My hubby bought me a smart watch for Christmas and it showed up irregular heartbeat...I went to the heart specialist who put me on a 3 week Holter monitor. Which in turn showed up atrial fibrillation,
I am so anxious about all this, and scared. I am on 2 meds Metoprolol ( beta blocker )and Eliquis... ( anti coagulant ) The Dr. told me I can never have a drink again....I am just a social drinker....Have you been told that? Also how long did it take for your beta blocker to start working?
This has all came a a shock to me...and I am worried what's coming next.
Any advice or reassurance would be really welcome.
Thanks in advance.
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Nannyamerica
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Hi I don’t know much about your condition nannyamerica but I know about anxiety and the fear it can cause especialy when you get bad news . Try to stay calm and talk to people about your fears it’ll help keep your anxiety down . I was told not to drink alcohol by the doctors as well after I’d a massive heart attack . I’ve had a few drinks now and again but it definetly doesint mix well with the medication and I don’t think I’ll ever drink alcohol again while on medication . Alcohol definetly made my anxiety much worse tbh
Hi, welcome to the forum, you are not alone in feeling very anxious. I also have Afib and I’m on a betablocker and anticoagulant, albeit different ones to you, and my consultant told me that the occasional drink is fine if it doesn’t trigger an episode. I’ve got paroxysmal Afib which means I get occasional episodes of irregular heartbeat. Actually I haven’t had more than a sip since last summer but he didn’t say I could never drink again. The beta blockers can make you feel light headed so alcohol could make that worse. They do take a while to get used to. In my case they have reduced the frequency of my episodes but not stopped them altogether. Hope you feel better soon. And what a great gift your husband gave you, sounds like you wouldn’t have known about your condition otherwise and you’d be at increased risk of stroke without the anticoagulant. Good luck.
You worries are the big issue not the pills or alcohol, in so much that the pills will stop you from a bigger problem, the alcohol will (as was already said) make any giddiness worse and not be a good-bed-fellow.I’m in the same situation and the biggest change is your mental acceptance that ones lifestyle needs a re-boot. Although your previous lifestyle might not have caused your Afib your future lifestyle could improve it.
Keep asking questions and reassure yourself that there are many ways you can calm and look after yourself with the guidance of your cardiologist or clinicians.
My cardiologist advised ME to get a smart watch for Christmas so I could tell when I get afib which he predicted I would get at some stage as he could tell from my 48 hr ecg. I have virtually stopped drinking which is easy during lockdown as not socialising. It definitely is a trigger for my arrhythmia and is cardiotoxic. I’ve been on beta blockers for a few years- no obvious side effects, and recently been put on a bp med- again no obvious side effects. My advice is to read about afib (York cardiology on YouTube very good) and you will feel reassured that it will not kill you. It’s usually manageable. I’m sure the occasional small drink will be ok but that’s a personal choice. I do t want to be teetotal. I wish you well.
Don't get too stressed, it will only make things worse as it pushes up the adrenaline. You are in a big club with millions of members worldwide living with AF and most comfortably coping with it.
There are many ways of treating AF and you will be embarking on a journey of discovery.
First off you need to assess how AF affects you personally, for me for instance it robs me of energy, but not everyone has this problem, many people live with it and don't really notice it.
I was told to avoid caffeine but nothing was said about alcohol, and I enjoy a glass of beer or wine and the occasional spirit with no problem.
You must find your triggers, cold and flu meds containing phenylephrine hydrochloride (Lemsip etc) and liquorice are two of mine, and good old stress gets most of us going.
Mine is kept in check with Flecainide, it's just one of several medical options, but the biggest risk is stroke, and the anticoagulant will mostly prevent this, but you'll be taking them for the foreseeable future.
Good luck and don't worry, it's a well understood and treatable condition.
In reply to your other question, in my experience beta blockers start working within hours.
I take a tiny beta blocker to prevent episodes of tachycardia (fast heart beat) caused by damage to the cardiac electrical system from my heart attack 8 years ago. The problem with them is that they slow your heart and can make you feel low in energy, part of your therapy should be to find the minimum dosage that will sort your problem, no point in feeling knackered for no good reason...good luck.
Lots of meds including asprin riveroxaban beta blockers .
I’m
Ok tho 🤞😊don’t knowihave AF really ???
I have been told I can have a drink but to be honest I don’t really fancy one . Its a good thing really as prior to HA drinking far too much . If I want a glass socially with my family I do but it’s strange I don’t really enjoy it .
Hope you get on ok I can remember the anxiety part very well and sometimes still
Hi nannyamerica. I've had PAF for about 15 years and I've had three ablations. I discovered myself that a trigger was alcohol, wine in particular, so come March this year I will have been tee-total for 2 years. The consultants never told me not to have a drink! I have bought electrodes for my smart phone which you put your fingers on and it records an ECG which you can print out and present to your doctor, as with paroxysmal AF, by the time you see a doctor, it has righted itself. Stress has brought it on as well. The episodes are better than they were when I started getting AF but they make me feel unwell. Keep calm and I hope your meds do the trick.
Hello again, I’m on bisoprolol and it took about three weeks to get over the space out, lightheaded feeling. I am only on a very small dose but can’t go higher because I have a very low heart rate already and fairly low blood pressure. The best advice is, persevere with the medication you’ve been give for two to three weeks, and you may see an improvement. If not, go back to your consultant. It’s early days, and don’t get too anxious because once you are on meds Afib by itself is not life threatening. Anxiety and stress just make things worse. Try to get some exercise every day, get plenty of sleep if you can and drink lots of water. Those three things are very important. I have also found chocolate to be a trigger, as well as caffeine, but not everyone is the same, it’s trial and error with foodstuffs.
Thank you so much this really helps....I have got to call the Dr's Office again tomorrow because my BP. is going really low at times...this in itself is making me very anxious.
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