When I know I am in afib I take 25 mg. Metoprolol.
My rate is in the 140 range....I've seen 155 several times.

My rate starts to drop within half hour. In an hour, I am usually hovering around 100. It stays 100 or a little less for 4-5 hrs, and then slowing drops to 70's and stays there until I convert. I have bradycardia, so my rate is usually in the 50's.

I deep breath and do my best to relax.

It's been over a year and half since my last episode but when I was in it, my ventricular rate wasn't that high high - maybe 80 or 90 but the atrial rate was higher - maybe around 130 (only can be measured by ECG). My HR in NSR is usually rather low anyway as I exercise a fair amount - usually in the 50s, sometimes upper 40s.

Metoprolol sometimes fails and then the dr will try something else. I was initially on metoprolol for a while after the first and 2nd episode but when the 3rd (and my last so far) came, the dr told me he had decided metoprolol was now ineffective and switched me to flecainide.

It's now been four hours, and hr is still 140. This is the longest I've been in afib. I called the cardiologist and she said if I don't self convert by tomorrow, she wants to do a cardio conversion. Surely there's another way...

Hope you feel better by morning and your night will be restful :) I was so scared when I had my first attack with h.r. of 140 - 150 . I was in hospital for 3 days on drips - tried lots of drugs and on th 3rd they were going to do cardioversion - took me for was given PROPOFOL(sp?) and they did a TEE to check for blood clots, they said I immediately went back to NSR, so didn't need conversion! I have been on several medications over the last 3 years and eventually failed them all. To make a long story short, I am now on rate control ttugs to keep my h.r. under 100 and b.p. It has been 13months now and still in a-fib but don't feel any symptoms. Oh; I am also on Eliquis. I am sure that your Dr. will suggest another medication if you want before cardioversion. Hopefully you will convert before then.
Best wishes and love to you. I will say a prayer for u! Keep us updated; please.
Christine

Hope you feel better by morning and your night will be restful :) I was so scared when I had my first attack with h.r. of 140 - 150 . I was in hospital for 3 days on drips - tried lots of drugs and on th 3rd they were going to do cardioversion - took me for it was given PROPOFOL(sp?) and they did a TEE to check for blood clots, they said I immediately went back to NSR, so didn't need conversion! I have been on several medications over the last 3 years and eventually failed them all. To make a long story short, I am now on rate control drugs to keep my h.r. under 100 and b.p. It has been 13months now and still in a-fib but don't feel any symptoms. Oh; I am also on Eliquis. I am sure that your Dr. will suggest another medication if you want before cardioversion. Hopefully you will convert before then.
Best wishes and love to you. I will say a prayer for u! Keep us updated; please.
Christine

Sorry it posted twice - I found some errors in the first one and corrected - wasn't suppose to post 1st. one Always messes up when. I use it instead of computer or phone !

Hi Christine. Thanks for sharing your experience. I finally fell asleep (don't know how with my heart racing like that.). My heart rate is now down to normal, but I've got skipped beats. The EP just called, and wants me to come in for an EKG to see it I'm still in afib, or if those are PACs. I'm really afraid of a cardio conversion, so hope it's not still afib.

Yoga, which Metoprolol do you take? I think mine is the time released, which is why it was of no help last night.

Buddy, how often do you go into afib?

Definitely do not use time released Metoprolol for PIP. You want to get your HR down asap!. With your HR down, you can stay in afib forever

. The more symptomatic you are, the sooner you want to convert. I use an antiahyrthmic for this....300mg of Rythmol. I don't use the Rythmol unless I have plans or I am tired of being in afib. I am retired so I can be in afib for all day, usually it is annoying, but, not a catastrophe for me. I Love retirement!!!!

When you see your Dr. ask about home care in afib....like, start with 25 mg of Metoprolol, and ask if you should take more if it does not bring your HR down within....ask how long to expect. Ask about an antiahrythmic....for PIP. Some dr's .like it some don't....see how yours feels.

My best wishes for you!

PS...with the above treatments, I have never been cardioconverted.

Once when I had been in afib most of the time for a week, I was concerned and called my Dr. several times. I think he finally got tired of my calls and told me he would cardiovert me in 2 days if I didn't self convert. I converted within the hour.

I was also told, the very first follow appointment after being diagnosed in the ER....told, Not to ever go to the ER for afib again! I have not gone. In the first year, afib was very stressful for me. I had an episode about once every 3-4 weeks. It would last an average of 16 hrs. I would be so hopeful that I would convert...and just wait.....it drove me nuts!!!

Almost 5 yrs. of afib, I have learned how to handle My own Afib...and this could change tomorrow, but, I am doing OK today.

IslandLuvr:
I hope your heart has calmed down. In answer to your query, My AFIB nighttime events (the serious ones) run about 6 hours, usually terminate once I start being active. My understanding is that this is true for most vagal mediated AFIB (nighttime onset, NSR upon activity). While in AFIB my Oxyimeter, goes up to 130-140 BPM at rest The implant in my chest show an average of about the same thing, however, it showed a peak of 240 BP during some events (ouch!).

If I remember correctly, you are hesitant about anti coagulants. I was also. I was on 325 mg of aspirin for 5 years when I had my stroke. I lost the right side, speech impediment, and facial droop. Fortunately, I recovered from all of that. I'm still partially blind in my right eye from the stroke. Now I'm on Eliquis ... great stuff.

I max'd out at 228, according to September's 21d monitor.

Yeah. I'm pretty proud of that :-)

My Dr. said the monitors we use at home are not accurate in telling us how Fast our hearts are Really beating. He said to use at home monitoring as a guide to tell me if my HR was going up or down.

Yogacat: I'm not sure if that was addressed to my comment, but the monitor to which I refer was a hospital-supplied Zio XT "single-channel continuous-recording ECG monitor"

If you're talking about the variety sold at drug stores ... I'm sure you're right.

Hi David, your high rate made me think of what my Dr. said. I think he meant that the true HR can only be measured right at the heart....which is what yours probably was. He said in afib, the heart is going too fast to be recorded accurately away from the heart with a home device. I don't recall what made him say this.

Most of us use devices at the arm and wrist, even if it isn't 100% accurate we know what it means.

255 bpm, documented at hospital when I went in to afib during stress test. It came down to 160 in a 15 minutes though. I never go to ER for afib, what's the point?