Weight gain and Flecainide

[wpw62]

I have been on Flecainide and Diltiazem for almost 3 months now and have gained about 14 lbs. I am feeling lethargic and tired all the time. Is the weight gain down to the meds or the lack of moving about. Has anyone else experienced unexplained weight gain. I can cope with most things but this is getting me down. Thanks

[dedeottie]

I am on flecanide and low dose of bisoprolol. Before going on flecanide I had gained about 5pound over Christmas and over the last 6 weeks have been trying to lose it again. However although I am sticking to a restricted diet I havnt lost any weigh. Before the flex this diet would have worked. In fact when I was constantly in A.f. I rarely put any wieght on. My theory is that having a constantly racing heart and feeling edgy all the time kept the wieght from going on by possibly speeding up my metabolism. I would much rather have to battle with my wieght than have A.F. so I'm not complaining.This theory may be rubbish but it's what my instinct tells me. X

[Sportfix in reply to dedeottie]

I too have been on Flecainide since Christmas , 100mg twice daily. I never gained weight before flecainide & now I put on about 10 pounds. However, I have managed to lose 5 of that & it's gradually, slowly going down more through missing lunch & keeping carbs low. I love sport but now find that I can become breathless after going upstairs when I'm tired, and also I am breathless after exertion. Doesn't last long but is so abnormal for me that I find it depressing. However, my rapid heartrate has disappeared, which is such good news. One other thing is that my hairline seems a bit thinner. I have thick hair but am keeping an eye on this problem in case it relates to flecainide. Has anyone else had this problem?

[clarence16 in reply to Sportfix]

I have gained 19 lbs since being on it - 10 mos. and I, too, have noticed my hair thinning. I also have had anxiety, nightmares, vision issues and a "warm" feeling that comes over me out of nowhere. Palpitations are for the most part gone, but not sure it is worth it. I definitely feel better as far as they go, but otherwise, don't feel so great being on it.

[Sportfix in reply to clarence16]

Hi clarence16! After my last post I saw my Elecro Cardiologist & mentioned my hairline thinning to him. He said that the Flecainide would not contribute to hair loss but the Bisoprolol could! He changed my prescription to Tildiem Retard 90 mg ( Diltiazem) instead of Bisoprolol. I took this for 10 days. At first all fine, but then I had increased pulse rate & way high blood pressire. My bld pressure has always been no problem. I felt faint when I stood up & could feel my heart rate increase when lying down. Finally my legs swelled below my knees & I thought no more! I then stopped Diltiazem & just took the Flecainide & Riveroxaban. Felt so much better with no shortness of breath & all fine for a couple of days. Then, my pulse rate & bld pressure went sky high so I went back on Bisoprolol. Seems mostly to have settled now but my next app with the Rlectro cardiologist is in 4 weeks when he's going to do an excercise test & see how I am with that. He's spoken before about having a mapping procedure so I'll see what happens. I'm keeping a good check on my hairline in the meantime. I too get hot moments but have been putting it down to menopausal symptoms, but who knows. Keep in touch & good luck for you.

[clarence16 in reply to Sportfix]

I find that these "warm" feelings I get are very different than the ones I get with menopause. Ugh! : )

[Sportfix in reply to clarence16]

These drugs all have nasty side effects. Just a case of whether they are better than the afib I suppose.

[Sportfix in reply to clarence16]

PS. Forgot to mention that I too have gained weight. I am very sporty & never put weght on. Have always been 56 kgs or below but since tablets I am now 59kgs. This, despite cutting out lunch & keeping carbs to a minimum. No fun!

[Biburybill in reply to clarence16]

Flecainide acetate is for Atrial fibrillation not palpitations.

[Hidden in reply to dedeottie]

I go to the gym six days a week eat sensibly and weight won't move. I do an hour a day different things on six day rotation. I'm fitter mentally and physically but weight prob. I to take Bisoprolol and Flecainide and have pacemaker. Glad to be alive but wish a stone lighter

[Hidden]

Hi wpw,I started to put on weight but with me i think it,s because i decided to retire early because of my problems with AF and ulcer but i do get tired and lethargic probably because of the meds,So i decided to start walking every day no matter how tired i felt and after a couple of weeks i felt loads better,its just getting in your head that i must do it,Any sort of mild exercise is better than none but my doc said walking a couple of miles a day is the best for people with heart problems.Just give it a try good luck

[wpw62]

Thank you both. As I work full time there is no time for walking during the week. I would love to retire but can't afford to yet. I will just have to wait for the mornings and evenings to get lighter and try to walk some every day

[MammaCass]

I gained loads of weight when I was on Bisoprolol (5mg) but since the dose has been reduced and I started on 200mg flecainide, I've got my energy back and I've lost 9lbs

[wpw62 in reply to MammaCass]

Yes I gained weight on bisoprolol. Lost it and then gained it again on flecainide. Can't wait to get my energy back.

[David21]

No weight gain for me at all but I am on Flec. & digoxin. First time I took the digoxin I felt shattered so I halved the dose & have been fine ever since with weight (an 18 day cruise blew that weight comment away but that was not the meds !!)

[lizwright]

As soon as I went on my meds a friend said, oh wait for weight gain... I actually lost a bit to start with as I had been so ill but now I hover around 100kgs which on me doesn't look bad and I've been this weight for years. Doesn't seem to be an issue with my consultants at all although awful woman from british heart foundation when I was asking for a diagram of a heart decided to lecture me and obviouslyl had no clue about af. Would I love to be thinner? Used to think so but now frankly I have much more to think about. I take a lot of exercise as I have 5 ponies and 3 donkeys at home to look after and my home office is up two flights of stairs. Do I take as much as I did when I was younger? No not at all, I would ride twice a day for a start. I think to an extent unless you make it a career or have naturally slim genes, we are all going to struggle when we get over 40. My consultant helpfully says that being fit when I first had af has helped me. Put it this way, it doesn't seem to be an issue for the medics and I'm certainly not going to worry about it.

[TheWhisk in reply to lizwright]

I know your post is old but I just wanted to say that I gained around 80 pounds from both Prednisone for one health condition, and from Flecainide for the heart arrhythmia, coupled with not moving my body much due to the arrhythmia, before I was put on the flecainide. I now exercise every day however I don't lose any weight, not 1 kilogram. That's the prednisone. I weigh 100 kilos like you and I feel disgusting. And unlike you, I have been fat shamed by doctors who should know better. I don't overeat and I used to be lean and fit - I was a skinny kid and lean adult until I was put on the steroids. I also believe flecainide causes weight gain just not as bad as Prednisone. Double whammy for me. But I am tired of being and feeling huge. I hate how I look and how I feel. I don't know how anyone could be okay weighing 100k, unless they weighed 200k.

[Costa-Del-Solway]

I was on Flecanide about a year ago, after I had been on it for three months then I started to see the weight creep up, and I was walking regularly at the time 20 to 30 miles a week. Went to see my doc and told him I was convinced it was the flecanide. He totally disagreed with me, I had other AF problems and was now 100% so the hospital said it was not doing any good so stopped the flecanide. I then seen the 14lbs drop off over the next few months. I took great delight in reminding the doc of my concerns of the weight gain and my diagnosis of what had caused it.

[TheWhisk in reply to Costa-Del-Solway]

The doctors lie. My gastro doctor insisted that Prednisone didn't cause weight gain, it was my fault apparently. My heart doctor said Flecainide doesn't cause weight gain. Both are either lying, or stupid.

[cbsrbpm]

I think your right in that weight gain is inevitable if you are doing less than before and eating the same. I have always had a weight problem so I cannot blame the meds (Flecainide, Diltiazem and Losartan). Over the last year I have lost 3 stone and been going to Aqua a couple of times a week and must say I have much more energy than before. I wish you luck.

Brenda

[christine147]

So pleased this has been raised as i have been on two 5o tabs a day of fle ainide and 5 of bisoprolol and have noticed weight gain. I am so relieved that my af is under control and I am since august just getting my energy back so I think I need to exercise more but I have read that these drugs can cause an increase in weight so I dont think it is going to be easy. Would like some real clarification so will ring the bhf as the cardiac nurses are really helpful.

[ivymay]

My weight has been a constant 82kg for 10 years. Six months ago put on Diltiazen and my weight is now 90kg. Massive increase. Same food, same exercise. Definitely the drug.

[Hidden]

I'm the same. Following ablation for AF and starting Flecanide 2.6 months ago I've had a massive weight gain too. I've joined a gym to help reduce the weight and to keep my joints supple but not lost any of this gained weight. I've become quite negative with my figure and my social life is greatly effected. In this last week I'm constantly suffering with abdominal distension almost to the point of looking pregnant .

[clarence16 in reply to Hidden]

I had the abdominal distension as well. I wonder what in the drug causes that? And, when I would try to pull it in, I could barely do it....

[Roszina50 in reply to Hidden]

My stomach too, can't fit my clothes, I was wearing a size 18 and had to go and buy a size 22 Sunday for church, it made me want to avoid going outside for anything

[Dee1989]

I was the same I was on diltizem and flecanide but I did read that diltizem can gain weight as most calcium channel blockers

[wpw62]

I have gained two stone over the last two years. Bisoprolol side affects apart from weight gain include lethargy and extreme tiredness which do not help at all. Going back to the hospital next month to ask for my meds to be altered or changed but probably will still have the weight problem. Grrrr

[Hidden]

I eat well and go to the gym six days a week. I am about abstone heavier than I was pre Flecainide and Bisoprolol

[Pamela259]

I to take flecainide and I have gained weight and it does get you down.

Am wanting to try this diet .you can't so this alone you have to have help with meds to do it .So wish me luck

[Roszina50]

Wow, I thought it was just me, I've been taking Flecainide since February 2016 and gained from 255pds up to 284pds at the present moment, always tired, shortness of breath,nautious every morning,can barely do much, did more activities before all of the weight gain taking Flecanide

[sleeksheep]

I have been on Flecainide 2 x 50mg and Diltiazem 240mg slow release for 15 months now.

My metabolism was always fast before , put on 2kg and I could loose it in two days.

Now its more a matter of diet , carbs are no problem providing daily exercise is undertaken.

Lethargy can be a problem but try cutting out all sweetened foods / drinks , naturally occurring fructose doesnt seem to create the tiredness .

I think the added weight is a caused partially by the Diltiazem , more by the lack of activity, even 30 minutes walking a day I will loose a small amount.

[msw88]

I started using flecanide 2xs a day on 12/19/2019. I have since gained 15lbs!!! I was wondering if that's what could be contributing and found your post. UGH!

[Aegean56 in reply to msw88]

I recently stopped Flecanide and dropped 10lbs.. I had attributed the 15 lb weight gain to menopause but within weeks of stopping the meds the lbs melted away. So I looked over my medical records and so how after starting the Flecanide , each year I'd gained about 3 lbs maxing out at a total of 15 lb weight gain.

[LarJam]

I have been on Flecainide for over 3 years now and have gained 50lbs. The most noticeable effect was apatite. My heart rhythm is far better since my ablation but I find myself eating every hour or two. I just got permission to reduce my Flec in half for a week than quit. I will report back if my desire to eat a village worth of food changes.

[N400033]

I have been on Flecainide for around 4 months now. The drug is effective for the AFIB, but I hate it. I have gained 10 pounds and will not budge unless i starve myself. I also am very fatigued and after walking upstairs at night, i collapse in the bed due to shortness of breath. Have others experienced these side effects? Are there other drugs which do not cause weight gain and fatigue?

Jodiep

[ThatGuy07]

It's an old thread I see, but wow, was I relieved to find it. I've been off flecainide and diltiazem for 3 months. I'm losing weight like crazy. 167 lbs to 149 lbs. After nine years of being on it, this combination of drugs began giving me PVCs to the point I was unable to stand at times. Off these meds, my mood, energy and general outlook are worlds better.

[TheWhisk in reply to ThatGuy07]

While I detest the weight gain from meds, I lost 4 years of my life before I was finally put on flecainide. My arrhythmia was so bad i was suffering every day, off and on all day - palpitations, severe chest tightness, heavy chest feeling, funny chest feeling, lightheadedness, but mostly merciless palps to the point i contacted DIGNITAS. So please don't bad mouth flecainide. This drug can give you your life back, least partially, even if it makes you gain weight.

[Kibuli]

Yes I have gained 2 stone in a year, with no change of my diet. I also feel so tired from morning to night.

[TheWhisk]

What I hate is when you feel so distended that it feels and looks as if you are carrying 3 bowling balls in your belly. And it's not from eating a lot. you just get this sort of randomly, and often.