How did you wean off Metoprolol?

Sotacor mentioned is known by many as Sotalol, just a note for other readers. Strange how I've become more tolerant to physical exertion, but emotions seem to exacerbate my Afib. It all gets back to the AV node that controls the rate of signals passing from the top of the heart to the bottom. For those that can that are more physically fit have a naturally slower rate than those that aren't physically fit. And the AV Node is controlled by the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System, so emotions can create the opportunity for a faster rate in people without Afib, governed by the SA Node, but in those of us with Afib, the Afib (fast Atrial Rate) makes it through the AV node more often and symptoms occur.

This still has me obsessed, a life time of periodic assaults by PVCs has made me hyper aware of my heart, I feel every variation (well, most at least) from normal. I had/have the chance to be converted, but reading the literature on Sotalol, something that was going to be used to prevent recurrence, it says only to be used in highly symptomatic patients and I'm not highly symptomatic. One Cardiologist that does ablation for Afib got to experience it for himself, and though he converted pharmacologically, he said some people have mild Afib and horrible symptoms and others have horrible afib and mild symptoms, he said it's an enigma, just unpredictable. Ugh.

...and, Soliloquized, if you want to get your heart REALLY thumping and exacerbate Afib, you can watch the YouTube series, Nightmare Neighbour Next Door! Love the gardens, the accent...and the crazy (gunless) way neighbours settle their disputes! My daughter showed me how to watch the shows on the TV through our 'Google assistant'.

I'll have to give it a peek. We watch via the Roku, and for non-YouTube videos on other sites, often you can Video Cast them from the Tablet Computer through the Roku. It just sends the video address to the Roku, somehow, you can shut the tablet off once the video starts.

I get emotional about music. Not listening often, I could drive across the country and back and never turn on the radio. But when I listen, I listen to evocative stuff, some quite weird, some classical, a lot of Electronic music, but darn, my afib acts up then, too, short runs breaking through, not really runs per se, just faster than my resting heart rate at the time for several beats.

I went to get my PTINR taken for the Coumadin, and I got into an altercation with another driver, it took hours for my heart to settle down. But I'm talking resting Heart Rate in the 60s, and after the altercation, it was in the 80s, but before this all started, on medication, it was in the 50s.

Nightmare Neighbour Next Door, maybe tonight. If I remember, I'll take my heart rate before and during. LOL.

Thanks.

To medicate or not to medicate: When Afib hit me out of the blue at age 46 (when my mother was dying), the cardiologist told me that out of ten patients he sees with arrhythmia, he only treats one. The cardiologist also said that he doesn't treat anyone who has arrhythmia who doesn't have serious symptoms like shortness of breath, weakness or feeling faint. He told me that many patients come in with PVCs and he does not medicate. My 38 year old daughter has skipped beats but no other symptoms so she is not medicated. The cardiologist put me on Sotalol/Sotacor and it required a massive dose just to keep my heart in rhythm...until I found that lifestyle changes CAN and DO treat and even cure cardiac arrhythmias as it did with me.
Could it be that because the US is such a litigious country unlike any other and is Big Pharma's biggest client, doctors are afraid NOT to medicate for fear of a patient having a cardiac event and blaming it on the doctor for not having medicated him or her? And you can be sure that Big Pharma, to set the example, would be there in court to back up the client who was 'denied' a drug. Doctors medicate often to protect themselves more than the patient...and can you blame them?
I live in Canada where you can sue for malpractice but you won't get much. My friend's, healthy and active 85 year old mother bled to death because a medical procedure was done on her without take her off blood thinners. It was clearly the fault of the doctor, hospital, nurse...anyone who looked at her medical records leading up to the procedure. The tearful and devastated, young doctor apologized profusely to the family. They let it go. This would not happen in the US.

You are on Coumadin and a beta blocker? When unmedicated, do you only have occasional skipped beats and an increased heart rate (into the 80s)? If so, you would fall into the unmedicated category with my cardiologist. Years ago, once on the beta blockers, I didn't need a blood thinner because my Afib was well controlled. Currently, my heart rate at total rest (watching TV) can be 110....after eating a sugary food. Otherwise it's a normal 80 beats per minute. My cardiologist told me not to be concerned about the 110 beats. He says that I should only be concerned if my heart rate is up above 160.

Life time of PVCs. On and off. One doctor offered anti arrhythmic drug, I declined because my situation technically wasn't dangerous. He switched me from Atenolol to Acebulolol, the PVC occurrence plummeted. All was well.

Incidentally, it was too much quality chocolate at Easter that started my worse episode of PVCs that lasted months, that was the cause of the PVCs above.

Years went by. The usual stuff, periodic tests, everything's OK. Last November, the afib started. They were going to do a Adenosine Stress Test, that would have been followed by a Heart Cath. My wife worked for a cardiologist that was not infrequently angry at these extra tests, he believed there is a group of doctors that get a cut of the insurance by doing needless tests. I told them no stress test, get rate controlled, anticoagulation in place, and I'll see my own doctors.

My cardiologist is very well known, he saw no reason for the stress test, neither did my family doctor, and, in a way, I had one. They withheld the Metoprolol, most of it, on the day of the stress test I refused. Having been told that I'd have an Echo Cardiogram the following morning after admission, here it is, three days later and still no test. So they sent me for one, prior to discharge, or so I thought. During my echo cardiogram, my heart rate was 160, I didn't even know that, but they refused to discharge. They finally gave me the full Metoprolol, I was discharged the following day, and they bumped it up more. My cardiologist bumped it up more still.

The Echo Cardiogram was normal, the same as one I had last year, except afib was now present. The same doctor, also very well known, interpreted both. But think, it was done with my heart at 160, I'd think I'd have chest pain if there was restriction, and there should have been additional changes in the EKG.

I'd rather have a normal rhythm, but converting, and maintaining it isn't without risk too. The literature on Sotalol says Highly Symptomatic patients should only use it, I'm not, at that point. Younger patient's are similarly given Sotalol, it's a quality of life thing.

I just read an article the other day, urging doctors not to over medicate Afib patients, the article cited 110 as a target heart rate, interesting yours said the same. I was used to mine in the 50s, I'm in the upper 60s at rest now. (Summer will probably be higher).

Wheezing on. Metoprolol for afib

How did you cure yourself of bladder infections? Please share!

Hi Don't get me started (lol) I had 32 UTIs pretty much back to back...except when I started vaginal estrogen (which is a standard therapy). I had a 4 month break but my doctor urged me to get a cystoscopy and I got an infection from it and from then on in it was UTI after UTI...which meant 32 rounds of antibiotics. I think we all know how they destroy the good bacteria in the gut. And since the gut is where 80% of the immune system resides, I was very concerned about my ability to fight infection; little and big..like cancer for example. Long story short, my urogynecologist, Dr Walter in Montreal, suggested I try a new and promising, well researched, over the counter supplement called UTIVA. I fully expected it NOT to work because I had tried everything up to that point including d-mannose, cranberry supplements, vaginal and oral probiotics, drinking lots of water, the vaginal estrogen etc..Dr Walter explained that Utiva is not a cure. It must be taken daily preventatively. So, I ordered the Utiva on line from Utiva Health and started taking it AFTER I just finished antibiotics (for infection #32 in 3 years). I waited for the next UTI...it never came! And here I am about 2 1/2 months later, UTI free! I wish I could share this with others like me who basically live on antibiotics, never feel 100%, with the threat of a kidney infection hanging over their heads. This thread should probably be moved to the kidney/UTI section...where I have written about my experience with Utica.

Cystitis is gross. Fortunately I haven't had outbreaks since I stopped being sexually active. Can you tell us what UTIVA is? Sulfa always used to work for me, but it's not allowed with Dofetilide (Tikosin) which many of us use.