I was diagnosed about a year ago when my heart rate increased from a normal 50 bpm to 150bpm and I was hospitalised to bring it down. I was told to take Aspirin and have not had an episode since then. I have now been prescribed Amitriptyline (10mg) for chronic migraines. It says on the instructions these should not be taken by
AF sufferers. Any advice?
Hi Nan and welcome. I am afraid that aspirin is not going to do you any good and since the drug you mention is contra indicated for AF one wonders if you shouldn't be looking for a new doctor.
On the aspirin front I must explain that the main worry with AF is that is can increase the risk of stroke. There are some simple risk indicators (CHADS2 and CHadsVasc2 - see AFA main website) which can decide if you need an anticoagulant. Aspirin is an antiplatelet and whilst it does thin the blood it does not stop it clotting.(the main cause of stroke). It also can cause stomach bleeding and upset so not only does it not do you any good it can do the. opposite.
I do think you need to go back to your doctor and question EVERYTHING. I once took something (a cough medicine) which said it might cause heart rhythm, changes and regretted it for several days.
BobD
Thank you Bob. I have stopped taking the aspirin after reading the website which suggested there was no point. I will return to the surgery and see a different doctor. I get the feeling doctors don't take headaches very seriously. They would if they had to deal with them themselves!!
Just wondering whether the CHADS2 and/or CHADS-VASC2 indicators are really worth bothering with. I am 0 on the first & 2 on the other. Because there are a number of other factors which should be taken into consideration when calculating stroke risk I feel these "indicators" maybe a little too basic and consequently can be somewhat scary and misleading.
Hi Langara, it is too easy to be simplistic about this I agree but I don't know about you but stroke ranks high on my "NOT WANT" list. UK is one of the worst places in Europe for not having at risk patients properly anti-coagulated and we could save about 8000 strokes a year if we were better at it. As far as I know from the talks I have heard and reports I have read the ChadsVasc2 score is pretty conclusive so I would be interested to know what other factors you feel are relevant. I also think people don't realize that having AF is a risk in itself regardless of any other factors and often forget that once given a score can't be removed so for instance high blood pressure which has been treated and is normal still counts. It is actually quite a complex subject .
BobD
I've had AF for years and took the same dose as you of Amitriptyline and had no problems. In fact, I've had more episodes of AF after I stopped the Amitriptyline. The 10mg dose is very, very small and it's designed to make you sleep better and to reset your pain receptors. My AF seems to be triggered by fatigue and the Amitriptyline really helped since I could sleep through the pain. You should be warned though that it may make you groggy in the morning and not want to get out of bed.
Thank you for that. It has put my mind at rest. I am finding I am groggy in the mornings which I am not used to and I do have a headache at the moment. But I suppose it is early days (only been taking Amitriptyline for 5 days) hopefully it will start to work soon. I am sleeping better already. T hank you again for your reply.
10 mg has stopped being of help with my nerve pain would like to put it up to 20 mg but dr said it can effect your heart I was wondering do you know anyone with afib that put it up to 20 mg with no problems thanks
Hi NanT---I was prescribed Amitriptyline 10mg last Friday for arthritis in my neck. Got the meds , came home and read the patient leflet and saw that it was not for people with irregular heart rhythms. Phoned my surgery and GP said it was safe for me to take it. Should have asked about the Long QT syndrome mentioned under common side effects!! Hope that helps to put your mind at rest. The Ami.. has helped with the pain at night.
Hi I was interested with what you said about amitriptyline as I took it fir many years for pain relief but as pain is getting worse I’ve gone up to 20 mg I have afib so the cardiologist didn’t want me to go above 10 but I have persuaded my dr to let me try 20 mg and it was fine for 6 days then I had a afib attack so I stopped it but am going to try again because a friend who was a nurse said to me how do you know that you wouldn’t have had a afib attack anyway because when I went off the totally I still had afib attacks so I’m giving it a go so even if you do suffer with irregular heart beat if your dr is ok it’s worth a try
Hi Nan--both my doctor and my pharmacist said 10mg of Amytriptiline was OK to take even though I have paroxysmal A Fib. I also take Losartan and Apixaban. Don't be afraid to take the Amitriptilene if you need it. Dizzielizzie
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