Digoxin

[Vdl1]

The telegraph published an article about the heart yesterday and added at the end that a new report , that was quite comprehensive, has proved that 20 percent of people taking digoxin for af are at risk of death when comparing it to another type of heart regulator drug....any views....

[Jason1971]

I think the article came from the following link. med.stanford.edu/news/all-n...

[rosyG in reply to Jason1971]

interesting article Jason- I know that with vagal AF digoxin isn't used as it makes it worse but otherwise it's used a lot- particularly for older AF patients

[Hidden]

I've only been on it once, when I had that first episode and ended up in hospital. It does make you wonder! I have foxgloves all over the garden too and have to weed them out - I sometimes wonder if that's safe...

Lis

[Offcut]

Well that has cheered me up NOT!

I have been on and off Digoxin since 1992 and am on 125mg a day at the moment. The first time I was on it I was in hospital with double pneumonia and on O2 and high AB course. I was having 2 nurse's check my pulse and heart every 3 hours when I had the sister with a student nurse come who got the student on my pulse and sister on my heart. After a lot of moving up and down my wrist the sister said she will do my pulse and the student do the heart. It was then the sister's turn to to fumble up and down both wrists? It was the look at the student and " I will be straight back" as they disappeared out the room I was in. Not long after I had a crash team around me with a doctor checking me all over. They/I lost my pulse. They put me on a drip and made me drink so much fluids and for a time said I will not be on it again but I keep being put on it as it is the only thing that seems to keep it down.

Something else to ask the GP/Consultant.

[Spiritji]

If you read that article carefully halfway through a doctor comments that it is completely biased and then that same study with the 1400 people was reviewed by another group and they found no increase at all in the death rate on Digoxin, Actually O, so I thought the drug company's probably funded the first study to get people off it as it is the cheapest option and not regulated

[Mrspat]

I have been on Digoxin 187.5 mg daily for 8 months in addition to Bisoprolol 10 mg. I prefer this combination to Amiodarone, which caused side effects. I am able to exercise at my normal, level of 30 mins x 5-6 times per week swimming or exercise bike.

[EngMac]

Another study on the site below that suggests digoxin may elevate risk of death.

healio.com/cardiology/arrhy...