Flecainide Stopped/depression

Hello all and thanks for your time~ Was on flecainide after successful cardioversion 12/2019. Back in afib in 12/2020 and need another shock. Meantime dr said if flecainide did not put me back in rhythym by now its useless until shock. I am on blood thinner and should be getting shock in march. After 2 weeks off of flecainide my mood has changed significantly. Has anyone experienced same. Thank you~

[Hidden]

It’s difficult talking about medication because we are not medically trained and everyone has different medical conditions. If you are saying that you have been taking Flecainide as a daily maintenance dose since December 2019 but 12 months later AF has returned then there does seem little in continuing with the medication. However, if you have to wait a couple of months or so for another CV, it might worth asking if using Flecainide as a PiP (pill in the pocket) is worth considering. The only other thing I would suggest is that now might be the best time to consider having an Ablation. Bear in mind that in the current climate, waiting time could easily be 12 months, you will still benefit from a second CV in the meantime but AF does tend to be progressive so it may be a good idea to plan for the future now.......

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your thorough reply. It's the sudden depression I was wondering if anyone else experienced but you gave me more things I hadn't thought about so thank you!!!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Perhaps I should have said that I took Flecainide as a maintenance dose for about a year but experienced no problems when I stopped......

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Grateful for your reply, be well!

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

One AFIB episode every 12 months is a pretty light case! I'm sure most people would trade you ...

I just took Flecainide for 4 months. No side effects. However, I did an internet search and there were many articles about Flecainide and depression. I didn't read in depth, but there must be somewhat of an issue of it causing mood changes.

Hopefully ... the side effect you're experiencing will fade away over time like most of them do.

IF the meds are too harsh on you ... then I would recommend you seek out a competent EP for an ablation. It's pretty routine now (I've had 4. Just had the last one end of OCT). In for procedure .... overnight for observation ... home the next day ... feeling normal, but tired during the week.

Like to see how you stabilize without Flecainide. Did you know Flecainide can cause arrhythmia, too.

If you only have AFIB once a year ... and can live with it, then pill-in-the-pocket therapy might work (if you find the right pill). Or once a year cardioversion wouldn't be too inconvenient, however I'm alarmed at how long UK patients have to wait for one. I'm in the USA and had close to 10 CV's performed all on the same day I present myself. NO waiting.

Or, if the odd once a year episode was self limiting, which means it goes away on its own rather rapidly. That would be really lucky and a dream case of AFIB.

Good Luck!

[Hidden in reply to The_Lord_is_with_Us]

Thank you for all of the time you took to reply. I have been in afib since december and need another shock. Not just went in and out which as you said would be better...that is why I was taken off of flecainide. Dr. said its useless if you are in persistent afib.May I ask if you had pvcs along with afib? Not sure if everyone who has afib has pvcs? But, luckily I do have a great electrophysiologist & if I would get an ablation, I would trust him. Its that he says 1 of my 3 pvcs are originating from a "difficult spot to get to" that concerns me.

I hope you are well~

[The_Lord_is_with_Us in reply to Hidden]

Probably 10 or more years before I had AFIB ... I had intermittent PVC's. In retrospect, that's how it all started I suppose. Even had PVC's continually after one of my ablations. Magnesium 300mg twice a day smoothed heart out to normal and got rid of them. I don't have them currently. Although I'm wearing a heart monitor and it might discover I have 'silent' PVC's.

PVC's probably don't occur as a prerequisite to AFIB. However, EP's and Cardiologists will tell you that everyone has the odd ectopic beat regularly. No one has completely normal identical sinus beats one after the other ad infinitum.

My superstar EP is Dr. Andrea Natale one of the world's best. I don't think there is a difficult spot for him to get to. He ablates areas where other EP's won't go or are hesitant to tred.

His assistant told me they regularly get patients who's EP's have given up on them. Said it can't be done ..... or said it is a difficult area, or tell them there's nothing more that can be done, etc.

That's why I tell AFIB patients to seek out the superstar EP's. Fly there ..... travel there ..... teledoc visit .... whatever you can do to consult with them. They are your best chance to get a great result. They love a challenge. And ... they don't usually say 'it doesn't look good.'

I will tell you, though. That my 2 years younger brother came down with AFIB after I did. His case was worse than yours, but not as aggressive as mine. He went to a local EP (not superstar) got an AFIB ablation 8 or 9 years ago ... and has been relatively stable since. I don't think he is on any AFIB meds. So ..... there you go.

I'm sure you will be quite happy if it ends up being an ablation. They can be life changing (especially for those tending toward 'persistent'.

You hang in there! Cookie. I'm certain brighter days are coming for you . . . . . . . . .

[Hidden in reply to The_Lord_is_with_Us]

Thank you for sharing all of that info! I will look into the magnesium and I am finishing my 3 days with my monitor today lol. Since I have bigeminy I have to see the percentage of pvcs each year to determine when the ablation becomes a reality. You have made me less hesitant by sharing about you and your brother. Continued health and wellness wishes coming your way!!