Quotemelturet I haven't had the Watchman installed but my cardiologist insists that if I do I can stop taking eliquis. My afib is infrequent (none to notice in last 3 months, infrequent prior lasting 1 hour or less) but I don't know if that is advisable given the risk/benefit of eliquis. Thanks for the response More important than the frequency of your afib episodes is your CHADS-Vasby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The DOAC manufacturers didn't pursue approval for valve disease patients, so the result is the data on DOACs with valve disease is still pretty limited. There have been one or two studies, and those showed that apixaban and warfarin provide comparable protection, but most doctors wouldn't feel comfortable prescribing apixaban. They'd be standing on a thin branch if anything didnby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's no reason to be concerned about an induction cooktop and afib. I'm not so sure there's any reason to be concerned about one with a pacemaker either. People who write articles like to think up scary stuff.by Carey - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Quotesusan.d I had 1:1 conduction all the time this past year while in flutter and SVTs. I guess Cardizem doesn’t address it as well as metoprolol does. Also worth noting -- 1:1 conduction didn't kill you.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
This is a list of abbreviations commonly used on this forum and in the afib world in general. It's meant to be authoritative and reliable so it will be curated carefully. You can add an entry by just posting and telling us what the abbreviation is and what it means. If you think something suggested or something already here is wrong, reply and say why it's wrong. Once we've reaby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotegloaming Surely we could place a sticky post at the top of this forum, and it ought to be a mini-glossary and list of common initialisms (acronyms are sounded, like LASER and RADAR. Otherwise, abbreviations are merely initialisms, such as PVC, AF, and eg). Sure, we can do that. I wouldn't bother distinguishing between different types of abbreviations, but a simple list of commonly usby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Color me skeptical about that double the amount of anesthesia stuff. Cannabis just doesn't have that level of effects, and it's not an antagonist against the drugs typically used in anesthesia. I know of no mechanism of action that could even begin to explain a 50% reduction of effect. It almost seems like doctors are equating narcotics abuse with cannabis and not segregating the two. Aby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you're taking metoprolol you're at little to no risk for 1:1 conduction. That's why most EPs prescribe it along with flecainide (but some don't because the risk of 1:1 conduction is very, very low). That said, I have low hopes for flecainide working as a PIP against flutter. Never did for me, and I have a LOT of experience with flutter. Flecainide is usually pretty effeby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I did not stop Eliquis, but I cut it to a half-dose. I have a Watchman and I chose to continue half-dose Eliquis for the same reason your doc wants you taking low-dose aspirin, not because of my LAA.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJoe Oh good, first drug without any side effects Nobody said that. We all know all drugs have side effects. The question was long-term side effects, side effects that don't become apparent for years.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Valentines Day.... I suppose that's the perfect day for a heart procedure. Good luck!by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Persistent afib means afib that has continued uninterrupted for over a week, so you're not there yet. If you've managed to control your afib with diet and lifestyle for 12 years, you've done a fantastic job. Few people get that much mileage. But afib is a progressive disease, so it's not surprising that the party appears to be coming to an end. Assuming this isn't jusby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecolindo BTW what does CYA mean? It's an American expression. It means "cover your ass." If you say "doctors are answering with CYA" you're saying their answers are just safe for them and not necessarily the truth.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecolindo What are the long term side effects of taking Eliquis or other DOAC? None are known. Pradaxa (dabigatran) was approved in the EU in 2008 and Eliquis (apixaban) in 2011. Approval followed a year or so later in the US for both. Neither drug has shown any long-term side effects. And it would be very unusual for a widely-used drug to go 10-15 years without long-term side effects atby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I agree you probably don't need to be on an anticoagulant but I bet you'd get a mix of opinions if you asked several doctors. You could always do what I did: compromise and switch to a half-dose of Eliquis. Doing that got the endorsement of my PCP and two EPs, one of which was Natale. And I have a Watchman which puts me at the same risk level as someone who's never had afib.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Caffeine has been shown in a couple of studies to actually be slightly helpful for afib. The idea that it's a trigger dates back decades to doctors simply thinking any stimulant would be a trigger for afib. They had no actual reason to think that but it became ingrained in everyone's thinking and still persists today.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't think there's any research comparing nattokinase to Eliquis, so there's no way for a layman to make that comparison. I don't think trying to compare them is even wise. Without question, if I needed an anticoagulant, I wouldn't risk using something that has very little research behind it. How much is enough? How much is too much? What's the half-life so I kby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If I were you, I'd schedule the procedure with Natale in Austin. I wouldn't spend 1 millisecond debating that decision.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteQue Who is considered at high-risk for CVD? That's my question. Only those with post-myocardial infarction? No, post-MI would indicate current CVD, not just high-risk. The risk factors for CVD are: High Blood Pressure High Blood Cholesterol Diabetes Obesity and Overweight Smoking Physical Inactivity Gender Heredityby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
PFA is a good thing in general. The article just points out a risk they've identified that EPs need to be cautious about. The lesson is simply that if they need to ablate near the cavotricuspid isthmus, they need to administer nitro first. No big deal and not a strike against PFA.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecolindo BTW natto is not nattokinase. I know that. I was just using it as an abbreviation.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Cautions aside, the whole principle of PIP is to hit it with a large dose as fast as possible. Stepping up gradually may be fine for learning what's effective for you, but once you know that number I would take it in full as a single dose and I would chew it or crush it first, then down it with a long drink of warm water. You want it dissolved and in your system ASAP, and you want the full dby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Colindo, how do you know how much it thinned your blood? Anti-Fib, why take natto if you're already on a NOAC?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's no reason to fear the flecainide. A zillion of us here take it or have taken it and problems are extremely rare. I'm not sure what your doc is thinking saying it may help to identify the issue, but I would go along with what they want to do. It won't hurt you and might help. But the repeat ablation? Let's talk privately before you go down that path, okay?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Benzos are some of the most difficult drugs to wean off of there are. They can be tougher than narcotics.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
A rash months later due to the drug is unlikely, but not impossible. The easy way to find out is simply stop the metoprolol and replace it with a non-beta blocker such as diltiazem. There are dozens of beta blockers but if one causes this then the others probably will too. So talk to your doc and I'm sure you can find a solution. And keep in mind it might not be the drug at all.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
George, Mayo wouldn't add a warning for patients for a complex reason like that. I'm curious why the warning exists but I'm not finding that reason anywhere.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You're not destined to get worse, but there's no way for anyone to predict what it will do. Might get better. Who knows? There's no reason to think that the afib will prevent your surgery from happening no matter what it does. Afib is rarely a show stopper for surgery; the surgeon just needs to know in advance that you have afib. So your cardiologist and your surgeon need to beby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have stopped flecainide cold many times under multiple EPs. None of them ever suggested tapering and I don't know where that advice comes from or what it's based on. It might be based on nothing, the same way avoiding caffeine is based on nothing.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
In my opinion, no. I've never seen a fitness app yet that can reliably measure an irregular heart rhythm. Sure, you might deduce that you're in afib from the wildly varying heart rate it shows, but you can do the same thing for free by simply feeling your pulse.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM