The AF is Back

Hi my name is Tasha, I had catheter ablation (twice) at Barts Hospital in London and it worked really well but as time has passed my AF has come back. At first we thought it might be a symptom of menopause (I am in my fifties) and one cardiologist was very dismissive on that count but now it is official and I am waiting to go back on the old bandwagon.

I am taking Bisoprolol, which works reasonable well and going back onto blood thinners. I am hoping to try one of the new oral anticoagulants that don't need the same kind of monitoring that Warfarin does. Has anyone here tried these new ones? My GP is leaning toward riveroxaban. Any views?

[doodle68]

Hi Tasha many members on here are on NOACS myself included, I take Apixaban after doing research into these drugs.

There is a very good video here by Dr Gupta explaining the various NOACS, it might help you to decide...

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

I have a yearly blood test to check on kidney/liver function .

[Hidden in reply to doodle68]

Hi, thank you for that. That is the most helpful thing I have seen on NOACs.

[Globe-J]

Hi Tasha,

I have been through the same journey. At the end I opted for a Maze procedure, via an open-heart surgery. A fairly drastic measure, but it worked (-:

The procedure can also be done by less invasive methods. It may pay to investigate.

Best wishes

J (-:

[Hidden in reply to Globe-J]

Thanks,J. I will make enquiries. 👍

[Barb1]

If I were in your shoes I would go straight onto a NOAC. No fuss and almost instant anti coagulation

[rocketritch]

Sorry to hear you deamon is back. I to have had reoccurance of affib since my ablation back in 2009. Had a second this past January that appears to have left me in a worse state than before.

I am currently on Ticosyn, Metoprolol and Elequis (anticoagulant).

I dont seem to be have issues at this point with the Elequis.

[KMRobbo]

I have been on pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate ) from january until a week ago. l have had no issues with it at all.

I did not bleed nor bruise significantly more despite having a large bang on the thigh when I walked into an open drawer and cutting my finger rather than an onion on one occasion! ( i thi nk that took about 15 or 20mins to stop bleeding completely).

I have heard that some people have had reflux issues with this and was given lansoprazole to counter acid stomache after my ablation(owing to a pain I had immediately after the ablation) but I have never suffered from that in the 25 days prior to the ablation so I stopped taking that lanzoprazole and never had any stomach/reflux issues since either.

I cannot say it is better or worse than other noacs as I have not tried any others.

[Sean_C]

Hi Tasha,

Sean here, I am currently in sinus after my second cardioversion three weeks ago, on the waiting list for an ablation. Regarding Rivaroxaban, I have been on it for a little over a year, no issues whatsoever (beyond the usual concern of bleeding if I come off my bike - I ride mountain bikes - but that applies to all anto-coags). It is much more convenient than having regular blood tests. The down side is that if you miss even one tablet in the weeks preceding a cardioversion, they will cancel it. This is because they don't have the luxury of checking the INR to see if it's ok. This actually happened to me (I had a crappy flu and didn't get out of bed, and forgot the tablet) ONE WEEK before my scheduled cardioversion. I called them and told them (figuring a delay is better than a stroke) and they cancelled the procedure and I had to wait another 6 weeks.

Hope that helps.

All the best.

[Dodie117]

I too am on Apixaban. It’s taken twice daily as it leaves the system faster than other anticoagulants. No problem with it.

[Hidden]

Hi all, thank you all for your replies and helpful comments. I am a bit flummoxed at the moment. I have just spoken to my GP and they have decided to hold off on the Anticoagulants altogether until I have had an Echocardiogram! They assure me that my risk of stroke is still very low at the moment but it still worries me.

[dmac4646]

On Apixiban and Flecanaide I assume you tried this before ablation

[Smorgan]

Is flecanaide an anticoagulant?

[Davidf165]

Hi, it’s not clear from your post if your AF is now continuous or episodic. Research shows that clots can form in the atria within 24-48 hr of AF, seen on echo. So, probably best to be on anticoagulation if you have episodes longer than a couple of days. If you don’t know which one to take, you can always take aspirin while you decide.

[Hidden in reply to Davidf165]

Hi, my AF is episodic and improved a little by a daily dose of beta blocker bisoprolol. Before and after ablation i was put on warfarin. I came off warfarin when my heart rate had been stable for a year or so. I cannot take aspirin as my stomach will not tolerate it. I have still got some concerns about stroke, especially as my father, who also had AF, had a couple of TIAs. I will just hope that I get to see a cardiologist sooner rather than later.

[Luisa1987]

Hi i am on apixaban but was previously on rivoroxaban but bruised quite easily plus i had a mini stroke and it was then they changed my med to apixaban the consultant stated that they have less side affects and are of a better quality!