HealthUnlocked will undergo site maintenance on 8th April 2025 from 11:30AM (BST) / 6:30AM (EDT) for a few hours. We aim to restore the full service as soon as possible. Learn more
Further to my recent posts it has been suggested a brief note on the importance of taking flecanide on am empty stomach at least an hour before food.
Otherwise it us not absorbed effectively and obviously then can't do its job properly.
This was the case with me . Proff Osman diagnosed the issue yesterday .
It does say so in the small print I believe but not on the printed labels on boxes that we get,well on mine anyway.
Best wishes
I've just left a reply on your other post, pointing out that in the Flec instructions it says it should not be taken by people who have a rapid and irregular heat beat (long standing atrial fibrillation).
I give up!!!
Oh I give up too!!!! The world has gone mad🙄🙄🙂
😂😂😂
Reminds me of George Orwell!
Or Dave Allen who had a bit of a rant about a notice on a door saying
‘This door is neither an entrance nor an exit’. The mind boggles.
Crazy!
Yep, that just about sums up the way this world is right now!🥴
I never realised this and it’s only been by luck that I’ve taken mine before meals. Very useful information. xx
I am a long-term user of flecainide. I abide by these rules in the morning as I take them on waking but I must admit that in the evening I normally take my numerous tablets about half an hour before I eat.
For me this has not caused any quantifiable problems.
Usual caveat we are all different.
Pete
Since the start I have religiously taken them 3-4 hours after my last meal/anything to eat and then waited 1 hour before my next bite of food; that means usually 6am & 5pm. Related or not, I have had no AF/side effects e.g. nausea over 6+ years. I do get a bit hungry before 6pm and very occasionally have to eat a bit later than others but for me this is a small price to pay for peace of mind!
Never knew that! But take them as I get out of bed and don’t eat first...I need my cup of tea!!
I don't know what sort of flec you all take and I live in France, but I have slow release version that says it can be taken before, during or after meals. Check if you are taking it or could get it. It is much essier.
Great post and point to raise. I had wondered about this.
I have to confess to loosely following the idea but not particularly avidly.
Ive been AF free now for quite some time so I seem Ok with a lax approach
.
As Potty Pete says... We are all different. Great to hear of your understanding and progress.
I guess though next time Im in AF, it will be no eating and take the tab on an empty stomach. Thank you for raising this subject.
I’ve only been taking it for a few months with good results, dosing typically after breakfast (food in stomach) and before bed (emptier stomach).
From the Mayo Clinic:
“This medicine may be taken with or without food.
This medicine works best when there is a constant amount in the blood. To help keep this amount constant, do not miss any doses. Also, it is best to take the doses 12 hours apart, in the morning and at night, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. “
mayoclinic.org/drugs-supple...
Best wishes
Thank you ,of course we are all different and for me it did not get absorbed adequately to be properly effective ( I like to be different!!)
This is rather bad news for me! I've been prescribed (but not yet had the pills - boring story) flecainide and I was going to take it with my other meds which includes Rivaroxaban. You are supposed to take this with food. Life gets more complicated! But as yesterday was wiped out by an attack caused be me sleeping on my side (right side) I suppose I'll just have to suck it up!
Oh dear! Everything used to be so easy ! Katie, it was suggested to me to take an hour before food or on an empty stomach .
There has been mention of a single dose slow release flec option might be worth enquiring ?
X
When I was on Flec the only way I could tolerate the side effects was to take with small amount of food (yogurt)
This is interesting as flecainide can cause irritation if taken on an empty stomach. I Just take it before breakfast at 07.40 and then after dinner at 19.40. The instructions don’t say it has to be taken on an empty stomach. Just not to take it with milk or yogurt. They think it affects absorption. I use coconut alternative with my porridge, so not an issue for me.
We are all different in our metabolism of drugs,CDreamer posted a great piece on this the other day. So interesting aren't we humans?!
Hi Gill - I am on levothyroxine, bisoprolol and flecainide too and just wondering how you take your tablets as the levothyroxine needs to be taken 30 mins before breakfast. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to take them all?
Hi Reena . I take my Levothyroxine at 7.15 am and then my bisoprolol and flecainide at 7.40am. I usually have breakfast at around 8am to 8.30am. Because I use plant milks for my porridge, it doesn’t interfere with my flecainide. When I was teaching, before I retired, I took my levothyroxine at 6am. Had my shower and then breakfast. I rarely left much of a gap for many years. In actual fact, I had no idea you should! I took my bisoprolol at the same time. I have only been taking flecainide since I retired. In the evening I take my warfarin at 6pm and my flecainide at 7.40pm. Those timings suit my digestive system.
The big thing that upset me the most was when they changed my 25mcg levothyroxine from Wockhardt to Teva. I didn’t realise that the terrible gastric problems I developed was due to that change. I thought it was the flecainide. Because it happened around the same time. I then read about Teva problems. It contains acacia and mannitol as fillers. It’s bigger than the 100mcg tablet!! I managed to get Wockhardt from a different pharmacy and my issues disappeared. But it is really hard to obtain, except from independents. Lloyd’s refuse to supply it. I’m able to source it reliably now.
I have alarms set on my phone to remind me about my tablets as it is so easy to get involved in things and completely forget. Morning ones, it’s a formality, and warfarin I rarely forget. But that 7.40pm flecainide can get missed. The alarm means I can relax and not forget.
Hope that you find a good routine for your meds. Ideally, flecainide 12 hours apart and bisoprolol 24 hours.
Anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. 😊 Gillian
Thank you so much. As the leaflets says an hour before food, I wasn’t sure whether I could have breakfast 20 mins after? If you take the flec and bisoprolol at 7.40am, do you start eating at 8am?
No. I seriously don’t worry too much about exact timings. I might not eat until 8.30. But it seems ok for me. It’s easy to get a bit obsessed with exact meal timings. It’s more important to take flecainide 12 hours apart. If you are well and no tummy upsets or other issues, go with what works with you. So it’s before I eat in the morning and then after in the evening. 😊
Thank you. So far I have been having my thyroxine at 7.30, breakfast at 8am and flec and bisoprolol at 8.30am, and I don’t have any dairy at breakfast as use almond milk. I’m now questioning this due to the empty stomach advice. Wish life was simpler! The flec is always taken roughly 12 hours apart. I’m not a morning person which is why it works better for me to have my breakfast and then get on with my day.
Flecanide
flecanide
stopping Flecanide 
Flecanide
