Nope, I fit all the above. I take 25mg Metoperolol and my rate drops from 140 to 110 very soon. I stay in afib for the next average of 14 hrs. and my rate hovers 90-105. I am sensitive to beta blockers and even that small amt. has me lethargic the entire day, and sometimes into the next.

Well, I do have symptoms, i know when I am in afib by my heart pounding quite hard and fast, and I am light headed...I often have a BM too.

Yogacat,
can you give me more info. I understand you have paroxysmal Afib, have decided to try rate control, and you reduce your heart rate and cure the Afib episode in 14hr (avg) with 25mg Metoprolol.
How often do you have episodes?
In my case my only Afib symptom is high heart rate (130's) and a bit of short breath. 75 tmg of Metoprolol did not do anything, and I need cardioversion to go back in NSR. That's why I am most likely to schedule an ablation.
What's a BM?

BM is a bowel movement...I have to go straight to the john! My dr. said it is normal because of the sympathetic nervous system being set off.. I have definate irratic beating, I don't even have to put my fingers to my caratid artery...I can feel in thumping irratically. My first episode, after 7 hrs. they would have cardioverted me, but the ER hospital was not on my ins. I would have had to be transported..whatever was in the drip did not work..they let me go home, to return to cardio dr. first thing in morning. I converted on my own right before I got there. I have since self converted..it just takes me a long time, but my rate goes down enough to wait it out. I go in afib about once a month...I am in day 35 right now...they seem to be getting a bit longer between. We are all so different for sure!!!

PS...I use the metoprolol as a pill in pocket..I only take it when I go into afib. I had to change doctors to do it this way. My first dr. wanted me on it all the time, but I was so whiped out....I had no energy. I took it for 4 or 5 mos. I only take Pradaxa daily.

Looks you are doing fine. Unfortunately it seems that my afib does no go away without cardioversion. That's why I will schedule an ablation. I think my question was more for people who have persistent or permanent afib, and rely on rate control.
Thanks

I wish you The Best!!!

I forgot to respond to this... I am persistent and on rate control... a beta blocker called Bystolic. It keeps my hert rate below 80 at rest and normal during exercise... no spikes. My heart rate at rest before afib was 60 --65. So now I am not as low. They did studies on strict versus relaxed rate control that showed strict rate control had little or no benefit. The only sticky point is that if your BP is normal, sometimes it can get low, like in the morning... as low as 90s over 60s. I'm told that is fine if I'm not dizzy or light headed. Sometimes my BP is almost 120 over 80 after activity or stress.

I guess rate control drugs are trickier for Paroxysmal afibbers... like when do I tak or not take them, particularly if you are asymptomatic.

petey

Petey,
thanks for the info. It looks you're doing ok with rate control. What would be your heart rate under Afib in absence of drugs?

100 if I was nervous. Probably 90-95. The big change was on the treadmill... like 170 when it should have been 120.

One other thing. I proved to my doctor that I could use TM and Biofeedback to lower my BP and my HR while in AFIB ... He goes... "What are you going to do? Meditate all day?"

:-)

petey