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Last week while at work I experienced something new. While sitting at

my desk i felt a hot sensation rise from my feet to my head followed

by a tightness in my throat. This happened at approx. 11 A.M. and I

had been drinking coffee (approx. 4-5 cups ) since 7 A.M. I also had

taken a Clariton pill and used Afrin nasal spary at about 8 A.M. Well

a trip to the e.r. had the doctor tell me that I was suffering from

Afib. I was put on blood thinners( heprin) at the hospital along with

medication to slow down my heart. I'm home now and the doctor has me

on 5 milligrams of warfarin a day and 80 milligrams of solotal a day.

Does this seem like too much medication for a 43 year old who never

had afib before? Any advice would surely be appreciated.

Thanks,

Charlie

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/15/2001 2:54:24 PM Pacific Standard Time,

chaz41c@... writes:

<< Last week while at work I experienced something new. While sitting at

my desk i felt a hot sensation rise from my feet to my head followed

by a tightness in my throat. This happened at approx. 11 A.M. and I

had been drinking coffee (approx. 4-5 cups ) since 7 A.M. I also had

taken a Clariton pill and used Afrin nasal spary at about 8 A.M >>

Charlie,

Welcome to the group! As a person who has had afib for eighteen years and

has taken no medication stronger than a beta blocker and calcium channel

blocker, I would say that your medication seems a bit heavy, considering that

you may have had only one afib episode so far. However, I am not a doctor

and don't know what EKG's revealed about the general condition of your heart.

I think you should question your doctor about the decision to prescribe

Sotalol, which is a rather heavy duty drug. I think the usual procedure is

to start with a beta or calcium channel blocker and then proceed to drugs

like Sotalol if the milder drugs don't work. Also, Coumadin is usually

prescribed for older people, for people who manifest a high stroke risk for

some reason, or for people who are in and out of more lengthy periods of

afib.

Another factor to consider is that your afib could have been drug-induced by

the excessive caffeine, nasal spray, etc. If Clariton is an antihistamine, I

would want to check to see if it can cause arrhythmia. I know that Seldane,

an antihistamine which I suspect may be in the same class as Clariton, was

taken off the market at least for a time because it caused the ultimate

arrhythmia: cardiac arrest. I took Seldane in the early 90's and have

wondered if it played a role in intensifying my afib.

Unless your heart has some underlying structural defect which could cause

afib, I would think if might be advisable to discontinue the caffeine and

other drugs to see if the afib returns. It might have bee a one-time

experience caused by the drugs. In any case, it would be a good idea to

avoid caffeine in the future, as most of us do.

Good luck, and let us know how you're doing.

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

> I think you should question your doctor about the decision to prescribe

> Sotalol

As I understand it, Sotalol is one of the first drugs they try over here in

the UK because of a high success rate. (It turned me into a walking Zombie

but I don't believe that's true for everyone)

> Another factor to consider is that your afib could have been drug-induced

by

> the excessive caffeine, nasal spray, etc. If Clariton is an

antihistamine, I

> would want to check to see if it can cause arrhythmia.

My hay fever tablets were suspected with my AF, it's a good idea to check

with your doctor AND your pharmacist about all the meds/herbal remedies you

take.

Also a good idea to keep a log of when you have episodes and what you were

doing at the time - it will make it easier to spot any pattern - if there is

a pattern!

--

D

[Guest guest]

Thanks to everyones speedy reply! I do feel kinda spaced out from the

Solatol and am concerned that I'm on too much medication. I'm going

for a second opinion tomorrow. Thank you all for the help and support.

Any more advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Charlie

[Guest guest]

Thanks Bill. I really dont feel all that bad on it, but I'm just

wondering if I really need any of this medication.

P.S. does anyone ever use the chat function of this group?

Charlie