I have read about a lot of people who have gone into a-fib, take flecainide (or something else) and then go back into rhythm.
Are there any factors that increase the likelihood of going back into rhythm vs not - like do you rest when in a-fib or exercise etc?
Hi Jon I'm assuming you are in and out of AFIB? And you are on prescribed medication for this . tbh it's a lottery whether you have an episode of AF Or stay in a good normal rythem I have exercised whilst in AF and once or twice my heart has gone back into a normal rythem. Us "A fibers" continue on with our lives as what is the alternative,sit in the house the rest of our lives? Best of luck!
Losing weight can reduce AF by 66% on average if you are overweight. I went on a diet two years ago and lost 25lbs and have kept it off and had no more noticeable AF. I was also able to stop AF medications except wafarin
Please could you identify the source for the 66% because I have never heard that one before.
Hello Tony,
I also started Weight Watchers in 2014,
by 2015 lost 65lbs,have been at goal weight ever since,which will be a year come September.last time I had AF.was 15 months ago.Often crossed my mind recently could it be with losing weight.I have had Paroxysmal AF since 1999.Hope this helps others too!
Good luck to you and keep well I have vowed I will never be overweight again.
Eleanor.
Hi tony I've read that too about how losing weight helps with the a fib.
Since my ablation I have occasional mild AF which I can currently control with 100 flecainide as a pip. 50 doesn't work. My heart was damaged by radiotherapy and a 2nd ablation is not an option. Pre-ablation my attacks were so severe that I had to lie down and hopefully sleep. Now I can function but feel "off."
I wait to ascertain that the AF is established then take the flecainide. This means that my stomach is more likely to be empty which is best for the flecainide. It takes 1 - 2 hrs to work.
There is no way that I would consider leaping about during an AF episode. Gentle gardening or cooking would be the most that I would attempt. Essentially this means that I would be carrying on as normal and not letting AF ruin/control my life.
I am now in a fib for the 4th time in a year. The previous 3 times I was cardioverted out. I take 100mg flecanide daily so am very surprised to be back in it. However it is much milder than previously. I went for a mtb ride this morning and noticed I wasn't in rhythm at the end. So popped an extra 100mg flec. If I am not in rhythm tonight I will pop another 200mg. And take it from there.
I think that the max is 300mg per day (24 hours) regardless. That is if you are you are on 100mg per day and have popped an extra 100mg then you only have 100mg left!!! Has Dr said any different? Hope I am not teaching you to suck eggs.
300mg MAX in any 24 hrs. DO NOT EXCEED THIS.
I had episodes of PAF for about 7 years before starting on daily Flecainide 2 years ago. I never found anything to stop an episode once it had started. I was very symptomatic and I found it helped to lie on my right side and breathe in rhythm whilst trying to concentrate on something other than the bag of ferrets in my chest. I couldn't have exercised during an episode and I found even walking difficult - worrying about it made things worse.
Having a chat with my EP, did ask him if there was a 'pop in the mouth pill' for me he said definately not - do have Paraxsymol AF.
Ah just plod along!!
My AF is, largely, symptom free except for that uncomfortable feeling you get when you know your heart is nit quite acting right. Invariably, I slip back into sinus rhythm when I'm walking and about 50 per cent of the time it's just after or during I've climbed a hill. Therefore, I tend to do more than my usual hour or so of walking a day when I'm in AF and I also tend to climb more hills than normal.
I must admit though I often think that, just as so called triggers which bring on my AF are nothing of the sort in reality (I can do these things nine times out of ten and I'm fine), my "mountaineering" exploits play little part in ending an episode - I can't help thinking that my AF begins and ends when my body is ready for it to do so and there isn't a great deal I can do to influence it one way or another.
I've often wondered about this whole trigger thing. I can safely say that all my episodes have started after a number of events that I identify as my triggers. However, I have felt times when I've thought an episode was wanting to start when I've had no triggers in play. The only difference is that I'm able to prevent these episodes from starting by relaxing and doing deep, slow breaths. Like you, my triggers (alcohol, cold sugary drinks late at night) don't always start an episode but are likely to if I abuse them. I like to believe that my episodes need triggers to start because once they start of their own accord for no reason, then that is a time that I've lost control of it and need to start thinking of other solutions.
Hi Jonathan_C
I have PAF and have found over time that when I have an episode, I take my 'extra' 50mg of Flecainide knowing that it's going to take around 40 minutes to react so I usually sit and read if I can or involve myself in editing (I'm a photographer..always editing to be done)
Blue 
I can't use a 'pill in pocket' - can't remember the reasons why now but it's due to other concurrent heart probs. My af attacks are mostly quite severe though happily not frequent now (or at least they're very short lived). Initially af events scared the heck out of me and I was so sure that death was imminent that I felt I shouldn't move a muscle !
Then one day in Accident and emergency ward when the AF was giving a full blown performance, the nurse adjusted the trolley bed and there was an unintended jolt. At the same moment the AF stopped ! After that in subsequent events I deliberately moved around and I think it helped to shorten the episodes. Then I even found that a good hefty cough action could mostly stop an attack. So I mostly do that now at the first sign of onset.
I mentioned it to my doc and he said it made sense and said something about the vagal? nerve which I don't understand. But who cares, it helps me and it might help others as well.
BTW I've made the trip from Australia to UK with no problems so far. Keep fingers crossed for me, I've got seven weeks to go before I return to Oz and I plan to enjoy every one of them !
Glad you are doing well over here. Worth remembering there are free reciprocal health arrangements as I found out when in Oz. Hopefully you won't need them and have a great time!
Thanks Kipperjohn. It's good to have a reminder about the reciprocal services, and I'm glad the Australian system looked after you when you needed it. I brought my Australian medicare and pension cards in case I needed them, but I'm hoping they don't have to see the light of day
I wait it out a few hours and then walk up a hill - usually near my home, approx 1km up & fairly steep grade. Very often this will trigger the reversion to Sinus, but that's most often after 2-4 hours of mild AF and of course it's more effective if I have just taken my normal 100 mg of Flecainide (100 mg in morning + 100 mg in evening). I don't bother with any extra Flec as I don't want to hit the daily max of 300mg.
Thanks for all these replies. The last time I was in A fib my cardiologist told me to take 200mg in the morning and then 200 again in the evening! I still had to be cardioverted....
Alas, I slipped back into rhythm sometime yesterday so didn't take the extra dose in the evening.
I will make a point of taking my daily dose on an empty stomach from now on. Was not aware that made a difference. I always take the tambocor and blood thinners together and with food because of the blood thinners.
I get a 'funny' feeling in my chest when I think AF may not be far away. With this, I get that feeling of catarrh deep down in my lungs that makes me feel I should cough. When I do this, it clears the impending AF feeling after a few coughs. People ask if I've a cold or hay fever of something because prior to the feeling I have no need to cough. I've never understood it, but it seems to work, for the moment, at least.
Well that's the first time I've heard anyone else say about the catarrh feeling. Thought is was just me 🤔. I do a few coughs and as you say it works for now.
Coughing is included as one of the vagal maneuvers : webmd.com/heart-disease/atr...
So it can actually slow down your heart rate.
The others are:
1. Gagging
2. Holding your breath and bearing down
3. Immersing your face in ice-cold water.
I have had AF attacks going back 25 plus years, and in my experience, there wasn't much rhyme or reason about getting back in sinus rhythm. In the early days just waiting a few hours usually did the trick, and I generally felt that staying as calm and relaxed as possible to keep the heart rate as low as I could usually allowed my heart come back to normal. None of the tricks of the trade like coughing, holding my breath, even eating large quantities of ice cream ( any excuse!) didn't really work for me. It was just a waiting game. Equally,, I came to recognise the triggers. In the early days simply watching the alcohol and avoiding big meals late at night would keep me out of AF for long periods. However, as time progressed, the attacks became more random, and even living like a monk eventually failed to keep them at bay. Flecainide was a good friend to me for near on 20 years, but even that started to lose its effect , and in the end only cardio version got me out of a week long AF experience. Ablation was the next logical step, and 12 months on I am AF free, so no regrets there. Ectopics are my main curse these days, but they obviously don't carry the same risks as the AF did. I think the point I am making is that AF is a progressive condition, so eventually, all medication will probably lose its effect. It is all about quality of life, and how well we cope with what this condition throws at us. Eventually, an ablation became the right option for me, but it will be different for each and every one of us.
who is on diltiazem for paroxysmal a-fib
Back in A-Fib 
Physiotherapy and A Fib
