Norpace

[Guest guest]

Does anyone in here have any experience with Norpace? I was on

amidarone for 14 months and had to come off of it. My new doctor at

Stanford thinks that my afib could be vagally medicated; he said I'd

have to take it constantly (I'd heard you could just take it during

an episode) but he felt it was worth a try... after that we may try

dofetilide.

He said because of the risk of proarrhythmia I'd have to get a

regular EKG once a week.

Is once a week enough do you think? The idea of Vfib is pretty

scary? I was surprised because I thought the Class III

antiarrhytmics were a greater risk for vfib, but he said no, it was

the Class I's.

Any info on Norpace or on the risk of ventricular arrhytmia with a

class I drug would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

[Guest guest]

Jim - I have vagal AF, and it no longer is much of a problem. As a result I

only review my AF mailbox infrequently. I take Norpace when I go into AF.

My doctor has prescribed my taking 200 mg of the non-sustained release type

every four hours, and I have taken this for up to 27 hours. Usually,

however, the AF resolves itself in from 7 to 20 hours. My episodes appear to

be getting less frequent, every 6 to nine or ten weeks. (Sometimes, when they

are far enough apart, I think maybe they won't come back at all.) I''ve been

doing this since last February. Without the Norpace, the AF was persistent,

meaning that it wouldn't resolve until I went into the hospital and had a

cardioversion. Because I don't take much of it, I don't notice too many side

effects. Once I had a crying jag after a long number of hours of taking it,

which I believe was precipitated by it . (Some side effect listed are

depression and even psychosis (rarely)). I would hope your doctor would look

into prescibing it on as as-needed basis to give you a chance to see if it

would work. Originally, my local electro-physiologist wanted me to take it

all the time, but Dr. Marody at U-M thought I ought to take it on an

as-needed basis. One factor was the frequency of occurrence, and I don't

know how often your episodes occur.

My doctor has ordered a sleep test which will occur in February.

Sometimes now I notice that I wake up at night with my heart starting into

missing beats, and, then, when I breath deeply a few times, it goes

completely NSR. I think that one thing that happens with my vagal AF is that

I don't breath often enough when I am sleeping, and that this precipitates

the AF. (Usually, my AF attacks start during sleep.) Hope this helps. Dorean

[Guest guest]

Dorean wrote

>I take Norpace when I go into AF.

>My doctor has prescribed my taking 200 mg of the non-sustained release type

>every four hours, and I have taken this for up to 27 hours.

>Originally, my local electro-physiologist wanted me to take it

>all the time, but Dr. Marody at U-M thought I ought to take it on an

>as-needed basis.

Sounds like you've got quite a result, here.

Norpace is Disopyramide, isn't it? As I've managed to get my digestion

under slightly better control and have cut my attacks again, I think I'm

going to go back to the Docs and say I don't want the Amiodarone they

have suggested, and I want to try this regime.

Dorean, do you know if Norpace can be used as-needed in addition to

prophylactic Flecainide (I know you're not offering medical advice by

anything you say!) ? I wonder this because I still think the Flec helps

a bit at low doses - it's the big bad vagal attacks that it doesn't

stop.

--

Best of health to all

Vicky

[Guest guest]

Vicky - Using Norpace does work for me, and Norpace is Disopyramide. I have

never used Flecainide, and have never heard of it being used with Norpace, so

I don't have any answer to your question. Dr. Marody originally had me using

Norpace along with a beta-blocker, Inderal (Propranolol Hydrochloride) in a

small dose, but he said it was mainly for comfort, and it was discontinued

because I disliked it. Dorean