flecainide

[NLGA]

hi

I am on 50 gram flecainide twice daily

It doesn’t seem to be helping me at all with by breathing caused by my fast heart rate

Is that a low dose or is taking it 12 hours apart not correct ? I can’t get hold of my cardio doctor to ask the question

[Threecats]

Hi NLGA

I was tried on 50mg Flecainide twice a day when I first went into persistent AF. Unfortunately, it just made my arrhythmia worse and so was stopped, although I know a lot of folk have great success with it. I gather this is a low starting dose and I was told to take mine morning and evening, 12 hours apart.

Are you taking a rate control drug as well, given your fast heart rate? I was also taking Bisoprolol 1.25mg at the time and had been doing so for a year. I seemed to tolerate it well initially but over time I developed breathing problems/chest pain even when going for a gentle walk. I kept being told it couldn’t be the beta-blocker due to it being such a low dose but it turns out that it was. Have now been on Verapamil for 3 months and am much improved.

I hope you find some answers to your breathing problems. All the best, TC

[NLGA in reply to Threecats]

Hi threecats

I am on a high beta blocker dose of 10mg

Some days I feel ok but other days I am breathing heavy doing basic tasks

[Threecats in reply to NLGA]

Hi again,

That is a high dose, as you say. With the Bisoprolol, towards the end of my time with it I was finding that my lungs would just go into spasm ( the only way I can describe it) and tighten up for no obvious reason, sometimes when doing things, other times when just sitting doing nothing and that made me very breathless. I think it might be worth having a chat with your cardiologist to see whether you might be able to try a calcium channel blocker instead. I would add that it took about six weeks from starting Verapamil for my lung symptoms to finally settle.

Good luck, TC

[NLGA in reply to Threecats]

Thank you

My 6 month review is next week so I will bring all these questions up to him

Very much like you say I have no pattern with it one day I could walk 10 miles another day just going around the supermarket had me breathing heavy

[Threecats in reply to NLGA]

Good luck with the review. I hope it brings some answers for you.

[Thomas45]

I'm asthmatic, so didn't have a beta blocker. My Flecainide dose started low, 50mg x 2 a day, and over 2 years was raised to 150mg x 2 a day, which reduced AF episodes to 1 or 2 10 minute episodes per year. I was never short of breath from the Flecainide.

[NLGA in reply to Thomas45]

Thank you

[NLGA]

well I had my review

My 7 day monitor showed I was in AF most of the time 120 beats at night even

So I’m now in 200 mg flecainde

Still on 10mg Bisoprolol

So far I’m starting to sleep better at night and deep like a proper sleep that I havent enjoyed for some time

Early days yet