atrial, fibrillation, and electrolyte imbalances

[ArgoJason]

hi everybody

I have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and my burden seems to vary between zero and 10% over most weeks, according to my Apple Watch. I’ve spent the last hour this morning, looking into evidence for the association between electrolyte imbalance and a true fibrillation, and the situation seems very complicated! I’m personally interested in this because I’m not diabetic, obese, drinking alcohol, smoking etc. Plus, a GP friend of mine recommended a few weeks ago to take something for heartburn (I always thought I would feel if I had heartburn, but apparently, sometimes you can have it without obvious symptoms) , I started taking a few Rennies at the beginning of the day and before bed and this seemed to have an immediate impact on my atrial fibrillation. After the first Rennies, I didn’t have AF for five days, which is the longest period without it that I’ve had for probably six months or a year. of course, it’s very difficult to know whether this really had a causal effect, or perhaps it had secondary effect by improving my sleep, et cetera. However! I’ve been reading this morning that magnesium is very important (many atrial fibrillation people may lack magnesium)., and this is a key ingredient of Rennies…

Some of the research, I have been reading suggests that the ratio between calcium and magnesium is very important, but I am reluctant to go down this rabbit hole, because I don’t have a good sense of what my electrolyte balance is right now, and so on.

Does anyone have a sense of some very basic things that people can do to help the electrolytes? I was thinking I would simply increase the amount that I drink, keep taking the Rennies (!), And see how I get on. But I will be interested to hear other peoples experience of Electrolytes and atrial fibrillation.

My particular atrial fibrillation is characterised by bradycardia, particularly during the night. I do sometimes, but more rarely, experienced tachycardia if I begin exercise like running during an episode of atrial fabulation (or when I’m feeling the fluttering/tingling in my chest)

Cheers

[Boombiddy]

Hello ArgoJason ,

Your post is very interesting and raises helpful questions.

I have paroxysmal AF too and take a beta-blocker, (bisoprolol), and the prescribing doctor told me to eat more magnesium-rich foods because these beta blockers can deplete your magnesium levels.

(They suggested more bananas, but as apparently you’d need about 11 bananas a day to get adequate magnesium I eat a lot of nuts which also helps).

Others may have better more up-to-date information, but I can tell you from my experience that when my heart gets rumbly, taking magnesium helps settle it down.

(I am not saying that magnesium will get you out of AF, just that when you are having palpitations you might find it helpful to try taking magnesium in some form - but I see from your post that the Rennies are helping you and that makes sense to me, given my own experience).

For myself, I take a little Andrews Salts (cheap, easily available, pleasant). *But it does contain some salt and sugar so it may not be suitable for many people* (I have low BP due to a rare condition, so for me salt is a prescribed treatment).

I didn’t realise Rennies contained magnesium! It makes sense, as without adequate magnesium you can’t absorb calcium. Bonus: I find Rennies relieve IBS pain fast, too - a trick my ex-nurse sister taught me.

Regarding other electrolytes, lots of veg & fruit, nuts & seeds is probably the best idea, as your body will make the best of the minerals.

(But of course if you have health problems, preparing food and eating well can be a real problem… I am hoping my broad spectrum multivitamin with minerals will help).

There are some brilliantly helpful and knowledgeable people in the AF Association and if you do a search for magnesium or electrolytes there will be a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw on.

[ArgoJason in reply to Boombiddy]

Thanks, Boombiddy! This is very helpful. I didn't realise others had experience of magnesium helping the heart settle down. I'm not on any other medication (yet) and I'm not sure how fast my own AF is progressing - no doubt it will eventually reach the point when I'm considered a candidate for medication. The tip about bananas is very useful, thanks! I love bananas so this is just the kind of tip I like! Right now I'm going to keep taking the Rennies (mindful that they do say on the packet not to take them long term) and try to keep as hydrated as possible. Maybe dehydration is one of my major triggers, though at the moment my AF seems to come and go almost at random.