Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 4)

Okay I will start off by saying this drug scares me because it has not been out for very long. I have Afrial Fib which is not behaving I can be 70 beats one min and regular and the next I will be at 190 and in atrial fib and flutter. this is my last chance at a med I have tried all the others I usually end up in the ER two or three times a week. I have had one ablation so far. If anyone else takes it please let me know what it is like. I am starting it on Tuesday.

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I called my Doctor's nurse as suggested and they said, just switch immediately.

I ask the questions because it is a new drug and I wanted to get other opinions.

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I was able to get Multaq through Medicare. I needed a prior authorization by my doctor. He told me if I hit the donut hole, Sanofi Aventis will give me free Multaq until I get out of the donut hole. He'll need to fill out that form when the time comes. Overall, I am feeling great on Multaq after failing Rhythmol and Betapace.

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FYI: My cardiologist told me to stop taking amiodarone for one week before taking Multaq (dronedaraone). I started taking Multaq on 1-1-10 and have tolerated it very well with no apparent side effects except for one thing. Multaq makes my a-fib worse. With in 30 minutes of my first 400mg dose of Multaq my heart went into what felt like a deep solid constant a-fib. A very disturbing feeling for sure. I'm so disappointed especially after all the positive things that I've read about this newly approved drug. I'll go back to my cardiologist on hands and knees on on Monday for help. Thankfully I've still got amiodarone which works adequately for me. Good health! Lon

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Lon im just curious my Dr seems to beleive there are harmful long term effects on amildarone so he switched me to multac. but it is costing me 200$ per month. In Uk they stopped the drug cause the benefits were less than the increased cost. I have no symptoms just an a flutter EKG. I have had no issues taking either drug. waiting for my first EKG on multac

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I've been on Multaq for 4 days now and my afib/aflutter is not as noticeable now. I've had a glass of wine in gingerale each day and haven't had any problems. Hope after I finish my free samples, (21 days) my afib/aflutter disapears.

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Hello Stan, Yes the long term harsh side effects of amiodarone are very well known. A few of the most concerning are: fibrotic lungs, decreased thyroid function, eye cataracts, also damage to liver and nerves. I'm willing to pay later to have a normal life now. I don't tolerate a-fib well and so I'd rather add life into my years than to add years to my life. As far as the high cost of Multaq (dronedarone) it is a non-issue to me. I'm willing to pay far more than $200/month for normal sinus rhythm. Too bad Multaq doesn't work for me. Good luck and good health to you. Lon

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Hi Lon, I started Multaq Dec. 1st and the first 2 weeks I was constantly in and out of AF. After that it settled down and I've only had one minor AF since then. Do you think you were on it long enough to level out in your body? I was very upset in the beginning but the doctor assured me it would settle down and it sure did.

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Hello Suzanne, Thank you for the information. You may be right that I didn't give Multaq enough time to work well. That is what my cardiologist's nurse told me on 1-6-10 and she scolded me for stopping taking it. (I really didn't need that) I read that one of the potentially serious side effects of Multaq is a new or worsening arrhythmia. I know now that I should have went to the ER for expert advise. I made a poor decision. I told the nurse that I would like to quit taking all anti-arrhythmia drugs and just take coumadin for life, but she told me no because my CHAD2 score is 0. An echocardiogram is scheduled for 1-12-10 (2 previous echocardiograms reviled a very strong and normal heart). Also cardiologist appointment is scheduled that day. Maybe the cardiologist will suggest that I give Multaq another try. Stay healthy, Lon

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Hi again, this is for my U.S. friends, my cardiologist offered to put me on FLEMETON, which has not been passed by Health Canada but is in use in U.S. The only way he could put me on it was to admit me to hospital for 3 days & then I could get it. I declined but I read up on it online and it sounds pretty good. I am on the list for ablation, likely in 6 months to a year. I'm not anxious for that although I've talked to some people who have been fairly thrilled with the outcome (I'm just a chicken). Good luck Lon, let us know what the outcome is re going back on Multaq.

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Hello Suzanne, Good luck on your ablation. I must not be a good candidate for the procedure. FLEMETON is mostly herbs with some calcium. I've known of it but didn't think much of it. But it must be good if a cardiologist recommended it to you. I showed the ingredients of FLEMETON to my cardiologist today and he said that it would be OK for me to try it. About the Multaq, my cardiologist told me that it takes a week for it to work well and that my a-fib episodes right after taking the Multaq were likely coincidences. I'm going to try the FLEMETON. It that doesn't work, then I'll consider Multaq again. Thank you, Lon

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It took me two weeks in the hospital to settle out on Multaq. I had a liver abscess so I was lying around taking antibiotics anyway. My Multaq advantage is that it is easy on livers. I recommend having patience to let the residuals build up in your blood before giving up. I have been using Multaq for four and a half months. No side effects, and I rarely drift into a-fib longer than an hour.

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I have been reading up on FLEMETON. Does anyone know if it will also work on a-flutter? Looks like an interesting product. Hope all are doing well here/

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I started Multaq 400mg twice a day about 10 days ago. Seems the afib is fine so far but I've had a horrible headache, lightheadedness, and feel like my leg muscles are weak. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm wondering if I cut it back to just once a day if I will still experience these same effects? My doctor said to give it a couple of weeks and then the side effects won't be so bad but I'm already missing work because of it.

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I was on Multaq for about 5 weeks before getting my 2nd electric cardioversion on 12/31. It helped slow things down prior to CV, and since the CV just over 2 weeks ago I am and have remained in NSR. I work hard and play hard (no marathons,though) and have found my energy levels and endurance have improved in NSR. I think Multaq has helped, as my 1st CV didn't last 6 weeks (no meds accompanied that). No side effects, no other meds besides baby aspirin. Anyone have thoughts on herbal blood thinners? Warfarin is not an option for me.

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I've been on Multaq for almost 6 weeks, also take a baby aspirin daily. I've only had 1 episode of AF, very mild, lasting 5 or 6 hours. The first 2 weeks was wild, in and out of AF daily, after 2 weeks it settled and I've had nothing for almost a month. I asked about going on coumidin and I didn't have any of the risk factors: I'm under 65, don't have any other heart problems, etc. so the aspirin seems to be doing it's thing. Good luck everyone, so far I'm pretty impressed with Multaq. I've had no other problems in relation to Multaq.

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Started with Multaq last week. So far, excellent results. I was given a discount card from LoyaltyScript for the Multaq Loyalty Card program which you can reach at 1-877-885-2763. My insurance pays for Multaq but the loyalty card gave me $30 off each co-pay for the first four months. BTW, during A Fib my blood pressure stayed low at 120/75 although my heart rate was 160. Now I am back down to my normal 65.

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Yay Dave, so glad Multaq is working for you! I know it's expensive, I am lucky, being Canadian I only have to pay 10% so I know how pricey it is. I've still only had 1 episode of AF since I've been on Multaq, so I feel it's really working for me. Stay well.

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I started taking Multaq 6 weeks ago after ablation procedure. I have been in and out of AF several times since the procedure but this is part of the healing process my Dr asssured me. I have had one cardioversion during this time but reverted back for several days before returning to NSR. I seem to have problems after a good work out getting back to my normal heart beat. The only other meds I am on is coumadin. I was previously on tikosyn and rythmol but eventual did not work for me.

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Hello Cal, Maybe the reason that it is hard for you to maintain NSR after a good workout is because you are still recovering from your ablation procedure and not due to Multaq. Cardiologists don't recommend an ablation for me most likely because I can maintain NSR more than half of the time on amiodarone 200mg/day. I tried Multaq on 1-1-10 but my heart went right into AF so I stopped taking it after 2 days. My cardiologist informed me that it takes 2 weeks for Multaq to be effective. So after taking no meds for 2 weeks I re-started taking Multaq 400mg 2X's per day on 1-22-10. Now the only time that I can achieve NSR is during easy jogging and for a brief period thereafter. So I've gone to morning and afternoon jog workouts to evade any atrial clot formations (I'm also taking 4 X's 325mg aspirin/day) . Hopefully in 2 weeks the Multaq will start helping me stay in NSR. However Multaq is most likely not for me anyway as in the mornings I've been experiencing critically low blood pressure readings while taking this drug. Oh well at least I gave it the old college try. Good health! Lon

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I haven't seen any responses to holistic (herbal) anticoagulants, but I did some reaearch on my own and thought I'd add a little as Coumadin and other meds are being mentioned. Aspirin is high on the list, but additionally, fish oil, flaxseed oil, some digestive enzyme supplements, Vitamin E, CoQ10, chamomile and even green tea and arnica can all contribute to platelet control. I'm certainly not advocating in any way, but people who have problems for any reason with blood thinners might want to discuss with their Drs. what they are taking as dietary supplements that may affect their meds.

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