Ectopics and flecainide

[DebbiB28]

Evening everyone. I have posted here recently concerning flecainide and received some very helpful information. Since being recommended this drug for my ectopic beats (which I have tried to 'live with') by an EP, my consultant has since suggested I try it as a pill in the pocket.

The recommended dosage is 50mg one a day. This does seem a low dose compared to others.

What I'd like to know is:

Does anyone use this as a PIP and how it works for them - effective and actually works!?

Does this seem like a low dose and therefore may give fewer side effects?

If only used as a PIP does this mean that the recommended ecg on uptake and 5 days later is not necessary?

Hope the above isn't confusing. I feel I've wasted enough of my life being affected by this horrible sensation etc., and would love to hear from others with similar experiences. BTW they believe my problem is down to congenital heart defects and possibly scarring from OHS.

[Captain_Birdseye]

My understanding of pill in the pocket (PIP) is that the patient essentially self medicates by taking a recommended dose when they feel the onset if symptoms (bear in mind that it can take about 4 hours for these to fully take effect). This is to allow the patient to be treated at home without the need to present to A&E - a bit similar to an angina patient using their GTN spray.

If this is the case, then I can't see where the opportunity to have an ECG would present itself, nevermind a follow up. You should probably clarify what your cardiologist expects of you while using this approach... if they are satisfied that taking a dose to control symptoms is enough for you then that's great!

In terms of the side effects, it's a very individual thing. Some people tolerate medications better than others, the dose itself isn't the main issue - it's our bodies. For example, I'm very sensitive to caffeine... a cup of tea would be enough to make me quite jittery, but I've friends who can have big mugs of coffee and it has no noticeable effects on their heart rate. For flecainide, 50mg I think is one of the lower doses, so it's a good way to see how your body reacts - I don't take this myself but I believe it's usually well tolerated.

[DebbiB28 in reply to Captain_Birdseye]

Thank you for your helpful response.

[Kubus]

Hello Debbie,

I have tried Flecainide for attacks of atrial fibrillation which were not controlled well by beta blockers. I had a very fast heart rate already and using them as a PIP made things worse so I quickly gave them up. But I have heard that they work for some people well.

Unfortunately, I had to have 2 cardiac ablations to get rid of the atrial fibrillation. However, that has left me with ventricular ectopic beats which can be very tiring and unpleasant, although benign, unlike the atrial fibrillation.

Good luck and you can ways stop them if they don't work for you but do speak to a Dr or your nurse specialist first.

Regards

Kubus

[DebbiB28 in reply to Kubus]

Thank you - all experiences help! I agree that with most drugs there are positives and negatives. It does help hearing from other people though. Ectopics are really horrible in my opinion and do affect quality of life. I hope you find help.