Digoxin No Longer To Be Taken.

[dindy]

Hi All. Since I was diagnosed with AF in August I have been on 125Mg of Digoxin once a day and to be honest I have felt lot better. No more thumping of heart in chest and no side effects, I was diagnosed with iron anaemia just over 4 months ago and have now stopped the pills. The latest blood test said my kidneys & liver are all good so I presume the digoxin is not being downgraded.

At 1st I would go for brisk walks and my heart rate was lowered to an acceptable level but at the time I did not realise Digoxin only works at rest not while you are exercising.

The last about 4-5 weeks things have changed as I go for 2 mile brisk walk or I may do a 30 second snail jog every couple of mins to warm up in this cold weather. I was really enjoying this as I felt good, no pains, breathing was good as not out of breath at all. What was happening was my heart rate was going through the roof. My max heart rate is 148 and even after 5 mins of gentle warm up walk sometimes it would be up to around 120. Once I started brisk walk you are talking around 150-160+ bpm. The strange thing is again I was not out of breath and no pounding of heart, in fact if I did not have heart monitor I would have no idea my heart rate was high.

Anyway I had to talk to doc on phone call about my anaemia so mentioned my high heart rate so I went in for another ecg. They said they could see I was in Afib but otherwise nothing too bad. He decided to contact the cardioologist at hospital for advice. I have now got to stop taking Digoxin and they want me to try Viazem XL (when Lloyds have them in stock!!) I got to start on the recommended dose and keep a daily record of my heart rate and I then got to see him in person!! In 3 weeks to look at heart rate and decide if I need to cut down or increase dose.

From what I can see Viazem XL is for Angina but I do not get chest pains except when my Hiatus hernia plays up. I did read you can get exercise induced angina so they may see if I have that or they have no clue and are fishing which I think can happen sometimes until they hit upon the correct diagnosis, so basically I am totally confused.

[Buffafly]

I take Zemtard (basically same thing), lowers heart rate and BP but you can still exercise. I do have angina but from artery spasm, not clogged up arteries and it helps to relax blood vessels a bit. It does a little something to block AF impulses as well I believe. It is one of the standard treatments for AF.

[Ppiman]

So far as I know, diltiazem ("Viazem" - a "calcium channel blocker") is an alternative to a beta-blocker, such as bisoprolol; it is considered a safer option than digoxin and is given for high blood pressure and other heart issues. Being prescribed it doesn't mean you have angina (and if you did, you would know it, I am sure). You're being given it to slow your heart, I would guess.

When I had atrial flutter, the betablocker I was given (bisoprolol) wouldn't work well enough to keep my heart rate down, so I was given digoxin 125mcg, which worked well and, like you, I was happy on it.

I would ask your GP why digoxin has been stopped, but it's likely that your cardiologist has his or her own favourite treatment and some that are disliked.

Steve

[dindy in reply to Ppiman]

Thank you for your replies & input. It has put my mind at rest knowing what I have been prescribed is also for treating AF. I picked my prescription up about 30 mins ago and it is a 120 mg dose which from what I have read is the lowest dose.

I will start taking them from Sunday and also keep a record of my min/max heart rate as asked by doctor. When I see him in 3 weeks he will then decide if I keep on same dosage or up the dose,time will tell.

[Ppiman in reply to dindy]

I have digestive troubles, too, with a hiatus hernia and diverticular problems lower down. I often feel as if my diaphragm muscle below my left rib is pulling, creating a nauseous feeling. I have a suspicion there's a link between arrythmias and the digestion, but cardiologists aren't very interested in that idea!

The tablets you have are to try to keep the heart rate below 100 at rest, since a persistent resting heart rate above that can lead to the heart muscle weakening and the valves leaking. Digoxin is similar but is far more likely to cause side effects than Viazem or a beta blocker. Slowing the heart can sometimes return it to normal "sinus" rhythm, too, stopping the fibrillation.

I hope your eventual visit to the cardiologist puts your mind at rest. My oldest friend is 88 this year and his heart has been in persistent fibrillation for goodness knows how many years! The trick is to avoid persistent tachycardia, it seems to me.

Steve

[ranobeer in reply to dindy]

I have just had a second ablation, the first one was four years ago for Atrial flutter which went really well. Suddenly in November I went into permanent AFib. I had my ablation almost two weeks ago, all was going great and then my heart started racing at 160 while I was alseep. It woke me up and went on for hours. It's since been very up and down. Yesterday my cardiologist told me he thinks I've now gone back into Flutter. I was put on Digoxin and it seems to have settled back down, I am also on Bisprolol and Edoxaban, I am 56 and am trying to remain positive, but I feel a bit demoralised, miss running and feel like I am in a vicious circle. On the plus side I feel OK, and last time when I hoped I was cured, I was also on Bisprolol and Digoxin with no negative effects at all and came off them successfully.

[Madscientist16]

Viazem (diltiazem) is a calcium channel blocker that reduces heart rate and blood pressure. It is used for many medical conditions including AF. I was on it before my ablation. It took a week to get used to it (it made me tired and a little dizzy), but when the dose is correct, it worked great for me. Much better than beta blockers, which zapped my energy so much I could barely function.