Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group

Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.

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Heart, Blood & Circulation
/ Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group

hi all

angiebangie1
angiebangie1
i know i've been away for a while...been super busy and getting ready to move. i hope this finds you all well. I have been having some troublesome symptoms lately and i don't know if its due to stress (which is my middle name right now) or if i should pay my dr a visit and get my meds adjusted. I haven't particularly had afib specifically...but it feels like strong PVCs again. they are usually only one at a time but i am so hyper sensitive to all of it now since my afib diagnosis....it scares me and stresses me out even more. So....again i am taking flecainide 100 mg 2x daily and 2.5 mg of bystolic once daily. the other meds aren't rate control drugs so i didn't figure they were important. i can't really afford a copay for the specialist right now so maybe i am just being a nervous nelly. i just didn't know if it was normal and expected to have some "breakthrough" beats or if i should be concerned and get an appointment asap. any insight is appreciated :) thanks all!
snowshoedude
snowshoedude
If it had been some time since seeing your EP and this is a suddenly arising after being inactive for awhile, it might make sense to make an appointment. I have seen my AFIB episodes increase during times of high stress and there is definitely a connection. Hang in there, take deep breath! Might be worth touching base with your EP; might put your mind at ease all stress the pocketbook.
DeTalentedOne
DeTalentedOne
Meds only work about 60% of the time. So u will have breakthrough episodes. Stress can make it worst. The heart is very sensitive to stress. You shouldn't stop taking heart meds even if u feel fine. Are u havng the pvc all of the time? Once in the hospital I had 12 beats of it. Hiw many in a row do u have? I tell u takng an antiaxiety pill helped meout alot when I first got diagnosised. It also makes u not so sensitive to the beats.
pacyetep
pacyetep
DeTalentedOne: I didn't look close enough at your post and I thought it said "MEN only work 60% of the time..."

:-)

petey
angiebangie1
angiebangie1
hey here thanks for the responses everyone De...i am not having them all the time it will just be usually one really strong one and then i will be fine after that (aside from the rapid hb from me freaking out). i do have some ativan that i never took because i read it interacts with the flec or bystolic....one of them i can't remember which. and yeah right now i am very stressed....moving in a week...they sold our company so we are at risk of losing our jobs at any moment and i am having anxiety over the move. i am a ball of nerves basically lol
DeTalentedOne
DeTalentedOne
@Petey, haha! @Angie, ativan is the good stuff but strong. They gave itto me for my pulmonary vein mri. I have been on zoloft and celexa. Both worked well for me. Zoloft is for depression and anxiety. At first when my heart started tripping out it was cause me panic. 50mg zoloft helped with that. 100mg turned me into a zombie! I had no emotion! Lol Celexa worked pretty well I was on that for about 5 months last year during my first ablation. It helped keep me calm. Both took about 3 weeks to start working.
Surfrat
Surfrat
"ativan is the good stuff but strong." - DeTalentedOne

For what it's worth. I know I've said this before on several occasions but I'm amazed at the amount of people here on DS that get regular 'scrips for Lorazapam/Ativan/Xanax etc.

My EP would never write one (a 'scrip) for me and neither will/would my PCP of some 15-18 years as well as a new PCP I've seen recently.

I have had a few small 'scrips for Xanax and Lorazapam over the years from ER visits, long before I had AFIB and I very strongly believe that these med.s should be a staple supplement to an AFIB med. regime. Subject of course to the needs of the individual.

Just 'sayin. ;)