High Blood Pressure linked to higher dose of Flecainide ?and hot flushes & arterial disease ?

[Gre-ta]

Hi all, I was put on 100mg dose of Flecainide every 12 hours. I actually take 50mg in the day & 100mg at night, I also take 2.5mg Bisoprolol. So far so good re PAF but my blood pressure has got very high. I felt weird one day & checked it, & the top figure was 163. Obviously made an GP appointment & the doctor put me on Amlodipine. I’m monitoring it & it’s up & down. Too low & too high. I get lots of hot flushes some days, practically back to back. They seem to coincide with having higher blood pressure, it seems when it’s low I don’t have many. There is a link between them & arterial disease. There are lots of published papers indicating this. I want to have an ultrasound at least to have a look at my carotid arteries. The GP does not believe there’s any link between the hot flushes & arterial disease. My GP probably causes me more stress than anyone else.

Does anybody out there have any experience of this ?

[jeanjeannie50]

I can certainly identify with the hot flushes. I get hot walking just over half a mile down to the town from my house. People are all bundled up in thick polo necked jumpers and coats, looking nice and cosy, and there's me sweltering in a long sleeved t-shirt and my coat off. the odd thing is when i walk home up the very steep hills I'm not hot. What's it all about (Alfie)?

Jean

[mjames1]

First of all, I don't think you would be symptomatic at all with a systolic of only 163. So I think it's probably the other way around.

Hot flashes are a listed side effect of Flecainide. A rise in systolic blood pressure is not. So what possibly is happening is that the hot flashes are making you stressed and the stress is raising your blood pressure slightly. If so, not sure the amlodipine is warranted unless your bp is high most of the time. Variances during the day is normal, including during times of stress. So unless you're stressed most of the time, the benefits of a blood pressure drug may be outweighed by the risks.

As to hot flashes and arterial disease, again, those flashes are probably the flecainide, so why go on a fishing expedition which just may add more stress, as one test can lead to another and other. Unless, medically indicated of course, but your GP doesn't think it is and I agree with the GP.

Jim

[Gre-ta in reply to mjames1]

Hi Jim,

I was having hot flashes before I started the Flecainide. I have fibromyalgia as well & when I was given an ultrasound of my head by a rheumatologist, looking for giant cell arteritis he noted that I had plaque in my carotid arteries. This was a couple of years ago. I am also getting some weird headaches which feel as if I have a lot of pressure around my temples.

But, perhaps this is all nothing to worry about as you say.

I expect we all have complicated medical histories. I have had a couple of TIAs but that was before the PAF began. The cardiologist I was sent to after the TIAs sent me away, said there was nothing wrong & the PAF started about 10 days later. It was later decided that I had in fact had the TIAs.

So, I do tend to worry.

Thanks for replying.

[Tapanac in reply to Gre-ta]

my mum had giant cell arthritis, also known as vasculitis, and until she was put on high dose of steroids her headaches were tremendous. She was taken to hospital originally and the stupid doctor gave her aspirin which of course made her far worse. As you have probably been told no aspirin or anything like ibuprofen, nurofen. Thankfully another hospital helped her.

She also had hot flushes as well as the bad bad headaches before the steroids

I do hope you feel better soon

[Gre-ta in reply to Tapanac]

Thanks, that is interesting. I will continue to try & get an ultrasound done.

[secondtry]

If funds allow, pay privately for a cardiologist appointment to:

- discuss taking Flecainide evenly during the day even if most past AF episodes were pm.

- reducing anxiety

- any necessary tests or changes in medication

PS I have taken 200mgs Flecainide for over 9 years without any change in BP but anxiety does cause issues, which is still work-in-progress.

[Tapanac]

I’ve been on flecainide for over 5 years snd my BP is fine, no flushed, in fact no side effects at all 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Yammingah]

Hi Gre-ta I was ok until I started on Flecainide then the hot flushes started. Living in Australia in summer I'm a dripping mess. It certainly plays havoc with your life!

[Auntielala]

Hi Gre-ta, no, I've been taking Bisoprolol and Amlodipine for around 3.5 years. I had hot flushes for a few months, but I started hormone blockers after breast cancer, they caused the flushes. Started the meds all at the same time, but the hot flushes only lasted for a few months, none now for about 2 years and still on all the meds, with the exception of Amlodipine which was changed to Ramipril 2 weeks ago. I hope they get to the bottom of it for you, hot flushes are such a nuisance, especially with the summer coming up. In the meantime, what I found really helpful, was the neck fans, you can get them on Amazon, and a nifty handbag sized fan shaped like a perfume bottle, I had fans everywhere! In the car, by my bed, by my armchair ...... Good luck!

[Gre-ta in reply to Auntielala]

Really interesting to read everyone’s different experiences. Thanks very much for replying. I also had breast cancer & stopped taking HRT two & a half years ago. So while I expected to have hot flushes for a while the ones I have now are way more intense than the ones I had at first, & some days I have them all day. Occasionally I have fewer but not often. So your experience, though of course you don’t take Flecainide, is good to know about.

[Auntielala in reply to Gre-ta]

Yes, I stopped HRT upon diagnosis, and the flushes were intense but quite shortlived thank goodness, about 3-4 months. I feel for you, hot flushes are awful, really hope you can get answers and that you can have your mind set at rest that it's not anything serious.