Can certain food or even supplements trigger an attack

[Francis23]

Can certain food or even supplements trigger an attack of AF as I have a feeling that it has happened with me,although only recently diagnosed?

[CDreamer]

In a word, yes.  Best way to show any patterns is to keep a very careful food diary and journal all your episodes and then see if there is any correlation.  Rest, exercise, vagal inducement and stress can also be triggers as can sleep apnea.

Of all of them the least talked about and the according to my EP one of the biggest is sleep apnea.

I found that alcohol and caffeine had an effect within seconds, so no doubt there, but other food stuffs seemed to have erratic outcomes, sometimes I would have a reaction hours afterwards and then no reaction.  

Whatever may 'trigger' an episode if you have AF - it will happen regardless of triggers and you can become obsessive about it - it will make no difference in the longer term.

[Francis23 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for he advice.At this early stage I am a little nervous,to put it mildly.

When the AF triggers at night would you say no need to be alarmed,as I have even considered going to A&E 

[Andyu80 in reply to Francis23]

I have had AF since my early 20s. I have had a number of suicions as to the triggers, but then the next attack seems completely unrelated. The principle things I try to avoid are over indulgence of anything whether that be food, alcohol, extreme exercise, or very late nights. But I still get AF. The other times I seem to be at risk of an attack is in the run up to coming out with a cold, or during the recovery period.

I have been to A&E a few times, but only after 24 hours. Other times I let it calm down by itself

[Francis23 in reply to Andyu80]

Thank you Andy.How many years have you had AF if I may ask?

[Andyu80 in reply to Francis23]

25 yrs, but I only pushed for something to be done over the last 5 years.  When I was first diagnosed at age 25, it was by my gp taking my pulse.

The first time I went to A&E, I had to stay 2 nights in the cud ward. Not a great experience. I was asked why I had bothered to come when I had AF for so long. Most doctors still don't see it as a major issue. But for me it seemed to be getting worse with longer attacks. I can handle a few hours, but when it lasts all night I get a bit 'annoyed'.

At least going to A & E got me an ECG that showed it up properly whereas other monitors had not. It was at that point that things were then progressed to where I am today... I had cryoablation last Wednesday. So that's 5 years to get to this point from wanting things taken more seriously, and a lifetime of AF.

[captainKFF in reply to Andyu80]

Andy, you said your afib became worse in the last 5 years, were you on pill-in-pocket or daily meds during that time, also how frequent were the episodes and how did you deal with the fast heartbeat, appreciate the feedback.

[Andyu80 in reply to captainKFF]

I went to my gp about 5 yrs ago saying palpitations were getting worse, and had the usual 24 hr heart recorder, which obviously showed nothing. Then about 3 years ago I had quite a spell of AF, and had my first visit to A&E. I was prescribed flecainide as pill in the pocket. Had to go to A&E  at the next occurrence and be given the flecainide. On that visit they then monitored me, but the Flec just put me into permanent flutter with heart rate of 120 to 160. I was discharged, but went back to A&E 24 hours later as things had not calmed down. They then gave me Atenelol, as pill in the pocket to be taken with the Flec. But I was confused as to whether I was supposed to take this all the time or just when I had an event, so went back to gp, then cardio consultant, and finally a referral to an EP who put me forward for a cryoablation. I did say I was hesitant to take the Flec again after my last experience, and I do believe the consultants I saw were more pro ablation than pills, so guess I was lucky.

I have small AF episodes approx monthly, and my last long episode lasting 3 days was in January when my heart rate went a long way over 200 (I was trying to pack for a business trip to the US, so couldn't rest). Luckily things calmed down before I my flight, but then continued when I got to the hotel. It was this experience that finally made me willing to have the cryoablation to try to stop these episodes. 

Long episodes happen about every 4 to 6 months.

[CDreamer in reply to Francis23]

Some people seem much more susceptible to AF when lying supine or on one or the other side if so, using lots of pillows for support can help.  My experience of A&E was the same as Andy's so after a few episodes I decided I was more comfortable at home, but some people like the reassurance of being in hospital but my view is that it is an emergency service I don't consider AF an emergency unless - your heart rate is approaching 200 for a sustained period of time, you have syncope (faint or black out), you have any pain in arms, shoulders, neck or chest - ring 999, you wake feeling cold, clammy and ill.

Go to the AFA site and learn as much as you can about AF, there are good drug treatments and procedures such as ablations which can eliminate episodes, I had 2 ablations and now AF free but to get good treatment you need to see an EP - Electrophysiologist - a specialism of cardiology which focuses on arrythmias - electrics of the heart - cardiologists tend to know about the plumbing but less about the electrics.

Read as much as you can - start with the AFA site and keep pushing your GP for treatment and referral to an EP.  Only when you are knowledgeable do you know the right questions to ask.

Many people self monitor at home when in episode with monitors such as AliveCor or Kardia which is the new name for AliveCor.  Not only can this be useful for you to recognise AF on an ECG but it is also useful for your doctors as to the pattern of AF as to frequency and HR etc.

AF is very frightening to the newbies but as you get used to the feelings and the patterns and the triggers it does get better, AF on it's own is very unlikely to kill you unless you ignore the symptoms and continue to stress your body by over exercising or overeating etc.  

As Andy says, many doctors consider it a benign condition although I would love to give them just a few minutes taster of what it feels like!  Then they wouldn't  think it so benign, it really can be life changing if not life threatening.

You may ask about anti-coagulation and your risk factors, the biggest risk of AF is that of stroke as it can increase your risk factors over and above any other risk factors you may have.  Not everyone but most people on this site will be anticoagulated.

Anything you want to know - post - this is a very friendly and helpful site.

Best wishes CD,