Xanax and Atrial Fibrillation

[mcpacs]

Has anyone ever felt an attack of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) coming on and taken a Xanax and the AFib did not occur? Or even been having skipped beats (ectopics) and taken a Xanax and the irregular beats also stopped? Not sure why this may occur, unless it has something to do with anxiety. Or it may not have anything to do with the Xanax. Just curious.

[Paulbounce]

Hi McP.

First of all I am not a doctor. Maybe it's best to discuss this with your GP.

From a personal point of view a dose of valium can stop an afib attack (or help at least) certainly if the afib is anxiety related. I find my HR drops after about 40 minutes.

However as above I am not a medic. I think it's important to speak to your GP rather than seek online advice with this one.

Have a lovely weekend.

Paul

[Ppiman]

We don't have Xanax in the UK, but it is similar to other benzodiazepines. They all work as muscle relaxants as well as helping anxiety, so the effect you describe might be a result of that, I suppose. I've read on another forum that others find Xanax helpful to avert an attack. It's a shame we don't have it in the UK, but, also, our doctors are very reluctant to prescribe this family of drugs owing to the chance of dependency arising and rebound anxiety.

Steve

[Oldiemoldy in reply to Ppiman]

When I was having lots of AFib incidents I found a small dose of Xanax (.25mg) would allow me to fall asleep and heart would get back to NSR. Xanax doesn’t treat the arrhythmia and docs have a legitimate concern about patients getting dependent and then having a drug problem on top of a heart rhythm problem.

Use sparingly I guess is what I’m suggesting and get back with your doctor(s) about treating the AFib itself.

Does anyone know of any studies on correlation between anxiety and AFib?

[Ppiman]

The nearest we have to Xanax (alprazolam) is lorazepam, and that seems to be initiated only by hospital specialists. GPs in the UK wll give the much slower and longer acting diazepam. It seems sad that we don't have Xanax since, dependency risk aside, it seems to work very quickly and effectively.

Steve

[mcpacs in reply to Ppiman]

For general anxiety disorder and panic attacks, Xanax is an effective drug. However, it can lead to addiction. Also, tolerance builds up and a person has to take a higher dose to have the same effect. It's not a drug a person would want to stay on long term. The literature I read about it says it's only supposed to be prescribed short term. Most doctors here in the USA will not prescribe it at all. It seems like there is government pressure to eliminate benzodiazepines (which Xanax is) and opioids completely, especially since there is a large illegal street market for these types of drugs.

[Ppiman in reply to mcpacs]

That’s interesting as, on a mainly US-based FB afib forum, it’s pretty clear that a lot of American afib sufferers do take Xanax and most seem to speak highly of it.

Pretty much the same pressures against prescribing benzo drugs apply here, though. I think it’s rather unfortunate because, from what I’ve read, around two thirds of people aren’t affected by dependency issues, leaving them unable to be helped by a drug that there’s nothing else like, for fear of a one-in-three chance of problems. Anxiety can be very difficult to cope with for some people and there’s little else that helps (CBT and antidepressants are now the mainstays).

Steve

[mcpacs in reply to Ppiman]

As is common, the few that abuse the drug ruin it for the rest of those who benefit from it. I have taken Xanax off and on for over 20 years and it's the only one that helps with my anxiety. Anxiety is very debilitating and I have dealt with it all my life. It's a genetic disorder I inherited from my father's side of the family. People who don't have it don't understand, nor do they care. And they want to label those with this disorder as nut cases and drug addicts. The doctors want to put you on antidepressants which also have side effects, and for me are not very effective. My doctor has already cut my dosage back on the Xanax, and I'm afraid eventually will, like many other doctors, quit prescribing it completely.

Thanks for your concern,

Mark

[Ppiman in reply to mcpacs]

I could have written what you did - a mirror, indeed. Anxiety is no fun, is it? For me, insomnia tops it off, but life goes on well enough, in truth. Many years ago, I suffered dreadfully from SSRI side effects given to help anxiety made worse by several deaths in the family and friendship circle happening close together (parents and brother and two close friends). Well, the drug made it vastly worse, but my GP - a good and caring doctor, by the way - kept blaming my condition rather than the drug. Oh my. SSRIs are poisonous drugs for some; and also hell to get off for many. And yet they are deemed safe and effective. Well, well.

I wish you well and it's been good having this little conversation.

Steve

[mcpacs in reply to Ppiman]

A very strange thing happened to me a week ago. I had a 6 month follow up appointment with my regular GP doctor on October 1. I had not seen her since last March. At that time she had prescribed my Xanax. But since that was 6 months ago, I had taken them all and I did not want to request a refill until my 6 month follow up last week on October 1. At that appointment she did write the prescription for the Xanax.

But here's the strange part. For the last year I have been having an irregular heartbeat which my cardiologist says is being caused by frequent Premature Atrial Contractions (PAC's). After filling my prescription for the Xanax last week and taking them daily, I just happened to check my pulse a couple days later and my heart rate was completely in Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR). You see I had not taken hardly any Xanax for about 6 months since my refill last March. And now as soon as I start taking them again my heart goes back into a normal rhythm. I was elated. Had the Xanax cured my irregular heartbeat. I have an appointment with my cardiologist coming up and I'm going to tell him about it. He'll probably just say it was a coincidence, not wanting to promote a drug they are telling doctors not to prescribe. Was the irregular heartbeat possibly a withdrawal reaction and when I started back on the Xanax, the withdrawals stopped? Not sure???

By the way, what is the name of that Facebook Afib forum you mentioned in your previous post? I'm interested to check into it.

Thanks,

Mark

[Ppiman in reply to mcpacs]

Hi Mark

I’m sorry I didn’t reply earlier, I lost the link to your list. This is the FB group I mentioned (it’s nothing like this one though!):

facebook.com/groups/AtrialF...

Steve

[Maverick747 in reply to mcpacs]

What you were experiencing was withdrawal symptoms from the Xanax, which directly cause heart rhythm disorders. If taking a Xanax stops the arrhythmia, the problem is withdrawal. It is not the Xanax treating the problem.

[mcpacs in reply to Maverick747]

That may be true when someone has been on Xanax for awhile and suddenly stops, leading to various withdrawal symptoms. However, I had my first episode of Atrial Fibrillation (Afib) when I was 38 years old and was not on any medication at the time. When I turned 44 years old, 6 years later, the Afib became more frequent and I was prescribed heart medication (can't remember which ones). I did not begin taking Xanax until age 46 would have been 8 years after my first episode of Afib at age 38. So your statement that Afib is caused by withdrawal from Xanax may be only partially accurate in certain cases.

[Palpman]

I've been on Lorazopan for 27 years and I take it for panic attacks and AFlutter.

Started on 4mg and now down to 0.5mg.

[mcpacs in reply to Palpman]

Interesting article. He says Xanax keeps him from going into Afib.

a-fib.com/sally-a-fib-patie...

[Palpman in reply to mcpacs]

In South Africa I was given Alprazolam for my tachycardia attacks by a GP. Normally 30 minutes into the attack it would suddenly stop.

Strangely another GP gave me a nitro tablet under the tongue and it immediately stopped my tachycardia.

[GeorgeStevens]

Just to throw in my two cents here: I've used alprazolam intermittently for at least twenty years without problems of any kind. I take it for anxiety and only when needed. Sometimes that's just one day a week. I know its effects very well. I've also used it in the middle of the night if I wake up and can't get back to sleep. Then I'll take a half pill (.25) sublingually and that does it. Helps me fall back asleep and doesn't have any aftereffects the next morning, even it I've taken it at 3 am. My issue is this: After a Zio patch 14-day heart monitor and an overnight sleep study, they tell me I have mild sleep apnea. My AF is persistent and asymptomatic. My normal bpm is around 70. But the Zio patch found that there were stretches at night where my bpm went down to 30; plus, I have these interruptions in breathing due to the apnea. I asked my EP whether that means I have to avoid the occasional use of .25 at night, since it lowers heart rate, but the answer I got from him was equivocal. If possible, I'd like to find some other medication for the very occasional problem when I'm too anxious to sleep. I'm wondering what other people do. I've got a cardioversion coming up soon and I doubt I'll get much if any sleep the night before if I don't take my half pill of Xanax.