Advice please!

[Gwennie15]

Hi I am new here I have just found this forum and I am hoping somebody will be able to help me . Several months ago I was put on sotalol 80mg three times a day this has worked wonders at stopping the heart palpitations and heart flutters I was having continuously throughout the day but the side-effects of this medication is robbing me of my life or is it just me and I ask myself am I imagining it . What I was wondering was if anybody else is on this medication who feels as breathless as I do, just walking to the local shops feels like I’m doing a marathon then carrying a small bag of shopping home feels like I am carrying my six-year-old grandchild by the time I get home I feel totally exhausted I have clammy skin and I do feel pretty rubbish. I go months in between episodes of atrial fibrillation is there anybody like this on here that can tell me what medication they are on and if they are able to live a normal life because right now I really am struggling with what I am capable of doing .

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Welcome to the Forum ! We are always happy to offer advice and information at the A F Association, if you would like to contact us, call on 01789 867502 or [e-mail]

[jeanjeannie50]

How about explaining this to your GP and asking if you can reduce the dose a little? Mind you AF can make you feel very weary at times. Have you checked via your wrist that your heart is beating in a regular even spaced way?

[Gwennie15 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I have a kardia machine which does ecg’s and they are 99% normal rhythm . My own GP won’t change the amount of my medication it has to be done by my cardiologist and it’s virtually impossible trying to get to speak to him it’s not easy.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Gwennie15]

That makes life difficult for you then. I'd ring the hospital where your cardiologist works and ask to speak to his secretary. She can then pass your message on to him.

[pusillanimous in reply to Gwennie15]

I know this is not entirely on topic - but why can't your GP change your medication ? Mine changes mine when I discuss it with her and my thoughts are very much taken into consideration (usually a change in dose or omission of a drug or its use), and when I see the cardiologist of my annual visit he is quite happy about it and does his usual checks with his fancy equipment. I live in South Africa so maybe the rules are different since the doctors (apart from those employed by public hospitals) are private,

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to pusillanimous]

Mine would reduce my dose too and I'm in the UK.

[Omniscient1 in reply to pusillanimous]

Agreed. If you have to wait to see a cardiologist in the early stages then you'll get nowhere. I appreciate that a GP may not feel confident if they are in experienced though? Often GP practices have dr's who have a specialism (eg sports medicine, gyny, arthritis) maybe you can see someone else there who can help. From what you say you need to get your dosage tuned to you and your way if life.

[listerines]

There are other medications you could explore with your medical team (cardiologist/ electrophysiologist), but perhaps a discussion around reducing the dose of sotalol to perhaps 80mg x 2 versus x3 would be a good first step (as does seem to be controling the afib) . Note that sotalol is is a beta blocker with some antiarrhythmic properties as well. If you were switching medications you would likely take a separate med for rate control and a separate med for rhythm control.

You may want to check your HR as if it is below 50 bpm this could be a reason for feeling so wiped out (again needs to be discussed with health professionals)

For what it is worth I was on sotalol for a few months in the past and it did help stabilize my afib but brought my HR down into the mid 40s consistently which basically wiped me of all energy - could barely empty a dishwasher. Was moved over to flecainide and bisoprolol and regained alot of my energy and afib still kept relatively in check.

[Windlepoons]

I'm sorry to hear that it's affecting you so badly. I was the same on Metaprolol and Bisoprolol and then a cardiologist suggested Sotalol. I expected the same side effects but amazingly they have worked and I feel ok on them. So I would suggest that if it doesn't suit you that you ask to to try alternative medications so that you find one that suits you. It's a case of us all being different in reactions to medication. Don't just accept that you have to feel like that. Push for advice and action. Good luck.🙂

[Hidden in reply to Windlepoons]

Hi, the metaprolol made me so tired. The breathlessness though with the sotalol sounds like lungs though and worries me more than a lower heart rate causing fatigue. Glad you found something that works for you~

[Windlepoons]

I forgot to say that I am on half your dose. 40mg three times a day.

[Ppiman]

Welcome to the forum. I can't really help because when I had atrial flutter, before my ablation, I was told that I couldn't go on it for some reason. I thought I'd write, though, since feeling a bit breathless isn't new to me and it could be the drug, I am sure, but also other reasons. Maybe ask your GP why it might be happening?

When you say that you go months between bouts of AF, are you able to check this with an Apple Watch or Kardia, for example?

Steve

[Gwennie15 in reply to Ppiman]

Hi yes I check daily with my Kardia so I know I’m not in AF .

[Sixtychick]

I am on Sotalol 40mg twice a day. I was put on a higher dose first, but it made me very woozy, so they reduced it and I have had no problems since. That was over 10 years ago.

[Gwennie15 in reply to Sixtychick]

I think I’m definitely going to try and either get my dr to reduce it and if he won’t try and get hold of my consultant.

[Hatten28]

Hello again, I made an error in my first reply my dosage of Sotalol is 80 mg twice daily , totalling 160 mg,

[Deadstick]

Hi ,

I take dronederone (Multaq) for my proximal A-fib. I have almost no side effects. The bad news is that the medication is expensive

[momist]

I'm left wondering if your GP is a one man affair, or there are other doctors at the practice? If there are others, a different doctor might be more sympathetic to your situation and will change the dose for you. Alternatively I will second the idea that you should ring the secretary of your cardiologist and ask them to make the plea on your behalf. Wish you the best of luck.

[Bigbearf]

Just got thru something similar with my wife. She has atrial tachycardia and had two stents in the last year. EP not hopeful that ablation would help because it would be like playing “wack a mole”with atrial tachycardia. Flecanide did not work. Went on Sotalol 120mg twice a day about 9 months ago. Terrible fatigue and worsened her asthma that led to breathlessness. Essentially an invalid. Reduced dose to 80 mg. Twice a day, no change. EP stopped sotalol for 5 days an then put in hospital for Tikosyn (dofetilide) loading combined with metoprolol succinate about 2 weeks ago. The change has been dramatic. She is much better with fatigue and breathlessness. Hope this helps. Jeff Tope, MD

[Hidden]

Hello and sorry to hear about how you feel. I have AF since 48 yrs old, I am 51 now and my husband also has it. He prior to me and primary wanted to give solatol. I researched it and had read with an open mind since google isnt a doctor. But, so many people on the med had experiences like yours that my husband declined that med. It is better as a last resort type med. My opinion only but please take care.

[Hairem]

Hello, I am new to the forum and on Solotal too. I don't have side effects, lucky me. I am more short of breath than I ever was but is this the fairly new diagnosis? I am learning to adjust my life, no hiking, no extreme workouts. My Afib is 24/7 but I can't feel it until I lay down at night. Hope you feel better soon.

[Gwennie15 in reply to Hairem]

Mine was the same at the beginning I was in AF more than I wasn’t but I had Cardioversion done that definitely helped it a lot but I had flutters throughout the day and night like I said the medication has definitely got that under control but it’s just the side-effect of it I’m really struggling with. I’m hoping my doctor will listen and hopefully be able to change my medication or lower it, he never seems overly keen because I had been on a couple of different ones before this one and he always wanted the consultant to deal with it .