Re: when to have an ablation

[Guest guest]

Hi Barb,

My husband was on 100 mgs of Flecanide per day he also took Cartia

and Atenolol after some time the Afib broke through and even raising

his dose from 50mgs of Flec to 100 mgs didnt do the trick. He had

tried many different types of heart meds and after a time would

experience the same problem he had exhausted all meds available and

that was when he was recommend for an ablation.

Taking the medication gets rather mundane after a while..but to have

that and have no probs for 4 years is a great success rate.. where

as depending on the study you read you are looking at about a 70%

success rate with Ablation and some people need a second procedure.

Do some research and then if you still feel adament then I think why

not push to control your own condition even it means changing

specialists.

Good luck,

Lis

>

> I am taking Flecainide 75mgs. a day and stay in NSR. I dislike

> taking these meds as I take Cartia 120 mgs. per day as well. I am

56

> and doing all right. I just don't want to take all these pills. I

> would love to get off of these meds. My doctor says the only time

he

> would suggest having ablation is if my meds did not work. Is this

> true for everyone? Barbara

> Is 75 mgs of Flecainide allot or is it a small amount? It has

worked

> for almost 4 years now. Thanks

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/15/04 11:51:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

barbzwire@... writes:

> My doctor says the only time he

> would suggest having ablation is if my meds did not work. Is this

> true for everyone? Barbara

>

Barbara,

My Cardio wanted me to go on a drug regiment. I said no. I want the PVA. He

refered me to an EP and we did the PVA. It was successful. My cardio at the

time was not that up to date on PVA's. His speciality was plumbing. Stents and

valves. Explore the possibilities with a qualified EP.

Rich O

[Guest guest]

-I am taking 300 mg. of Flecainide per day (150 mg. twice per

day)!!!!! Also ToprolXL50 mg./day. I STILL have breakthoughs even

on this high dose. 75 mg. a day for four years without breakthrough

sounds heavenly to me. I know what you mean though about taking the

medication getting to you!!

-- In AFIBsupport , " barbzwire2002 " <barbzwire@e...>

wrote:

>

>

> Is 75 mgs of Flecainide allot or is it a small amount? It has

worked

> for almost 4 years now. Thanks

[Guest guest]

Barbara wrote:

<<Is 75 mgs of Flecainide allot or is it a small amount? It has worked

for almost 4 years now.>>

I know a lot of people dislike meds, but you can take up to 400 mg of

flecainide a day, so you are succeeding in eliminating afib with a

relatively small dose. I take 200 mg per day, and my doctors say there

just are no significant side effects among their patients with a profile

similar to mine who take flecainide. So far, flecainide has kept me in

NSR too.

There are many people in our group who would be pleased as punch if 75

mg of flecainide a day would keep them in NSR for 4 years and counting.

The standard approach for determining candidacy for an ablation is that

the patient " fail " two drugs. ( " Fail " actually means the drugs failed to

perform but the medicos like to reverse the language so that it is the

patient who fails.) So your doctor is saying what most of the literature

says. You are not " failing " flecainide. You are succeeding.

The " black box " warning that comes on felcainide's insert refers to a

study that was done using it on patients who had significant heart

disease. Still it is not to be taken lightly by anyone, just understood

in context. If one does not have any heart problem except afib, my

doctors say it has never caused a problem in anyone they prescribed it for.

Flecainide has been around long enough that it is available in generic

form. That gives me comfort not just because of the reduction in cost,

but also because it indicates that there has been a lot of clinical

experience passed under its bridge. I like to think new drugs don't

really prove their mettle (or lack thereof) until they enter Phase IV

trials. Of course there is no Phase IV as far as the FDA is concerned.

But in my weird little world it begins when a drug is widely distributed

among paying customers. That's the trial Vioxx failed.

- OU alum in MI