af symptoms
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi, i was diagnosed with AF approx.4/5mths ago. I was prescibed 2.5mg Bisloprolol & 20mg Rivaroxaban. All was going ok, apart from having episodes after my evening meal everthying was pretty good once i got use to the medication.
?Then a few weeks ago i noticed my heart rate was slightly low, usually between 46-54 (im 42yrs old),so i mentioned this to my gp, the Bisloprolol was reduced to 1.25mg but after a couple of weeks i had to go back to my gp as my af was not controlled at all. I was put back on the 2.5mg Bisloprolol about a week ago, but since then i have had more or less continous ectopic beats, a feeling of fluttering in the neck area,& have noticed my heart beat is very irregular, not necessarily fast but definately irregular, also the last week ive had a headache on/off each day and noticed ive become very lightheaded, (i had some surgery in my mouth a couple of weeks ago to remove a lump but i was informed i also had chronic infection aound the jaw bone which they sorted, so originally put the headaches & light headedness down to this?). What i read about AF is mainly the heart rate increasing, and at times mine does for a short while, but ive noticed that mine is mainly an irregular heartbeat, is this all the same for AF?
?Since the change of dosage down then up, ive never been the same as when originally went on the medication, should i give it a little longer to let the medication kick in so to speak or does it seem that now the 2.5mg bisloprolol not being as effective as originally was?
?Any help or advice greatly appreciated, thankyou.
0 likes, 14 replies
Maxine50 dean0612
Posted
Get your G P to agree for you to change from Bisopropol to Sterol
Atenolol which both my wife And I have done. No side effects at all.
Good luck Ken.
LuckyPenny1 Maxine50
Posted
Hi Maxine, I'm curious about the Sterol Atenolol. Do you need to take Warfarin with your meds? Many Thanks, Janet.
dean0612 Maxine50
Posted
All the best Dean.
LuckyPenny1 dean0612
Posted
Hi Dean, I started on a low dose of Bisoprolol from 2.5 then 5mg then 7.5 and currently on 10mg along with 6mg of Warfarin. The Bisoprolol makes me very tired all the time and unfortunately, one of the side effects of Bisoprolol can be swollen feet and ankles which I've got and makes walking difficult and painful for me. When I first started with Afib back in Sept 2010 I was taking Sotalol 5mg for SVT (Supraventricula Tachycardia) (Racing Heart) It worked for many years until I got Afib which I was told whilst in A&E that the two are linked. So, I was put on Bisoprolol. I wish there was something better to take that doesn't make me feel like a zombie. However, I was also told that I have a Hiatus Hernia which in my case can slide up and down and trigger off the Afib. Certain foods and bloat can do the same. I no longer have dairy or wheat products and for myself have found this helpful so, I have gluten and wheat free nowadays. Also, some time ago I went on the Mayo Clinic's website and typed in a question about Hiatus Hernia and found that it can defo trigger off Afib. Makes one wonder about the digestive system and its link to the heart. Take care, Janet.
cardiac_congo dean0612
Posted
This was less impactive, but neither it or the bisop prevented episodes for me in truth. I too was a frequent post-supper episode person, and had to alter the way i eat after coming home from work. Food has been a big trigger for me, as many others on here note. Ive now had 3 ablations and been able to stop all meds which i felt were causing me as many issues as PAF. I still have episodes, but nowhere near as severe. I still have to be careful with what i eat, and when, and late eating or big evening meals are still a no-no.
LuckyPenny1 cardiac_congo
Posted
cardiac_congo LuckyPenny1
Posted
dean0612 cardiac_congo
Posted
Hi, i have an appointment with gaestrology to have a 24hr monitor fitted down my nose into my stomach to record acid levels & and other activity as they have mentioned the vagal nerve, so im interested to see how it turns out. My two main triggers for either the AF or my ectopics definately seem to be food related whether it be quantity or going too long without food so im trying my best to regulate my food intake and timings.
?Can i ask which maybe a silly question please, im 42 & feel im missing out on so much just lately since being diagnosed AF, no energy no enthusiasm no nothing to be honest which is the total opposite to what i was before. Im not under a cardiologist just my gp, so i dont feel im getting the best advice from there which isnt necessary there fault but i dont know the process or progress of AF. I read about ablations and for some it changes there life around and gives them back what they use to have before AF, i appreciate it doesnt for everyone, but is it a case all medications are exhausted first, or that the AF becomes more & then ablations are considered, is it an age thing, im sorry to ask all this its just that i dont know, & at the age of 42 im really hoping theres more of a positive future,thankyou in advance.
derek76 LuckyPenny1
Posted
I took it for twelve years without any problem apart from constipation for the first few months. I don't know what my heart rate was prior to taking it but when I bought a BP monitor my heart rate was in the mid 40's
cardiac_congo dean0612
Posted
If I may suggest Dean,you might need to be a bit more pushy with your gp to get referred. You may benefit from having a holter monitor over 7 days for example. It took several of these for my episodes to be "caught" and recorded. Theres no doubt in my mind - and if you read around this forum - food plays its part, and sometimes the most innocuous meals too! My most recent trigger is sausages! Its taken 3 episodes to narrow it down, but no doubt now. Clearly something my butcher uses doesnt agree! MSG in chinese takeaways is another - quite a common trigger i believe. As mentioned, fatigue, dehydration, too cold, too hot, wine, toblerone (!), crisps (but not doritos!)..... I should be as thin as a rake, but piled on 2 st with meds and fear of elevating my heartrate. Its coming off slowly, and after my last ablation in Feb, i am better than i was and able to do more, but its a slow job. Ive taken magnesium supplements too. No idea if theyve helped, but its made me feel as though im taking a positive control of it, rather than let it control me which AF can easily do. Im older than you - i was 51 when it started, female and whilst i didnt excercise, i was always on the go and otherwise healthy and not overweight.
Liz365 dean0612
Posted
Me too, dean0612, AFib diagnosed - currently experimenting with foods (rather than medicines, as my Blood Pressure always in normal range) after shock diagnoses, last summer's-end, of being very deficient in Vitamin D. (Outdoors in greenhouses for long hours per week, but UV light rays can't penetrate glass, so my body was making very little vitD!)
Is there any chance you eat little of the foods rich in these 2 essential electrolytes :-
Potassium - in potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, tomato sauce (without added salt or sugar), orange juice, tuna (fresh, frozen or tinned, but not in brine), yoghurt
Magesium - in spinach, chard, kale, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, almonds, avocados
dean0612 - do keep us posted how you get on with your gastrology appointment, and results, whilch hopefully will be healpful to you.
Liz365 dean0612
Posted
Verapamil was taken by me (AFib constant, but lifelong in normal blood pressure range) during a 6-week experiment in 2016. I felt progressively worse. AFib remained at 119 at start and end of 6 wk. Blood pressure entred Low category + was ever-dropping, more so in arm of previously dislocated shoulder. It caused systemic oedema and difficulty staying awake.
For me, food experimentation appeals more than starting on Bisopropol, as cardiologist proposed (despite my asthma contra-indicating). As of this week, I've started eating Magesium-rich foods. Hello: spinach, chard, kale, pumpkin seeds, almonds, avocados. Wonder if anyone, here, improved AFib with Magnesium...?
diana95576 Liz365
Posted
Hi Liz I have been taken magnesium 10 years before I was diagnosed with atrial fib. My blood work showed my magnesium was very low so I've been on it for a lot of years .so I do not believe it has prevented or improved my atrial fib.
Liz365 diana95576
Posted
diana95576 - Sorry to hear your AFib remains so problematic. Just wondering if your Potassium consumption is in good balance. On another thread, frank61666 mentioned humans generally need more daily Potassium than Magnesium, calcium + sodium combined. Hopefully you have a good doctor heliping you balance these well.
As my BP (unmedicated) is in Normal Range, and my fast heart rate has dropped from 138 to 86 in the 10-month period of resolving my Vitamin D deficiency, it seems safe for me to experiment with dietary changes. So I'm adding a banana (for Potassium) to my daily breakfast. I see sweet potatoes are also rich in Potassium. So I aim to eat them more frequently, especially as they are lower in calories than standard potatoes!