Most Recent Messages in Conditions, Meds & Tests

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Atenolol

I had my ablation on the 5th and i have been on medication to keep my heartrate down for years. My doctor told me to try and stop taking my medication and i did yesterday but it did not go so well. I got a bad headache and heart felt so forceful and i was really dizzy so by the end of the day i ended up taking it againcuz i just did not feel right.
Has anyone just stopped taking atenolol one day?
If so how did it make you feel?
Im wondering if i should o...

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A Flutter

I had a PM inplanted in August for Vaso Vagal Syncope.
Then in December I fall into AFIB for 16hours.
I converted on Flecainide.

The Doc sends me home taking 50mg twice a day.
After two weeks I started having Palps, frequent Palps!

I go into the Cardio's office today and does EKG which revealed A Flutter. What is that?

He tells me to increase Flecainide to 100mg twice daily.

I asked him where am I headed with this problem and said you'l...

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More on drug side effects

Something to think about when the docs just keep piling on meds. Of course killing the patient does reduce cost, pain, and other symptoms.

"Adverse Drug Effects, side effects and interactions, account for over 200,000 deaths each year in America alone, according to The Alliance for Aging Research's report to Congress in April 2001. These are from legally prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. Of these, 150,000 deaths are deemed to be preventable."

frank

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Drug side effects and interactions

I've been attending the big Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas and ran across an interesting free site that lets you specify the meds you are taking and then give a list of interactions and side effects. They are rated by frequency of occurrence and severity. I talked with one of the sites developers and they seem very competent. Try:

http://www.pharmasurveyor.com/

Keep in mind that the data is the "official" information supplied by the drug companies so there can be other...

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MRI Questions

I have read some of the posts on here, but I am still not clear on what is and is not okay when it comes to having and MRI when you have a pacemaker.
I have had a pacemaker for 22 years. I have never had to have an MRI done, but now because of other medical complications the doctors are saying this may be necessary.
I do have an underlying rhythm (30 - 34 bpm), but I have 2 old leads that are still implanted. Will the leads cause burns? Is it safe for me to have this proceedure or s...

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Palpitations Need Help!

Ok this is the problem.

As many of you know I received my PM in August 08 for vaso vagal syncope. I passed out at home went to the ER and had a 5 second pause during a tilt test.

All has been OK until December 21 when I went into AFib for 16 hours before I converted on the drug Flecainide. Well my EP, who was on call at the local hospital, treated me. He sent me home and told me to take 50mg of Flecainide twice a day and follow up in his office in 30 days. Well I have follo...

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Palpitations Need Help!

Ok this is the problem.

As many of you know I received my PM in August 08 for vaso vagal syncope. I passed out at home went to the ER and had a 5 second pause during a tilt test.

All has been OK until December 21 when I went into AFib for 16 hours before I converted on the drug Flecainide. Well my EP, who was on call at the local hospital, treated me. He sent me home and told me to take 50mg of Flecainide twice a day and follow up in his office in 30 days. Well I have follo...

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3rd Degree Heart Block

I am really glad to have found this forum. I am really struggling with coming to terms with the Pacemaker. I have a 2 Lead Pacemaker. I got really sick in 2007 with palpitations and my heart beating 200 beats per min, I actually suffered black outs. I went trough tests and holters. After months of non diagnosis. I developed Heart Failure, and was admitted into the Cardiac Intensive Unit, I was severly tired. I was on oxygen and monitors. After being there for three weeks , I passed out and the n...

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inr droped

hi everyone ill start with wishing everyone a happy new year well husband had a inr blood test on the 5 th jan his inr was 3.1 before this test and now its droped to 1.7 so they have increased the dosage ,ami right in thinking this mens that his blood is to thick and clotting quicker ? i alway get mixed up with this topic the lower the inr the thicker the blod the higher inr the thinner can somone please tell me am i correct thank you xxx

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Dronedarone

Can anyone tell me if they have yet had any experience with Dronedarone. I have a long complicated history and have failed with many medications. I was on Tykosin at one point and had great success but it enhanced my arrhythmias after a short spell leading to Torsades de Pointes. My status is deteriorating and at one point the physician was recommending this medication if it comes available here in the US. I have read up on it but just wondering if anyone has yet used it with success,.

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Nebivolol

Nebivolol (Bystolic) is a new beta blocker which was approved for use in the US about a year ago. One of its main benefits, compared to other beta blockers, is that you don't experience fatigue so much. Does anyone on the forum have any experience with Nebivolol? I am currently taking Atenolol. Thanks.

Cal

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Long story short...

Hello all-
Well to start, i'll give you a short background. For about 8 years I have been having cardiac chest pain and abnormal rhythms (SVT, occ brady, a fib once). At that time, I had a huge workup with multiple tests including an angiogram-which was negative. As the years passed, the rhythm problems got worse. I had 2 ablations, both of which eventually failed. Then earlier this year in May I was having more side effects from the meds I was on, so we tried a SA node modification. Prior...

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Lovaza:Something Fishy

Anyone taking Lovaza? The doc gave me a sample of it since I chose not to take statins.

I did some research (surprise!) on the internet and found that it is nothing but very expensive prescription fish oil. The price is about $1.00/capsule and they prescribe 4 a day. So 4x365 days/yr is $1460/yr FOR FISH OIL!

I also found a forum for pharma reps to share thoughts and found that Reliant had custom made the capsules for a research project where they needed documented dosage....

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Tachycardia

Does anyone have tachycardia so back that everytime they stand or move around their heartrate goes up instantly and the moment you sit down it drops back down. The doctor now wants me to take 100mg atenolol and 100mg toprol xl until i have my ablation jan 5th but before adding the atenolol taking a shower would bring my heartrate to 150 bpm. Has anyone else had a crazy heartrate like mine?

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Dental Work

I had a PM implanted about a month ago and I'm wondering if there is a waiting period for dental work.
cd

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Does anyone else not feel the flutter/fib?

I don't have a PM yet (I have to call the doctor to schedule the procedure), but have had attrial fib and/or flutter for at least two years. I am a relatively active person and know that my heart sometimes goes crazy while working out because I see it in my heart rate monitor (prior to being diagnosed I attributed the fluctuations in the monitor to "interference"). I have to admit that I do not feel, at all, when my heart rate goes from 70 to 150 and back. I do not feel when my heart rate dro...

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A Fib and Flecainide

Well guys I am 4 months post PM implant and had my first
A Fib episode this weekend. It sucked! Lucky for me my EP was on call and at the hospital when I arrived.

I was up and down between 140 and 80 beats per min. Scary stuff.

I got the PM for Vasovagal Syncope and now this crap comes along. They gave me Flecainide and I converted back into sinus rythm.

The EP sent me home with Flecainide 50 mg every 12 hours. Has anyone taken this drug and is it effecti...

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FactSheet

Hi everyone, I'm Kay from Bangkok Thailand, as you know the land of smile in the past... I had PM last year I found that I'm alive untill now.. It's compatible of me. But now I have some question. Hope you guy to answer me..On my ID I found the terms of warranty it showed that 5 years warranty and found a liitle typo in the parentheses that (terms as per warranty fact sheet) but untill now I can not see the fact sheet. Did you have one? Anyway, last month I called to Metronic in Thailand the ans...

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AV node ablation - piece of cake

Considering all the heart caths and ablations I've been through, I have to say that the AV node ablation was the easiest procedure I've ever had (once I got past the psychological part of being dependent on the pacemaker). I even went out for pizza and a beer, just 4 hours after I was out of bed - the beer was strictly medicinal, since I have to increase the amount of blood thinner in my body ;-)

My healing seems to be quicker than with the other ablations, I guess because the proced...

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AV Node Ablation Tomorrow

Hi friends. Just wanted to let you know that my AV node ablation is tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous, but feel good about my decision to have this done. After 5 ablations and every anti-arrhythmia medicine known to man, I think I've exhausted all my other options. It's scary to think about being 100% dependent on the pacemaker, but I'm sure I'll get used to the idea. The a-fib has taken over my life the past several months and I'm ready to take it back! Wish me luck!

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