Flecainde and eposides

[Grace4291]

Experience. What is the norm for an episode of afib. Dosage 100x2. Longest abd shortest. Was a different medicine trialed because the afib was to frequent. I understand everyone is different.

[Hidden]

You've answered the question yourself - everyone is different. Some are minutes some are weeks. For me, after 3rd ablation, my afib lasts about 2 hours but that is with the help of Flecadide to get it back on track.

[Grace4291 in reply to Hidden]

I was interested in the average eposides. I went a year but lately they are once a week flec puts me back in nsr. I was wondering if the year is gone and the more frequent is here to stay. Thank u.

[Hidden in reply to Grace4291]

I'm up to about 40 days without AF which is a record for me. AF is progressive so unfortunately the more you get them the more you get. If you can work out the triggers that can help you reduce them.

[Hidden]

My worst events are only seconds, but the scariest few seconds ever!

[Finvola]

Mine started about 10 years ago as 40 minute events every few months for about a year.

Then it went away for about 4 years, then back to about an hour every few months for a couple of years.

It changed to weekly/daily short runs with a 2 hour episode every 10 days or so.

Since starting Flecainide 2 x 100mg in 2014, I've had no AF.

[Hidden in reply to Finvola]

Hi Finvola, interesting my experience is the same re Flec dose from 2014 and no AF. I don't take anything else as Lone PAF with pulse 56 and BP 117/70. The big question is should we try reducing the Flec, seeing my cardio again soon?

[Finvola in reply to Hidden]

Hi orchardworker. Flecainide has really worked for me - long may it do so.

I have tried twice to reduce my dose, without success - debilitating PVC's the first time and increasingly frequent runs of AFlutter the second, but no AF as such. I was disappointed but was very relieved to return to 200mg.

All the best with your experiment.

[Hidden in reply to Finvola]

Thanks Finvola - I'll take that as a vote against reduction! Seriously though its good to know your experience and that you returned to 200mg without a hitch.

I am thinking of cutting down very very slowly...first 175mg for 6 months.

[Bagrat in reply to Hidden]

Hidden Only had one episode ( result of a virus I had picked up cardio said ) in 5 years on 100mg twice a day. After some short episodes of tachy and with the supervision of GP, I have reduced to 50 mg twice a day. The final reduction was the end of October 2016 and no episodes since either. GP did try to add bisoprolol first but I couldn't tolerate it so just reduced instead

[Finvola in reply to Bagrat]

Good news Bagrat - long may it continue.

[Hidden in reply to Bagrat]

Very encouraging!

[sleeksheep in reply to Hidden]

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/173...

The above gives a good summary of dosage changes of flecainide.

The dosage is more efficient at 100mg by a factor of x4 than the 50mg rate.

I am on the 50mg rate with no AF since I started ( did try the 25mg with the same result ) pulse 58 and BP 125/75

[Pikaia]

Mine started about this time last year, after a particularly nasty bout of pneumonia. It was diagnosed then but I wasn't informed until I caught it on an ecg in December. Since then I've been on 120mg Diltiazem. I seem to have episodes every 2 weeks or so, although some are very mild. The longest I've had lasted 5.5hrs (which ended up in A&E), while the shortest recorded was 20 minutes, although I'm sure I've missed others.

[Spoiler]

If I go into afib, I stay in it unless I am cardio verted. So, it is quite frustrating when it hits. I am like the total dread and do not want to tell family because it means a trip to the hospital once again. I feel like I am such a drag, why cant I flip back on my own? It is like a devil to me. The exceptions were Tikosyn cardio verted me, second pill cardiac arrrest. My newest drug Flecainide converted me on the second pill as well. They started me on 100 mg twice daily in Dec 2016, I am now on 50 mg twice daily. So far no afib, which is a true miracle. I dont know how long it will last?? All other drugs did not touch the afib as far as converting. Nor did rate control work drugs either. My afib is very stubborn. I have done remarkable since dec 11 on flecainide and metoprolol.