Flecinaide

[Golf1234]

Will I ever recover from bad balance and muscle weakness from

FLEXINADE. I was on it 7 months

Off one month. Nov 2018

[pottypete1]

How do you know that it was the Flecainide that caused these side effects?

Pete

[Golf1234 in reply to pottypete1]

When I stopped taking it i started with legs a little better after a week

But sti have bad balance

And stomach issues and feel bad all the time

[Golf1234 in reply to Golf1234]

Also vision little better and

No more nightmares

[pottypete1 in reply to Golf1234]

There are a lot of AF sufferers who take it without side effects. I have been taking Flecainide for more than 25 years without any problems.

I suggest you discuss this with your EP as if it is the Flecainide and you cannot tolerate the side effects you will need something else if your AF is effecting your quality of life.

Pete

[Luludean]

It was a horrid drug. I had FOUL nightmares, got into the habit of waking frequently through the night and have never got back into a full night's sleep .

[Gwersey in reply to Luludean]

And me. I hated it. I never had ectopic beats until I was prescribed Flecanide. Now I get them all the time despite being off it 9 months.

[Aqua_1]

Interesting you should post this. I too have been feeling weakness in my legs as if they are going to give way on me. I've been taking Flec since May along with Verapamil. Both are small doses however I have had a multitude of side effects on and off mainly dizziness, lethargy even though my heart rate is not low and the last 4-5 weeks this weakness of the legs. The combination of drugs keeps AF in check however I hate the side effects. If you Google Flec and weakness you will find that others have reported the same. What dosage were you on? I hope it all resolves for you given that you have stopped taking this drug.

[TerriMo in reply to Aqua_1]

The flecainide caused my legs to feel like that as well. They were weak all the time. The dizziness was another consistent side effect I had. Flecainide and my beta blockers both caused dizziness. Now that I am off the flecainide I know it was causing most of it.

[Aqua_1 in reply to TerriMo]

TerriMo I see that you are taking the same dose as myself. Did the jelly leg feeling come on soon after you started Flec or over time? I started taking it in May and it's been in the last 4-5 weeks or so that I get this feeling on and off.

[TerriMo in reply to Aqua_1]

I don't recall if it started right away, and when I first noticed it I didn't think about it being caused by flecainide. All I can really tell you is once I noticed it, it never went away until I was off the flecainide. The same with the ringing in my ears; I didn't know it was mostly caused by the flecainide. Just 8 shorts years ago, but the info we have at our finger tips today wasn't quite available then. Technology is a blessing and a curse!

[CDreamer]

I wondered what you were doing to increase strength and regain proprecetption (poor balance comes from not knowing where your body is in space). The good news is there are plenty of exercises you can do to improve it.

I took Flec for quite a long time at maximum doses and did not suffer any noticeable side effects,

[TerriMo]

I took it for 8 years. I sure wish I would have went off of it sooner, but initially it did calm my symptoms more than the beta blocker did by itself. I have been off of flecainide for almost 6 months. The off balance feeling and the feeling that I was moving when I wasn't has gone away almost completely. My vision changed as well. The ringing in my ears got better, but is still there. I was on a low dose as I am sensitive to meds. I was taking 50mg 2x a day. Some days I want to use is a PIP, but haven't yet.

[Jonty_13]

I had similar issues with Flec. It’s a very toxic drug. I reckon it has taken 6 months for me to feel better. I also was not able to exercise at the same level so had a de-training affect and still trying to get back to a level that feels good.

[Hidden]

I just take it as a PIP if/when needed as I have paroxysmal AF and it works fine that way- when it was suggested I take it regularly, the first tablet taken when I was fine made me feel quite dreadful, so I just use it very successfully as a PIP. We are all different and drugs affect us all differently- one day this might be recognised by the medics and drug manufacturers!