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

AF episode today

Hwkmn
Hwkmn
It had been 4 months since last one and no real issues. Wed was one of those high paced stressful days at the office and was feeling fatigued and out of sorts all day and night. I told my wife at bedtime, I feel like I felt every other time Ive gone into AF, so dont be surprised. 230am, bladder wakes me. I dont feel horrible, but I m out of NSR. Pulse is 120. Take 2000mg Hawthorne, 1000mg Mag, and go back to bed. Wake at 630am, still in AF, but pulse is 78. Coincidentally, I have a doctor appt today, but its after meetings I need to attend. I take a few more supplements, wait 1 hour and go for the Flecainide that has remained unopened until today. If I had the luxury of being home all day like other 2 attacks, I would not have taken. I take 300mg at 800am. Relax on recliner and back to NSR at 900am. Good visit with ND Doc and moving forward on more supplements. I have sent Travis my summary on ND visit and thoughts on Chelation. The journey continues.
buddyc22
buddyc22
Amazing that it only needed 1 hour to return to NSR via 300mg Flec. My last AF episode nearly 5 months ago, in the ER, they gave me 300mg Flecainide and it took 2 hours. I've been taking Flec 2 x 50mg/day since then, still in NSR.

Would love to try something more natural in place of the Flec but haven't seen any instances of real successes from others yet. The Flec is not bad in the way of side effects; it does make me feel tired sometimes.
Hwkmn
Hwkmn
Buddy, yes, but Hawthorne had lowered my HR down considerably, so possibly that is the reason for converting quicker. I possibly could have done much less than 300 mg.
If they had prescribed 50 mg twice a day, I may have stayed on it. They wanted me on 100 mg twice a day, to which I kissed them goodbye on my way to ND doctor. I kept the script with 90 just for those rainy days. Last night was confirmation of my decision with PVCs galore coming off the Flec. The difference between meds and supps......... drugs work faster with side effects.
markew
markew
I didn't realize that Hawthorne would have that kind of effect. I've been taking it daily as a supplement, but only 300mg. I read today the dosage should be around 1500mg, 3 times a day. Seems like a lot...but if it could help keep me out of afib, it would be well worth it. I hope you have stayed in NSR since you converted. 4 months in NSR seems great to me! I would just like to make it 4 weeks! :-)
-Mark
daisy0808
daisy0808
Oh no I am so sorry to hear this but hey four months is awesome! Keep doing what you are doing, it just may take awhile to get back to normal. I have a feeling this afib business has been building up for years in us before we get hit with it so it stands to reason it may take us a long time to get back in sync........ Glad the med worked for you quickly!
Hwkmn
Hwkmn
Mark, yes it is a rate control supplement. It takes time to build stores in our systems. On Flec and Metop, I went into AF 3 and once on supplements, tho I m sure there is now something to prevent another one. 300mg isnt enough. I would start with 500mg twice a day. I have taken as much as 3000mg at once to convert.
Daisy, thanks, yes the med worked, but Im not sure Ill do that again or at least that quantity. Taken me a few days to recover. I m not sure how anyone can tolerate Flec on a standing dose.
daisy0808
daisy0808
Another bout for me last night, about 7 hours, got the burping after dinner last night and then bam ! I did not take the sotolol so I am sure I will hear about it when I go to doc on the 22nd. Feeling poorly today
buddyc22
buddyc22
I need more evidence that hawthorn will prevent further AF. This is insufficient for me.

The problem with many links discussing natural approaches is that all of them want to sell me something. And their explanations are too vague for me and make little technical sense to me.

I want explanations that describe atrial physiological effects.

AF is due to ectopic foci in the atria firing (depolarizing spontaneously) faster than the SA node's firing rate, and overriding the SA node (natural pacemaker) and re-entry wavelet circuits that form and circulate endlessly unless something is done to increase the action potential duration or increase the refractory period in which case the AF will terminate.