Hi,
Woke up at 6 this morning in AF.
Took 200mg of flecainide. (PIP).
At 8 back in what seems nsr but pulse at 125bpm. I've never experienced this before. My normal pulse rate is around 65.
Wondering if I should call 111 or wait for an hour or so. (been at 125 for 30 minuts already).
Bit worried - any ideas?
thanks.
You can let it run for a while at that rate in fact I was running at 125-ish for three months once.
Try relaxing with some ambient music and take some very slow deep breath breathing in from your nose and out through your mouth try to make it about six breaths in and six breaths out per minute but don’t worry if you can’t quite do it that slowly.
However if you are feeling faint or have any chest pains you should call for help.
It would be a good idea to talk to your doctors when they are back at work on Tuesday assuming you are in the UK.
Pete
I think it depends on how you feel about it Tin. 125 for 30 minutes should be OK. I was told by a doctor to contact A@E if it was 125 for four hours or more. You may well find it comes down if you are now out of a-fib.
However my advice is to follow your `gut instinct` and do what feels best for you. Certainly keep checking your pulse over the next hour or so. Bare in mind it will be a little higher if you are feeling anxious.
Try and relax - watch a bit of TV or listen to some music to distract yourself. I`m sure you`ll be OK but contact a doctor if you are really worried.
Hope it comes down soon 
Best,
Paul
I too have been at that rate for over a month, in the past, pending a cardioversion. I felt dreadful and couldn't do anything that required effort. Is your pulse a constant 125 now, as that could indicate your heart is in flutter? It's always difficult to decide what to do re getting help in this situation and as Paulbounce has said it's best to go with your gut feeling.
Did you take a beta blocker alongside your Flecainide?
Jean
After being in fast AF it is quite common to go into a flutter ..as it sounds like yours could be...before reverting to NSR ( normal sinus rhythm). Try to relax now but if you continue to be concerned go by how YOU feel and contact 111 for advice. Check your pulse from time to time in the meantime.
Best wishes
J
As jeanjeannie50 says, flecainide can induce atrial flutter. Also, you have in the past mentioned having SVT. At 125, neither are a problem in the short term if you are symptom free, in my opinion. I would think it more likely than not that this will settle spontaneously as it has done for you previously. Can you post a Kardia trace?
Hi,
Thanks for all of your replies.It really is great to have people like yourselves to take the time to get back to me about this.
After my post this morning I phoned 111. Whilst on to them I could feel myself feeling more ill. That ill in fact I just about made it upstairs - I didn't want to die alone so I thought I'd be with my wife. Yes, as some of us know you can feel that bad with this condition.
Anyway, I'm still here. After just making it up the stairs I phoned 999. The ambulance took about 40 minutes to arrive. Guess what happened - yes my heart went back into NSR 5 minutes before the ambulance arrived. As always, the medics were great. ECG, blood test etc. All tests were just fine. They were OK about me not going to hospital.
I've had PAF since 2001. I can't take any medication because it all makes me feel AWFUL so I rely on pill in the pocket flecainide. Of course after taking 200mg and the bout of AF (with the heart 'sticking' at 125 BPM I'm feeling pretty battered now.
I saw a heart consultant back in January who suggested I have a stress test (to try to induce the AF which I experience usually 15 minutes into cycling - as well as any other time like this morning) . After waiting 3 months for the test I phoned his secretary who apologised as she hadn't booked the test. Another month I had the test which didn't induce AF but it did show I had a lot of ectopics after 10 minutes on the treadmill. Looking on Google this shouldn't happen - ectopics should get less on exercise. Another month and nothing from the consultant. I phoned his secretary again who said she would get the results of my stress test to her boss. Absolutely nothing since then. Mind you, the next plan of action was to fix me up with a holter monitor and send me out on the bike. Still waiting for this or any other contact from the consultant. This isn't a very good state of affairs -January till now just the stress test.
Anyway, sorry about my rambling on. The main thing is I'm back in NSR and dreading my next episode. Just one last thing. I did ask the consultants secretary to put me on the waiting list for an ablation (he promised that I could have one if I wanted by just phoning his secretary). It makes me wonder whether or not she's forgot that as well. FRUSTRATION or what.
I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the day - I feel like I've been kicked in the chest after that bout of AF. Thanks again for your replies.
Glad you are back in normal rhythm as always just the sight of an ambulance often makes the heart beat properly
The aftermath of PIP can last about 36 hours so hopefully you will feel better tomorrow.
Pete
I agree with pottypete, it is quite common to have some tachycardia (fast HR) after AF has stopped, often for some days. I had a run of 135ish for about a week. As it happened it was during a time when I was at the AF clinic and seeing a Registrar who seemed surprised and offered to see if she could arrange a cardioversion. I declined, the threat of it alone seemed to do the trick and I converted to my normal HR on the walk back to my car.
Your experience is exactly what happens to me every time I have an episode; I take 200mg flecainide as a PIP and within an hour or so I am back in NSR but still with a very fast heart rate, which takes considerably longer, sometimes several hours, to slow down. I just take things very easy as I always feel weak and wobbly even though I am no longer in AF.
A bit of an update,
Saw GP yesterday who put me on 50mg of flecainide twice a day. (till the ablation or seeing the heart consultant).
After taking the flec, for at least 3 or 4 hours, I get a dull pain in the left side of my chest - plus I don't feel that well, Is it worth persevering or should I go back to the GP and tell him about the dull ache.
It is a bit disconcerting.
Thanks.
Hi I’m new, does anyone suffer from really low heart rate when not in AF?
Not great news today
I have AF and sometimes BP units and pulse monitors do not work!
Advice from your experience please. 
