Re: side effects of flecainide

[Guest guest]

1/yes and 2/yes.

I am on 300mg of flecainde per day and do experience muscle twitching

on occasion. My left thumb will sometimes twitch or pulse. I

attribute this to flec. Of course until I get off this drug, I can't

be 100% sure. This is another thing I hate about taking drugs.

After a while you may not be sure if the drugs are causing some

twitch, vision problem or whatever or if it is something else other

than the drugs. Alcohol is definetely a trigger for afib. You should

cut down but would be better off quitting entirely.

take care

keith

> I have had two episodes of a-fib in the last 8 months (the second

> was, in my opinion, brought on by the doctor taking me off my meds)

> I have two questions 1)has anyone heard of involuntary muscle

> twitching as a side effect of flecainide (tambocor)? 2) is alcohol

> consumption related to a-fib episodes and if so is it recommended

to

> cut down or quit entirely?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/16/2003 2:16:35 PM Pacific Standard Time,

ebkool15@... writes:

<< alcohol

consumption related to a-fib episodes and if so is it recommended to

cut down or quit entirely? >>

EbKool,

Everyone is different, but for most people alcohol is an afib trigger. My

brother in permanent afib believes that his afib was caused almost entirely in

the beginning by excessive drinking of alcohol. He believes that he would have

avoided permanent afib as I have done so far if he had not drunk excessive

alcohol. Perhaps the word " excessive " is a key element here, at least in his

case. However, he and I believe that anyone with a tendency toward afib would

be wise to avoid alcohol completely, and I know that I will never drink alcohol

because it isn't worth the risk to me. I like being in sinus most of the

time! Perhaps if you don't want to give up alcohol completely, you could

experiment to see how much is too much. The problem is that you might have to

experiment long term to see results as was the case with giving up dairy

products

for me. I didn't see any improvement in my afib until a year after giving up

dairy products. Sometimes afib triggers work within a lengthy time frame and

effects cannot be judged immediately but only after a certain period of time

has elapsed. I believe this delayed reaction theory is also true of stress as a

trigger. I have noticed that often when I am under extreme stress, afib will

not strike until days after the stress is removed. These ideas are unproven,

as far as I know, and just represent my own theories based on my personal

experience and that of my brother. Good luck with whatever you decide.

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

I am also on 300 mg per day. I do not experience twitching.

As far as alcohol, if I overdo it, the dehydration causes be to

experience premature beats or irregularities the next day. I can avoid

this by remembering to drink plenty of water. I only attribute one

episode to alcohol, and that was January 1, 2000. I find that it is not

a trigger for me unless I push it to the extreme.

Cheers,

Bobby

keithf.ritchie@... wrote:

> 1/yes and 2/yes.

>

> I am on 300mg of flecainde per day and do experience muscle twitching

> on occasion. My left thumb will sometimes twitch or pulse. I

> attribute this to flec. Of course until I get off this drug, I can't

> be 100% sure. This is another thing I hate about taking drugs.

> After a while you may not be sure if the drugs are causing some

> twitch, vision problem or whatever or if it is something else other

> than the drugs. Alcohol is definetely a trigger for afib. You should

> cut down but would be better off quitting entirely.

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/16/03 5:56:54 PM Eastern Standard Time,

keithf.ritchie@... writes:

I am on 300mg of flecainde per day and do experience muscle twitching

on occasion. My left thumb will sometimes twitch or pulse. I

attribute this to flec. Of course until I get off this drug, I can't

be 100% sure. This is another thing I hate about taking drugs.

After a while you may not be sure if the drugs are causing some

twitch, vision problem or whatever or if it is something else other

than the drugs. Alcohol is definetely a trigger for afib. You should

cut down but would be better off quitting entirely.

take care

keith

Hi ,

I can't comment on flecainde IM taking Toprol XL but I have just come

to realize I have RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome).

www.rls.org/frames/home_frame.htm I did not realize there is an actual

syndrome for the twitching in the

legs and muscle spasms. Not sure if this is related to you but somthing to

check out? The mostly bothers me at night when I lay down and relax and not all

the time. I could go years or have a few episodes in a week. It is

bothersome. I wonder if anyone else with afib/flutter also has RLS (restless

leg

syndrome)?

a in Massachusetts

[Guest guest]

I'm not on flecainide, but do take 50 mg of Metropolol per day and

I've had people ask me if I'm nervous because my leg was bouncing. I

have never noticed this until others pointed it out to me.

Now, I even notice it when I'm relaxed and watching TV.