Since coming off Flecainide

[chris45558]

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my Cardiologist taking me off Flecainide.

Since coming off it for the 1st week I was getting a lot of ectopic beats but they settled down.

2 days ago I was in work had a meal then stretched back in my chair which started my heart to race to 208 BPM. I used my Kardia which showed unclassified.

My colleagues called an Ambulance as they said i looked pale.

By the time it had arrived which was fast it had dropped to 165 however the ECG showed SVT.

Off to Musgrove Hospital in Taunton.

By the time i got into resus it had dropped back to normal.

The ECG's only showed SVT and not trace a Afib or flutter.

So was this incident due to coming off meds or a coincident. The Dr said flec is not used for SVT.

I would also like to say that the treatment and support I got from the medical staff was first class, this may have something to do with the fact i am a Police Officer and lying on the bed in a Police uniform, but I am sure that this was not the major factor as I heard how they were with other patients.

[Finvola]

An unpleasant experience chris. I’m not a believer in coincidences and I would agree that reduction or removal of Flecainide might have triggered it.

A couple of years ago my EP suggested that I could reduce my 100mg x 2 to a slightly lower dose to try to stop runs of AFlutter, caused by the Flec.

I reduced to 50mg x 2 over couple of weeks. Apart from masses of debilitating PVC’s, I had daily runs of SVT/Flutter which were so bad that I went back to my original dose - and the occasional bout of SVT/Flutter.

This condition was once described by Dr John Mandrola as ‘capricious’ - it certainly is that. Can your EP shed any light on this episode?

[chris45558 in reply to Finvola]

Hi thanks for your reply. The issue ive had is that every single ecg ive had has never picked up AF of flutter. It was a cardio call many years ago that picked something up so at that time i was told i had AF. The recent Cardiologist said he was unable to confirm if i had AF, flutter or what i had. I know that every single epidode ive had have always been involving food

[rosyG in reply to chris45558]

they are very closely connected and often one obscures the other- explains why people often think AF has been caused by ablation for flutter whereas in fact it just allows the Af signals to crack on!!

[Finvola in reply to chris45558]

Certain foods and alcohol are triggers for so many of us - the trick is to identify them. Have a check on the upper right search box for vagal AF as there are many posts regarding food triggering arrhythmias and you may find them helpful.

Like you, I had endless ECG’s, tests and days on 24 hour monitors. In four years one ECG caught AF, tests were all clear and some fleeting SVT on one Holter monitor.

Five months of elusive episodes and total frustration prompted me to buy a Kardia which I used to record traces for my cardiologist and EP. This helped me to get targetted treatment and better quality of life.

[CDreamer]

I would also note that it was ‘after lunch’. Always a trigger for me if I do much as stand up within 30 mins of eating. I need to stay in rest & digest mode to avoid arrythmias after eating and to stay with small meals.

[TerriMo in reply to CDreamer]

I suffer so much after I've eaten. I try to eat lighter, and though it helps I still have episodes daily. It's exhausting!

[chris45558]

That's a good idea about standing..my trouble is in my job you are trying to eat when you can and at times rushing through the door with a sandwich in your hand

[Buffafly]

Musgrove Park is the greatest 😀!

[secondtry]

Hi Chris, sounds like you have vagally mediated AF. The Vagus Nerve is a devil you need to be cautious about relaxing after any stress in your job i.e. wind down deliberately slowly, not just collapse in a chair when you get back home and put on your favourite music/TV programme. Also no big meals as that also increases the AF possibility. In summary, I would say you need to take a lot more lifestyle/diet (e.g. cut 90% of gluten out)/supplement action first before you come off the Flec. Plenty of advice on here about the VN, just use the search.

[chris45558 in reply to secondtry]

Hi thanks for the reply. I think lifestyle would fit in. I lost a lot of weight last year but slowly put some back on and need to where i was as felt loads better. I will do some more searching on VN. Thanks

[Dolly1962]

Sorry but I’m fairly new what’s a SVT ?

[chris45558]

Hi its Supraventricular tachycardia in my case pulse racing at 208 bpm.

[Dolly1962 in reply to chris45558]

Thanks for sharing that I now know 😉

[Jhcoop55]

Chris,

While I thankfully have not experienced AFIB following my second ablation, when I went of Flec, my ectopics went wild. I’ve since gone back on low dose Flec and that seems to help a lot with the ectopic. Talk to your doc

[chris45558 in reply to Jhcoop55]

Hi i will have a chat with him

[TerriMo]

Hi Chris, I have been off of flecainide for about 3 full weeks now. The first couple weeks were better. Now I am not feeling so well, though I don't think I feel any worse than when I was on flecainide. A lot of my symptoms are worse after eating. Last night I finally started taking Zantac. I took it before dinner and it sure seemed to help. I feel more weak since I've been off of the flec, more fatigued and my whole body feels like it's vibrating. BUT.....I did finally sleep better last night. I am still tired, but not like the last few days. I see my cardiologist tomorrow. It will be my first visit since being completely off the flec. I am also taking Bystolic 2.5. A very low dose, but I am sensitive to medications. I'm really not sure it's helping me at all. I was on a higher dosage before, but my heart rate was getting too low. The summer heat isn't helping me either! I need some relief as we all do!