SOTALOL AND FEELING SICK ON IT ...

[Fryguy]

"SOTALOL". Hi I am a 42 year old male from Canada, I have paroxysmal afib along with narrowing pulmonary veins and a dialated aortic root at the SOV "heart aneurysm ". I had an ablation for my afib but now I am told I have complex atrial arrhythmias along with my other issues...I seen a Cardiologist who put me on Sotalol ,I have been on it for afew months and expressed my concerns to the cardiologist because the longer I go the worse I feel . He said I am out of options medication wise as I have tried pretty much everything. I am wondering if anyone else has felt nauseous all the time along with exhaustion and feeling weak most of the day ??? I see a combo specialist on Nov 4th a Cardiologist/electrophysioligist this time and hope he can give me some options . But in the mean time I am just looking for anyone in the same boat ??

[bassets]

I'm sorry you are having all these problems and I hope you can get sorted out soon - best wishes and good luck.

[Paulbounce]

Hello Fryguy.

Med's affect people in different ways - what's right for the goose isn't always right for the gander.

I can only speak from my personal use of Sotalol. I'm on 80 mg twice a day and so far no issues. That of course doesn't mean it will always be that way.

I wish you good luck on Nov 4th. You may find an EP can give you other options. I wonder if it's worth trying to contact your cardio in the meantime to ask about reducing the dose (if you feel it's causing problems). He / she may say no - I can't tell you that but worth asking I guess ?

Paul

[Windlepoons]

I'm on 40mg Sotalol three times a day. When I was taking it twice a day I didn't feel too good, especially relating to meal times. So I spoke to my EP and we agreed to changing to three times a day and it really improved how I felt. Amazing as I don't seem to get on with medications very well usually. What suits one doesn't seem to suit another. I really hope they can suggest a suitable regime for you soon.

[rosyG]

hi fryguySotalol is not recommended in the UK now although it is still used in some cases. I would look hard for alternatives that you haven't tried yet.The EP will probably be able to suggest better options for you as you are young and can't have drugs that upset you for the many years ahead of you

[Avatel in reply to rosyG]

I find that surprising as thousands of people take sotalol. Anyone here worried about this drug?

[rosyG in reply to Avatel]

hi

Some doctors still use Sotalol as it works but it was withdrawn as first line drug because of side effects. If unsure talk to your pharmacist or GP

[Junoesque]

Hi, I was on Sotalol quite a high dose for a long time , years infact. I always felt ill and tired. Then I was put on Bisoprolol that had a devastating effect i.e. ended up with pacemaker. I then told my cardiologist that I wouldn’t take anything else. But he persuaded me to try Nebivolol at a low dose of 5mg a day. I have tolerated this for the past five years. It hasn’t stopped the AF but it is more manageable.

[ultramarine]

My ablation was for AF/SVT which they described to me as complex. This has been so successful that I do not require any medication.

The medication Sotalol was the worst one for me. I ended up on Metropolol after a few different medications, this did the job, but did not hold up for long.

The ablation was done for 4 veins 5 years ago. Wonderful...they gave me Metropolol to keep up, but I could see no point in that, and still do not need anything. They need to experiment unfortunately, but I refused to take this medication, it was worse than the condition in my view.

[EngMac]

There are two kinds of Sotalol - one for the atria and one for the ventricles. My EP did not specify when he suggested that I take it. He did not know there are two kinds. Three pharmacists did not know there are two kinds and that they should not be mis-prescribed. I am also in Canada. You should ask your pharmacist if you are taking the right one. You should also read the drug sheet if you have not and maybe info on drugs.com. It is always a good idea to have some knowledge about a drug, preferably before you speak with the EP and definitely before you take it. Yep, in Canada it can take a long time to get a specialist appointment. If you are in a Province that allows access to private specialists and you can afford it, you should probably check this out. Sometimes AF drugs can make AF worse.

I did not take the sotalol. Beta blockers tend to kill me. Don't like the experience. My family doctor told me it only happens to a few people so specialists sometimes try things if what has been tried has not been successful. You should not stop Sotalol quickly.

[marcyh]

I could only tolerate sotolol a week; heart rate went into the 30s and lots of ectopics. An ablation was what I needed.

[Golf1515]

I can relate to you on that one! I took Sotalol for a brief time but found that I could only tolerate 40 mg 2x a day. (50 year old male with lone afib post ablation btw). I got off soon after visiting my EP cardiologist for post procedure follow up. I simply could not tolerate it. I know some people do just fine and sometimes side effects are transient after a few weeks but it’s not easy to push through that if it’s bad. Best of luck when you talk to your provider. There are options and I’m sure you will find something a little more tolerable