Propafenone/Rythmol and stopping heart beats

[Bambi65]

Against my better judgment, I agreed to try this new medicine for at least a week to see if it would stop or keep my afib at bay. I gave my word to my doc and hubby (who is also a doc) that I would give it a chance. Well day 2 had afib that lasted 24.5 hours. Keeping my word, I didnt give up and kept taking as prescribed. On the 3rd day I was surprised how much better I felt. Day 4, I was so inspired by not only the energy level but feeling wonderful and now hopeful that this med is working. Day 5, well, I apologized to my hubby for being so resistant to trying this medication again (2 days last time b4 I quit with afib). Wow This medication is successful! I went for a short bike ride, had lunch and felt a few extra beats. No afib. Went to bed that night and woke up at 3am with rapid heart beats. Thanks to kardia, No afib just fast. However it felt like it was going to start. Different this time, as I was dizzy and had to grab hold of the chair I was sitting in. This happened several times. Felt like my eyes were going black on the bottom only. Off and on for the next 24 hrs I would get very dizzy sitting or laying down. Felt like someone pulled the seat or bed out from under me every time. One time while sitting watching tv I just fell over. Kardia sais afib. An hour later it said Tachycardia 122 bpm. What? Ive never had this before. My hubby called my doc and my doc said it's the med is attempting to stop the afib and it's not unusual for "atrial flutter" to appear. Just take the diltizan to slow the rate down. For the next day I kept getting dizzy off and on. Now, I've been in afib/tachy for 52 continuous hours. Since I made it to the full week I decided NO MORE! Never had this or felt this bad b4 this medication. Well I happened to catch 2 episodes of this dizzy feeling while taking a kardia reading. OMG... this wasnt just a skipped beat or short pause. There was NO BEATS during these episodes. The 3 inch screen on my cell phone just about filled with a flat line.

Sent the reading via email to my doc. Needless to say, I am no longer taking this med. The listed side effects only mention lightheadedness, not heart stops. I'd rather have the AFIB monster than to deal with that crap.

Been a few days since I stopped and so far so good. No more dizziness and no afib either. Its a grand day. Heading to the airport in a few minutes for an 12 day excursion.

Anyone else ever experience this?

[Padayn01]

Hi Bambi, that just sounds terrible, i mean did you check your pulse when the reading said no beats? sounds awful

[Bambi65 in reply to Padayn01]

Cant take pulse at the same time since both hands were on the kardia.

[Padayn01 in reply to Bambi65]

That would be my natural reaction to make sure the Kardia reading was right, i would have checked my pulse. I'm glad that the afib and dizziness have stoped

[Bambi65 in reply to Padayn01]

Hubby was not able to find a pulse several times, but we thought it was a fluke. HA , HA

[Padayn01 in reply to Bambi65]

That must have been very frightening, so are you on any alternatives now that you are not taking propafone?

[Bambi65 in reply to Padayn01]

Nope.... I'd rather deal with the AFIB monster than to put chemicals in my body that may or may not be doing damage to me, and/or have the horrid side effects.

[Padayn01 in reply to Bambi65]

Totally understand, what about an ablation are you awaiting one?

[Bambi65 in reply to Padayn01]

No. I cancelled the one that was scheduled for 6 weeks ago. Seems to extreme without stopping the afib and associated risk out weighed any potential gains. Besides, once it's done it can not be undone. Scarring the inside of my heart and puncture the wall between it... jeeze no thanks.

[Padayn01 in reply to Bambi65]

Wow, no meds and no ablation take my hat off to you dealing it your way, so how are you trying to control it the natural way, diet and exercise? no caffeine and alcohol?

[Bambi65 in reply to Padayn01]

Yes.. no meds other than Diaz. Pill in pocket. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, all fresh foods, only fish or chicken, no sweets, or bread or pastaS.

[Padayn01 in reply to Bambi65]

wow, no carbs at all? or just good stuff like quinoa etc?

[inezelsie in reply to Bambi65]

Regarding an ablation, I agree with you. My EP thinks I have an atypical flutter in the left atrium - typically they're in the right atrium - and wants to do an ablation. I was considering it, but right now my afib is below 110, sometimes in the 90s, so I've decided the ablation isn't worth the risks. I took Amiodarone for two months, and stopped when I seemed to level out between 100--110, and wasn't going any lower. Right now I can pretty much do what I want, I sleep ok, and my life is great. I don't want to do something I might deeply regret. I'll revisit the possibility if my pulse goes above 120. Have a wonderful excursion!

[BobD Volunteer]

Used this drug for years with no problems. Sorry. What dose are you taking and how often?

[Bambi65 in reply to BobD]

225 every 12 hours

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Bambi65]

How odd. Here in UK they come in 150mg pills or 300mg I have had when in France .

[Bambi65 in reply to BobD]

Here In the US, 125, 3x a day or 250, 2x day I think that's what I read.

[Bambi65 in reply to Bambi65]

Sorry, 225 not 250.

[Buffafly]

Yes! Also not taking propafenone any more. If my AF comes back too badly for me to cope my next step is a pacemaker......

[Hidden]

Bambi - you should try this. Worked for me and others:

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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

[Bambi65 in reply to Hidden]

Will try to record my I take of all foods and look for any commonality. Thanks

[JudyMarieC]

Thank you for posting this. I was considering asking my cardiologist if I could switch to propaphenon from flecainide due to the fatigue and lethargy I believe is being caused by flecainide. I think I'll put up with that considering the side effects you experienced.

[Bambi65 in reply to JudyMarieC]

Everyone is different. There are others that have been on it for years without problem

[myrnalynn52]

Oh that all sounds so terrible,I am glad your feeling much better and I hope your trip is fabulous,Enjoy

[Bambi65 in reply to myrnalynn52]

Thanks, so far both me and The Alamo here in Texas, are still standing.

[myrnalynn52]

I am glad ? Enjoy your holiday and may it be Afib free

[sweetiepye]

This is what I took from your story. You need to trust your self with regard to your own body. Sounds bossy, I know, but after many times following a Doctors advice blindly I have learned this lesson. You are the expert on you so keep yourself educated on your health issues and trust what you think/feel. And the beat goes on....Pam

[Bambi65 in reply to sweetiepye]

Thank you! I do trust and believe what my body is telling me. Drives my hubby crazy...lol