Atrial tachichardia

[Esmi74]

HI ...For how long you have taken flecainid for atrial tachichardia without any symtoms or side effects..

Thank you

[BobD Volunteer]

Not sure if flecainide is appropriate for atrial tachycardia Esmi. Check with your EP.

[Esmi74 in reply to BobD]

My EP gave my flecaninid and bisoprolol after feild abliation

[Vony]

I had side effects immediately with flecainide.. Or certainly within the first day or two of starting it. My husband said it used to make me look a bit stoned as well. And I did feel spaced out on it. Was the weirdest drug I have ever taken!! I couldn't stick it after 2 weeks.

[Vony]

But I have heard other people who swear by it and have no side effects

[sleeksheep]

Havna got Atrial tachichardia but with flecainide it took 4 days before it made me nauseas , had to halve the rate and gradually over two weeks increased it back to the rate prescribed.

After that no obvious side effects.

[Rellim296]

You're actually asking a complex question here Esmi - and really it can be divided in two - who takes flecainide for atrial tachycardia and how long does it take for side effects or symptoms to appear.

As Bob says, why take it for tachycardia as flecainide is for rhythm control not rate control?

I took 200mgs of flecainide a day for two years before I had any noticeable problems. It worked wonderfully well for the first year - total control. AF started to creep in again in the second year. It's not proven in any direction but my feet started to go numb after that and I think my senses of taste and smell deteriorated as well.

[ILowe in reply to Rellim296]

You ask: Why take flecainide for tachycardia because flecainide is for rhythm control.

The answer is simple. Why does rate increase? Answer, to get the rhythm under control. One of the major reasons why the body initiates higher rate, is to get on top of the rhythm.

Therefore, tachycardia can be avoided by tackling the cause, and taking a rhythm controller.

[Rellim296 in reply to ILowe]

Thanks for that interesting explanation.

[ILowe in reply to Rellim296]

In pre-AF days I used to get tachycardia regularly. Flecainide was the main tool used. Of course, the effectiveness of Flecainide varies with time. It worked well for a year or two, then the irregularities started increasing. I increased the dose and that made it worse, so I went to my cardiologist. He roundly told me off: You should know better. You know that Flecainide has an optimum dosage, and that too much can create the problems it solves on a lower dosage. You either need a lower dosage, or a season without. And for over a year I managed without. So, if you use it, bear this in mind.

I now use it as PIP, *without* the usual combination with a beta blocker. It works well against sudden start tachycardia, for the reasons given. I also use it as prophylaxis during times of high stress, for a few weeks at a time. For the other kind of tachycardia -- when I feel it coming, and the heart feels heavy and is working faster than usual even at rest, then bisoprolol calms things down wonderfully.

[Rellim296 in reply to ILowe]

Yes, I used to have tachycardia - for over 20 years. It ceased when I had an ablation in 2011 and started taking flecainide. I rather assumed that it was the ablation that had made the difference. I've started recently to get runs of fast but regular heartbeats in the middle of AF.

I currently use flecainide as a PIP if I really need to. I take a beta blocker (atenolol) routinely for high blood pressure control.

[EricW]

EricW

I took it for AF for 10 years with no side effects. I had to come off it simply because it stopped working. I then went on Amioderone which lasted 4 years before thyroid and lung problems kicked in. I'm now following Dr Gupta's advice and using magnesium taurate plus vagal manoeuvres with reasonable results..

[Hidden]

After a cox maze procedure and open heart surgery to remove a benign tumour from my heart, I was on Flecainide which caused many problems so I was taken off it. However when my heart recovered and a pacemaker eight months later I re commenced it. I take 50 mg twice a day and 2.5 mg bisoprolol. I'm feeling good two years on it now. Them drugs and pacemaker keep me going quite nicely at present. Some blips but nothing to raise docs concerns . We are all different