Atrial Fibrillation Attacks

Hello All - do any of you know any tricks to halt an atrial fibrillation attack, please? They frighten me so. I've a dual lead ELA pacemaker and take 50mgs of Flecainide twice daily, as well as 2.5mgs of Bisoprolol daily, and have done so since my PM was implanted in April last year. To date the A.Fib's been well-controlled. However, this last week I've suffered several episodes of longer duration. I hate the idea of taking heavier doses of medication.

2 Comments

I bet you've tried it all...

by Swedeheart - 2008-03-31 08:03:45

Hello,

I searched to see if there were things you could do other than just the meds and what the doctor prescribes... I found some information on the Mayo clinic website and I bet you've already tried these, but:

Self-care
There are some things you can do to try and prevent recurrent spells of atrial fibrillation. You may need to reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine and alcohol, which can overstimulate the heart and trigger an episode of atrial fibrillation. It's also important to be careful when taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Some, such as cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, contain stimulants that can trigger atrial fibrillation. Also, some OTC medications adversely interact with anti-arrhythmic medications.

You may need to make lifestyle changes that improve the overall health of your heart, especially to prevent or treat conditions such as high blood pressure. Your doctor may advise that you:

Eat heart-healthy foods
Reduce your salt intake, which can help lower blood pressure
Increase your physical activity
Quit smoking
Avoid alcohol

One thing that helps me when I go see my doctors, is I keep a daily log of blood pressure (2 or 3 times a day) activity level, any really different foods or over the counter meds... and if I have problems it can help sort out what might be causing them. I have some nasty allergies, mostly to medications, so I watch stuff fairly closely. If nothing else, it helps me feel like I am being proactive and actually doing something to improve my life.

Good luck!

Swedeheart

A Fib

by Nuka - 2008-04-01 03:04:58

Hi Wannabe

My heart goes out to you with the A Fib. I have had this problem for many years. Some of my episodes of A Fib hast 10 to 12 hours and I agree they can be frightening.

For many years I took 900 mg Rythmol daily along with 0.25 Digoxin and although until 2 years ago it controlled the A Fib faily well, I felt like a zombee. When I began to have too many break-throughs the doctor withdrew both medications and replaced them with Flecainide. I am currently taking 100 mg. am and pm (12 hours apart) and 50 mg in the 6 hours inbetween. While I have had a couple of long episodes of A Fib with this drug and a few lasting ten minutes or less, I feel great with this medication. I no longer feel laggy nor do I have memory problems anymore. I don't think any medication stops A Fib entirely but my doctor has prescribed Warfarin as a protection from clots during these episodes.

This is what my doc tells me to do when my heart goes into A Fib....

1/ Take a 50 mg booster of Flecainide. (if it is going to help it will do so within an hour) Never do this without asking your doctor.

2/ Hold my breath for a 10 - 15 seconds. (not long enough to make yourself pass out)

3/ Place your finger on the cerotid artery (in your neck) for a minute. ( I don't like the idea of this one so I don't do it)

4/ Meditate.

5/ Cough hard a few times. Breathe normally and repeat.

Now please don't do any of these without your doctor's advise but at least you could ask about it.

I do number 1, and 4. I will try number 5 next time as I was just recently advised of this one.

I bought a great meditation cd which teaches relaxation and I swear by it. While it doesn't correct the A Fib it does wonders at helping you get through it without all the anxiety. As soon as I feel the A Fib begin I put on my favorite quiet music, lie down and meditate. I am finding it works so well for me that I can get past most of the anxiety and often fall asleep.

Some of the food restrictions are:

Coffee / Tea / Chocolate / Sugar / Soft Drinks / Preservatives.

If you watch yourself carefully and make a note of everything you have consumed as well as your activies before the episode you may find your triggers.

In addition to these are stress and fatigue. I know that if I push myself too hard I am without a doubt going to have an episode. Rest is very important. Exercise is great but not beyond your body's level of tolerance. There's always tomorrow to finish what you know it would be risky for you to complete today.

I hope this helps a little. If you would like to discuss this further please feel free to private message me.

Hang in there.
Nuka

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