Stop giddiness side effect of Sotalol

[brbrown]

Has anyone found a way of reducing or stopping the Giddiness side effect of taking Sotalol?

[AfibSufferer]

Yes - try swapping to Flecainide.

[brbrown in reply to AfibSufferer]

Thanks. I will have a word with my doctor about a change.

[powellrdbill]

Dear BRBrown. I have been on Sotalol like forever. I have never had any adverse reaction to the medication. My brother is on Flecainide and he does not like the side effect of that medication. So be cautions. I have no idea what Giddiness means but if unless it is proven to be caused by Sotalol and it is not altering your life in some way then you might want to consider sticking with it at least for a while. There are side effects of most medications and Sotalol is about as benign as you can get. Good luck and I am going to look up Giddiness. Bill

[AfibSufferer]

Sotalol is not benign, but nor is Flecainide. I was on Sotalol for a while and hated the side effects, but Flecainide worked well for me for 5 years. Everyone is different but if you scan the forum you'll find quite a few members are on Flecainide long term. The latest NICE decision chart seems to exclude Sotalol use but I'm not sure why. nice.org.uk/guidance/ng196/...

[EW518]

I have been on Sotlol since 2020 and have absolutely no idea what you refer to as "giddiness" but different people have different "effects" and your's sounds odd. You should consult your EP, Cardio Team or quite possibly your pharmacist who may actually provide better drug related information than either the EP or Cardio team.

[Gwennie15]

Hi firstly sorry you are going through any side effects. I have been on sotalol now 2 weeks luckily with no side-effects. I think different people have different reactions when I was on one medication when I went into persistent atrial fibrillation the breathlessness was awful, but I worked with my cardiologist until we found one that worked better until I had the cardio version I’m now in sotalol maybe give it another couple of weeks if you can if not phone your consultant secretary and tell them what is happening.

[brbrown]

Thank you everyone for your comments. As it happens I shall be having a cardiogram procedure shortly and maybe this will suggest suitable changes of medication or instructions.