flecanide vs bisoprolol

[makeawish]

hi,after my last blip with af ,those with the knowledge would like me to go on flecanide as opposed to bisoprolol. i do get very breathless and the heart rate does shoot up rapidly with physical activities. has anyone noticed much difference going from bisoprolol to flecanide?

[BobD Volunteer]

I can't speak from experience but I can tell you that they have completely different affects.. Bisoprolol is a beta blocker which slows your heart rate during events (rate control) whilst flecainide is a rhythm control drug which attempts to keep you in NSR(Rhythm control) They are two different avenues to try along the journey of AF.

Bob

[cbsrbpm in reply to BobD]

Interesting to see this Bob as I have just been put on Bisoprolol and taken off Flecainide which I was on for 12 years. I am still in AF since last Sunday and am wondering if this maybe because I am off the Flecainide although the rate has now come down. Don't know how long one can be left in AF, do you know if the two can be taken together?

[BobD Volunteer in reply to cbsrbpm]

Many people are in permanent AF so that is one answer, It is possible to take both rate and rhythm control drugs.often with the rhythm control drug as pill in pocket for use during events. I wonder why you were stopped taking the flecainide if it was working for you?

Bob

[cbsrbpm in reply to BobD]

Thanks for the reply Bob, I don't know why they took me off it. I supposed they were concentrating on getting the rate down which was 130-140 bpm. Have to wait 2 weeks to see the cardio now. Hope it goes back into rhythm before then. All the best, you do a great job on here.

Brenda

[BobD Volunteer in reply to cbsrbpm]

If your rate was that high then something wasn't working for sure. There is no point in taking drugs that are not working is there.

Good luck

Bob

[Treffynnon]

As BobD has said they do two different things. When I was first prescribed I was offered either/or without any real explanation of the differences. I chose bisoprolol as I only had to take it once a day! Ridiculous with hindsight and I was very poorly advised. I soon stopped taking bisoprolol because of the side effects, fatigue, wooziness, nightmares etc. Subsequently I've had two cardioversions and since the last one (Nov '11) I've been on flecainide and initially, bisoprolol as well. Once again the bisoprolol really disagreed with me and I now take flecainide and nevibolol which is tolerable and reasonably effective. For the last two years I have only had the odd short lived AF episode. I do get days with loads of ectopic beats and days of intense fatigue but the drug cocktail does improve life.

[MammaCass]

Originally I was prescribed 5mg of Bisoprolol which left me feeling exhausted, breathless and mentally spaced out. Recently the doctor added Flecainide, which as far as I can tell has not left me with any side effects. I'm now on a very low dose of Bisoprolol 1.25mg and 150mg flecainide with the option to increase to 200mg if needed. Feeling much better on the lower dose of Bisoprolol, I don't know why I fought against taking flecainide for so long !!!!

[dedeottie in reply to MammaCass]

Same exactly for me. I was really worried about taking flecanide but was reassured after reading some positive comments on here. It has been the best thing for me as at present it has dealt with the A.F. I am also on the lowest dose of bisoprolol as my heart rate can go too low if dose increases. X

[Scorer]

Hello. Only started with atrial fib & flutter 3 months ago and eventually went on bisoprolol 2.5 mgs 3 weeks ago and was on it for 2 weeks. There was some improvement, in that only had 2 episodes of atrial fibrillation during that time, though the flutter was still as frequent. Was quite pleased with the drug as I was able to function better than without any medication, but the tiredness was a big issue. Had a nap every afternoon for a couple of hours which is not usual. Started on flecainide last Friday and OK until yesterday when I woke up with a.fib which lasted 3 hours and spent the rest of the day in and out of flutter which left me exhausted. Back to normal today and all in all the last week has been my best for 3 months. The flecainide doesn't appear to have any side effects for me and it is great not to feel tired all the time. So for me flecainide is better. Hopefully not permanent as I am scheduled for a double ablation, date to be arranged. Hope this helps and good luck. Pam

[Lilypocket in reply to Scorer]

Hi

What dose Flec. Do you take?

[Pam-51 in reply to Lilypocket]

Take 50mgs twice daily. Still on it 4 years after my ablation which has been a great success. Best wishes

Pam X

[Lilypocket]

Hi

BobD is right. They do different things Normally for Afib you take both as they have different beneficial effects. (If however you are in permanent Afib you will normally just need medication for rate control - a beta blocker).

Take care!