I’ve been on Sotalol 80mg split over am and pm for 6 weeks now and I want to know if it should stop all Afib symptoms completely from occurring.. I had an 8 hr episode this week only my third over the six weeks I’ve been taking this tablet.
Previously I had palpitations which lasted only minutes and no extended episodes of AFIB which lasted for hours, so I’m not sure what to expect from this tablet.
Hope someone can tell me their experience with Sotalol , thanks.
I had a poor experience with sotalol. It is supposed to be an anti-arrhythmic as well as a beta blocker, but it did little to reduce the AF. What it did do was get me puffed out much quicker when exercising. I think it's very important to maintain fitness when you have AF as that makes the body a lot more resilient to lower blood oxygen levels.
After a miserable 2 years on sotalol I moved on to diltiazem and felt like a new man. I eventually had an ablation which was successful. Sotalol is not generally recommended for AF nowadays.
I am considering an ablation. Are you on any meds at all after your ablation?
Only warfarin
When I first started taking Sotalol, 80mg morning and evening, I went 7 weeks without an attack, the longest I have ever gone. I now take 120mg of Sotalol morning and evening but still get attacks of AF approximately every 7-8 days lasting up to 72 hours.
I am Paroxymal AFib and was prescribed Sotalol in March 2022 to replace Bisoprolol and Flecanide due to their side effects. I find Sotalol suits me, no side effects and it reduced the frequency of my AFib episodes.
I am now 7 weeks post ablation and still taking Sotalol, my episodes are now more frequent but reduced in duration during the healing period.
My shortest episode was about 5 minutes, confirmed by my Apple Watch scan and my Consultant.
There has been a recent string of discussion about Sotalol on here. See responses to my recent post from a couple of days a go.
I have just seen your other post. I was on sotalol when I cycled to Paris and back. It was pretty miserable as I got puffed out more on hills (it was also really hot). I don't think my heart rate ever went up above 110-120. But it is a very personal thing. I got on much better with diltiazem.
Thanks. Very useful to know. Similar weather conditions for me! Did a gentle 50 miler in the sun yesterday with no problems. Electric bike helps. Not yet in France. Taken 10 doses of 120mg now and not noticed any changes other than no AF and resting pulse down at 50bpm. Your comments about Dilitiazem noted.
Hi, I’ve been on Sotalol 40mg twice daily since 2014. I haven’t experienced any side effects but it has never stopped the AF sad to say. I get episodes on average twice a week recently. I have been offered the choice of changing meds or have ablation but I am reluctant to do either. The AF episodes don’t bother me too much. Hope you get on ok with it
My EP moved me from Diltiazem 120mg to Sotalol 80mg twice a day as I was having bad AF episodes up to 3 times a week. I have had no AF since I started Sotalol 5 weeks ago and the only side effect is that my heart rate is now around 60 which makes me feel much better. Fingers crossed it continues to be effective. We are all different but don't be put off by some of the negative reports of Sotalol.
I was moved onto Sotalol 80mg twice daily after a bad experience with Amiodarone following a cardioversion and this has kept me in normal sinus rhythm since then. Obviously I am one of the lucky patients, but as other people have found it does work for some but not others.
I think if there were a med that truly stopped afib, none of us would be here. I've been taking sotolol at different doses and at different times, as directed by docs, and have still had afib.
I am on Sotalol 80mg, I split it so I take 40 in AM and 40 at PM. It seems to work well since i have no AF for a few weeks. When I do get an episode of AF I take an 80mg tablet and my AF tends to last about 5 hours before I go back into sinus rhythm. Since all of the other meds I have tried gave me side effects that I did not like, I have decided to stay on Sotalol and have been on it for over 10 years now.
When you are having Afib and take an extra Sotalol tablet what happens to your blood pressure and heart rate, doesn’t it go too low?
If there were a drug that worked for everyone, none of us would be here. Sotolol can help with afib, but it doesn't always work that way with some. If there were a med that could truly stop afib for all of us, none of us would be here.
I was prescribed Sotalol and used it on and off for 1.5 years, for Paroxysmal AF. However, it never really helped me to get back into normal sinus rhythm. I would eventually revert naturally. The doctor suggested I could go off all medication while I modified my lifestyle - (lost weight, pescatarian diet, better sleep, alcohol free, mindfulness and stress reduction work with a psychologist). I once lasted for 6 months taking Sotalol but the AF came back. I agreed to maintain a daily dose of the anticoagulant, Rivaroxaban. Unfortunately, the AF episodes became more frequent and began to last for days, with challenging symptoms - strong palpitations, fatigue, occasional faintness. Eventually I had a cardioversion. I swapped Sotalol for Flecainide, introduced as 'pill in the pocket' for future episodes. This necessitated a companion dose of Atenolol.
Alas, no conversion to NSR and the development of Atrial Flutter. I stopped Flecainide. The cardiologist then convinced me to have an ablation and sent me off to a professor of cardiology with a reputation for electrophysiology. I wish I had gone down this path earlier, to address the symptoms which had tipped me into the persistent AF category. My ablation requires a follow up, likely due to my age and the increasing frequency of episodes.
I'm sharing this with you because medications, cardioversions, ablations and more, are idiosyncratic. Needless to say, everyone responds differently. Everyone's journey, feedback and generous advice given here shows this. My advice is to maintain a thorough and wide-ranging dialogue with your cardiologist and expect her/him to be readily available to answer questions, evaluate medication changes. I can phone/text mine and forward traces from my Kardia monitor, if requested. Apologies for this lengthy reply.
Bisoprolol to Sotalol
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