Evening! In the past I have suffered from episodes of passing out and my EP believed it’s as a result of the drop in blood pressure rather than Heart rate and possibly not linked to reverting into sinus and vice versa.
I suffer from PAF and am on 2.5mg bisoprolol and flecainide (50mg am and 100mg pm). My EP recommended compression socks to help reduce these episodes but I am finding my legs get too hot. Does anyone suffer from the same issue and any recommendations on what you do when out for a walk. I want to be able to walk alone without the worry that I will pass out and it does tend to get worse with the warm weather. I always carry a bottle water but any other thoughts on socks etc appreciated.
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Reena09
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I wear footless compression socks whenever I go out because I get big drops in bp, not sure if they work or not but they have become my safety net and on the odd occasion I forget to put them on I panic !! I think I bought them on Amazon.
I recently posted about a very similar issue with dizziness, low BP and it being made much worse by heat. Seems we are not alone though my cardiologist has not indicated to me that my/our condition is not uncommon. I take Flecainide 50mg 2x daily as well as Eliquis for my AF and desperately need to get on top of this BP issue as it is affecting too many aspects of my life, including simple activities such as going to the shops and getting out of an air conditioned car into the hot Australian weather. Some other folks on this forum have been very helpful to me with their comments, so hopefully you will get some good answers too. I cannot comment on using compression socks as I have only just started to investigate them, but getting hot from wearing them would seem to be a problem when heat is already a big factor. I am seriously contemplating stopping the FLecainide and seeing what happens to the BP, as it is a known side effect of the drug. Good luck and I will be interested to read more suggestions from folks on this forum, which seems to be really useful and informative.
Thanks Busk. I’ve had this issue before starting on the flec so don’t think it’s caused by the meds as I only started on the flec in October. However, time will tell and especially as we get into spring/summer in the uk. Looking forward to hearing other thoughts too.
I should add to my above reply that good compression socks of the right fabric don't make you hot, especially so with the footless type and you can get different compression weights so start off with a light one. I've worn mine right through the hot summer without any problem.
I occasionally get dizzy turns when I am out walking. After trying a variety of things I resorted to buying a bottle of smelling salts (remember those?!) I haven't had to use them yet. The last time I wore support stockings was on a flight to the USA and I developed an allergy that was so severe I had huge hives all over my body that lasted just about the two weeks I was there. I think my extreme reaction is fairly rare, so this is just an alert if you wear support stockings and start to itch take them off!
When I had my colectomy 3 years ago the support stockings they fitted me with at the hospital gave me horrible scabby lesions where the elastic tops touched my inner thighs. These came within 36 hours and took weeks to heal. The nurses said they had had other people who had had similar problems. When I got out of the hospital I ditched them and bought some knee high ones at the pharmacy. When I got the ones for my hip op on prescription my heart sank as they looked like the same kind of elastic tops but it must have been different as I was ok and even managed to wear them the full month.
How fortunate that you were given an alternative that didn't affect you in the same way - I hope they have them now in the UK. My memory of that holiday is my son-in-law calling through the RV telling me off, he could hear me groaning and scratching my whole body with a hairbrush!
Have you had a tilt table test to check that it isn't your heart rate? As to compression socks or tights, there are some good athletic below the knee socks and full length tights for exercise and recovery. I wear Skins athletic tights during the cooler months whilst walking, or exercising on the rowing machine outdoors. I've found them to be breathable.
My running sochs that are a pretty tight fit are "1000 mile". Bridgedale make great walking socks but they aren't compression. I have a vaiety of Skins full length tights. I am still wearing heavier ones for the rowing machine, but I expect to switch to the A400 tights soon. The cheapest option would be some good running socks with some compression. If that doesn't work, you could try the calf compression ones. Cheaper compression wear will just be a tube of lycra. More expensive compression wear (other than socks) usually has more than one panel and, really expensive will have different grades of material in the panels. Compression wear can take getting used to. Getting my Skins A400 tee shirt off is like fighting with a big elastic band.
Hello, I stopped taking Flecanide as my ‘cooling system’ didn’t seem to work as well as it should, I used to feel really hot and My ankles and fingers would swell too. Fortunately I had an ablation which negated the need to use it. I hope you can sort things out so that you feel better.
Is your symptom diagnosed as Syncope? I’m sure you have investigated at length but there is an EP in London who specialises in Syncope and has written many papers on it and appears to be well regarded. I was given his name by the AFA association. His name is P Boon Lim. I’m not recommending him, just trying to be helpful.
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Update to previous post re : AF
Back from my check up 😁👍🏼
Sotalol for Atrial Flutter
Advice and Recommendations for Good EP for Croydon bigger london needed will go private 
