Sotolol

I was just diagnosed with afib 4wk ago, put on low dose sotalol 40mg twice daily. Other than the expected fatigue, been having dizzy spells just last a minute or two but enough that Ive had to put my job on hold. 4 days ago had my 1st cardiologist followup post hosp. Echo good, ekg nsr, he thought my heart rate may b dropping so decreased sotalol to one daily. Couple days later, no better so I started taking at night. No improvement. A few times Ive been able to check bp and hr during these spells and all ok. Any thoughts? I was thinking anxiety but doc didnt think so

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  • Sorry but your "ekg" suggests you are in USA and sotalol is not recommended for treatment of AF here in UK so unable to comment.

  • Sotalol can be used in UK but not the first course of action - NICE 2014

  • Thankyou. Going to have a PET stress test tomorrow but I will ask about maybe a holter monitor

  • I am it happy with sotalol - currently on 7 day Holter monitor - coming off on Monday

  • Oops not happy with sotalol

  • That isn't what I meant - I am not so happy on Sotalol

  • What is it that you dont like? Fatigue was my first issue but I can deal with that more than the dizzy , hoping the dizziness is not a heart issue.

  • Aware of random beats / pauses/ jittery - hard to put into words - but not happy - have told EP

  • I am in Australia and got diagnosis Paroxysmal af in October 2015. Put on sotolal 40 mg bd for one week then up to 80 mg bd. Could only stand the 80 mg dose for three days due to extreme lethargy, with really low pulse - as low as 34 bpm and bp. Was pooped walking up the stairs at home, exercise was out of the question. Some dizzy spells as well but not major Am a nurse so got a bit fixated on the checking!

    took sotolal for 5 wks and certainly stayed in nsr but very poor quality of life.

    Cardiologist stopped it and now on mg and fish oil with aspirin. Having af episodes every 2-3 weeks though so not much good. See cardiologist in March. Happy to avoid doctors for a while. That experience with sotolal was terrible. He's talking fleccainaide and then ablation. Happy to avoid that conversation .

    For you can't imagine that small dose sotolal of much therapeutic value

  • I have been thinking the same. My quality of life is in the toilet right now. Will see what stress test shows and ask for a holter monitor. If no suprises, Im thinking of telling the sotalol goodbye

  • You are on an anti coagulant though ?

  • I refused Sotolol when cardiologist suggested and my GP - who was very supportive of me - agreed it was not a good drug for AF - then I was told by a very emininent EP at a patient day in UK 2013 that it should not be prescribed for lone AF - period. It is both an anti arrythmic & rate control which can affect the ventricles as well as the atria.

    There are other drugs.

  • That doesn't sound good - I shall have to look out for AF patient days

  • National one is early October each year in Birmingham

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