hello,
I have been taking Flecainide 50mg twice daily for around 2 months now. I did notice that im seeing some floaters, but I dont know if that is necessarily related to the flecainide side effects or just a normal occurence.
Did anyone experience such a side effect? at what level should I consider the floaters to be more than the normal level?
Edit: I should have probably specified that I'm a 33 years old male, in decent shape aside from arrhythmia and asthma.
I take 300mg of flecainide as a PIP when I’m stuck in AF. I get an itchy rash when I take it but never seen spots or floaters.
Possibly unconnected but please discuss with your medical team
I had floaters when on flecainide regularly. It started hours after my first dose so I mentioned it to the registrar who said he had never heard of vision disturbance with af. It persisted and was most noticeable when I went from somewhere light to a change of light or darkness.
Eventually it settled. When I transferred to a better cardiology team and mentioned it I was told yes it is a known side effect with some people. They stopped eventually as I got used to the drug but took some months I recall. If unsure check with your medics.
Get your optician to examine you.
I am on Flecainide and have floaters.
My optician saw me last October and gave me a very thorough examination. She said the cause was gaps in the gel inside the eyeball that reflect the light onto the retina. This degeneration is normally a result of getting old.
Pete
Sudden onset floaters combined with any degree of associated and acute visual loss is a medical emergency because of the probability of retinal detachment.
Without visual loss, a posterior vitreous detachment is likely. This was my situation and because my floaters included some dense black ones and I was on warfarin, I went to the eye casualty department.
Since you don’t mention visual loss I would ring the optician for preliminary advice, and book an eye examination.
I have not heard of flecainide causing floaters, and don’t see how that could happen.
Best get an eye exam.
Floaters or spots in your vision are most likely a coincidence they started when you went on flecinaide , most likely you have begininning stages of macular degeneration , possibly the flecinaide May be playing a small part as it changes your blood pressure and heart rate ( maybe slowing blood flow to the eye ) , suggest seeing an eye specialist
Quote "Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55. ... The following are NOT known to be linked to macular degeneration: floaters (moving spots caused by debris floating in the vitreous fluid between the lens and the retina); dry eye syndromes; cataracts and cataract surgery.6 Aug 2018"
Had to look it up as had a mild panic
Yes I've had several acute episodes with the flashing lights and they do settle but the floaters are still there, the brain being an amazing organ filters them out.
I am on flecainide but haven't connected the two. The symptoms can be similar to those of detached retina so should be checked.
Yep, I had some floaters, but did any of you experience bouts of numbness in legs and arms on Flecainide? i did and it scared me! Went off Flecainide and it went away. Now am on Rythemol and it is great. Have not had an Afib episode since. Will not get an ablation! Long story, but my sister in law, my age, suffered a “steam pop” during ablation and it blew out her heart. Yes, she died after never regaining conciousness.
My floaters pre-date the AF & Flecainide 50mg twice daily I’m on. Haven’t noticed any more since, but did have some pretty weird visual disturbances when first on Flecainide. I could be sitting stationary in my car & feel that I was moving when the other traffic was or, when walking by a pebble beach it felt as if the stones were moving & I wasn’t! Very odd, but only lasted a couple of weeks.
Pat
I have had floaters for years, i didn't notice them get any worse when I was on flecinide but I have developed PVD but I think that's more to do with my age 65, any flashing lights in the corners of your eyes need checking out as my doc thought it could be detached retina so had any emergency check but it was PVD. Had an ablation heart meds stopped but floaters are just as bad.
My floaters, and a PVD, predated me getting the AF at all, for which I now take bisoprolol and apixaban. Sadly, it seems to be just an "old age thing". I have had another PVD since then, but not as severe, and yes they do gradually resolve themselves, as do the floaters. I had a spectacularly large floater in my left eye that appeared on Halloween, and looked just like a large black spider! Horrible, but it has gone away now.
Both my husband and I have had a PVD in one eye. His got better. Mine ( 3years old) didn't. It's like having a wiggly twig surrounded by a few black blobs in the eye. But my brain has got better at ignoring it.
Floaters (or worsening floaters) can be symptoms of retinal detachment, or they can be benign-probably not caused by drugs. See a retinal specialist ASAP.
I get the lights in the dark too - if I move my eyes sideways rapidly.
I suddenly got troublesome floaters as soon as I started taking Flecainide! My opticians said I had Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) so I just put it down to a coincidence but now reading these posts I am starting to wonder.
I am wary of stopping Flecainide to see if there is an improvement in my eyesight though (I take 50mg twice a day)
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