After unsuccessful Cardioversion to convert back into NSR was diagnosed with permanent afib taken off of Multaq. Lopressor increased from 25 to 100 am and 50 pm. Also on Eliquis.
Vision is blurred and very unsteady gait. Hr around 100-115 (was 60 when in NSR)
Can I cut back on Lopressor and see if symptoms go away or will it make my HR race up again.
Would appreciate any help.. Feeling miserable since back in Afib.
Metroprolol is a beta blocker to slow down your heart to a safe level but it sounds like it is not working to full effect. We must not advise on drug regimes and you must speak to your prescribing doctor for advice. There are other beta blocker drugs which can be used as well as a different family of drugs for similar results so you are not at the end of the line yet.
Good advice. Thank you very much.
From my own experience, you are describing the side effects of Metoprolol (Lopressor). I would recommend talking to your EP (or find a good EP), typically cardiologists are not the best for working with the electrical problem in your heart (at least in the US). I have the same issues with Metoprolol. But if it is working to keep your heart rate below 90 and your BP range is good, it might take a few weeks to get used to the change. From an online acquaintance, there is also a genetic test that would tell if Metoprolol is a good fit for you and what other medications might work better. I haven't done this, but the people that did have had good results. I would also ask about Diltiazem as a replacement for the Metoprolol, I eventually changed, and it was like night and day for me. Don't be afraid to get second opinions from other doctors. It took me a long time, but I finally got the care I needed and while not perfect I am at least back to 80-90% range. I was in persistent AFIB for many years and am finally able to enjoy NSR now. Remember, you are your best advocate in YOUR health care. There is a lot of good information here and other places, take the time to learn as much as you can. So you can the best decisions for you.
what did you do to get back into nsr
I had an ablation last Sept, then had a cardioversion a week or so later, and I have been in NSR since then. My cardiologist was satisfied when she saw my heart rate at 87 once and said she didn't want to do anymore. She then referred me to a EP, which I am still working with now. I haven't had an AFIB episode in a couple of months, but I am getting runs of PACs every couple of weeks, anywhere from an hour to about 5 days. In the past few weeks, these "seem" to be tapering down. Hopefully it is just taking longer to heal.
I had a lot of success with cardioversion keeping me in SR for as long as two years and was also on Multaq at the same time. My last cardioversion was in October and only lasted two weeks. At that point they scheduled me to see a Electrophysiologist who said I had persistent chronic afib that was only going to get worse. He did not feel I would be a good candidate for ablation and felt I would have low success. I am 84 but until afib have been in good health. My cardiologist took me off Multaq and am now only on the Lopressor and the Eliquis. The Cardiologist who is very hard to get in to see said the Electrophysiologist was the best available and seemed to defer to him although a year ago he told me if I stayed in SR could get off meds???
I'm 58 and in reasonable good health, but overweight, little high on cholesterol and high blood pressure. I was in persistent AFIB for about 4 years not medicated, my HR was 130 bpm+. My GP and cardiologist got me to 87-115 bpm, depending on the day. My cardiologist told my EP that I was stable under 90 and when I went to his office for the first visit my bpm was 114 and had been like that for almost a week. Medications at the time were 6.25 of carvedilol x2, 120 mg CD of diltiazem x1, and 5mg Eliquis x2. At the first appointment, we scheduled my ablation. Medications weren't working for me, and continuing down that path did not seem like a good idea. He gave me a 50% chance the ablation would be successful. For me, the risk was worth it, I took the chance knowing that the worst case was I would still be on medication. My QOL of life was nonexistent at that point. I had the ablation Sept 6, 2023, Sept 9 I was back in AFIB. We changed my medications to 3.125 of carvedilol x2, 240 diltiazem x1, multaq 400 x2, and Eliquis 5 mg x2. I had a cardioversion a few weeks later (my choice to wait) and have mostly been in NSR since. I still have PACs, but after ramping up they seem to slowing down now.
By most people definition, this was not successful. But my QOL is almost back to normal now. Yes, I still take medication, but it is working for me now. While your EP may not be technically wrong, YOU have to make the choice on how to proceed. I chose to go the route of the ablation after a lot of hard thinking on it. I am not making a recommendation either way, just relaying my story to let you know you are not alone. There are a lot of us that have had to make these choices. I still consider mine completely worth it and would do it again if I needed to. Take some time and talk it over with your medical team and found out why exactly they think you are not a good candidate. They may be looking at something you are not seeing. I wish you the best in this endeavour.
Thank you
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