurate content amount - I just ordered two types of liquid magnesium (both off ebay), the Trace Minerals brand, and the Cardiovascular Research brand (I often "overlap" on a nutrient, different formulations / mfr's). re: the person's comment "I've never purchased that type because the price is ridiculously high", theby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great feedback (as always) George, I believe it's citrate that is more laxative "purposed" so to speak. Man you are a wealth of knowledge, and I commend you for the level of "fighting for it" which is obvious in so many of your great posts. I'm rising back up for that so to speak after being dulled out as an old fish, on Metoprolol-Flecainide.by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Reading the reviews on Dr. Carolyn Dean's books "Atrial Fibrillation: Remineralize Your Heart" and "The Magnesium Miracle" (Amazon etc), I am encourage re: liquid magnesium (I'm already taking two other "pill forms" of magnesium, a mag Malate and a Taurate). It may be that "any liquid magnesium" is helpful; Dr. Carolyn Dean makes / sells a prodby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you Mark for bringing up the "area, the option", of riding on just rhythm control (Flecainide etc) and the concept of dropping / reducing the beta blocker (and I know we are all on our own / we are responsible for risks we take). Great insight with your posts above. GeorgeN it's amazing how "technical" and in-depth the grasp is and how helpful the data is, peopleby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great post Mark - a) The 5 years just carrying Flecanide to use if needed (and I know others do this, Pills In Pocket), is the ticket there just to "notice" when one has gone into Afib, "and that's good enough"? (I seem to be able to tell easily, and check with a finger pulsemeter pretty often, but that's the protocol?) and b), how does one know for sure, "Myby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Deja-vu all over again... checking out alternatives to Metoprolol - Flecainide... Propafenone as a Flecainide alternative, scary looking potential side-effects (as with Flecainide though), and the Metoprolol alternatives mentioned above, same story (though Metoprolol isn't "pretty", as Wolfpack said "they are boat anchors". The Metoprolol - Flecainide has brought me a fby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the tip Karin, looks like this is the product? One guy said it tastes horrible, but it does seem a great product. I take two types of magnesium but will add the liquid. Thought that hits me, "so many here" have a spouse also with Afib, had ablations etc, geeze louize what did they do 50, 60 years ago and further back, I guess most didn't know what was going on re: Afby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Wolfpack, "boat anchor" is a good description... Joe on the thyroid, long story short I have an autoimmune issue and I supplement natural thyroid (4x through the day) and I take adrenal support (hydrocortisone) so I'm bypassing my thyroid gland basically (and I check the levels with labs - TSH is the pituitary's "calling for thyroid", it's not "theby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Joe, my finger pulse meter seems (for what it is) to be amazingly accurate, when I feel "shaky, sketchy beats" is shows that way on the waveform display (like the needle of an earthquake measure LOL), and when I feel "in rhythm" it's very smooth, but still showing any "dirt" in the pattern, little skips etc... Why did you drop Sotolol (for Atenolol), did iby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
George I read your thread back in June on the breathing, that is part of what inspired me to ask about "any tricks or things that have worked" to bring conversion, and I re-read it now and with Liz's follow-up thread, "very helpful info". And to Carey and the other contributors, "scary data" re: the stroke risk etc but I'm glad to have my face pushed bacby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for all the helpful data - Well I'm going back on the Metoprolol - Flecainide right now then, to knock this back into normal rhythm, it seems I'm not one who can get away with "it has converted - OK now I can just go with the pills in my pocket for as needed use" type of protocol.by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you Carey and jpeters (I wish there was a thanking system on the forum), from the ~145 BPM showing on my pulsemeter (with waveform display), after a few hours it now seems a bit stabilized at around 85 BPM. "But", the rhythm is irregular (the waveform display shows that "clearly", and it was nice and smooth while on Metoprolol / Flecainide, but the whole issue here isby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
With the usual "risk factor assessment" I was not put on anti-coagulants. I've been curious what toll Afib has on the heart, re: "wrecks your heart", what are the details there - harms valves, shortens lifespan of heart function?by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for all the great knowledge shared on the forum - OK, after 7 months on Metoprolol & Flecainide (after Afib was discovered / diagnosed), I am really tired of the side-effects of the drugs (foggy headed, tired, "motivation is whacked"), I did manage to reduce the amounts of each by about half and still have normal rhythm, but the side effects didn't really reduce much.by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
re: Carey's statement "Yes, no question that Trump and the GOP have intentionally sabotaged the ACA over the last year, but..." Surely you know, that entire "thing" of "Obamacare", was put onto the public, clearly knowing it would fail, "prices would become ridiculous" with the intent of UK / Canada style "one provider" socialized medicineby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the info and the sharing of experience George - I think finally having a bit over a month on a good amount of Magnesium has helped me / has allowed me to get away with reducing my Metoprolol and Flecainide (as described above). And I'm taking D-ribose, eye of newt etc. And I think you said this perfectly; "I'm willing to take risks I know about, after weighing the cby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
I began a topic down below asking about weaning down Metoprolol and Flecainide, basically curious (as a newbie, 1 1/2 years Afib but just "caught and named" 2 months ago when I was in the hospital for something else), I was curious about pulling back on dosing then seeing if I could continue without meds if I somehow had stably "converted" (and that didn't work out...)by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you everyone, and GeorgeN your comments up above on dosing reduction were very helpful, I've started a new post with my positive experience on that - Frankby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great post Wolfpack, but your engineering perspective along with your experience and knowledge (and same with other great posters here) is very valuable. Just today, at a Dr. visit, she said "only mayoclinic.com is to be trusted", well, I trust much more so, the feedback of others (like yourself) who have been there, done that, and have experience to share. Very valuable and helpful,by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks George, wow it's like us "patients" eventually have to know the full medical and pharmaceutical spectrum just to understand why we don't feel well (and why we are at risk etc), amazing knowledge that George / Wolfpack / Carey / Shannon / Jackie and others here have... Sotalol info,by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Wow. Maybe I missed it, but beyond Metoprolol (which deals with rate), were you put on Flecainide or anything else for heart rhythm? That's pretty wild that you hit the high blood pressure and heart rate, but this Afib is like a swiss army knife of freaking surprises LOL.by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Jackie, man these drugs are like shaking around a house of cards! What a path we must weave...by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
"Ready to stop the madness already" we should get a rubber stamp made for that. Others might be able to speak to the transition, but Metropolol seems to be the "likely will work" beta blocker commonly dispensed (your description is for the once a day / extended release version), a) for me it absolutely works, b) it makes me tired. Just fwi, that is a fairly common "dislby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great data there Wolfpack, thanks, and if others also needed to see what "quite drug refractory" might mean, here's what I found, "resisting ordinary methods of treatment". Thanks, and I wish this forum format had a "like" or "thank you" button...by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Wolfpack - and some more info Leah; a) L-arginine and L-Citrulline both are touted as "healthy for the heart" for a few reasons including the lowering of the BP as Wolfpack pointed out, so as well if one is already on blood thinners one would want to monitor this / be in coordination with your Dr. b) I've tried the capsules, "didn't notice benefit", andby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
What a smart tip Jackie, to get the rate slowed down, "then" the Flecainide. Maybe this is covered elsewhere as I study the materials, but what are clues towards "it's vagal (nerve) afib"; and what helpful things does one know, in how to address etc, if "it is vagal afib"?by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Wolfpack, I see that mine is Metropolol Tartrate (so not time release then), and about 10 hours in from my last dose where I started the "cut in half", my heartrate as expected is up a bit (but was low before actually), and, so far, no disruption to Afib being controlled, no random scratchy patterns (yet LOL) on my pulse with waveform display meter. Side Effects survey, questiby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you Anti-Fib, and good question Wolfpack, I was put on 25mg (twice a day, with 50 mg Flec, twice a day), and actually just this morning I decided to cut the Metoprolol pills in half on exactly your reasoning, so, I'm trying 12.5 and 12.5, but I think I will seek as well a different option than Metoprolol, but yes, lets see how this goes at a lower amount, and thanks -by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
I came across this comment which hit home with me as I've had the same problems, side effects with Metoprolol: "When I was first diagnosed I was given Metoprolol. I too felt like I was in a fog, and was extremely sleepy and out of it. Asked my Dr to switch me to something else ...eventually settled on Bystolic which was much, much better for me personally. Everyone reacts differentlyby FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM
Excellent, thank you so much for putting that all together!by FrankInFlorida - AFIBBERS FORUM