Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Hello I’m glad I found this group. I’ve been surfering with irregular beats, extra beats and fast beats. Drs’s don’t take me serious

Welcome @chrissi. Glad you chose to join us here.

Multaq is rough try another drug or another doctor

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I concur there are a lot of compassionate pros

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Hello @chrissi, and welcome to Connect. Could you share a few more details? How long have you had your symptoms? How are you you managing the irregular heart beats? Have you noticed a pattern or any triggers that could perhaps cause the fast beats?

Welcome to Connect, @wj123456. I'm sorry to hear about your experience, but I would agree with @balubeje and @twptrustrek – if you are able to, I'd encourage you to get a second opinion.

Multaq (dronedarone) is an antiarrythmic drug used to treat atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, types of abnormal heart rhythms. I'm tagging @karenatmayo @cabgx6maze517 @vivian88 @surfin232, as they've written about Multaq, and may have some more information and insights for you.

According to this information from Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/dronedarone-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20073151, some of the more common side effects of Multaq are indeed diarrhea and lack or loss of strength.

@wj123456, is this the first time you noticed a change in your blood pressure? How long have you been on Multaq?

I am a 70 year old female with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation/flutter.I do not have any significant coronary artery disease (I was told by one cardiologist that the echo showed my arteries were "squeaky clean" 🙂 ) I am in regular sinus rhythm most of the time but have episodes of arrhythmia. I may go days, weeks or months without an episode, but when I do have an episode I am very symptomatic with severe chest pain, some shortness of breath, and a very irregular heartrate. I have been told that I have a rapid ventricular response with the episodes, meaning the ventricles also beat rapidly. My understanding is that as a result the ventricles don't have time to fill completely between beats and that can lead to sudden heart failure. I have had two cardiac ablations. The first ablation was unsuccessful. I did well after the second ablation for about 5 years, but the episodes have reappeared and I was recently told by my electrophysiologist that I need to have a third ablation. My arrhythmia has never responded well to medications i.e. none of the antiarrhythmics have really prevented the episodes. With the episodes the chest pain becomes so severe I have to go to the emergency room. Usually I am given a bolus dose of diltiazem followed by a diltiazem drip and that necessitates a 1-2 day hospital stay. I know there are many people who have a-fib and aren't even aware they have it because they have no symptoms or they only have occasional palpitations. My a-fib seems to be a "horse of a different color," and the experience has been very frustrating and disheartening. But at 70, I am grateful for the care I have received that has helped me cope with my condition. (I understand there is a genetic component to a-fib. I am pretty sure my father had it; I know he had episodes of chest pain and a rapid heart rate. He died at age 61, and I often wonder how much longer he might have had if he had the care I have received.) At any rate, I was just curious if there are others on the site that have symptomatic a-fib/flutter and what their experience has been. (Haven't read all the posts, so maybe I will find others who have had similar "journeys.")

Have you been on any other medications for your arrhythmia? I did not do well with Multaq, so maybe a change in medication would help. Many of the medications for arrhythmias are blood pressure medications, and they can lower the pressure enough to make you tired. That was an issue with me with the Multaq. If your doctor is not willing to listen and work with you on finding a medication that will perform better for you, perhaps you need to change doctors. (Was this a primary care physician or a cardiologist?)

Thank you for your reply. I have changed cardiologists. Also I had ablation done at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha and no longer need a rhythm medicine. Don

Thank you for the info. I had ablation for the A-fib at Nebraska Medicine and have gone from having A-fib 60% of the time to 3 incidents per 6 months. I am therefore no longer on rhythm medicine. I would definitely recommend ablation and also Nebraska Medicine. thanks, Don

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