Can anybody help....the problem is I normally have to get up once to pee but sometimes (once or twice a week) I get up 3 or 4 times and I pee a lot. I am pretty sure its not down to what I eat or drink as I am careful at night and eat small and early. The only drug I am on is 200mgs/day Flecainide and this has worked well for 5 years.
My main concern is not the getting up in the night although it would be nice to improve this but whether the reason for a lot of pee is down to AF i.e. the chemical released by the heart when AF is present even though the Flecainide stops the irregular rhythm. I do wake up early morning from time to time with a slight raised heartbeat, which soon goes away. Clearly I do not want to wean myself off the Flecainide if it is doing an essential job. Any thoughts most welcome?
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secondtry
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My understanding it is the frequent peeing is a sign of AF - if only at night it could be that you are having silent AF during the night - it is certainly a sign for my husband. It could be you are having AF breaks throughs - could be vagal triggered ie positional.
There are of course many other reasons, especially for men - prostrate being one of the most common. Have you had PSI test and a prostrate check? Do you have regular blood tests for liver and kidney function and ieverything good?
I would have thought it is a question for your GP and a few tests to determine the cause?
I don't think there's a lot you can do. I've certainly noticed needing to pee a lot more often when in AF, normally I have a 12 hour bladder but if I wake up at 4/5am I usually need a pee or I can't get back to sleep.
I've discussed this with my GP and he said that unfortunately as we age our kidney function is better at night when we are lying down. He said he could give me a pill to help, but I refused it.
I have permanent AF and I get up at least 3 times during the night and I do not think it is anything to do with medication. Often when I wake up I do not feel the need to go to the loo but as soon as I move or turn over I feel the need to go. Also since AF I have problems sleeping, I only get about two hours then I wake, so the two combined are not good. I have tried most things regarding the sleep problem and nothing has changed it. I think medication may be part of the sleep problem but not the need to go to the loo. As Jean says it may be an age thing as well - I am 71 (72 on Sunday lol).
Cassie
If you are not in AF when you wake up, then ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide) doesn’t seem a likely cause of nocturnia, but if you are having mainly nocturnal AF, it would be important to know that. Since developing permanent AF/AFL I have not slept at all well and put that down to the AF.
Im 50, and can still go through the night, if I'm in NSR
If i'm in AF a wee like a race horse about every 45 minutes , not great for a good nights sleep
Me too. One time , out of curiosity, I weighed myself when I felt the a fib kick in and 12 hours later when it stopped... I was 4 lb lighter all from water loss.
Thank you very much for all the replies, very helpful. I suppose one of many things I have learned with AF is that you have to keep persevering with the various options and be grateful things aren't a lot worse. Merry Christmas!
I have this problem sometimes. I feel generally one degree under, feel the need to drink plenty ( more than usual) then pee all evening and maybe 3 times after retiring. Pulse steady as a rock. I often lose 4lb overnight!! I convince myself it's flecainide doing its job and checking the onset of AF but maybe way off track with this. Keeps me happy though!
Me too 3/4/5 times drives me nut, plus I’ve a blind cat that hears me then starts meowing for food as she doesn’t know it’s noghtime......I was told by the cardio I have short ten second afib I’m not aware of......so maybe that’s the reason.....I do drink a lot of water mind you but always have,,.,,,
Thank you, it could be like me you have mild sleep apnea that trigger the short AF. A sleep study test at home overnight was very straightforward if you wanted to request one.
I have posted before about my experience with waking up 4/5 a night and needing a wee. I started taking my blood pressure when I woke up for a wee and every time it was raised in the late 170's, someone on this site suggested I might have Sleep Apnea, so I took their advice and sure enough the night study showed I was having 68 episodes an hour ( severe is over 30 ) , I'm now on a CPAP, I sleep like a baby and occasionally get up just one a night and my PAF symptons haven't reappeared , so i'm praying this will continue to be the trend.
I am no medical expert but was told that AF happening while sleeping can cause frequent urination, thus why you may be getting up more often. Another thought...have you been checked for sleep apnea? AF and sleep apnea are related as well as both causing more frequent night urination.
Thanks, as with many issues including AF & peeing at night there are various things at play: sleep study done mild SA (7 times an hour), prostate checked been enlarged for 20 years, age 65, anxiety level still needs to be reduced more....and the list goes on. Hence, my theory that you have to deal with all factors as much as possible until you get below the threshold for triggering AF in your daily routines.
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AF at bedtime
Flecainide 
11 nights AF free on 50mg Flecainide 
