Potential triggers of AFib/tachy
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hi everyone - First a big thank you for this forum, I have learned a tremendous amount about my condition very quickly. I have AFib/tachy and had an ablation in August which seems to have stopped at least some of the symptoms. I still have occasional rapid heartbeat incidents; these happen only at night when reclining/in bed. Sometimes I have trouble getting to sleep - heart feels “different,” pulse not racing but I’m "aware" of my heart beating and worried it will switch into AF mode.
I attribute these ongoing incidents to one or more triggers, so I am trying to identify as many of those as possible (recognizing everyone is different of course).
Here's the list of the triggers I have learned about so far, feel free to add to this list if you have experienced or heard about other triggers:
Stress
Caffeine
Alcohol in general; specifically red wine
Potassium/magnesium deficiency
Preservatives e.g., MSG
Aspartame/Nutrasweet/other artificial sweeteners
Eating too much
Chocolate
Gluten
Cheese
Perhaps this can help us all avoid things that might trigger our own individual incidents.
Many thanks and best wishes from across the pond....
5 likes, 55 replies
devin42 Jeff_Flemings
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john84040 devin42
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I was added a beta blocker ( 2.5 mg Bisoprolol ) to the flecinide that i was already on and it stopped my racing heart symptoms . my resting heart rate is now a steady 64bpm .,I still have bouts of Af but since the beta blocker added the episodes of Af are more bearable and not as aggressive .
I never go into Af for no reason . When I do go into Af I can always pinpoint a trigger mainly one from the list compiled by Jeff.
it took me years to work out that Gluten is one of the major triggers for me. I'm now gluten free and even the slightest amount of gluten can trigger my Af. I'm fully aware though if I wasn't on meds then I would permanatley be in Af.
Im no expert but from experience maybe a small dosage of beta blocker may help your racing heart.
june64137 Jeff_Flemings
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devin42 june64137
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Jeff_Flemings devin42
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judyc Jeff_Flemings
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I am scheduled for an ablation next month...don't know if I can hold out till then.
Anyone else? Would love to hear from you. Thanks for letting me share.
devin42 judyc
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Jeff_Flemings judyc
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judyc Jeff_Flemings
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Are you on meds? I'm on an anti-arrhythmia, beta blocker and blood thinner. When I first went on the meds last month they seemed to help aleviate the symptoms, but lately my symptoms are coming back with a vengeance...almost went back to ER. However, there is really nothing more the ER can do since I'm already being treated with medication. It's just so frightening when your heart is racing out of control and you feel light headed. I always feel like "could this be my time?"
Hope you and everyone else suffering with this problem find relief real soon!
Jeff_Flemings judyc
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stephenk judyc
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I ONLY have afib at night, never when I'm awake. I consulted my EP today and am looking into a THIRD ablation. I've had two ablations; both for SVT.
frank61666 Jeff_Flemings
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I have learned that when afib shows up at night, in response to oral triggers, i.e., food or drink triggers, I am setting off an intolerance response that includes an overload of histamine in the gut. The vagus nerve goes haywire, and off goes the afib, until the histamine is dissipated. Sometimes the afib won't stop on its own, which is where docs start in with the ablation act.
For me, this is avoided by either taking oral diamine oxidase (DAO) before meals containing known triggers, or taking 50 mg benedryl before going to bed.
This whole damn condition has nothing to do with my heart but with an intolerance that develolped as I got older (65 now).
The enzyme DAO is generally in the small intestines, but the levels go down as we age, and many of the triggers for afib are indeed inhibitors of DAO, like alcohol, in addition to high histamine foods, like cheeses and fermented foods.
Also, yes there is a magnesium issue, especially in these modern times.
Lots to talk about.
For more iinfo, just google histamine and afib.
Frank
Jeff_Flemings frank61666
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Jeff_Flemings
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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109704017437
frank61666 Jeff_Flemings
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Fortunately I am not on any drugs now except a low amount of metoprolol for blood pressure.
I have learned that for me NSAIDs hurt my stomach and they then, after 2 or 3 days, initiate an afib event. So I avoid them completely. Recently reports have appeared showing NSAIDS causing heart problems like afib in susceptible individuals.