Covid and AFib Connection?

Posted by cece55 @cece55, Oct 8, 2021

Hello Everyone,

I am curious and would like to ask this group a question. I have AFib but had not had an event for over a year except for last November. In early February of this year I took the Phizer Vaccine for Covid and had several Afib events with one lasting over a month even with cardioversion. I ended up having an ablation in May and the electrophysiologist found an enlarged and scarred atrium.

I have been doing well and am still on Flecainade, Metoporal and Eliquis. He is about to take the Flecainade away. It is time for my booster shot and I am scared that it will put me into Afib again. My Electrophysiologist and Cardiologist at Mayo said they don't feel that the vaccine had anything to do with my Afib events starting up again.

Has anyone here experienced this? I am debating whether or not to cancel my appointment next week or just take the shot. My doctors said it is better to take the booster than to get Covid.

Thoughts?

Thank You...Blessings to all of you during this trying time. CeCe55

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

@ajnewyork

I'm wondering if anyone in this group has discussed with their doctor the possibility of taking the J&J vaccine which - even with the very serious, rare TTS risk - is not an mRNA vaccine. Or has anyone discussed the new plant-based vaccine with their cardiologists. It is still in trials and not known when/if it would be available, but it could perhaps be an alternative. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/everything-know-plant-based-covid-130000446.html
I also developed tachycardia/flutter some weeks after dose two of pfizer and have since had to have two ablations. There are many reasons, other than the vaccine, that it could have been caused, but obviously, I am feeling cautious.

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Also, here is a link to a new study just published which saw an increase in cardiac arrhythmia following dose 2 of the pfizer vaccine in days 1-28 (see discussion).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01630-0

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@obdoc2001

I got afib after Moderna vaccine. Wish I had waited for the Norvasc vaccine which is the traditional type of vaccine.

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Shortly after receiving my Moderna booster I was at the gym doing Cardio exercise. My heart rate was close to 200 bpm. I thought the machine I was on was malfunctioning and switched, same result. I went home and using my Kardia found that I was in a fib. I am in good shape and never before had this issue. I found a cardiologist, had a TEE and have not had any issues since. I am convinced the vaccine caused my a fib.

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@timpsheehan123

Shortly after receiving my Moderna booster I was at the gym doing Cardio exercise. My heart rate was close to 200 bpm. I thought the machine I was on was malfunctioning and switched, same result. I went home and using my Kardia found that I was in a fib. I am in good shape and never before had this issue. I found a cardiologist, had a TEE and have not had any issues since. I am convinced the vaccine caused my a fib.

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Are you any medications?

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@josephine2010

Thank you for this valuable info. It is quite reassuring. I agree that catching covid will be more troublesome than the vaccine. I am having the booster on the 14.

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I had my Pfizer booster on Tuesday, apart from sore arm and feeling tired and sleepy, it has not been so bad. I am so..so....so..... relieved.

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@obdoc2001

Are you any medications?

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That sounds so fantastic that you have managed to go to the gym after the booster jab, Yes I take Apixaban 5m twice a day, Bisoprolol 5mg along with Amolodopiine, high blood pressure tablets, metforminand forxiga for diabetes.

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I had the same situation with my first Astra Zeneca vaccination and almost straight away my Afib came back, up until that time I lived with Afib without even thinking of it. I had to have a stress eco and thankfully it was fine, I also had 24hr electrocardiogram, again all seemed fine. This Tuesday gone I had Pfizer booster jab, and apart from sore arm and feeling very tired and sleepy I seemed to be fine except as we speak I seemed to have a little bit of accelerated hear beats, seem to have settled - checked my BP: it was 112-82 and pulse 75. I am still a bit worried as I currently cannot get to speak to a doctor, they are all doing booster jabs. Here in the uk you can't access the services of a cardiologist that easily, one needs to be referred by your general practitioner, it is a rather long process.

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@ajnewyork

Also, here is a link to a new study just published which saw an increase in cardiac arrhythmia following dose 2 of the pfizer vaccine in days 1-28 (see discussion).
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01630-0

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I made a mistake in my comment about the study that came out of Oxford. It showed a heightened risk of arrhythmia following dose two of the Moderna vaccine rather than the Pfizer.

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Four years ago this coming January, I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, (AFib). I am one of the rare people that do not exhibit the classic signs of Afib, and that fact that I found out I had Afib was a fluke. While waiting for breakfast one morning, I was playing with my new Apple watch, and it showed a heart rate of 220 beats a minute. Long story short, called my doctor, was referred to a cardiologist and after about three trips to the ER, I was diagnosed with AFib, which has been very well controlled. Jump to this past July, I had my annually checkup, which included wearing a Holter monitor for two weeks, to monitor my heart, it showed no signs of Afib. On Agust 9th I got my first Covid shot, 12 hours later, I had the worst case of Afib I have ever had. When I was being diagnosed, I was able to drive myself to the ER, not this time, there was no way I could drive myself, called for an ambulance, while waiting for the ambulance, did a search for “Can Covid vaccine trigger AFib?”. The first four returns talked about how it can, and it was a know issue, based on the VAERS website. I really thought I was going to die before I got to the hospital, fortunately, the ambulance medic had called ahead to the ER, and got the orders to treat me in route, within minutes of getting an IV, my heart had slowed down. I have been in the ER twice since then with AFib, and this is after my AFib medications had been doubled, and a third added. Even after the increase in the medication, I would go into AFib about twice a week. The result all of this was my being exhausted all of the time. I would come home from work, and be in bed between 3 and 5 in the afternoon, and sleep until the alarm went off at 4:50 the next morning. On weekends, it was not uncommon for me to sleep 20 hours a day. I was told by my Cardiologist that I needed an Ablation, pretty routine, only a 1% risk of it going south. The question that couldn’t be answered, was “if the vaccine caused my uncontrollable AFib, was it going to continue to cause problems, thereby nullifying the Ablation? No one could give me an answer. Had the Ablation last week, we'll see how it goes.

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@eddyyeti

Four years ago this coming January, I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, (AFib). I am one of the rare people that do not exhibit the classic signs of Afib, and that fact that I found out I had Afib was a fluke. While waiting for breakfast one morning, I was playing with my new Apple watch, and it showed a heart rate of 220 beats a minute. Long story short, called my doctor, was referred to a cardiologist and after about three trips to the ER, I was diagnosed with AFib, which has been very well controlled. Jump to this past July, I had my annually checkup, which included wearing a Holter monitor for two weeks, to monitor my heart, it showed no signs of Afib. On Agust 9th I got my first Covid shot, 12 hours later, I had the worst case of Afib I have ever had. When I was being diagnosed, I was able to drive myself to the ER, not this time, there was no way I could drive myself, called for an ambulance, while waiting for the ambulance, did a search for “Can Covid vaccine trigger AFib?”. The first four returns talked about how it can, and it was a know issue, based on the VAERS website. I really thought I was going to die before I got to the hospital, fortunately, the ambulance medic had called ahead to the ER, and got the orders to treat me in route, within minutes of getting an IV, my heart had slowed down. I have been in the ER twice since then with AFib, and this is after my AFib medications had been doubled, and a third added. Even after the increase in the medication, I would go into AFib about twice a week. The result all of this was my being exhausted all of the time. I would come home from work, and be in bed between 3 and 5 in the afternoon, and sleep until the alarm went off at 4:50 the next morning. On weekends, it was not uncommon for me to sleep 20 hours a day. I was told by my Cardiologist that I needed an Ablation, pretty routine, only a 1% risk of it going south. The question that couldn’t be answered, was “if the vaccine caused my uncontrollable AFib, was it going to continue to cause problems, thereby nullifying the Ablation? No one could give me an answer. Had the Ablation last week, we'll see how it goes.

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Thank you so much for sharing this. I am wishing you the very best.

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Hi All. I have had a few episodes of afib over the last two years and am trying to figure out the triggers. I had an episode about a week after my second Pfizer shot so was nervous about the booster. Of course getting COVID is worse than afib so went for the Pfizer booster and 3 days later got afib again. It is hanging on longer than last time. Who is studying this?

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