how long has anyone gone without another episode

[macymoo007]

Is anyone’s Afib controlled by meds alone and by that, I mean since being on meds have never had another episode or have gone years in between episodes?

I seem to go 2 months in between episodes even though they keep increasing meds

[CDreamer]

I think you will get very mixed replies as meds do work for some people, some of the time. There are SO many other factors to consider - your general health, your fitness, your eating, your sleep and your stress. There is no one cause of AF and there is no one solution, but there are good outcomes for most.

In my retrospective view of AF drugs, I don’t think they controlled my AF at all. Beta Blockers just made me very ill, the only thing they seemed to do was steady my highly fluctuating BP. Flecainide taken as a PIP stopped an episode and that worked for about 12 months so my EP suggested I then take a daily dose - 200mg with an extra 100mg if an episode happened. That helped and worked for about another 12 months but eventually AF broke through so I stopped all the drugs and have to say overall, felt a lot better for it. On very good advice, I refused any other drug options.

The thing that worked for me for about 3 years was ablation. Now Pacmaker since 2018 and my last episode was January when I had had a succession of infections.

[macymoo007 in reply to CDreamer]

I’m guessing diet / exercise is probably as good if not better than meds. I’m just thinking how long I’ll be on meds before I’m on maximum doses as the condition almost nearly always gets worse over time

[CDreamer in reply to macymoo007]

If you look after yourself generally, I think you have as good a chance but age is a big factor as well and unfortunately there is little we can do to reverse that! Personally I think managing stress and getting good quality sleep are just as important as nutrition and exercise.

[macymoo007 in reply to CDreamer]

I rarely feel stressed and sleep really well so that’s not my trigger I guess. Like the cardiologist says, it could be anything

[Peacefulneedshelp in reply to macymoo007]

I always agree with CDreamer. In addition keep a food and lifestyle journal and notice what may or may not trigger you. I think of it like this, our bodies are like a bucket and when that bucket gets filled we react with an episode or inflammation etc. Gluten, MSG, chemicals are all my triggers and now I can add fish oil to that list. Going on vacation for me is hard because of having to eat out a lot, but I also bring with me things that are safe to eat. It is a mystery of all mysteries and each of us have different solutions.

I also have low blood sugar not associated with diabetes and I can't seem to get an understanding of that from doctors. Once the blood sugar drops we then go into a cascade of stress hormones to try to regulate our blood sugar, that is hard on the heart as well. Again I keep food with me so when I feel that shaky hunger come on I need to eat something to raise my blood sugar. I suspect a lot of people may have this issue also. All of this then has an effect on our liver, and thyroid and then they come into play.

we are told to drink drink drink water and then that can throw off electrolytes, we have to keep that in mind. It was suggested by this group to drink coconut water which is balanced already.

Everything comes down to lifestyle and what is best for us as individuals.

Peace

[Alphakiwi in reply to CDreamer]

Hi CDreamer. Its saturday afternoon and i am buggered with this Aff thing. I have written to you before about AV Node ablation. I have had the PM put in about 3 yrs ago but the av node was never ablated. I was transferred just after the inplant to another closer cardiologist and she said could go without the ablate part now. Well i have for 3 yrs now but i have been on different drugs several times and situation now worse with qol going down . I had to throw the ruvaroxabsn away for instance due to nausea starting in early mornings and getting earlier until it was all night. Im now on asprin . I started a while ago get these huge thumps which ive had all along but now they are all the time virtually especially at night. They are now spaced out about every 20 mins. When it hits i start breathing involuntary and head aches start on some of them . When i check now and again with my Omron bpmonitor it mostly shows a readonable blood pressure but elevated for me heart beat. My omron also shows im in arrythmia at the time. Do you have any suggrstions on how to slow the nber of palpitations im having at night. At least till monday as i have an appointment then.I will be definitely having a talk with her about the node ablate etc. Ive had enough of this drug and excersise intolerance im having so im prepared at 82 and otherwise healthy to have the node aproach if thats the way to go.Thanks for reading my rambling on CD.

Colin from New Zealand.

[Jalia]

I agree with what CDreamer has said . I've had a very chequered history over 31 years . I've gone as long as about 3 years without episodes on 2 occasions.

I'm of the opinion that lack of stress , good sleeping pattern and good diet are the best medicines. On reflection I don't now believe that the drugs I've taken over the years have done much good at all and certainly bisoprolol made me feel very ill. However we are all different and what works for one will not work for another.

[Buzby62]

I think the definition of controlled is not necessarily to never have an episode, the cardiologists will say controlled is keeping your rate down with blockers or reverting you quickly with an anti arrhythmia drug.

Preventing episodes all together requires working out lots of unknowns which is near impossible to most of us and even if successful with treatments you may still have break throughs when infections come along.

Mine were usually between 3 and 5 weeks, I did go 86 days once after first starting meds but that was during lockdown with a lot of sitting around and not mixing.

Hoping to see improvement since ablation in December, I definitely feel better but still early days really and will keep updating my bio.

[Finvola]

I haven't had an episode of AF since I started Flecainide 10 years ago. That said, I changed my lifestyle to a slower, calmer state, eat more healthily, stopped alcohol and use mindfulness meditation to cope with stress.

[mjames1]

Personally, I've gone many months between episodes while on daily Flecainide, an anti-arrhythmic. I've read here and elsewhere that some have gone many years. On the other end of the spectrum, it might only be days or they don't work at all. A very individual thing.

Two months between episodes isn't bad, however you mention that they "keep increasing the drugs". That often comes with increased side effects and possibly toxicity and that's why many of us opt for ablation at a certain point rather than continuing with daily meds.

Jim

[Buffafly]

How is your diet going? I hope you haven’t given up because weight loss could reverse the downward spiral you are predicting.

[Pommerania78 in reply to Buffafly]

Have you tried weight loss. And if so what was/is your experience? Thanks.

[Buffafly in reply to Pommerania78]

No, I’m very slim, always have been.

[BenHall1]

I was first mugged over by AF in Jan 2010. It messed over my life except for the last 4 years during which time it occasionally and VERY VERY briefly returned for short periods. anything from 15 hours to a couple of days. This time I've relented and returned to a Cardiac Consultant, self referral and paying for it myself. So far I've had a new Echocardiogram and ECG and a BP check. My decision is based on very cranky episodes of very high BP and incredible tiredness lurching into brief spells of AF. I have a 7 day Holter Monitor coming up starting next Tuesday and as soon as I can get it prescribed - dropping Nebivolol and starting Sotalol. Then in about 8 weeks I have a CT Scan in preparation for taking Flecanide. Just waiting for my Consultants letter to see what the doses are.

I originally elected the medication route and have stayed with it. My anticoagulant is Warfarin.

[OzRob]

Almost 2 years on 50g Flecainide twice daily and 60g Diltiazem once daily and not one blip.

EP still wants me to have an Pulsed Field ablation later this year so I can stop all medication.

[AfibSufferer]

Daily Flecainide (initially 2 x 50mg increased to 3 x 50mg) stopped my AF attacks for 5 years. Before Flecainide they had been getting closer and closer together and had reached 1 / month which reverted to NSR within 6 hours by using Flecainide as PIP.

Mark

[bowie88]

I have had periods of 6 months or more without an episode, my medication seems to be keeping it at bay. When I do have an episode (lasting 4-20 hours) it's normally after I've been exercising more than usual, or stress. I sleep well and eat healthily. Good luck!

[Afbiff]

Daily Flecainide (initially 2x50mg increased to 3x50mg) has kept me AF free since August 2019, so coming up to 5 years. Before Flecainide I had episodes almost daily and was quite miserable with it. Fingers crossed for more AF free years to come............

[Singwell]

I had that - the 2 month thing. I couldn't work out what the pattern was but it was usually build up of stress over a few days, plus dietary things. I chose not to increase my dose overall but to take extra PiP. So that might be an option to discuss for you. An ablation helped. I'm now off heart meds and I do get it occasionally- so not completely gone - but my PiP strategy sees it off at present. Lifestyle changes help because overall you feel better. The usual- the exercise you take, your sleep patterns, stress levels, what you put in your body, other body systems such as thyroid BP.

[bobby1290]

Appreciate folk have said similar things, certainly my AF experience has been possibly a mixture. 3 episodes in total from 2020...1st was when going through Chemo/Radiotherapy (thats how my genetic heart condition was found) On bisoporol 2.5mg x2 daily. 2nd Occasion 2022 My 2 older kids fell out, so i was pretty stressed, then AF started after walking up a steep street after Watching local Football team. 3rd Occasion was day after I had been drunk, and again walking up steep street after watching football........So in summary, best to excercise regulary, do not drink more than a few, de-stress.....When yer body says NO, there is very little you can do about it....

[Karendeena]

I used to go every 4 months despite increases in meds, then it became every 3 months, I think the beast had his own diary!!! I have gone 4 months now but had an Ablation 6 weeks ago 🤞🤞

[FindingCaradoc]

I was originally diagnosed with AF in 2005 when I was 44 (apparently exercise induced) I was prescribed Flecanide as PIP and didn’t have another episode until 2012 (which the Flecanide sorted after 5 hours). After that episode the EP suggested I take Flecanide BD, which was the situation until 2022 when after an NSTEMI I went into persistent AF for 4 months until I had a successful ablation. Flecanide is no longer an option for me due to the heart attack! As has been said we’re all different but Flecanide worked well for me for many years with no obvious side effects. Good luck.

[Ppiman]

It's so hard to know since it's impossible to know why episodes start. I have strongly felt that bisoprolol has held back my episodes but, over the five years of this it has slowly become more frequent.

Steve

[Vonnegut]

I haven’t had an episode for over 15 months since on 100 mg twice daily and that last episode must have arrived when I was infected with covid with no symptoms but a positive test! It was ended in a few hours with an extra Flecainide. The affects of the covid booster I had last Saturday were much worse as it turns out I am one of the 2 percent of people who were allergic to it! My arm is still swollen and painful!!

[Dudtbin]

i started in November 2022, since I’ve been on a mixture of heart meds and sotalol Ive been in nsr. I drink wine and coffee, eat chocolate (not a lot ). I think mine is covid induced.

[wischo]

Mine was Covid induced for sure and reading the comments about all the people that go years without an episode, I can not help but wonder did they really. I monitor myself almost daily at my leisure and occasionally my kardia shows possible Afib. Without the kardia I would not have a clue as I feel nothing and my heartrate is in the 50s. The Afib only lasts a very short time( less than 10minutes) and might happen once weekly. When I initially got Covid and Afib I could really feel the bumps and flutters and tiredness from the Afib. Since then 12 months ago I only had one 1hour episode that I could physically identify as Afib and verified with my Apple watch and Kardia. I am on 1.25mg of Bisoprolol and Edoxaban and like everybody here am not sure if they are helpful or not or if they just mask the symptoms most of the time. So the question still remains open in my opinion.

[Dee5165]

I had a Cardioversion in March 2021. I had an AFIB episode 12 days later. I decided to do research and took Magnesium Taurate and Glycinate, CoQ10 with a few other supplements and will be AFIB free for 3 years next month.

[tunybgur]

Flecainide, 4 years and counting

[Visigoth]

I’ve been on amiodarone for three years and had no episodes in that time. Just crossing my fingers they don’t start up again!

[Jetcat]

iv heard of some people saying meds have kept their AFIB under control for years,but Iv also heard of meds doing next to nothing for some people too.!!! I think everyone is different and have different experiences with the meds.??