Suddenly feeling faint

[Patsywoo]

Am on sotalol 80mg twice a day. Have atrial fibrillation and ectopic beats but sometimes and without warning I suddenly come over very faint as if I'm going to pass out (very frightening) and then my heart goes like the clappers. Any suggestions please on what could be the cause?

[Buffafly]

I could suggest but I don’t think I should as you really need medical advice or a test, please contact your GP or cardiologist 💜

[bantam12]

I used to get that, mine was caused by pauses which made my rate drop to low, now have a pacemaker.

[BobD Volunteer]

Please see your doctor as soon as possible and of course DO NOT DRIVE!

[jeanjeannie50]

I used to get that too, it was a bit like a darkness would descend over me, but on the point of passing out I would come back. I found it very worrying. Not had it for a few years now. No idea of the cause other than perhaps BP dropping too low or heart missing too many beats.

Jean

[Physalis in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I used to get that. I think it's called pre-syncope. I used to lie down for half an hour or even up to two hours and then I'd be alright again. I didn't know what caused it but now I'm pretty sure it was my blood pressure dropping. It was connected to my AFib but not directly.

It also happened twenty years ago, I got out bed and was fine, went into the bathroom and felt I was going to faint so had to lie down on the floor. That lasted about twenty minutes, was alright for a while but went down with flu that day.

[Patsywoo in reply to Physalis]

Thank you Physalis. Sometimes mine happens when I'm just sitting not doing anything. I'm going to try taking my blood pressure and pulse as john6 suggested to see if that gives me a clue as to what's going on.

[Roo62 in reply to Patsywoo]

Hi Patsywoo, This was happening to my mum, just sitting in her chair sometimes, but it got progressively worse over a fairly short period of time. Originally the doctors diagnosed an inner ear infection because they thought she meant she was going dizzy. Turns out she had undiagnosed AF (unnoticed by her until then) and she needed an immediate pacemaker. As everyone is saying, get it checked, just in case. Mum's BP was always fine.

[Dollcollector in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I had that too. I used to have these episodes every few weeks then every week , then every day. When it got to the point of having them every few minutes all day l thought it might be my medication. I changed the bisophrolol to nebivolol and l haven't had a single blackout since.

[jeanjeannie50]

Have a look here at what Dr Sanjay Gupta says:

youtube.com/watch?v=Nm46x7f...(Not working as expected?)

[Physalis in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I was 11 when I first fainted. It was a very cold day and I fainted during the school assembly. Came to as I was being carried out of the hall feet first. Also fainted once at a party because of the heat. Not that I've fainted much since then.

I suppose that if you lie down as soon as you feel the fainting feeling coming on you don't actually faint. In a way, it's just like the PoTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) that my grandson has.

[Ianc2 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks for the video. Worth watching.

[Patsywoo]

I'm not on bisoprolol now. Only Sotalol 80mg twice daily. I don't take any other medication. I have a blood pressure monitor which also measures pulse. I'll dig that out. Thank you for that advice.

[Hidden]

If you are still sending data from your loop monitor, that will show if you have pauses long enough to cause your symptoms

[marcyh]

I couldn't take Sotolol. My heart rate went too low. I almost fainted too, Using my pulse oximeter, I kept track. It would go into the 30s at night.

[Karendeena in reply to marcyh]

I'm on sotalol 40mg twice per day, my BP is around 105/68 with heart rate about mid 50s, sometimes a little lower. Generally I feel ok but don't sleep well which makes me tired

[marcyh in reply to Karendeena]

I have a sleep disorder and it results in fatigue. For me, fatigue can be a trigger for AF. I have found melatonin, 300 mcg (not mg) to be a great help with sleep.

[Diamondcat]

Good morning, I would advise that you speak with your gp or cardiologist..I’m no expert but I know these drugs we take to slow down our heart and keep it in rhythm can also be a pro arrhythmia and cause other issues. I had a very similar feeling to this whilst on Flecainide ( read my post ) and ended up in a&e with a hr of 280bpm. Light headed, heart going crazy, feeling faint and woozy were all symptoms for me. I don’t know if this is the case but best to get it checked out.

[Maggimunro]

Hi PatsyThis needs investigation but it sounds just like my SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). I would simply faint for just a few seconds, thankfully I was usually sitting down when it happened.

I stopped driving during this period.

It was totally cured by an ablation to the right atrium which is when they found I also had a developing irregular irregular heartbeat originating in the left atrium. That needed 2 more ablations but touch wood I have been fine ever since.

So I would suggest an appointment with an electrophysiologist rather than a cardiologist.

Best of luck.

[Hatten28]

If I were you I would ask to be referred to your cardiologist, I had the same symptoms 21 years ago had a pacemaker input it never happened after that.I am now 81 cannot say this is the reason but just a suggestion, hope you get sorted soon.

[jrd210]

Hi Patsywoo--I hope you are listening to those that say--get to your doctor asap and check if you are having short asystole followed by tachycardia (SVT or otherwise). Because you may need an urgent pacemaker so this needs to be recorded on a monitor before that decision. I have had one in now for 30 years (well 5 actually since then), Don't dally around with this one please.

[Patsywoo in reply to jrd210]

Thankyou jrd210 I'll phone to try to book an appointment today.

[Hidden in reply to Patsywoo]

You might have missed my reply 2 days ago above. I believe you have had a loop monitor inserted. These are typically in place for 3 years.It may well show the reason for your symptoms. It is important to rule out heart block which might make some medications like your beta blocker a problem. Sometimes a pacemaker (PM) is considered.

If you still have the monitor in place, the cardiac technicians should be able to help. Occasionally, so called presyncope, which you may be describing, can progress to a blackout which can be hazardous for those of us taking anticoagulants, particularly if we get a bang on the head.

Even if the monitor has been removed, the technicians can look at the report for changes which might give a clue to what is going on now.

[Patsywoo in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou Badger2021. I do still have the loop recorder in my chest. I used to press it frequently but over time I tend to press the pendant less as I don't want to be a nuisance. I'm on a waiting list for ablation at Nottingham Hospital but obviously due to covid its not likely to be any time soon. I must capture the episodes more so that they are sent to the hospital in Lincoln.