I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation in October 2021 and prescribed Edoxaban. Fortunately I have only been experiencing AF edisodes about once a month but when I do I find it very frightening. It’s probably the effect of passing so much urine but I find after the episode my blood pressure drops very low and I feel very lightheaded for most of the following day. I have hypertension and for this am on a number of medications but worry about taking them after an episode as my BP would go even lower. I make sure I drink plenty of water when I feel like this but zi end up feeling very anxious and panicky because of how I’m feeling. Do other people feel like this, I don’t know anyone else with AF, and have they got any tips on how to deal with it. I have mentioned it to my GP but was just told to rest.
Lightheaded after AF episode - Atrial Fibrillati...
Lightheaded after AF episode
Hi Jomaur,
Welcome to the forum, we call this the ‘Club that nobody wants to join’, but don’t worry, you are in the right place for support and help.😊
Everything you have experienced I’m afraid, is very normal, so please don’t worry, some people are affected more than others, but a majority are exactly the same, I know I am. The lightheadedness and the passing of frequent urine, is all very normal too, unfortunately. I’m sure someone will know the exact reason for the urine overload, but it has something to do with the heart working so fast, as you would imagine.
Feeling anxious and panicky is also part and parcel of this affliction too, but try to stay as calm as possible, which I know full well is very hard. Also it’s best to not even attempt to take your BP when having an episode as the results are highly unreliable when in Afib and you won’t get a correct reading. Check with your Dr of course, but it might be worth taking your medication as soon as you feel able.
How long do your episodes last? Do you know what triggers them? Lifestyle changes help a lot - keep hydrated ( which it sounds like you do) avoid stress ( if you can).I take supplements such as magnesium, which a lot of us do too, this helps a majority of people to calm the heart. If you Google it you will find lots of help on line. Make sure you ask your Dr for a full blood test, to show you’re not deficient in anything, is useful too, such as vitamin D. Also avoid or limit alcohol, avoid large meals and try to leave at least 3 hrs between food and sleep….I know it all sounds regimented a bit, but it will help.
Slow deep breathing also helps calm the heart.
There are also medications that can help slow an episode, have you seen a cardiologist at all yet for investigations?
Thank you for your reply which is very reassuring. I saw a Cardiologist when I was diagnosed with AF which happened because I developed a pain in my chest which I was sure was indigestion but my husband insisted on taking me to A&E where instead of just sending me home after an ECG kept me in overnight as they thought it could have been a heart attack. The next morning they discharged me telling me I had AF and with a box of Epixaban. I had a holter test, Echocardiogram and another test done as an outpatient and they just sent a letter to my GP and myself confirming it was AF.I also have Polymyalgia Rheumatica and now also Fibromyalgia and the Prednisolone I am taking for the PMR seems to have increased my blood pressure. I have had hypertension for about 25-30 years and take several medications. The GPs at our surgery have not managed to find a combination of medications to sort this but were relucatant to refer me to a cardiologist so I have paid privately to see one. He has altered my medication which has helped and I am also try to lose weight- another side effect of being on Prednisolone for two and a half years.I shall contact him to askk about taking my blood pressure medication while my BO is low. I have read of people taking Magnesium to help relax the heart. Can I ask what dosage do you take and when do you take it. I am already taking 500 mg of Magnesium Glycinate which provides 100mg of Elemental Mahesium at breakfast time to help with the Fibro but I’ve heard of people taking it at night to help with sleep as well.
Hi Jomaur,
It sounds like you have had a lot on your plate and have been through the mill. I’m sorry that you’ve now found that you also have Afib on top of it.
You’ll find many of us end up being diagnosed in A&E too - sometimes it’s the only way to get the episode ‘captured’ in their ECG machines.
It sounds like you have already done all the right things and I don’t blame you for seeing a cardiologist privately - I have done too and so have lots of others on this forum. It would be good if they gave you something additional when you had an episode to lower your HR, only if your rate is high of course, but perhaps some of your other meds ( and it sounds like you already have quite a cocktail) may help in lowering it as well.
I take a little bit more magnesium than you, but I seem to need it as if I take less and closer to the recommended amount for a woman, my levels are on the very low side of normal, it’s a bit of experimentation to get it right it seems. I take just under 600mg a day, of a mixture of magnesium glycenate and magnesium taurate. The tabs are different sizes but I take roughly 160 mg of both after breakfast, 160 mg of both after lunch and 250 of the magnesium glycenate about an hour before I go to bed. Some people just take magnesium glycenate and add a seperate dose of taurine ( which is what is added to the magnesium) but the dose varies. Taurine is good for the heart as well.
How long have your episodes lasted? How high does your HR go? Di you monitor the episode with anything at home ( smart watch or Kardia device? )
What are the long term plans for your AF? Do you have a follow up with the cardiologist to check how you are getting on?
May I ask you what other tablets you take as I am on alot propanalol flecainide amlodipine then Rosavastin warfarin. I would like to take magnesium but always been worried it will interfere with my meds Thanks so much
Hi Chris AF18,
Of course. I can tell you what I take, but I do advise you to supplement slowly if you do, so you know if there are any interactions, as of course, what works for me might not wok for others. It might also be worth checking the NHS ( NICE) website for interactions with your other drugs. As previous, I take magnesium throughout the day, but I take vitamin D every morning throughout the year. (I take another medication called tegretol controlled release and it depletes vitamin D, so much so, that I had a deficiency and didn’t know)
Please can I suggest that you ask your GP for a full blood test and to check vitamin D, vitamin B12 and magnesium levels? They do not do this as a matter of course and you have to specifically ask for it.
I also take Vitamin B12 every lunchtime, just a regular maintenance dose, but that is just me and that hasn’t anything to do with my heart, I just like to keep my levels up as they were originally on the very low side of normal.
There are other supplements such as CoQ10 which others take and they find effective for their heart, but I can’t take that as it interacts with my other med, so you do need to check.
If you do decide to take magnesium, start slowly and build up every few days or so.
I use Viridian or Biocare magnesium taurate and Nutriadvanced Magnesium glycenate.
Hi
Get your magnesium level checked first before adding more. It is a risky additive.
cheers JOY. 74. (NZ)
Thank you
Hi, An implanted LINQ ECG device (February this year) recently detected Afib. The consultant switched my stroke medication, Clopidogrel to EDOXABAN and initially suggested low dose bisoprolol and as a pill in the pocket to take as and when. He decided, on further review of my data, not to prescribe bisoprolol because of my 'normal' already low heart rate. Typically around 40 at rest. The consequences could impact blood pressure in a negative way. It is summer of course and it's easy to not hydrate properly and I have had the occasional light headed moment. Whatever, better to not have a stroke than occasional blips or minor side effects of medication, so if he changes his advice on bisoprolol I'll accept it!
Yes, have had AF for 19 years and always had light-headedness alongside.
AF in most people raises anxiety and with hypertension I imagine things are much worse.
I had high anxiety on diagnosis (and still have some) borderline depression.
A key part of the solution that worked for me was to change the narrative; by that I mean I changed by doing my homework on AF so I could contribute to medical decisions, speak to Alternative Practitioners to get different view points, took on a new hobby I always wanted to do and last but not least invested more in the spiritual side (for me that was prayer and interaction with Nature).
In my experience, anxiety and panic can magnify all other symptoms and create its own. It's a struggle to untangle the physical effects of AF from the psychological. So far as I know, BP tablets don't work instantly so shouldn't affect you. Tablets like bisoprolol can lower the BP quickly, though, but you don't mention that (and it's the number one tablet given for AF after anticoagulant drugs, which you are on. These latter don't help the AF at all, they prevent the AF causing blood clots).
AF can temporarily lower the heart's pumping ability, and that sounds like what is happening to you. Drinking plenty and not getting up too quickly, as well as keeping the blood sugar levels up with small regular meals might help.
Passing frequent urine during any heart issue, including AF, is normal as a hormone is released that causes this. It is worsened, and maybe even caused by, anxiety.
Bad luck, though - and welcome to our little online club!
Steve
Thank you Steve for your reply.I have suffered with anxiety for most of my life and take an antidepressant. I have always managed to stay quite calm about health problems in the past and taken them in my stride. Even the diagnosis of Polymyalgia Rheumatica didn’t faze me too much. However the diagnosis of AF,coming out of the blue, really threw me. This wasn’t helped as a few weeks later I fell over in my neighbour’s front garden which was in total darkness, after collecting a parcel. I fractured my left humerus in 3 places and badly bruised the left hand side of my body. I was unable to get myself up and actually fell partially under the side of a van parked on their driveway. Thankfully I had my phone with me and managed to ring my husband to help.
I am on Bisoprol 15mg in the morning.The Cardiologist I am now seeing was a bit shocked by this and hopes as my blood pressure readings improve to reduce this. Up until to seeing him the GPS at our surgery seemed just to add an extra drug when my readings were high.I did ask to be referred to a Cardiologist on the NHS but our GP couldn’t see any point as to quote him they only prescribe the same drugs! So that’s why I went privately. I also take Lercandipine & Olmesartan in the morning for my BP and Doxazosin at night plus Edoxaban at night.
In a sense your GP is right but some drugs can only be prescribed first but a hospital specialist.
Out of interest, did the PR start after Covid as that can bring it on I’ve read since it affects the inflammatory / immune systems. A friend has it. It’s not impossible your AF is rooted in the same thing. Anything that affects the body’s finely balanced immune system can have wider effects. AF also starts often in people with high blood pressure, too, I gather.
Doxazosin is an older BP drug that I didn’t think cardiologists gave out so much these days (although lots of men take it for bladder problems caused by enlarged prostate). It can have quite a wide range of effects as well as reducing blood pressure.
I guess your BP has needed all these tablets? The dose of bisoprolol is higher than most take (usually 1.25mg to 5mg, but 10mg is what I had for a time).
Sometimes, a fresh look at things is called for when lots of tablets are being taken. Have you asked for the rationale for each to be explained to you?
Finally, again, bad luck on the anxiety. I’ve always got it to some degree and it seems to be a part of my make up causing insomnia, too. I’m not convinced SSRI antidepressants do much (I’m guessing that’s what you were given) and can cause their own occasionally difficulty issues, too.
Steve
Hi Steve What my GP was saying is that he can prescribe the same medication as a hospital consultant so there is no point in seeing one. When I saw the Cardiologist he changed two of the medications and that has made a difference to my BP readings. He hopes in time to be able to reduce the drugs I am taking. He did not prescribe the Doxazosin I had been on that for quite a few years. Before he made any changes I had a 24 hour BP monitor and then a 7 day Holter test. I actually found the SSRI I take to be really effective but I also had talking therapy which is better than just the antidepressant alone but I had to go privately for this, fortunately that was while I was working. I am now retired.
You sound as if you have everything under control or at least moving in the right direction. I presume you've had the usual echo-cardiogram, too. You were lucky the SSRI and SBT worked, but it's wonderful when it does. Success rates with anxiety are in the low 30% quite often (i.e. not that dissimilar to placebo response) and I was one of those, sadly.
Steve
Hi
What are your meds for hypertension?
Metoprolol proved a no no for me. Breathlessness, pauses at night, no energy amd fatigue.
CCB proved best @ Diltiazem 120mg AM for H/R. Lasts 12 hours only.
BB proved best low Bisoprolol 2.5mg PM for BP.
Both help with the irregularity in H/R.
We do not have your meds list.
cheri JOY. 74. (NZ)
Can I add to Teresa156's recommendation as to the importance of Vitamin D in AF issues. And the importance of assessing your current level first by requesting a blood test via your GP. A large percentage of the older UK population is unknowingly deficient in Vitamin D, and NICE recommended blood levels are sadly much lower than current research recommends.
I am now supplementing with both Vitamin D3 and K2 as a result of a blood test deficiency, and the impact on my AF has been only positive, as the research suggested it would.
I have been taking a recommended dose of Vitamin D for a few years now since a blood test showed my Vit D level was low.
Yes, a deficiency certainly invites arrhythmias. And Vitamin D decreases mortality risks in a comprehensive list of health areas. I have a link to an article I have mentioned before, but don't have it to hand at the moment. I can find it if you need. I currently take 4000iu D3 + 100mcg K2 each day, both vitamins contained in one dry capsule or tablet. I alternate at the moment.
If you read my Bio you will see how Vitamin D has been involved in my AF journey.
Good luck with yours.
I found that link to the research on Vitamin D and mortality rates ...
medscape.com/viewarticle/98...
You might need to join Medscape to read the article, but it's free, and I've had no follow-on issues after joining.
Highly recommended reading.
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