What are typical second line treatment options for afib?

[bcrouse]

Background: I’m 28 years old no heart issues. Had blood test, normal echo results, have normal weight and BMI. I’ve had my first two bouts of afib this year. Unsure what caused them. But my first was when i broke my arm. My Cardiologist says not to worry due to my age and basically 0% stroke risk. I take a beta blocker which slows my heart. He thinks i May develop more later in life. But if they keep happening what do i do? Got to the hospital? Get an ablation or get on antiarrythmic drugs? I’m still new to this.

[EngMac]

Since you are healthy, young and you don't have structural heart issues and with only two AF instances, you may want to shy away from beta blockers; especially, if the AF stopped fairly quickly on its own. I would not take the beta blockers just yet. You may need to ween off them if you decide to do this. You will probably need to do it without your doctor's agreement. Their insurance needs can be their priority more than your health. Medication can make AF worse. Doctors often feel they must do something. Limiting your heart function at your age should be a well thought out decision. Two AF episodes are not that big a deal.

I have had AF for 7 years and do not take any medication; a definite outlier on this site and I am old. I know mine is caused by nerve issues in my back but I have not been able to fix this. I have not found a doctor who believes me or wants to even try to help. Lately I have been making progress on changing the AF symptoms. You may wish to see if you have back issues. Spending a lot of time bent over phones, tablets, computers, etc can cause back issues. More and more young people are having AF and to me this could be the cause but you will not likely find a heart doctor who thinks this. You may find a chiropractor who does but these are few and far between.

Did you hurt you back when you broke your arm?

[PlanetaryKim in reply to EngMac]

Can you tell me more about what you mean by nerve issues in your back EngMac? I have had intermittent AF for 5 years and also am not taking any drugs for it (to the frustration of my cardiologist). I am trying to trace possible causes and triggers so I can reduce or perhaps eliminate this situation, which I don't think I should be having anymore. In my case it was induced first by prolonged anemia from another condition (CLL), and then aggravated by the medication/treatment for that condition. But I am no longer anemic, and no longer on the medication that causes afib. My health is in fact quite good right now. So I think I should be able to turn this afib problem around since the instigating factors have been removed. I do spend a lot of time at computer, and have wondered if posture is somehow playing a role. What sort of nerve issues should I be looking into?

And do you use pill in the pocket or any sort of home remedy when you are having an episode?

Kim

[EngMac in reply to PlanetaryKim]

I hate Safari Often when I click on another website I lose what I have written on HealthUnlocked which has happened now. I don't have time to write my long reply again right now. I will do it later. Look at this website: youtube.com/watch?v=yjRqpwm...(Not working as expected?). If this is the correct link, it is by Dr. John Bergman on heart arrhythmia - the hidden cause. Don't be put off by his style. He is very knowledgeable on many health subjects. Also research PEMF therapy. I will give you some information on this as well.

[PlanetaryKim in reply to EngMac]

Thanks very much! This will get me started.

[Singwell in reply to EngMac]

EngMac this is making my day. I've been banging on for 6 months about causality - what's the message system in my body that tells AF to kick off if it's not happening all the time? Cardiologist didn't have any answer other than 'some people have a propensity the wards arrythmia'.

[Kaz747]

Any stress (physical, psychological or emotional) on the body can trigger AF. I had my first arrhythmia issues after major surgery. The doctor said there would have been an underlying propensity but the pain and trauma on my body at that time set it off.

I am a big fan of Dr Rupy Aujla. He developed AF when he was a medical student. He was preparing for an ablation and his mum spoke to him about food. He looked closely at his diet and lifestyle and has not had an AF episode for years. You may find this podcast episode interesting.

thedoctorskitchen.com/podca...

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Kaz747]

This guy is really interesting - Dr Rupy Aujla. Thanks for sharing. I was not aware of him or his podcast. Very inspiring that he halted his own AF with diet and lifestyle changes.

[Kaz747 in reply to PlanetaryKim]

I love his work. If you are interested in podcasts you should also check out “Feel Better Live More” by Dr Rangan Chatterjee and “The Food Medic” by Dr Hazel Wallace. All three of these are medical doctors who focus on lifestyle medicine and they look beyond diet. They have fascinating guests and speak about a variety of interesting topics.

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Kaz747]

Thank you. Will check them out!

[falah12345]

ablation is the answer if they recur

since you are young chad score 0

success rate should be high

Good luck

[Bravemouth]

I think the best thing is to carry on as you are. 2 bouts of AFib at 28 isn’t a big thing. I lived for 20 years with persistent AFib as apparently now I’m told o brought it on by excess exercise. But I have to say that being on beta blockers and blood thinners has made me feel way worse than I ever felt without medication.

Unfortunately my new cardiologist doesn’t listen to my complaints, he’s of the “just take what I say” school, but highly rated and respected... so, if it’s largely asymptomatic,try handle it with herbs and food as they’re big triggers. New findings are that gut health have a massive impact on heart. Take a look at the link that Kaz 747 posted.

Go down the rabbit hole. It’s worth it.all the best.

[Tryfan]

Dr Rupy use his cook book The Doctors Kitchen regularly. Recipes suit my eating habits and background of the ingredients is excellent.

[Milfordhaven]

bcrouse. If you are taking a beta blocker prescribed by your Dr, and you want to make ANY medication changes you should def discuss it all with your Dr.first, a very important point. By the way I have had AF for years myself.

[KevinHaynes]

The only advise I can give would be to have an ablation if offered and question any medication. After my ablation I was put on Blood thinners although my AF improved I still had palpitations. Due to low Haemoglobin level was advised to come off them, blood thinners appears to cause them. Early days but no palpitations to date.

Not confirmed by my AF appeared to be stress related??

[secondtry]

Afib can be caused by a variety of psycho/gastric/postural/exercise issues - sometimes just one or more likely a build up of several with something extra like a broken arm incident tipping you over the edge. Not sure why you need a beta blocker 'to slow your heart' if you have no other problems. Personally, I would postpone an ablation until you have done more research and implemented some lifestyle changes (most discussed on this Forum) over the next two years.

[Hidden]

I would speak to your doctor again.

It’s a bit unusual to get AF at 28: is there possibly an hereditary component here, i.e. does heart disease run in your family? Given that the initial AF episode occurred after a broken arm, why does the doctor think AF is likely to persist? Also, you need to discuss things like whether an ablation is a good idea for you (and if so when?), and whether beta blockers are the best sort of medication for you. In short, there is a lack of information here. You might want to see somebody privately to get a second opinion.

[bcrouse in reply to Hidden]

He thought it would persist because he told me once you have a fib it can get progressively worse. Which didn’t help call me haha but honestly no heart issues with my family. My echo was clear as well.

[Singwell in reply to bcrouse]

They all say that about it getting progressively worse!! This information is stats driven - it doesn't necessarily apply to you. Request to be sent for a consultation with an electro physiologist - cardiologists may be at consultancy level but they are still generalists. See someone who specialises in this topic. Do a Google search on the top electro cardiologists in your county (UK) and insist on a referral. It's your right.

[Ianc2]

How active are you - how many steps a day? How many hours do you spend sitting down ? Do you like to have a drink? Take any funny substances? Drink coffee? Do you spend much time watching TV or playing computer games? Do you eat lots of pizza/cakes/white bread/ biscuits/sugary drinks? Smoke?

At 28 you should be at peak fitness, gloriously able to zip up hills and do 15 mile walks, blast around on a bike, run around a marathon course and carry a back pack around without losing much sweat.

So can you?

[bcrouse in reply to Ianc2]

I eat pretty decent.... but now i worry if I do exercise like is use to my heart will go back into afib if I start running again like i use to

[Ianc2 in reply to bcrouse]

Your heart is muscle, Like most muscles if you do not use it will slowly get more and more flabby. Why not try for a daily mile of fairly brisk walking to start with, and see how you go. Should only take 20 minutes or so. When it becomes dead easy and a bit boring extend it a bit, and so on.

[Singwell in reply to bcrouse]

I agree with this re exercise. I've only had AF for 7 months and it's scary whatever age you are. Start with that 20 minutes. Walk on the flat to begin with because beta blockers slow everything down when walking uphill. There are a lot of sporty people here - check out threads on exercise and see what you can find. Walk with a friend if necessary - I was too scared to walk on my own at first. After I changed my meds I sometimes even forget to take my phone when I go out for a walk.

[UScore]

I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you my story.

I was 38 when I got AF, only had a few episodes and was offered an ablation. I had one about a year later, and haven't had any AF since; I'm now 43. My life is now pretty similar to what it was before I'd even heard of AF, albeit with a few minor lifestyle changes such as drinking a bit less, eating a bit more healthily, and exercising a bit less vigorously. Although to be honest I was on that path of improvement and slowdown anyway due to no longer being a spring chicken!

[saturn123]

Take the drug first, ablation last resort, ablation damages the heart.

[Singwell]

Interesting that you had your first AF with a bone break. I had mine I suspect when stressed dehydrated and very hot at a conference. By the time I got to hospital I was in sinus rhythm. When I broke my arm three years ago I pretty much passed out and had to lie down for 30 minutes before we could consider taking me to A and E. But that's my story. This may be of help: with my first proper diagnosis I had a long chat with one of the paramedics who like you started AF in his 20s. Turned out he'd had glandular fever three times as a student and this had weakened his system. Go digging into your medical history and consider what might be triggering you now. As it happens, the paramedics I mentioned had ablation, has a family, is very active and clearly able to live a full and productive life. Long term beta blockers at your age I'd say are a bad idea. Check out York Cardiologist YouTube channel too for further information. Good luck!

[bcrouse in reply to Singwell]

Yea never really have even been sick. Never had the flu. Just mono once. I do tend to get high blood pressure due to my anxiety. That’s why I’m on beta blockers. Maybe just a overactive system due to stress. I can’t think of anything else

[Singwell in reply to bcrouse]

Anxiety can lead to heart arrythmia issues due to the autonomic nervous system being out of balance. Check out York Cardiologist YouTube channel as you'll find it very useful on BP, anxiety and importance of life style changes. Had you considered getting some support for the anxiety as well as the BBs? Long term this might be a good plan. A good cognitive practitioner who also does somatic work - somatic work puts you in touch with yourself so that you can relax the part of your system that stays 'switched on' due to anxiety.

[Janith]

If l were you (your age) and had another afib attack, l would have an ablation ... get a really talented cardiologist specializing in ablations ... do your research ... and bite the bullet! You may never have another attack, however. You seem young to be on beta blockers?

[bcrouse in reply to Janith]

I actually take beta blockers for anxiety issues. They work Perfect for calming me in stressful situations.

[Janith]

I didn’t know that about beta blockers!

[Rossdkemp]

Hi bcrouse. I was late 20’s when I developed afib. (Brought on by stress I believe) wasn’t initially medicated and didn’t have another attack for a couple of years. It then became more frequent and I was on medication for a few years. Finally had my ablation last September (I’m 34 now) and no issues since and off medication. Throughout all of this I exercised as I previously did playing football 3 times a week. Like you no structural heart issues and no family history. I was lucky in that I didn’t have any medication side effects but chose ablation due to the progressive nature of the condition and worry’s about long term medication use. Drop me a message if you want to chat. And easier said than done but try not to worry.