Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 5)

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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REPORT

I started Multag yesterday. (1/29/10) I have had Afib since I was 4o. (Am 58 now) I have had 2 Ablations, none have worked. The only med. to get me back into NSR was Amiodarone. I took it for about 4 years, then during exercise one day it just quit working. I am kind of glad because the side effects are not very good. Amiodarone also killed my Thyroid Gland. It has since came back to normal. I refuse to take Coumadin. My doctor showed me the CHAD study, and I was OK just taking an asprin (1X325 mg) a day. I hope that Multag works for me because it is in the same family as Amiodarone, that did work for me iin the past. I also take Metoprolol. (50 mg twice a day) If the Multag (2X400 mg day) does not work they want to try another ablation. Wish me Luck with the Multag, my last wish is another Ablation.

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Mike, I take a Digoxin 0.125mg each day in addition to your regimen. I stay in normal sinus rhythm. Ask your doctor if adding it might help.

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Regarding Harry's comment - - I take Multaq but my brother takes Digoxin and he is very happy with it. He's been on it for 4+ years.

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Hi Harry and Thanks...I see him Friday for an EKG. I will ask him then.

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Cindyn
I have also notice lightheadedness and leg weakness. I have been on Multaq for 1 month. I have had no ablations, was on flecanide before. I am taking 25 mg metoprolol twice a day. I had not had any problems with a-fib or flutter since going on the multaq. I am 53 and was very active before all this started 10 months ago with a-flutter at 240 per minute. Now I have developed some anxiety about the whole thing.They recently diagnosed me with sleep apnea and my cardiologist thinks this could be the source of all my arrythmia problems. Additionally, I have developed severe potassium losses before I ever started the multaq, now I am also having some Magnesium loss. Taking 100 meq of potassium per day and 400 mg of magnesium just to keep my levels normal. My nephrologist thinks I may have bartters or gettlemans syndrome which causes the low potassium and mag. So many things going on at once makes me wonder if they are all related to one thing. I was never sick before all this and doing lots of mt. biking and skiing. I went skiing two weeks ago and had to be taken down off the mountain in a sled by the ski patrol. I had no energy at all to get off the mountain. I missed some work also because of this. But I am happy that I don't have the arrythmias any more, just an occational missed beat. I am very sensative to any missed beats, feels like the bottom of my heart is dropping out of my chest. Hope this info helps someone out there. Bradg

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I have been on Multaq for about 3 weeks and have noticed I have alot of leg pain in the middle of the night. Has anyone else experienced this?

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I am interested to know if anyone has noticed the onset of atrial fibrillation after drinking alcohol - wine or liquor. I don't get a fib with wine but it seems that I do with the harder stuff. Thoughts? I am on Multaq. I am also on 800mg a day of magnesium oxide. Doc told me to an extra magnesium oxide if I have any a fib.

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any feedback about flemeton?. anyone else find that PVCs (ectopics) tend to covert into A Fib ?

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Bob C,
I don't know about flemton? But, I used to have lots of pvc's and some occational a- fib but it did not last very long. The risk with a- fib over just pvc's is that sustained a-fib increases your risk of throwing blood clots. That is why cardiologists may elect to treat a patient with anticoagulants if they remain in a-fib. PVC's are generally thought to be pretty benign though they can be annoying to some people. Some people can't feel either a-fib or the PAC's. PAC's are just short for premature atrial contractions. The worst part of PAC's is if you feel them and have enough of them you can lose your atrial kick, which is the complete filling of blood into the atrial chamber. This can result in less blood to the ventricles or lower chambers of the heart, in times of increased physical activity. If you have a lot of PAC's it may be hard to tell if you are in A-fib or just having PAC's. The only way to tell sometimes is to have an EKG during these events. If the events do not occur all the time you may have to wear a holter monitor or an event monitor to find out what exactly is going on.

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I have been taking Multaq now for about three months. So far my artrial fib is successfully managed even by
a partial dosage of this stuff, but I
do not like the vague sense of nausea that comes and goes, the fatigue that
comes and goes, and the negative effect on sleep patterns. As this is a new drug, as we all tend to wind up as the 5% or so who are moved to whine about it, I want other whiners to speak out, give
the manufacture and the doctors
something to think about. I hope that I can adjust to this stuff, but so far, it has been unpleasant.

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starting multaq tomorrow 2/6/10 havie been battling a fib since the age of 38 and i am now 46 10 cardioversions and 1 ablation later have learned to live with a fib and have done and took all of the other medications keeping my fingers crossed to all of you just don't give up I always can look around the corner and find someone who is worse off I struggle at work but always manage to hang in there wish you all the best in what ever you try.........

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Hi Joe, I've had AFib for 5 years, one cardioversion, not tried ablation yet but been on Multaq for 3 months. I've had 3 AF episodes but they've been mild in comparison and haven't lasted as long. Good luck on it, just to let you know the first two weeks I was on Multaq I was in and out of AF constantly but the doctor said it needed a couple of weeks in my system to adjust and he was right. Good luck Joe.

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Thanks Suzanne thats good to know wish you the best and thanks again...joe........

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46 year old with lone Afib 3 times a week treated with pill in the pocket flecainide. Just started Multaq, 6 hours and ok so far .
Here In Vancouver, Canada it cost $450Canadian for 180 pills ($2.50 per 400mg) and Blue Cross covered it. Don't listen to those Republicans! Obama has some very good ideas and he got them all from Canada.

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Hello Gregory, I'm glad that Multaq seems to be working well for you. Please leave politics out of this. We are all suffering enough as it is. Good health to you. Lon

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My cardiologist recommened that I start on Multaq- I told him I'[m already on cardizem (sp) 120 mg and lipitor (10 mg) but he didn't think that to be a problem.Cardizem lowers blood pressure as does Multq- is that not danagerous? I had 'flutters' for a few years and was prescribed metoprolol which made me crazy. After going off it I had no a-fib incidents for 4 years. Last November I went into a-fin (150) and last week had a second incident (101) the latter lasting 2 hours and stopping on it's own in the ER of course.

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Have had AF for 30+ years and gone thru a number of cardiologiss and meds. Tambocor(raises BP too High), Lanoxin, etc. nothing works, Have problems with meds. Had an abllation for flutter but didn't do much. Got a pacemaker about three years ago that was supposed to have a feature that controls AF but it doesn't. Recently have been given Rythmol 325 but do not take it except when I go into AF . Concerned about side effects if it take too much. Saw a new cardiologist lasT week and he took me off atenolol because of my reduced kidney function because it is excreted thru the kidneys. Gave me Toprol instead as it goes out the liver. Have water retensive high bp. Want to try Multaq but am afraid of getting into a problem. Think the Docs kinda give up on me, Age 76.
Also had propblems with blood thinner med.and they took me off.

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Dave: I have found that any alcohol even near beer seems to be a trigger for me. Also any coffee- even decaf( just a sip. )Also believe candy with artificial sweeters may trigger me. It takesabout 6 hours after I injest that stuff before an episode of AF begins. I have to stay away from chocolate. Is not worth going into AF. Eating too much or too fast I suspect can also get me going . These are just cause and effect situations that I have tried to piece together over time for my case.. Perhaps everybody's different though.

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Rich - thanks very much for your reply. My cardiologist said it would take 2 to 4 weeks for the Multaq to really infuse itself into my system and have its best effect. He also has me take magnesium oxide with each Multaq. It has been four weeks now and my A Fib has settled down. I am still avoiding hard liquor, however. Two glasses of wine seem to work well. Amazing how much variability there is from person to person.

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My husband has A-fib. He had an agiosplasty in June and 3 days later he had a stroke. He has had cardioversion twice and is now on Multaq, coumadin and BP meds. He is so tired all the time he can hardly function. Until he was on these meds, he was so full of energy and now he literally has to sleep at least 13 hours a day. The doctor wants to try ablation, but his heart is enlarged and he is hoping that if he stays in normal rhythm with Multaq, it will reduce in size and he can do an ablation. I am so sick of these medications. I wish they would just put a pacemaker in him. He feels bad and a little better, but never good.

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