Feeling depressed, after a couple of weeks on 2x 100mg Flecainide and in NSR (albeit in bradycardia), Boom! Back came afib at 5am. Very likely from stress and lack of sleep. Had a horribly unhelpful call with CAMHS yesterday - no help other than trying to push SSRI onto my daughter (who refuses these meds). Then up 2 hours in the night trying to calm daughters’s panic attack. Took 2.5 Bisoprolol instead of 1.25mg, and hoping the morning Flecainide tablet will kick in.
Still new to this so on a steep learning curve to manage AFib, just fearing it will be persistent again now. Have no advice from doctors if I take more Flecainide or just wait and see.
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Purplekatt
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Thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear that you have been feeling depressed. Managing AF alongside stress and personal matters can be overwhelming so it is important to be kind to yourself. Many people find that undergoing techniques such as mindfulness and yoga can aid with the management of AF episodes and also have a positive effect on stressful events.
It can also take time to adjust to a new condition so it is important to listen to your body and to allow yourself time to adapt.
We have a dedicated Patient Services Team who are here to offer support, advice and information via Patient Helpline or via email, please visit: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...
We are always here if you need us.
We also have many resources about AF and management which can be found here: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa... I do hope you are able to explore them and that you find them helpful.
Sorry what happened. Does your doctor know that you're in bradycardia when in normal rhythm? Probably best to discuss it before upping your dose of bisoprolol. You may actually need a lower dose or another med such as Diltiazem which serves the same function, but may not lower your heart rate as much.
Feeling low when treatments fail to give desired outcome is normal, coping with your daughter will be stressful especially as the best thing for someone experiencing a panic attack is for the helpful to remain super calm but when it’s your child, much easier said than done.
It is so sad that mental health services can only treat the very worst suffering and that if mental health strategies were in place in all schools, maybe there wouldn’t be so many in dire need, prevention always better than treatment.
I wouldn’t worry too much about accidentally taking a double dose of Bisoprolol as it may well have helped to calm your nervous system as it is also prescribed for anxiety.
Mitigating lack of good sleep and stress is not an overnight job (sorry no pun intended!).
Taking action is very individual, all I can say from personal experiences is it is v relevant to triggering AF for many. Best I can offer is get into the habit of identifying day to day stress busting opportunities however small and take advantage.
Bad luck on the SSRI front. I was once given these, very many years back for poor sleep and anxiety, when we had a series of deaths and illness in close family and friends. Not only did they fail to work, but led to many truly awful and long-lasting side effects, including exacerbating my insomnia terribly. I tried them twice but wouldn't go near them again. I do hope your daughter finds a way over this. So called "talking therapy", although not especially effective, I'd say, is still the better way.
Thanks all for taking time to support. Update is that after 16 hours I am back in normal rhythm- but again in bradycardia, seems to be no middle ground for me (so reduced bisop to 1.25mg this morning). But happy with the Flecainide working(ish).
With the usual caveat that I have no medical qualifications, only my own experience with AF and the drugs --
I also go into bradycardia if I take too high a dose of beta blockers. I can't do bisoprolol at all (it reduces me to a zombie; can't get out of bed; bradycardia). I take the minimum dose of metoprolol (12.5mg) unless I'm in fast AF, and then take 25mg but only until my heart rate comes down. I was still having occasional bradycardia, but cutting back on flecainide (50mg in the morning, 100mg at night since I am in a phase of mostly overnight episodes now) seems to have helped as well. No bradycardia for a month.
I started on daily meds 18 months ago and I'm still learning. I forgot to say, are you in touch with the cardiac rhythm management nurses at your hospital? I have found it much easier to get through to them than to a cardiologist, and they are very helpful.
Thanks, not at the hospital as I have so far been seen privately (but I have asked this EP to put me on his NHS list), but our GP has a great practice nurse who prescribes so she has been a great help with advice regarding medication, and she responds quickly.
Does your afib always come in the early morning hours? Or notice any patterns as to onset? Do you have "risk factors" such as high BP or diabetes? I have experience with flecainide and bradycardia induced afib and will lend my notes to you if applicable.
I was diagnosed end of last november and went persistent pretty much directly after, have just had 5 days NSR post a electrical cardioversion (bradychardia), and then 2 weeks on Flecainide (which EP prescribed in anticipation it would help hold me in NSR post another cardioversion- But second dose converted me, the afib stint is now over (16 hours), very likely stress triggered. I have no comorbides, low BP, no diabetes, no obesity, no thyroid issues, normal cholesterol. again in bradycardia took 1.25 bisoprolol this morning (10mg did not work without digoxin when in Afib without the Flec).
You may not be ready for it, however my answer to constant bradycardia and then high heart rate while in afib or aflutter was finally a pacemaker which helped enormously. It also meant no fears about taking too much beta blocker, as the pacemaker is set to not allow heart to go too low. Also made my doctors relax a bit.😉
Good that your heart flipped back to nsr. It remembers.
If your afib is easily noticed by you, then I would guess your experience last nov was.ypyr 1st? Or it was accidentally discovered by the docs?
If you are very sensitive as to when you are in afib or snr, you may use that to your advantage with your medical care protocol. For me, since i know the instant afib starts, i have discovered a pattern that led to better management.
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