I would be very interested to hear of foods that fellow sufferers have found trigger an attack of AF

[gardenome]

[meadfoot]

Hi Gardenome. For me it is Thai food - a real no no. I think Coconut in any form (including and especially coconut milk often used in Thai food is the issue, as are nuts of any kind.

I cannot tolerate seemingly innocuous foods like lettuce or tomatoes, Bananas are dubious which is a nuisance as they contain potassium which is often shown in my blood work to be especially low during an AF episode.

I avoid caffeine, drink mainly water and have never drunk alcohol at any point in my life but hear that it is well known as a trigger.

However I think you will find food triggers are very individual. I have a Hiatal Hernia and acid reflux so have other catalysts which are food related which influence my AF episodes. Both the vagus nerve and stress play a large part for me. Together they create the perfect AF storm.

Good luck.

[Lal531 in reply to meadfoot]

Hello, Bananas are a very good and an essential source of potassium.

The correct levels of potassium are essential to maintain your electro cardiac function. Too little potassium causes hypokalemia which in turn can trigger episodes of AF.

Conversely too much potassium can cause cardiac arrest. The important things to remember are to have a healthy diet to maintain a healthy potassium level and DO NOT take potassium supplements unless prescribed by your GP.

As a point of note my episodes of AF have been triggered by hypokalemia. I hope this helps.

Cheers

Lal

[TheStand]

gardenome,

After 13 years of AF, the only one I have found that causes an attack within 6 or 7 hours of eating it is..... Chocolate!!! Especially Dark Chocolate. I could really care less about milk chocolate but I love Dark chocolate. I didn't eat it very often, maybe 1 or 2 times a month but after figuring out that it was a trigger I have really noticed that everything good has chocolate in it.Out of 200 flavors of ice cream, 195 have some kind of chocolate... Almost any candy bar has chocolate. I never noticed how much chocolate was out there until I couldn't eat it any more.

Any other foods that I have thought caused an attack have not panned out. I will have an attack after eating something but then the next time I eat it, No problems.

I am almost ready to try chocolate again. It has been over 12 weeks since my ablation and I haven't had an attack in 9 weeks. I'll wait until my appt on June 7th and then I may try a mounds bar and see what happens.

Tim

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Gardenome

I've had AF for around 6 years and am awaiting my second ablation procedure any week now. My first ablation made me feel so much better, before that I had very little energy.

These are the things that I suspect may trigger an attack of AF for me:

blueberries, anything containing additives and especially artificial sweeteners, alcohol and stress.

I gave up my stressful job earlier this year after spending 5 days in hospital with my heart refusing to stop racing - usually starts really high 180 and then settles around 135 to 150.

After several days I was given a cardioversion which worked beautifully for around 2 days then back came the racing. I was eventually put on Amiodarone which took my pulse back to normal. I was told in hospital that although this tablet was only given as a last resort to people of my age (62) when all else failed, because of its side effects I would only be on it for a few months. My local hospital emailed my ablation consultant at a hospital 30 miles away asking him to action ASAP. However 5 months later I still have no appointment despite my chasing. Blood tests show that the Amiodarone is causing irreversible damage to my thyroid and almost 4 weeks ago my GP requested that my ablation consultant treat me as a matter of urgency.

I've recently had another AF episode lasting 5 days, but this time declined going to my local hospital as it does not specialize in heart rhythms. Mind you, I felt so afraid I wish I had gone in now.

I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall and am worried about the damage Amiodarone is doing to me!!

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Jean

[meadfoot in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jean. I have not taken Amiodarone. However I would be calling, calling and calling yet again pushing for an urgent appointment for the ablation. I know it is hard and you don't want to pester but this is your health you are pushing for and nothing else comes even close in the 'important' stakes.

You are clearly and understandably upset as anyone would be. Get on the phone and don't take no for an answer. Sometimes, sadly, the only way to get what you need is to shout louder.

Let us all know how you get on. Good luck.

[gardenome in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Good of you to come back I think at 75 I am possibly one of the oldest here. I have noted the foods and stress though my consultant said I need not avoid stress. I disagree and know it has a bearing. My AF started last July and I have had 2 cardioversions which were successful. It would have been 3 but just as I was preparing for the procedure I popped back into sinus rhythm.

I spent last weekend in hospital as I had ectopic beats which were really weird, I felt the beat would lift me off the bed, but it settled down in the night without any medication other than what am on already taking for AF, Sotalol, Digoxion and blood thinner

One thing I have been told but I haven't seen mentioned on this site, my dentist has twice impressed upon me that dental hygiene is extremely important because of the bacteria. I hasten to add the hygienest sent me away with flying colours. I am certain he isn't trying to drum up buisiness

Penny

[Chris-S in reply to gardenome]

Hi Penny I agree with you about the stress as my first bad attack which necessitated calling out the paramedics and led to the diagnosis, was after I fell out with my elderly mother over some very hurtful things she said.Nothing new there - she has always been that way inclined! She is 95 , I am 73 by the way. Also I am supposed to avoid stress as I have severe coronary artery disease. Now if I am not feeling strong enough to cope I don't answer her daily phone calls until I feel able.

Chris

[Lal531 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jean, I would request that you are referred to another cardiologist / hospital. It's not acceptable to treat in this manner.

Lal

[El1zab3th in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I am in the exact same place currently as you describe. I too am worried about the toxic nature of Amiodarone. I have only been on it for a little over a month and so far the only side effect I have been experiencing is severe insomnia. Otherwise, the drug has been very helpful making me feel almost normal again. Too bad it is so toxic!

[Wiccan]

I never really found that any food could trigger me but red wine certainly did it!

[cbsrbpm]

Hi Gardenome, I think there are many different triggers for each of us Afibers. For me I am not sure if these are triggers but I have had and episode on more than one occassion after having Chinese containing MSG, chocolate and fish and chips (which I suspect contained MSG as the proprietors were Chinese and the food was extremely tasty). Can't say that Alchohol is a trigger for me as have often had a couple of glasses of red with no ill effect. Stress is a definite trigger for me and my first episode 11 years ago started after my pregnant daughter was in a car accident, which resulted in a very stressful week (all turned out OK). I am on Dilzem, Losartan, Aspirin(awaiting appt for Warfarin clinic) also take bendroflumethiazide and omeprazol. (so I shake rattle and roll). All the best.

Brenda

[Grandma78 in reply to cbsrbpm]

Be carefully benzoflumethiazide. I went to Emergency a few years ago with horrendous afib and it was found I had NO potassium! Benzo is a diuretic and it had leeched all my potassium. Had potassium given for 3 days and all was fine.

[skary]

hi there

I have found stress the worst trigger ; but eating ice cream is too. I've put it down to the cold temperature as ice cold drinks/lollies do the same, Chocolate can trigger but not all the time. . Don't drink alcohol much - never have- but steer clear of ice cold drinks now ; warm red wine is fine ! . Large meals are not good either so now reduce amount and hope it's ok.

Am feeling much better now on Rivaroxaban instead of WARFARIN..so far so good -& Bisoprolol 2.5 . It's so good not having to go for INR tests but as with all drugs there are risks to weigh up. Heart trips in and out of sinus ...real pain ...but am going to ask about rhythm control as it may help.

good luck

Nikki

[gardenome in reply to skary]

Hi Nikki I was told by a Chinese doctor many years ago not to have cold drinks as they upset the spleen and I do find it much easier to drink slightly warm water. Assume the same applies to ice cream.

I also take Riveroxaban with no ill effects

Best wishes Penny

[xfrack in reply to skary]

Hi skary

I experimented with my dose of bisopropyl with my GP's consent. My cardiologist put me 10 mg divided into 5mg am and 5 mg pm.

I felt very weary and stiff possibly as a side effect.

I cut out the second dose of the day but found i was in AF 3 mornings out of 7.

I now take the 5 mg divided into 2.5 mg am and 2.5 mg pm and the AF episodes are now now infrequent.

The reason pills are designed to be taken once a day is that there is an idea amongst the pill manufacturers that patients cant be relied on th think of taking their medication more than once a day.

Best wishes Ann

[gardenome]

Hi Brenda Not surprised you reacted to your daughter's accident, so pleased it turned out well.

I asked cardiologist if I should avoid stress but he said no. I know he is wrong and am now doing my best to remove it as far is reasonably possible.

I agree on the chocolate but haven't found anything else. Have had AF nearly a year now and on Sotalol, Digoxin and Xarelto. I paid for the Xarelto but am going to ask my GP if she can prescribe it on the NHS.. It is easier and speedier than Warferin which I took for some time but it just never reached therapeutic level. It is interesting that you take different drugs, I wonder how they decide which ones are best for us and I wonder why you still have AF after all this time. If only we could just take something like an antibiotic and be well in ten days.

I was in hospital last weekend, first time with this, but it was for ectopic heartbeats. Really scary. I wonder if anyone has experience of this.

Regards Penny

[chrisharmer Volunteer]

Hi Penny,

Food triggers are certainly very real, but there seem to be wide variations - things that set off AF in some people are fine with others. My experience has been to try a little of what you fancy and see what happens. If OK, repeat the experiment a week later and if still OK then fine. Or, the second try may confirm that you are indeed affected.

Although I don't now get AF following an ablation several years ago, the food triggers that set off AF still give me ectopics and bouts of tachycardia for a couple of hours if tempatation encourages me to break my own rules.

My list is: Chocolate (as with Tim), Coffee with caff - decaff is OK, Cheese, Alcohol, Chinese food with MSG, Fermented food such as Miso, Tofu, Worcester sauce.

Some things like chocolate and alcohol are OK in small doses - there seems to be a threshold beyond which I am affected. But you have to be sensitive to your body and learn what affects you - often your heart will feel a bit "thumpy" as an early indication of sensitivity.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Chris H

[gardenome in reply to chrisharmer]

Hi Chris Thank you so much for your help. I certainly know about the 'thumpy' feeling.

Above all, it is so good to hear of your successful ablation. I have my first meeting in a couple of weeks with the doctor who I hope will carry this out for me. Oh to get rid of the drugs and to feel sort of human again.

I think you have to experience AF to really understand the affect it has

Regards

Penny

[duckpopper]

Is it normal to feel extra beats after stopping flecinide , I had ablation in jan but I'm still on 2.5 of bisoprolol but have got to stop them as well , my heart felt much settled when I was on flecinide .

[duckpopper]

Also would red wine set of af even after ablation

[linda1951]

Alcohol, mainly Red Wine, Garlic, Coffee,

[michaelegan]

Ripe Bananas produce a substance called tyramine which causes disruption to heart action. Monosodium Glucamate found in Chinese food. Phenethalamine used in processed food (

such as sausages ham pork pies bacon) Cheese Coffee and Chocolate. Since avoiding these from December 2013 I have been free of A/F

[Clareowenpearcy]

I wish it was that easy! I go into Afib for no reason. There are no triggers for me and as often as 10 times or more daily. I always revert to NSR on my own. If there was a trigger it would be so much easier to get a handle on it. Hope you find your triggers😄