I'm a 64 year old man who exercises regularly, doesn't smoke, drinks little alcohol and eats healthily. I'm not overweight and, as far as I know, have no other underlying health conditions.
I have AF although the palpitations only occur sporadically. Because of evidence based medicine, my next birthday will see my GP push for me to take blood thinners. Whilst I'm fully aware there is an increased risk of stroke the older one gets with this condition, I do get a little frustrated because I think the GP will take little notice of me as a person with the lifestyle I lead and just prescribe this medication based upon evidence which is what it leads to.
It's not that I'm averse to taking medication but I'd rather not take it unnecessarily. It seems to me as though I've been put on this medication ( beta blockers ) and just been left to get on with it without any sort of annual review as to how my condition may have changed and once I reach 65 then blood thinners will become part of my daily life.
Has anybody got any advice for me about what I might be able to do going forward ? If necessary, I am willing to pay for a private opinion but am not sure whether that will help as they are less likely to know me than my GP.
I look forward to hearing from anybody with similar experiences.
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Arcalis2006
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No one is forced to take any medication, blood thinners included. It's your body and your choice. I take them because I'm prepared to take anything that reduces my chance of having a stroke, the damage that a stroke can cause could dramatically reduce my QOL and that of my family. I am fit apart from atrial flutter which until very recently was paroxsymol, I'm not overweight etc but having seen my brother in law live for 20 years with the damage done by a stroke just before his 60th birthday I'll take the tablets. fwiw he was not an obvious candidate for a stroke either. I have a friend who chooses not to take them, she'd actually had a couple of TIAs but was completely unaware of them until she had an MRI following a very short episode of double vision.
Weight, exercise, smoking and drinking contribute to your chances of getting AF. But if you already have it then I think that's all mostly out the window. (I suppose they might still factor into how often you get it; dunno.)
I'm a bit younger, exercise regularly, eat well and am a non-smoker and more-or-less non-drinker -- all of which should have given me a good chance of a healthy heart. But my genetics are crap and I now have an artificial aortic valve. So I'm on warfarin. I guess it is what it is.
I’m 63 and was diagnosed with afib at 60 . As a regular gym goer runner and keen sportsman my heart rate before any episode was low ranging from 45 to 55 resting heart rate and dropping lower during sleep. Beta blockers were therefore not appropriate and I was given flecanide to take whenever I had an episode. A catheter ablation was recommended which I had just under two years ago and I’ve not had an episode since as my heart is working fine and back to full sports. Suggest you look at ablation
I had af last July and was put on blood thinners- edoxaban,as the statistics show it helps as with episodes of af,your heart doesn't pump the blood efficiently enough so clots can form and go to brain,it hasn't affected me,you have to carry a card as you obviously bleed easier,I wasn't on any medication at all until last year!!!I'm now 67
Hi. I was 48 when I got diagnosed with AF. Fit as a fiddle. It has been hard to get my head around having to take medication for life. However we must remember it is all preventative in its nature because every flutter is more electrical activity in the heart and one step closer to a potential heart attack.
However, I agree…. You take medication by choice when you want to. But having an informed opinion helps. I don’t see my gp for anything related to my AF as with the greatest of respect they aren’t specialists in this. I see my NHS consultant but pay for a private consultation interim if I need to, to get advice. I know that I shouldn’t have to ….. and I am not rich….. but if it prevents an attack then it is worth every penny. Hope that helps.
Strokes don't differentiate regarding age and as an afib sufferer I know never to miss my blood thinners They are another insurance to keeping well and alive
Sorry if this seems a silly reply but are you sure the doctor is talking about anticoagulants and not statins. I haven't heard that anticoagulants were age related particularly.
Life …. It’s like driving a car. You can drive recklessly, too fast, over rough roads, drive over broken glass
Or
You can drive sensibly, obey speed limits, drive courteously with full consideration for yourself and others
Either way you can still get a puncture. I was a professional martial arts instructor and qualified personal trainer for 14 years. My ‘puncture’ came after I fell over on a poorly maintained car park I hit my chest so hard on the ground my AF ‘journey’ started, I’ve heard of others with similar AF ‘activations’
Blood thinners are something akin to a puncture repair kit that will help you to continue your journey without getting a full flat tyre there’s no get out of treatment for good behaviour card in the Game of Life
I like your analogy. It is important to know that many “Sudden, unexpected strokes out of the blue” are caused by undiagnosed AFib clots, just as many MIs are caused by undiagnosed Coronary Artery blockages.
Just had my follow up and discharge after an ablation. Consultants opinion was that " you have to be on something as a precaution so this is the best option" Blood thinner, statin and minimal blood pressure meds. No more beta blockers but I've taken the others for over 12 years with no noticeable side effects. I also have 6 monthly checks by my GP who won't renew my prescription if I don't go! May be worth asking them some more questions.
You are currently fit and healthy - which is great. If you have a stroke that will all change. Not worth the risk when anti coagulants should (no absolute guarantee) prevent any blood clots. I was 63 when I had massive PE out of nowhere - nearly killed me. I had no idea I had Afib. I'm happily on anticoagulants for life. 68 now and still above ground - bonus.
nothing in life is risk free. Whether it’s by choosing to do something or not do it. But don’t think that all us on here aren’t/wernt fit and healthy. The only thing that kept me alive when I had my stemi ( both mentally and physically intact as the consultant said), was the fact I was so fit with no risk factors other than recovering from covid. The HA left me with arrhythmias and having to take loads of meds including riveroxaban. I’m still fit and exercising, I have acupuncture with no adverse effects from blood thinner. It’s your choice to balance out the risks. Good luck
Like PadThaiNoodles said above, a healthy lifestyle is no guarantee of not getting atrial fibrillation. And if you've got atrial fibrillation then your five times more likely to get a stroke than those without the condition. You could enquire about cardioversion or ablation, but in the meantime I absolutely would take the medication. I have atrial fibrillation and take edoxaban without any problems.
I have not read the response of others to your post, but my own is: no-body can make you take medication you don't want, unless they "section" you
if a doctor wants you to "comply" with a treatment they prescribe I feel they have a responsibility to explain the benefits and downsides in a way you can understand - sadly current pressures make this practically impossible
you are a really important member of your own health care team, it's your body and health - you clearly already take an great interest in this so carry on - check current research on treatment of a fib, risks etc so that you can make your own decision about whatever treatment you might be offered - you will also be in a better position to ask relevant questions and get the best outcome for yourself
it's time we became part of the team instead of subjects to be treated✊
I would say that however fit you are, AF is known to put you at greater risk of a stroke. Personally I’m happy to take the anticoagulants to guard against that. There’s no downside in my view as I’ve had no worrying side effects
I too have paroxsymal AF like you. My last episode was just over month go and lasted 22 hours. I have been out on apixaban 5mg twice a day to reduce the risk of a stroke. Apart from bruises taking longer to heal I have no side effects. You should carry an alert with you at all times. `There was a card in the tablets I got from the hospital, they were branded. When my GP prescribed a repeat prescription the pharmacy supplied an unbranded generic version, no card included. You need to tell anyone taking blood, or giving an injection that you may bleed. For me, having a blood sample taken resulted in minor bleeding, vaccinations though did not. I suggest you take them as a precaution, but as ever, your body, the choice is yours.
Look understand your view and you’re absolutely right regarding reviews of your medication however you’re healthy life style has nothing to do with the fact that you have AF and it’s my view that if you do you should have the choice of anticoagulation - some people are given this choice - Apixaban is the one medication I won’t be without - I don’t have any problems with this (unlike beta blockers) and I know it’s helping to mitigate the increased risk of stroke and my AF has stopped at this point since ablation in Dec 23
I got AFIB at ten years your junior at arguably the fittest time of my life after a year of long bike rides and healthy eating.
The ‘Chads2’ stroke risk test done by the NHS ( and private I’m sure) if you have AFIB gives you a point or more for several risk factors.
It goes up to 9, so when I was told I was only a 1/9 (due to hypertension), I was surprised when they recommended anticoagulants.
As a man (a woman gets a point just for being a woman!) you only need a 1 to be deemed high enough risk.
So I’m in my early fifties and on the anticoagulants. It’s no big deal carrying the card and trying a bit harder not to fall off my bike for fear of bleeding everywhere, as I can’t think of anything worse than a stroke. (I’ve broken my neck before so I set a high bar).
If you’ve got AFIB, and you’re 65 or over, it’s a point scored, hence GP’s advice. I have just had a DC cardioversion. Even though my heart is functioning normally now, I’m staying on the anticoagulants for life, as my AFIB symptoms were never that bad, and if I relapse, and don’t realise, I won’t get a warning about a clot going to my brain causing a stroke.
personally I have never gone in to afib when exercising. I don't exercise when in afib because I am focused on trying to get back to normal rythym. The slower the rate the sooner I seem to get back. Just finished a40 hour episode which is always exhausting. It converted just now while reading about peoples experience on this forum. It often works that way for me,,, I take sotalol as a tablet to get out of afib. It seems very slow but after 10-15 years I guess it works. Sleep apnea was the initial culprit I think but Cpap had helped a lot. My brother and mother were in a nursing home from afib related strokes so I see the need for anti coagulant. I think hereditary factors make people more open to afib? We are lucky to have these new noacs I think. Warfarin was a pain for my mum with the monthly testing. Good luck with everything.
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