flecainide

[tvarish]

hi all, i was wondering what peoples thoughts are on flecainide? i went for a gallbladder op, & the surgeon told me all these things which could go wrong etc & altho' normally i am laid back by this sort of thing, but for the first time in 3 years i ended up having an AF edisode when on the wait to go in the operating room! heartrat went up to 250bm!! so i didn't get the operation. was sent home on bisopropolol, which has been fine since, no episodes. doc in wanting me to go on flecainide, is it good, or do people have reservations about it?

thanks judy

[jeanjeannie50]

I'm on Flecainide and also a low dose of the beta blocker Metoprolol. Flecainide is usually taken alongside a small dose of a beta blocker. For me it has been a wonder drug and helped so much with reducing my AF - the only drug which has!

Jean

[GrannySmithgs5]

I use it as a p.i.p. with good effect . ( pill in the pocket )Jeanx

[Finvola]

I have been taking 200mg of Flecainide daily for 7 years and it has kept my AF under control in all that time. I also take a small dose of Nebivolol as Flecainide is capable of causing Atrial Flutter in some people and the beta blocker is there to keep my heart rate down in the event of AFlutter.

Without Flecainide, I would have had a miserable 7 years with very symptomatic episodes - not with the very high heart rate which you experienced, though. It is possible to get Flecainide as a pill in the pocket - ie you only take it when an episode starts. A good solution if your episodes are few and far between.

[Snookersteve]

Flecainide is a very useful drug for helping with Afib. There is a link here to an article which tells you everything you need to know about flecainide sciencedirect.com/science/a... If you haven't got time to read the whole article you could just read the introduction and the conclusion. There was a problem many years ago in a study called the CAST study which resulted in some deaths caused by flecainide but this was due to the participants being people with serious structural heart problems and reduced ejection fractions. Provided your heart is normal (apart from AF) and you don't have coronary artery disease then flecainide is considered to be relatively safe and well tolerated. If you take flecainide you also need to be on a beta blocker such as bisoprolol this is because flecainide can cause other problems such as atrial flutter and the beta blocker helps to prevent this happening.

I am currently taking 50mg x 2 daily of flecainide. I started this 2 weeks before having a cardioversion which worked first time and I am fairly convinced that the flecainide was a great help. Flecainide can also be taken as a pill in the pocket (PiP) for people that have paroxysmal AF which sounds like your situation. I am not medically trained in any way so please make your own decision although if your consultant recommends it in your case then they shouldn't do so without taking your medical history into account. Steve

[Elephantlydia in reply to Snookersteve]

Thank you for posting the Science review,it beautifully summaries Flecanide and is a worthwhile read.

[meadfoot]

I have taken flecainide for years both as a regular dose and then later as pill in the pocket instead to take as and when i get an episode of afib. I am on a regular beta blocker taken daily and my cardiologist has insisted that i take a beta blocker in conjunction with flecainide.

I had my gall bladder removed three years ago while on flecainide, no problem whatsoever other than a high heart rate of 270 bpm during surgery but the anaesthetist sorted that out. I only know that as i heard him telling the after care team in the recovery room. Flecainide has been a real friend to me. Good luck with the flecainide and gall bladder surgery.

[Karendeena]

Hi there, I couldn't take it. Worked well for about 3 months then I started get afib episodes weekly so was swapped to sotalol

[irene75359]

Flecainide works really well as a PiP for me. What a pity the surgeon told you all the things that could go wrong with your op on the actual day, I do know they have to do this but it is hardly surprising you went into AF. I do hope you don't have long to wait and have better luck next time.

[Jfbould1 in reply to irene75359]

I also think it was atrocious judgment on the part of the surgeon to discuss this. What an unthinking dolt!

[irene75359 in reply to Jfbould1]

Unfortunately I think it is standard practice; I have had a few procedures lately and have been warned about the possible dangers just before each one. I don't think they would have the time to forewarn every patient in advance of the actual procedure.

[Angie06]

I've been taking 50mg twice daily for 12yrs with no serious AF episodes since. As far as I know I don't appear to have any side effects although I wonder about the night time hot flushes and occasional ectopics, I would rather put up with those than have another AF event. I don't take beta blockers and have never been offered them . 😀

[Hidden]

It has quite simply given me my life back.

[tunybgur in reply to Hidden]

Agreed, for some it has transformed their lives, energy restored and anxiety relieved.

[spinningjenny]

Flecanide seems a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. I fall firmly in the hate it category. Lots of people find it really helpful but it gave me symptoms like those suffered by people on chemotherapy. On the plus side I lost quite a lot of weight during the few weeks I was on it. Years later I still can’t drink coffee.

[Morzine]

I’ve had it two years for me it’s a bonus, I see it as a great little helper....no problems.

[tunybgur]

Flec normally works very quickly, it had me back in sr half hour after the first pill, that's why it's carried by many as a pip.

If it's going to work you should know very quickly.

[buddje]

Flec good....better than AF

[secondtry]

In your position, I would say Flecainide as a PIP is most appropriate. If you do start having more than one episode every 6 months then I would be discussing 100mgs Flec per day with a cardiologist. Hope the gall bladder op goes without a hitch next time, I had mine out unexpectedly whilst on holiday in Portugal 15 years ago and had no problems then or since.

[Pigleywigley]

I have flec as pip but might be going to daily. I have large dose 300 mg as pip & I do feel quite vile after but I think lower dose & a build up might be better. I also take bisoprolol. Good luck.

[Tapanac]

Oh dear I know these days surgeons have to tell patients the ins and outs of their operations, but believe me you will be fine. I had mine in 1971 when I was 27 and it was a large procedure as in those days they didn't do keyhole surgery as is carried out a lot these days.

My gall stones and gravel had even travelled along to the liver so they had to scrape and clean that as well. A few weeks after that operation we were in Majorca with friends (Mum and Dad looked after our children) and I have photos of us eating anything and everything and drinking, even walking up and down in the sea cooling our sparkly which we consumed as if there was no tomorrow.

Please don't worry about your operation. These days especially it is so easy. Good luck.

As for the flecainide, I have had altogether one ablation and 4 cardioversions which unfortunately were not great successes, but last Christmas Eve my EP put me on Flecainide 50mgs twice a day and 1.25mgs bisoprolol and touch wood it has been a miracle to me.

All the best.

Pat

[Palpman]

One problem with gallbladder removal on people over 60 is the inability to pass urine after surgery.

This sometimes happens with any abdominal surgery and a catheter is required for the night.

I was lucky in the fact that I had to wait 5 hours for my ride to pick me up. During this time I tried twice to go wee but was unable to.

I went back to the now empty ward where they drained 1.4 litres of urine and booked me in for the night.

[KMRobbo]

I never had AFIB when on flecainide except for the one time I missed the evening dose! . It did not appear to cause me any issues ( unlike the diltiazem I was taking as rate control,) until after my AFib ablation and then 9 days after I developed Aflutter which my EP attributed to taking the flecainide, as it can do this. Which again can be a good idea to take rate control whilst taking flecainide. If I ever had the need I would consider taking it again ( currently not taking anything following ablation) .

I should also add I started taking it as I went into high rate afib , 130 to 195 resting , was in it 8 days until finally cardioverted by flecainide infusion in my local hospital CCU. Then I had to keep on it until my ablation.

[Redmakesmehappy]

I have been on Flecainide 50 mg twice a day for over a year. It has helped the AFib but I have started having some other kind of arrhythmia, like a regular heart beat followed rather quickly with one that feels like a smaller beat then a pause, then same thing again and again. Wonder if that’s Atrial Flutter y’all talk about? I know what PVC’s are but this is a new arrhythmia that I have had last few months off and on. Never last very long though and seems if I drink lots of water, that helps. Any one have this strange heart beat???

[Snowgirl65]

I took Flecainide for three years and I feel, but can't prove, that it affected my eyesight. About an hour after taking it, my peripheral vision would get slightly blurred. It wasn't a big deal, but noticeable to me. Other than that and some weight gain from it (lost it all when I got off it), no serious issues with it.