Is Afib ever cured?

I have afib now for 4 years and how I think about it has changed. It really depends on the person who has it and their medical condition. My abalation did not stop my afib but it did help my situation. My understanding now is that the numbers on my ekg is proof that my condition has improved. I used to think my body would heal itself but now I feel I should be doing anything possible to stop my body from going into afib Again, my understanding is that is possible but it depends on how potent medication you are willing to take. The term afib refers to a number of medical conditions with the heart.

Hi @damari, glad to make your acquaintance. I probably won't be much help, though, because my A-fib is asymptomatic -- no conscious feelings of arrhythmia since my diagnosis 7 years ago. However, on one occasion 5 years ago, I suffered a "small stroke", apparently from a small blood clot that developed in my heart and injured my brain. A couple of days before that, my anticoagulant (Warfarin) peaked at 5.2 INR, and my medical team told me to skip the medication for two days. On that second day, while taking my daily one-mile walk, the stroke hit as I neared home. A few hours later, my wife drove me to the hospital emergency room for an exam and treatment. Big mistake! I'll always call 911 immediately if it happens again.

An anticoagulant like Warfarin (or your Eliquis) is essential to preventing a stroke from a blood clot. I have found, though, that clinics, urgent care, and emergency rooms don't always have an antidote on hand for the anticoagulant. After a friend died for lack of an antidote, I always ask a medical facility for a guarantee that the correct antidote is on hand the minute I enter. Half the time, it wasn't, but my medical team and I agreed to consult whenever that occurs, and I have had no problems personally so far.

I don't make unilateral decisions about medication. I give my medical team input on any side effects or other issues, but I treat their recommendations as my decisions and "do what I am told" by professionals who know what they're doing. Hope you get something worthwhile from my experience. Glad to respond to your questions any time. Martin

I had an ablation in May & heart has been back in rhythm since. All is good & I thank God for it!

Do you know the name Of the medication to control the rhythm? If, by any chance, it is amiodarone please think twice! This medication has dire Side effects. One being scarring of the lung tissue. There are several others that you would not want either. I speak from experience. That medication works but it can also do a lot of harm.

So I think Multaq is the afib anti arrhythmic that has the least side effects, liver issues being the big one. But, it’s also my understanding that it’s not terribly effective. I took multaq in combination with eliquis and 25 mg metoprolol. I had consistent breakthrough episodes. Now on Sotolol with no metoprolol and all good. While you can still throw a clot with eliquis, the likelihood goes down DRAMATICALLY while on it. If you don’t like the idea of a blood thinner, there is a “watchman” device they can implant. Might be worth talking to your dr about that.

My husband has had 3 ablations to control his a-fib. We do feel however that had the MD who performed his 3rd ablation performed his 1st, he wouldn’t have required his 3rd, so it’s critical to ensure that the electrophysiologist cardiologist who performs the ablation is one of the best in his field. His 3rd has put him in his best rhythm ever, only occasionally goes in and out of Afib rhythm.
He’s on Eliquis (at least that’s recommended drug for him for now) for life. It’s critical that Afib pts remain on anticoagulants or the risk of stroke is high!
My aunt didn’t want to pay the co-pay for Eloquis and couldn’t take warfarin, she suffered a stroke. She’s now decided the cost of medication is worth it.. it has to be. Please don’t play with your life w/ Afib by assuming the risks of the drug side effects are worse than the risk of clots - they will will form in your atrium when the heart suffers from atrial fibrillation and those clots have nowhere to go but through the body- to your brain (stroke), to your lung (pulmonary embolism), back to your heart (heart attack). I’m a retired nurse and I am the first to avoid drugs for their side effects-this is not one I would give a 2nd thought of taking for this condition… it’s why my husband takes it

Thank you all for your comments. My thoughts were never to avoid Eliquis. I do know it is vital. My concern is whether or not to switch from metoprolol to something else that might have some serious side effects--but might better prevent frequent afib attacks . Unfortunately, the literature is pretty scary about possible side-effects. My doctor has repeatedly assured me afib episodes (I get them about every 2 weeks) have no correlation to enlarged heart or wearing the heart out. Any comments or information? When not in afib, I feel perfectly fine. I do not want the stress of worrying about side-effects on stronger medications. .

Sorry to have misunderstood. My husband was on Metrolol many years ago, then Lisinopril for years however he’s been switched to Valsartin because his MD told him it’s been proven to be a better drug than Lisinopril for him given the number of years he’s been in Lisinopril. Told him the Valsartin will now provide him a better measure of heart protection. Valsartin is one of the newer medications w/ good success. My husband had no untoward effects from it if that helps at all.. good luck.

My ablation procedure was 12 years ago and is still successful today. I had it done at UNC by Dr. Paul Mounsey. I believe he is now in Arkansas.

I was titrated for correct dose of amiodarone 4 days in hospital. So tallo
Only worked on me for 6 months….I have been Afib clear for 20 years and on eliquis now instead of warfarin…my liver enzymes are normal…Irish luck?…dronedarone was recently developed to mimic amiodarone with less risk to liver….I have not changed because amiodarone loves me…