Excessive urination: Does anyone here... - Atrial Fibrillati...

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Excessive urination

Karendeena profile image
26 Replies

Does anyone here suffer with excessive urination when having an afib episode,?

I am very symptomatic and although I take sotalol and apixaban I still get some afib episodes (usuly 1 every 4 months). When this happens I am urinating every 10 mins or so and then when I come out of afib I can sleep most if the night without getting up.

I have paroxysmal afib but my heart rate can go up to 120bpm and lasts around 33 to 36 hours. I dread it, get so anxious too.

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Karendeena profile image
Karendeena
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26 Replies
mjames1 profile image
mjames1

Very common so make sure you hydrate when it happens.

Jim

Tototcx profile image
Tototcx

Yes, it happens because your heart releases a hormone to reduce your blood volume to reduce stress on your system...so you urinate more. Eventually you will drink more to replace the loss of volume. Don't worry about it. Your body is very clever!

Megams profile image
Megams in reply to Tototcx

~How interesting Tototcx - Nurse explained something similar and said it places extra load on kidneys.

I pop electrolyte's in my coconut water when having a bout of a/fib - I'm sure it helps.

Nan1 profile image
Nan1

Yes, happens to me when I’m in AF. Up to the loo constantly. I believe it’s quite normal so try not to worry

Karendeena profile image
Karendeena in reply to Nan1

Thamk you

Suesouth profile image
Suesouth

yep, always, I’ve been in AF for last 3 hours, hoping it will stop soon, feeling shattered already

Karendeena profile image
Karendeena in reply to Suesouth

thanks, my episodes go on for more than 24 hours, exhausting. Thinking of going gor an ablation but waiting list is horrendous

Gladstone001 profile image
Gladstone001

you might find that rehydration therapy brings a quick end to the AF. It certainly helps me and is better than a Sotalol PiP.

LizLancashire profile image
LizLancashire

Yes I suffer the same. I counted I went to the loo 13 times in the first 3/4 hour of being in AF and the next time I measured I'd passed 5 pints of urine. I always keep rehydration powders in the house and also drink lots of coconut water. My experience is that not many medical people know about this symptom.

Janey1955 profile image
Janey1955

yes I do at the start of an episode. Maybe for the first two hours or so. Keep hydrated. It’s very inconvenient though if it comes on when out and about, just got to stay somewhere near a loo until it subsides🙄

Jane

LizLancashire profile image
LizLancashire in reply to Janey1955

That's what I dread Jane - being out and about. Luckily my episodes start either late at night or early morning.

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman

I have read that when the heart is disturbed it creates an enzyme that lowers the fluid load in the body and so increases urine output. But, my own experience is likely that it is increased anxiety that is doing this.

Steve

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply to Ppiman

I have found that if I am overtired or very hot my ankles and feet swell and then I am very likely to go into AF, I have also had the ‘waterfall’ effect without AF. So I do think the ‘reducing fluid’ explanation is right which also makes me think that constantly replacing it is not the way to go unless your BP drops very low but replacing some electrolytes is helpful.

Ppiman profile image
Ppiman in reply to Buffafly

I'm never sure whether it's a stress response or a heart response myself. I have read that the body's reaction to any kind of cardiac issue is to help the load on the heart by reducing any water retention. The effect is likely, as Bob says, to be via sodium metabolism via the kidneys.

Steve

Adiepie profile image
Adiepie

yep!

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

The enzyme is actually to reduce salt but you get the picture. It's great that this phenomena is now so widley known as when we first started this forum it came as a surprise to all of us.

Jetcat profile image
Jetcat in reply to BobD

very true bob. At the start of my Afib membership club I could not for the life of me work out why I was at the toilet every 5 minutes.!!!! I did notice the toilet visits stopped after my second ablation which is interesting.

Auriculaire profile image
Auriculaire

Yes. It's worse at the beginning of the attack. I went into afib at 2-30 am today so have slept badly due to having to keep getting up. We are on holiday too but luckily heading home today. I will put off rehydrating properly till we get home or the journey will be a nightmare. Hoping I go back into NSR soon!

Karendeena profile image
Karendeena in reply to Auriculaire

Hi, are you flying, do you get really anxious?

Auriculaire profile image
Auriculaire in reply to Karendeena

No we are touring on a motor bike. We don't go very far each day as we are too old for long journeys. I don't get very anxious and treat my afib as an unwelcome pest. This time it was only about 8 hours and I went back into NSR just as we were leaving our hotel this morning. I could have fallen asleep after lunch but that is horrible on the bike as you jerk awake !

RajaRua profile image
RajaRua

Thank you for the great question Karendeena and thank you all for enlightening answers too.

Snowgirl65 profile image
Snowgirl65

That happens with me too. Sometimes after an a-fib episode, I find I lost 2 lbs. weight. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable here on the forum can give you the reasons why this is.

Shemac52 profile image
Shemac52

yes when in AFIB

Jetcat profile image
Jetcat

It’s happened to me a good few times but not every time. as others have said it’s normal. Keep hydrated and try and get some electrolytes added just for good measure.

planetiowa profile image
planetiowa

Yes it happens to me within about 15 min of going into AF and is very common. It's due to the release of a hormone called Atrial Natriuretic Peptide due to atrial stretch and is the body's attempt to decrease blood pressure by increasing sodium and water excretion.

Eliktrick profile image
Eliktrick

I always have to poop!! Strangest thing..

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