With food? Empty stomach? Take all together with or without food?

[Doggiemomma]

(sigh) I guess I need a consensus again, as ideally, I'd like to consolidate my medication into a better schedule if possible.

At 9 a.m. every day, I take metoprolol with a bit of food. At 11:00 a.m., I take Pradaxa, an anticoagulant, and Flecainide, on an empty stomach. Twelve hours later at 11pm, I take another dose of Flecainide and Pradaxa (empty stomach).

My EP says it doesn't matter, and five different pharmacists say differing viewpoints (i.e. it doesn't matter, or it's ok to take them together with or without food, or it's ok to have a bit of food, or it's ok to take on an empty stomach, or don't take Flecainide with metoprolol).

Call me DIZZY!

Does anyone have any further info for me, from experience or knowledge, before I experiment on myself?

Thanks!

DM

[CDreamer]

Flecainide on an empty stomach - taken with or after food could make you feel very nauseous. Pradaxa with some food but not carbs otherwise you can end up with acid reflux. From experience.

[Doggiemomma in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for your 'personal experience' input!

[Angie06 in reply to Doggiemomma]

I take flecainide 8am after a cup of tea at 7am so stomach is pretty empty and then the evening dose about 8pm a couple of hours after eating but if going out for a meal I take it earlier before I leave. This has worked for me for the last 10yrs so maybe I'm just used to it. 😀

[Doggiemomma in reply to Angie06]

Thanks for your reply!

[momist]

I have the same problem. I'm on 2.5mg bisoprolol, 50mg flecainide, 5mg apixaban (Eliquis) and 20mg famotidine, _all_ twice a day. I was taking mine all at once at breakfast, until I noticed that the instructions with the flecainide say "on an empty stomach". I now take all of mine just before breakfast (about 15 minutes to go) and then again 12 hours later which usually means about an hour after my main meal of the day in the evening.

Since I've changed the routine, I've not had any more 'breakthrough' of AF, which I was getting for the first two months after my ablation. I'm hoping that when I get my review, delayed by the pandemic, I'll be able to cut down on the flecainide and the bisoprolol, or even stop them all together.

[Doggiemomma in reply to momist]

It's a challenge, isn't it?!

[bobkeen]

Hi, I have always taken Pradaxa on an empty stomach for many years , but I'm only on 110 mg now that I have passed 80 years old. Never given me any reaction as far as I'm aware. Bob

[Doggiemomma in reply to bobkeen]

Thanks, Bob!

[JayDW]

I am on Pradaxa. Had tremendous digestion problems at first. Lots of water to help it down helps, but also I like to take it just before food, which again helps it go down. I used to find that the capsule could lodge in my oesophagus where it released its load causing pain plus plus plus!