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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auntymo 03/31/2014

Hi all,

Q "Flecainide produces its helpful effects by slowing nerve impulses in the heart and making the heart tissue less sensitive." Do others find that it slows down your thinking too?

Seems I only look at these posts when I think I am going into AF! It's a wonderful thing, knowing I can go somewhere to find out info when it's almost midnight, the house is quiet and my mind is racing.

I have had a week of clusters of AF - more than ectopic, but not out for more than a minute. Took my fisrt PIP dose of 50mg flecainide a week ago and it helped the episodes to stop. Now I am wondering about taking another PIP (it's midnight here in NZ and I'm ready for bed)

I just got up because lying on my back in bed bought on another cluster of AF. Guess it is logical to take the PIP, then I can rest easy.

Certainly when my back is "out" or I eat lots not long before going to bed it doesn't help.

Thanks M

finocchio 09/25/2015

Do any of you who were taking flecainide and stopped noticed no more horrible dreams?
Also, I take 100 mg twice a day re doctor.
Is that average dose?

acrossthepond 09/25/2015

Hi finocchio - I dont take flecainide but I assume that the amount that you take depends on your personal situation (including what kind of arrhythmic disorder you have) and what works for you as to how much you are told to take.

I looked the drug up on two different sites (durgs.com and in German: compendium.ch) to see what they say and if there are any differences. They both basically say the same thing for atrial fibrillation: starting dosage: 2 x 50mg daily, maximal dosage: 2x 200mg daily. The dosage can be increased in increments of 50mg twice daily every 4 days until efficacy is achieved. The recommended dosage for older patients (not sure what the definition of THAT is!) who weighs more than 60 kg (that would be 132 lbs) is 2 x 100mg. They also say that the maximal dosage is usually only for heavier patients.

BTW, listed as a side effects that may not need medical attention, under less common is sleeplessness, unable to sleep and trouble with sleeping.

Hope this helps and that the flecainide is keeping your a-fib at bay!

duder 09/25/2015

I responded quite well to flecainide. Didn't have any side effects at all from it, but the "flecainide fog" is a well-documented effect. So either I didn't have any of the slowed thinking, or I was so dumb to begin with that I didn't notice the difference. :-P

buddyc22 10/01/2015

I've been taking Flecainide 50mg x 2 per day for the last 14+ months and I have not noticed any "fog" or diminished mental function.

buddyc22 10/01/2015

Wanted to add that Flecainide's mechanism of action is as a sodium ion channel blocker. It slows the inrush of sodium ions into the cardiac cells which is what happens when cardiac cells depolarize to start the process of the muscle contractions (beat).

Now neurons also depend on depolarizations and associated sodium ion inrushes to generate action potentials that make up neural and brain activity. Not sure how much effect Flecainide would have neurons vice cardiac cells.

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