I have lightheadedness every day. I’ve been trying to figure out what is causing it whether it is the medication atenolol which I think lowers my blood pressure. I am also taking Flecainide twice a day.
My cardiologist has mentioned maybe it is something else not related to AF. He has just stopped my blood pressure pill that I had been taken for 10 years. Yes I think did bring my blood pressure up and seem to work for a few days but now still have more lightheadedness. Any suggestions this is becoming debilitating.
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Chasemenow
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First you need to plot your BP and also your heart rate. If the lightheadedness corresponds to low BP then that is the reason but it may be AF related as in gaps in your heart rate.
Learn to take your own pulse and then you can be like the rest of us sad *****s and walk round all day with one hand clamped to your wrist.
I have a BP machine and tells me if I have an irregular heart beat. I do take my BP when lightheaded and it is usually quite low but some times it is only a little lower than my usual which is 116-128 I get as low as 100-104
If it is due to long pauses between heartbeats it is very difficult to "catch" either by checking pulse or using an ECG gadget (unless continuous monitoring).
I have been on flecanide for about 2 years. Had an ablation 3 mos. ago, doc took me off flecanide (only). Now able to swing my head around without feeling dizzy, and can focus my eyes better. Pretty sure it’s the flecanide.
Hi, just wanted to add to your comment and say I agree, for me too the lightheadedness was clearly being aided by the Flecainide. My E.P. suggested we stop taking it and low and behold I no longer have this horrible feeling I'm about to pass out. One of the 'side effects' of Flec....is palpitations!! Never understood that one to be honest. stay well everyone
That sound just like my symptoms. Problem is my cardiologist is pushing Flecainide only and stopping the atenolol. I have an appointment in a week will push for answers. Thanks
You need an EP and a good one. Cardiologists are not the best to deal with AF. They are plumbers. Electrophysiologists are electricians...AF is an electrical problem. My EP changed my life for the better. after having AF for most of my life off and on. I'm 82 BTW. 😀
I wonder if this isn't the case only in the USA? I do read it a lot on a US-based FB page. In the UK, to my knowledge and experience, such a difference shouldn't exist as in a typical cardiology department, the team work together as a unit and will include one or more cardiologists trained as EPs.
I would, myself, trust either for diagnosis and advice since, when all is said and done, all heart specialists see arrhythmias on a daily basis, and all arrhythmias are a "plumbing" issue in the sense that the conduction cells have undergone physical changes to make them conduct differently.
My EP is is also a cardiologist. Before I moved from Florida I had one of each. Sometimes it got confusing. Most of the time I will say that my cardiologist paid more attention to what was going on day to day. My EP was mainly in surgery rather than the office. I have an implanted monitor so the EP paid attention to that because it really is the only way for them to get a clear picture. You can have an ECG but unless you are in a fib at the time they can’t tell much. I was lucky that both doctors communicated with each other but I must say I like it better with the way it is now. One doctor handling my medication, tests etc.My previous cardiologist of course would defer to the EP when I came to procedures. That is where the difference is. Your EP is specialized with the electrical part aa mentioned, no doubt they can handle the plumbing but so could my cardiologist and he was highly skilled. They have different titles for a reason. When my trouble appeared to be a fib my cardiologist immediately sent me to the EP. There was confusion in the beginning which is why am monitor was implanted and within two weeks of that they had the answer. A fib is not always easy to diagnose.
My Cardiologist is a Professor as is my EP. My Cardiologist sent me to my EP. The training required to become an electrophysiologist is lengthy and requires eight years after medical school (in the U.S and Australia, entailing three years of internal medicine residency, three years of clinical cardiology fellowship, and two years of clinical cardiac electrophysiology
.I would not allow a plumber to fix my faulty fuse box. I’ve had AF for 40 + years and probably longer. . I’ve seen the damage that can occur with poorly done procedures.
You want a very experienced EP to do your ablations, someone who has done at the very least, hundreds of them.
Ablation is a big deal. It’s your heart and you want the best you can get.
You can find research to agree or disagree with any particular question. Most are limited to less than a couple of thousand patients. There are a multitude of research papers being submitted on a daily basis. I pay a large monthly fee for my research and I’m still picky about what I believe or don’t believe.
Specialists are just that, that, they provide expert opinion or specific procedures beyond the scope of the primary care provider. There are Cardiologists and then there are Electrophysiologists. Just as there are Nephrologists and Neurologists. The extra study is just the beginning. My EP has studied and practiced his specialty on a continuing basis.
I have strong reservations around putting anything toxic in my body.
Having spent some years involved with clinical research, I tend to agree with your general view but I was, myself, only responding to the idea that an EP was necessarily very much different from a cardiologist in terms of their knowledge and experience. The course to study electrophysiology itself is 1-2 years on top of a cardiology course. But, as you say, the actuality of an individual doctor's level of expertise can never be found from such figures.
I had a conversation with a Cardiologist ( not mine)in the ER during a rather big episode and he said he would never consider doing anything like an ablation as it required expertise in regards to the electrical system of the heart. All EP’s are Cardiologists, but not all Cardiologist are EP’s. My father had episodes and my mother died instantly from a clot. So I’m pro expertise and specialty’s with this condition.
Hi, I saw my E.P. in Edinburgh just a few weeks ago and am now awaiting a date, probably not till the end of the year at least for a Radio Frequency Ablation, after being referred to him almost 4 years ago. He clearly explained things better than ever before AND he followed up with a detailed letter to myself and my GP, within a week! In turn the gp surgery phoned me....... definitely push for seeing an E.P. folks if that's what you need.
electrophysiologist. He deals with the electrical circuit of the heart whereas a cardiologist deals with the general plumbing of the heart. AF is a sort of 'misfire' so it's a sparky we need really!
That’s great. It’s good when you get detailed and concise info. The condition is certainly difficult. I’m all for keeping fit and having a sensible diet( I’m vegetarian) limit alcohol and keeping well hydrated are important.
I think it is a very frequent symptom although I suffer particularly early morning when I get up, have a bath and eat breakfast. It tends to improve as the day goes on. Yet my BP is often quite high early morning (140 or so over 80) and often low 100 over 60, in the afternoon and evening when I feel at my best. It definitely correlates with AF (I am in permanent AF or so they tell me) but symptom free quite a lot of the time. The doctor yesterday suggested the giddiness might be linked to Fluoxetine (Prozac) of which I take 20mg a day. So many medicines list 'light headed' and giddiness as side effects it is difficult to know what is the actual cause.
I was on Flecainide and Bisoprolol following an ablation, I started to feel lightheaded as my heartrate was dipping to 39 ( normally average 48 ) my consultant cut the Bisoprolol from 2.5 to 1.25mg and I was OK. I know we are all different , during the lightheaded moments my BP didn't seem to wander too much away from my normal 120/75
I have had the same problem now for several months so got my ears checked for possible infection and had my eyes tested and new glasses in case it was to do with them, all seems ok but ENT suggested to my GP an appointment with Neurology and of course been waiting months for that ! I am beginning to think it is due to the 2.5 mg of Bisoporal that I take daily. I also have low blood pressure which can be a cause for my dizziness and have been given Fludrocortisone, 25mg a day but I can't say that it has helped. Vertigo has also been suggested but to be honest I don't think anyone really knows. On the 29th April, whilst playing table tennis, I was knocked over and fractured my hip, needing full hip replacement and spent a week in hospital, now recuperating, but once I am active again I shall renew my effort to try and find the cause of the dizziness. I hasten to add that this did not cause my fall, although at 78 years old I don't know whether I shall be returning to my twice weekly game of table tennis and my keep fit classes!!!! I don't think this dizziness is related directly to my A/F as I wear a pacemaker so heartbeat paced, I think it is more to do with the drugs I take, but thats just my thinking at the moment, I intend to investigate this further.
HI Chasemenow, After I had a number of fainting episodes, my Arrhythmia nurse suggested the site stopfainting.com The site has been built by the team at Imperial College Hospital to help people understand and deal with fainting (syncope) and it may help you as wellGood luck
I had bouts of lightheadedness and never really knew what caused it. I do not have low blood pressure. But I read that some vitamin deficiencies could cause lightheadedness. So, I started taking B 12 daily and an iron pill every few days. It helped me! Once the dizziness subsided, I stopped the iron supplements but continued on B12.
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