A Fib With Excessive Hypertension

Just had an A Fib episode and blood pressure shot up to 187/107. When I have combination of both, I take 1 mg Clonidine tablet recommended by ER doctor. I already take metoprolol twice a day plus a Clonidine patch and Multaq twice daily for the A Fib. Taking the Clonidine tab when bp is this high has kept me out of the ER. This started at 8 pm and by 10 pm my blood pressure dropped to 134/87 and I was back in rhythm. Multaq has been a blessing, I do not feel palpitations in the chest when I have my episodes. I usually get short of breath really fast that is an indicator for me.

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Hi MeeMaw,

Sorry to hear about your recent episode with A-Fib. I hope you've managed to get things under control by now. Do you know what it was that might've initially triggered the onset of this atrial fibrillation; whether it might've been related to diet (i.e. high cholesterol/trans fats/excess sodium), smoking, not exercising, etc? From what I understand, those are just a few lifestyle factors that may impact the severity of the condition.

I've also heard that focusing on deep breathing exercises is another way to help control blood pressure levels, due to the calming effect it has on the mind. Just thought I'd mention that in case you were ever wondering about other things that could potentially help bring your blood pressure back into a normal state in times of need. Breathing exercises may also help improve your lung/breathing capacity over time, so as to not become short of breath quite so easily when an episode occurs.

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David, I read on these posts where people say certain foods trigger their A-fib. Is there any medical facts that state this anywhere? I drink decaf coffee and tea, decaf sodas every now and then. I definitely do not exercise enough. My cardiologist preaches walking all the time. When I was walking regularly this summer I would have a-fib episodes several hours later. I live in SC so it could have been caused by heat factor and humidity. Who knows! You can run yourself crazy thinking about all this stuff. Deep breathing during my episodes has not helped at all. I was at the cardiologists last week and my oxygen saturation was 98 %. I usually listen to meditation tapes and if the episodes last a long while I will take a Lorezapam for anxiety. It relaxes me enough that I will doze off for a while and upon awakening I am back in rhythm. I am having heart ablation done in December hopefully to stop this mess. I am nervous about going off my meds several days before the procedure. It is being done at the Medical university of Charleston which is a two hour drive from home. I asked them if the A- fib got really bad or my BP goes up really high after going off the meds before arriving for the procedure what is the protocol. They stated to call their cardiac department and they would give me instructions. I will post about my procedure in December after I return home. Good luck in your journey. I have had A-fib for over four years and the Multaq is losing its effectiveness. I have seen on here other people stating about the same time period of it no longer working. I appreciate the info David . We all have to stick together and share information because all the docs want to do is fill you full of meds as a band aid? Thanks once again, God Bless!

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@SCMeemaw,

RE: "I read on these posts where people say certain foods trigger their A-fib. Is there any medical facts that state this anywhere?"

There's actually a news article from CNN pertaining to how your diet influences A-fib risk factors, such as high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

Ref: inhealth.cnn.com/taming-atrial-fibrillation/7-nutrition-tips-for-atrial-fibrillation

A few things they initially recommend are eating plenty of fresh fruits/vegetables, and limiting your intake of saturated fats in order to reduce an accumulation of fatty deposits that would otherwise build up inside the arteries over time. They also advise substituting salt with herbs and spices, since that also affects blood pressure levels. Lastly, both alcohol and caffeine, when consumed in large enough quantities, have also been reported to trigger an A-fib attack. I noticed you mentioned that you only consume decaffeinated beverages, so while caffeine doesn't sound like something you'd have to worry about, I do agree with you that trying to remember all these little details is enough to make some people go crazy Lol. Although hopefully over time it will become more of a second nature thing so it's not always on your mind.

I listen to meditation tapes as well, and also find them to be a good tool for relaxing. Are you familiar with guided meditation as well?

At any rate, thanks for taking the time to respond and I hope some of this information can be of use to you on your journey. Will look forward to hearing back from you in December about your procedure. Have a blessed day!

P.S. I realize CNN isn't necessarily recognized as a primary place to go for medical facts, but from what I could find, the Center for Disease Control (cdc.gov) also lists similar facts about high levels of sodium and blood pressure problems.

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I have had Atrial Fib for 10 years now, 2 ablations and numerous cardioversions. The first ablation lasted about 5 years the 2nd about 5 months. I just finished a 4 day stay in the hospital being put on Tikosyn to stop the errant electrical impulses. I have been home 3 weeks and have had one brief (20 minutes) run of fib. I think my BP sets my fib off and when I try to take BP in a-fib it is usually 200+/110+ ,,,,I take a 50mg lopressor and try to relax, I also have SOB and chest ache with mine so relaxing is not easy. On the Tikosyn I am limited with what I can do, but I was also given Clonidine as a "pill-in-the-pocket" resource so I will go with that and see if it will help....Clonidine also makes me very sleepy so that will help with relaxing!!! Thanks for the info!!!

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