Flecainide upped after another episode of AFib

[Thompson123]

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately I was blue lined again to hospital Thursday with Afib ,

My consultant as upped my flecained .

I just wondered what dose others are on ?

Does it help .

Thanks everyone x

[Hidden]

Hi Thompson, I guess you are probably becoming more anxious about having an ablation. I’m sure you know but Flecainide can be used as a PiP (pill in the pocket) taken as and when required or as a regular daily maintenance dose should episodes become more regular. Prior to my ablation, I was prescribed 2 x 50 mgs per day which kept AF at bay. From what I read in the forum 2 x 100 mgs is not unusual, but I understand it is important not to exceed 300 mgs in any 24 hour period. Also, if taken daily it should be with a betablocker or calcium channel blocker otherwise it might cause Atrial Flutter but that is something you need to discuss with your doctor because we are not medically trained.

[Thompson123 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you flapjack , I’m definitely becoming more anxious about the ablation. I don’t really want to up flecainide as iv got to come off it a week before op . I’m struggling at mo . I would rather give birth then go through this .

[Hidden in reply to Thompson123]

Dunno why, but assumed you was a bloke! Wish there was a magic wand, the only thing I can say which might help is 1000’s of ablation take place every week around the world. How many posts have you read in the forum from anyone regretting they had had their ablation. Bearing in mind forums tend to attract bad news, that’s something worth thinking about!

Ahhh.....u r Michelle!!

[Thompson123 in reply to Hidden]

Lol no Thank you flapjack , it’s true ! Can’t wait for it to be over .

[Hidden in reply to Thompson123]

See above!

[PaMaGra in reply to Thompson123]

Hi just to make you feel a little easier, I had a 2nd ablation eight months ago and so far so good. I do say “thank you “ each day because I feel good.

[PaMaGra in reply to PaMaGra]

Sorry I should say ‘just on Apixaban.

[Thompson123 in reply to PaMaGra]

Brilliant news ! So good to hear successful stories x

[dedeottie]

100mg twice a day and yes it works. I wish I didnt have to take it but am just glad there are pills that stop the dratted AF in its tracks. X

[Thompson123 in reply to dedeottie]

That’s what I’m in now .

[Kaz747]

Sorry to hear about your latest dramas Michelle. I used to be on 2 x 50mg Flecainide daily but that didn’t control things so I was switched to Sotalol which mostly kept things under control. Hang in there x

[Thompson123 in reply to Kaz747]

Xx

[edvclark]

I had an ablation a year ago. I take a maintenance dose of flecainide 50 mg 2x/day; along with 37.5 mg/day of metoprolol beta blocker.

[Thomas45]

I started at 50mg twice a day, was upped to,, 100mg twice a day, and later to 150 mg twice a day. That dose resulted in one or two short episodes a year,. I was on that dose for 11 years when I was found to be in asymptomatic persistent AF, which is now permanentl. I no longer take any medication for AF, except ananticoagulant.

[Morzine]

I’m on 100 in morning.......he did up it to 200 but now I’m back on 100.

He did say you can be happily up to 300 but not to go over.

I love this tablet it’s made my life normal.....well almost normal eh....it’s still there in my head and lurking ....

[Highlander51]

Hi there, I also had my Flecainide dose upped to 100 mg. I had a cyroablation done on 1st July, all drugs stopped and only on blood thinners, no AF thankfully since then. Fingers crossed, it stays that way for a while. For me anyway it’s made a huge difference but we are all different.

[Summer60]

I am on 50mg twice a day and I am also taking Bisporolol and Rivaoxaban. So far so good having previously had two Cardio Versions and a pacemaker implant this year, but I am conscious that I could have another episode at any time

[Thompson123 in reply to Summer60]

Bless you summer sounds like you have been through it . I know what you mean about conscious you may have another. It’s on my mind a lot.

[ILowe]

Ask the doctor every time you see them, to check for adverse effects. They are rare. They usually show up on an ECG. Somewhere I read you should have your ions checked or whatever they call it: Sodium, Potassium etc levels + Creatinine/Urea, every six months.

I recently hypothesised to the doctor that I did not need it in high dose at night and that strong Flecainide sometimes caused irregularities. She said, that is easy to test, and gave me a 24 hour Holter. If Flecainide was currently causing irregularities, it would show at night when I was relaxed. On the contrary, the only irregularities were during the day. You need a doctor who will work with you to get the dose right, then tweak it every few months.

[perkman]

I had an ablation in July of 2017. After the ablation my AFIB got worse and I was out on flecanaide of 300 mg daily dosage to help stop the episodes.

My EP told me this was not unusual and that my episodes should diminish as my heart heals from the ablation.

My episodes started decreasing after several weeks and stopped by the end of 3 months and I have been AFIB free over a year now and have an ectopic once in awhile but very seldom.

I highly recommend the ablation. It has changed my life and wouldn't hesitate doing it again.

Best Wishes

[Tracyrdh]

I took flecainide 150mg twice daily plus beta blocker and still had bouts of afib frequently. The ablation was the best option for me. Glad I had procedure i. 2016. It is normal to be nervous about ablation.

[Wingofly]

I was on Flecainide 2X100 mg for about a year after two cardioversions. Finally had my cryoblation last week which I was desperate for as I was suffering from episodes of flutters with HR around 200 for hours just in the last month. During the last episode and ended up in ER, I was switched to Tikosyn 2X250 mcg as Flecainide became ineffective. I was off Tikosyn for two days pre-op and fortunately no episode. After the ablation, my HR's are now in the 60's and slowly recovering from headaches and chest pains. BP has creeped up as I am off beta blocker. Groins almost healed. Hope it will be declared a success after the blanking period.