Flecainide TDS

[Tudee]

Oh I don’t feel well, I tried to initiate 50 mg Flecainide tds yesterday and today, woke at 4am with heart banging out of my chest wall at 130 bpm, in AFib. Feel trembly and nauseated, just trying to relax and hope that it settles, no chest pain etc, but awful feeling of doom and gloom, now I don’t know if I should take my Bisoprolol at 12 noon or not, has anyone else had this.?

[CDreamer]

Sorry you are not feeling well, yes AF can make you feel rotten and the feelings of doom and gloom are quite common. If it came on at night it may have been prone position if your AF is vagal? Getting up and moving around slowly may help, as long as you don’t feel faint or dizzy.

If you have been prescribed Bisoprolol then you should take it, not a good idea to stop without talking to your doctor but I know from experience that Biso gave me horrible side effects whilst I had almost no noticeable side effects with Flec. 50mgs is a low dose - I would take 300mg to stop an episode but you must follow your doctor’s instructions.

Flecainide is a Heart rythm drug and Biso a heart rate drug and they are offen prescribed to be taken together.

Hope you feel better soon.

[nikonBlue in reply to CDreamer]

I take both these drugs and as far as I know am fine tough when I'm having an episode and take 'extra' flecainide, I take the extra 50mgs and it takes up to an hour to kick in.

stay well all

Blue

[Tudee]

Thankyou CDreamer,

it’s good to hear a voice, if I take both meds together I go into atrial pause, bradycardia and feel dizzy . Bisoprolol also has antiarrhymic properties and like like Flecainide acts by suppressing the sympathetic nerve system I believe. Thanks again

[CDreamer in reply to Tudee]

Do what you normally do and if things don’t improve after you have taken your Biso and you still feel ill then contact your doctor.

It’s miserable and quite scary and just knowing there are others who have been through this can be reassuring, I know.

[Tudee]

Yes it is so reassuring just to be in contact, I am 74yrs and live alone, so it can it be a bit scary, as you probably know, I’m so very grateful to you C Dreamer for taking the time, I feel a little better for that.

[Icenae in reply to Tudee]

I have had af for 20 years. Sadly my 31 yr old daughter now also diagnosed. My daughter was recently prescribed flecainide and told to only take it initially if someone else present and to present at A & E or call ambulance if any probs. Particularly as you become bradycardic seek advice soonest.

Good luck.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Tudee

You say, "I tried to initiate 50 mg Flecainide tds". Did you actually take these tablets? Sometimes Flecainide can cause a reaction and this may be the case with you. I would strongly urge you to speak to your doctor as soon as you can.

Please let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Jean

[Tudee]

Jeanjeanie50,

Thankyou, Yes I did take 3 yesterday and my normal dose m 50mg this morning, I seem to be super sensitive to these meds, I get asthma attacks on higher doses of Bisoprolol. I am seeing my Cardiologist in the morning, I just feel so limited everyday.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Tudee]

Glad you are seeing your cardiologist in the morning Tudee. Let us know what is said.

When I first took Flecainide I'd read all the side effects and felt it made may eyes blurry and I'm sure other things. If anything is suggested chances are I'll get it - have a powerful mind!! All symptoms have gone now and, after many years of trying various ones, for me this pill has been the best at controlling my AF. So many members of this forum take it too.

Jean

[CDreamer in reply to Tudee]

Tudee Bisoprolol is known to aggregate asthma - please go back to your doctor and ask if you can try another rate control med.

[pottypete1]

Good that you are seeing your EP in the morning.

Do not vary your dose of either Flecainide or Bisoprolol without their guidance!

Flecainide can be good PIP. I am on 2x 100mg twice day and can take 200mg at the same time to get my NSR back if in AF. But I have been told not to take more than that. It also depends when you last took your daily dose too.

The feelings of doom, anxiety and gloom when in AF I can totally relate to.

To reiterate do not do anything until you are advised by your EP tomorrow.

Pete

[Tudee in reply to pottypete1]

Hi Potty Pete, you seem knowledgeable, what do you know about Dronederone, my Cardiologist prescribed it yesterday instead of Flecainide.

[pottypete1 in reply to Tudee]

Hello good morning

I am really sorry but I have no knowledge of Dronederone. I have spent my AF life on Flecainide and Bisoprolol (have stopped Bisoprolol since early 2027). I was given Ameoderone about 4 years ago I felt really bad taking it and was soon put back on Flecainide.

Hopefully others can help.

Pete

[Tudee in reply to pottypete1]

Thanks Pete,

that seems to be a problem, few people take it these days, ( there may be good reason for that) so no inside information readily available unfortunately.

[pottypete1 in reply to Tudee]

I don’t blame you trying to get first hand knowledge of others’ experience of Dronederone.

These drugs they use are potent and as with my experience with Ameoderone there is no benefit for us if the symptoms caused by the cure is worse than AF.

As is often said on this forum the aim is a better quality of life as AF can be so horrible if you are symptomatic.

Pete

[pottypete1 in reply to Tudee]

Just another idea.

The trouble with the way posts work on this forum is that sometimes important questions get lost in a long thread. Very soon the question becomes yesterday’s news.

I suggest you put up another post with the heading “Dronederone side effects and experiences” then ask your question again.

Pete

[Tudee in reply to pottypete1]

Thanks Pete, I’ve just done that now, good advice again

[Tudee]

Will do Pete, I shan’t do that again, although it was prescribed, things are settling down now a little, many thanks to all.

Kindest regards.

[coopo]

Hi There , I have had no problems with bisoprolol ,I just take it and carry on ,I just do as the doctor says , although sometimes your body takes a while to adapt to some medicines .

If in doubt ask a professional .

Good luck

[Tudee]

Thanks coopo, I’ve been inand out of AFib all day, every 2 hours or so, exhausted with it, just spoken to GP who authorized extra Bisoprolol, which I e been on for about 15 years, from 6.2.5 mg down to present 1.25mg, which clearly isn’t enough to control my blood pressure. I’m hoping things will settle down a little now. Kindest regards.

[Sunny570]

I had atrial fib while on a low dose of flecainide. They increase the dose and all is well now. I think it's a balancing act and is a very individual thing. It is terrible thing to have that doom and gloom feeling as well as the dizziness!

Contact your doctor for any information they can give you but know you are not alone!

[Rubymurray25 in reply to Sunny570]

Hi Sunny570, That is so very true about a very individual thing , the doctors don't know what the real answer is only our own bodies and mind can do that. I went to the doctor with nightly high blood pressure issues and she just said increase my 80 mg x 2 a day Sotalol to 160mg x 2 a day, she could tell by my face I wasn't impressed, so I just went for the minimum of an extra 40mg at night, three weeks on all seems much better!

[C66t in reply to Rubymurray25]

Hi Rubymurray25, Im surprised doc gave advice re Sotalol this is Cardiologist territory. When increasing sotalol dose you need to be in hospital as it carries a risk of Torsade de Pointes which is very dangerous. Check it out yourself with your specialist first. Best of luck.

[Rubymurray25 in reply to C66t]

Hi C66t, I appreciate your view and in truth mirror my deeper thoughts, I did think it was a fairly worrying approach but had no idea about that degree of risk! I will look further into it , many thanks.

[Tudee]

Hi Sunny 570

Thankyou for your reply, it’s so wonderful to be able to reach out to fellow fibbers, and be able to receive such great advice. Many thanks again.

[Hidden in reply to Tudee]

Do hope you are feeling better now. Like you 74 years of age and had a long attack the night before last which started at 4am. I take 2.5 of Nebivolol, can’t get on with Bisoprolol, and 100 of Flecainide as a PIP although I did take another 50 yesterday morning as I still wasn’t settled.

Di

[Tudee in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hylda,

I really hope you are in NSR again, you had as bad a night as me, Flecainide just isn’t doing it for me, Im better with Bisoprolol.

Do you live alone, that makes it doubly hard, but the support on here is marvelous, hope you soon feel better.

[Hidden in reply to Tudee]

I live with my husband. When I was first diagnosed he followed me everywhere, now he just goes to sleep!

Last night was better, I caught up on lost sleep.

[wilsond]

Can't add much to previous posts,but wishing you well.

[dmac4646]

You need to see a Dr re Flecanaide- thats a low dose but it can actually ne pro arythmic in some people.

[Hidden]

Hi Tudee, Bit late replying, but in Bosnia just now. I'm sure you know, but just to stay safe, a lot of doctors don't prescribe flecainide without bisoprolol as they consider bisoprolol to help control the potential arrhythmic effects of the flecainide. I know you are not new to bisoprolol but maybe other flec newbies need to be aware of this.

Hope it's all settled down now and your cardio had given good advice.

[Tudee]

I saw my Cardiologist this morning and now Flecainide has been stopped, and Im to start on Dronerdaron 400mg BD, talk about frying pan and fire, the new drug has 2 black box warnings, and a trial was stopped on it as deaths doubled. Should I be afraid ? .... just to be safe I’m terrified, I’m not going to initiate it until I know more and certainly not on a weekend, ....your learned thoughts please fellow A fibbers.

[KMRobbo]

I am not medically trained but i suspect the bisoprolol is the rate control of the flecainide which is for rhythm control. If this is so you should take the bisoprolol as it will help to control/limit the heart rate.

I am on flecainide and diltiazem. I have had similar symtoms recently but was also breathless on moving.

This and the banging was unusual for me on afib.

Is it unusual sympoms for i you?

After 24 hours I went to A&E on EP's advise and was eventually diagnosed with atrial flutter not a A fib!

Flecainide can promote atrial flutter.

If the sympoms are unusual I suggest you visit A& E any get them to run an ECG

Regards

[Tudee]

Thanks Robbo, that’s exactly what the Flecainide was doing, but I’m scared of the new drug alternative, Dronederone, no one seems to be on it or able to reassure me that I shall still be here on Monday Lol

[AllyAF]

Just as an aside - my chemist told me that Bisoprolol should be taken first thing in the morning.

[Hidden in reply to AllyAF]

I take at night to lessen lethargy

[suenygaard]

I have been on Multaq (Dronaderone) for several years and I am doing fine on it. I still get occasional episodes of A-fib, but I don't feel that I experience any side effects from the drug. (I also take Atenolol and Diltiazem for rate control). Multaq is a "safer" cousin of Amiodarone. It does not have the pulmonary side effects that amiodarone often does.

[Tudee]

Good morning Suenygaard,

Well that is reassuring, most of the stuff Ive read has been negative, are your present bouts of AF less in intensity or shorter in duration than before, what have you gained in comparison to pre Multaq.

I’ve read that people are up and down to the bathroom all night getting little sleep,and the monthly blood tests, are the liver and kidneys damaged by this drug. It sounded to me as though the cure was worse than the disease.

[suenygaard in reply to Tudee]

I usually get episodes of a-fib once or twice a year (since about 2009), but I have had a lot of stress in my life lately and the last three months have produced multiple episodes. I have been on Multaq for about 5 years. My EP told me "this will not prevent A-fib, but it will stop you from having to go to the hospital when you get it." And that has been true. I have not had an episode where my HR went above about 80 during an attack since then. It just keeps it under control enough that I don't panic, the adrenalin and cortisol rush are prevented, and it seems to shorten the episodes.

I have not had any problems with having to go to the bathroom during the night or that it affects my sleep. I have my usual panel of blood work annually, but nothing more than that. Liver and kidneys just fine.

[Tudee in reply to suenygaard]

Thankyou Suenygaaard,

most helpful, to hear first hand from a ‘user’ excuse the phrase, so you still have the AF, but at a controlled rate, and manageable. That’s where I was on Flecainide, but it was that med together with Bisoprolol

which caused it in the first place, I am weaning off Flecainide now only 59mg daily for a few days, and now I have been in NSR for 3 whole days,... it’s wonderful, fingers crossed. My pharmacist said Flecainide and Bisoprolol should never be taken together, ever. Thanks again.

[sdalen]

Isn't this a fine dilemma we get into as we age and the meds on the fridge increase? I can't take any beta blocker because I can't breathe....tried a calcium channel blocker and it lowered my heart rate to 41bpm (my heart rate and blood pressure are always fairly normal). I have premature atrial complexes but because of 2 afibs a decade ago, they feel the need to consider me an afibber. I was on a NOAC and got a big rectal bleed. Now THEY scare the hell out of me. Interestingly, the ACE and ARB inhibitors for blood pressure tend to keep atrial fibrillation from becoming the old "afib begets afib" syndrome. I have been on an arbs for a number of years and wonder if it has kept my PACs from turning into an afib.....who knows for sure. I am on a low carb diet and after losing just 6 pounds, have fewer ectopics....enough to make me feel more positive. I want to lose 30-25 pounds (did lose 20 and then my sister got sick and being an emotional eater, gained 10 back, but now I am 12 pounds ahead). I walk 2km every day and 6km on Sunday...I may increase this. Taking a 30 billion probiotic, reservatrol, magnesium citrate...I am low in iron but have to wait on that one.....get that checked btw as low iron can cause irregular beats. I check up through Pubmed ALL my medications and supplements and interactions. Weaned myself off an H2 blocker, must stay on tamoxifen (which can cause extra risk of bleeding)..both these things can cause bleeding risk if you take a blood thinner...and so can anti-depressants. I like some the the things Dr. Berg speaks about regarding diet and love Dr. Sanjay Gupta!

[Hidden in reply to sdalen]

Did you say antidepressants can cause a fib? Or did I misunderstand.

[sdalen]

No, anti depressants can increase risk of bleeding if you are on blood thinners.