Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 12)

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 have had AF since 1984 on and off. Am 65 and just started Multaq. Was on Propafenone for years. Over the last 10 years, I've drank less and less and finally realized that there's a direct correlation to any amount of alcohol for me (not true of everyone). I stopped drinking at all about 6 mos. ago. I still had two episodes of AF after that but I believe it's because the Propafenone is no longer effective.

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I was on Multaq for one week 12/21/10 thru 12/28/10 AM
because I had an electric cardio version on the morning of 12/28 - this drug was suppose to bring the A-fib under control - well, it did not happen probably because I have been chronic since 7/2008 after a gall bladder surgery. I had lots of side effects of this drug - high blood pressure, pulse increased and I became breathless very easy, I also had edema in my feet, ankles and legs - had to go on a diuretic furosemide high dose.- I am just about getting more or less back to normalcy how I felt before. I WOULD NOT TAKE THIS DRUG AGAIN AS IT IS SORT OF A COUSIN OF AMIODARONE, which is an excellent A-fib drug but extremely toxic. If you happen to be one of those 25 to 30% of people who have side effects to amiodarone, it is not worth my life to take that either. This drug is not excereted thru your kidneys or liver rather it attaches to your cells - this drug can linger on in ones body for months on end and what I read can cause problems years of stopping it.
I have been on Tiazac, 360 mg a day, and digoxin .125 mcg.
Before going on any other antiarrythmic drugs please do your research or if you do not have a PC have someone else who does do it for you.
What I understand about ablations is that very rarely does it work 100% - in my case, I was told that I might have to have it done two or three times before there are any good results. And even after that I would always have to be on coumadin to prevent strokes. Hope some of this is of help.

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You have been on AMIODARONE for 3 years??? - Tha is a long time to be on it. My doctors would have put me on it for 2 to 3 months at the longest and then tried electrical cardio version - some times amiodarone itself puts the heart rhythm in sinc - if I were you which I am not - I would have all the possible testing done to find out if the amiodarone could be the cause of some of your problems. Believe me, doctors told me about this drug, it's excellent A-fib med but soooo toxic.

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Thanks Tutsi for the info, I'm always interested to read about anyone who's been on Multaq, after a year on it I'm sure it's causing my afib every day. If ablation doesn't work for people, what's the answer, just stay on drugs to control it? Quite a sad thought, isn't it? Although I do know several people who've had ablation and been successful with it. Let's hope!

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News that Multaq can cause liver damage ...

Here is the article I read ...

http:/­/­www.huffingtonpost.com/­2011/­01/­14/­liver-damage-may-be-caused-by-heart-drug-_n_809111.html

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thank you Jim for that very informative info you passed on about using Multaq.,will be sure to show this to my DR.

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Thanks Jim for the info on Multaq - printed the article to my collection of lots of print-outs - I don't believe seeing the liver damage in the warnings for this drug--but Multaq being a "cousin" of Amiodarone I guess anything is possible.

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I'm curious if anyone here presently using Multaq was able to go into normal sinus rythm without electrocardioversion.

My EP has suggested Multaq followed by cardioversion a week later - I'm wondering if it would be worth the while using Multaq without cardioversion for a period of say 2 months to see if I convert.

I'm in afib essentially all the time but my ventrical pulse maintains at about 70bpm without medication.

Thanks.

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I was given Multaq for one week in Dec 2010 prior to the cardio version but it did not work on me because my A-fib has been chronic for over 2.5 yrs now.
For you it might work if you have not been in chronic A-fib or if it has been only a couple of months - that is what I have always heard.
I had side effects from this drug which I wrote about in a prior reply - so check it out before you start on it - doctors will sugar code all of these types of drugs and will not tell you exactly what you might experience afterward -after all this drug is a cousin of Amiodarone.
I was told by doctors that Amiodarone is the drug that might put one back into normal sinc not Multaq.

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I will apologize in advance if this is long winded but I want to be as thorough as possible. I am a male, 36 yrs old and was diagnosed with AFIB about 10 years ago when I was admitted to the hospital and spent about 3 days there before converting. Up until around November of 2009 I did not experience another episode like that one. In November 2009 my heart started fluttering uncontrollably as I sure you all are familiar with and I went to the ER. This lasted for 36 hours and then converted back with Rythmol I believe. I was prescribed Metroprolol 25mg which I took for the past year with mixed results as I was admitted back to the ER about 3-4 times throughout the year with the AFIB and heartrates of >180 BPM. My doctor offered a couple of options, one of which was MULTAQ. He said it hasnt been that effective and was relatively new on the market. I agreed to try it about 2 months ago and have been taking 400mg aday along with 25mg metroprolol. I honestly havent felt this good since prior to Nov. 09. I obviously only been on it for a couple of months but its night and day difference from how I felt before. My heart no longer thumps heavily at night and my pulse have been normal. I have noticed a relatively slow heartbeat on a few occasions but thats it. The only other side effect that has reared its ugly head is the diarhhea a couple of times a week which I am more than happy to live with that trade off. There are alot of people on this board of vastly different ages who are taking various different combinations of medicines with AFIB episodes at both ends of the spectrum. Hopefully I have listed enough info hear to adequately describe my situation. Good luck to all!!!

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I was diagnosed with afib in 2009 and used metoprolol for about 14 months. I wasn't very happy with it; I was still getting heart palpitations. I then started using Multaq, I only experienced heart palpitation twice in the 11 months that I was using it. Good Luck!

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Mini maze took care of my atrial fib, but I still have PVC's. The mini maze was done by making only a few small incisions. It did require deflating one lung, but that was no problem. It is worth looking into.

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Thanks Robert. Did the doctor electrocardioconvert you when you started the Multaq? Thanks.

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he converted me first. I have been taking this drug for about 7 weeks . Have gone into afib 2 times probably becasuse the first time a missed taking the pill once on two ocassions. I have found playing sports returns me to a slower heart beat about one hour after my activity
hopes this helps .ps cleveland clinic did not recommend an ablation .

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Multaq sucks. It's too expensive and doesn't work. Your mileage may vary. I was taken off of amiodarone last summer. Why? My A-Fib episodes were being held at bay but I was tending towards hyperthyroidism. So the EP put me on Multaq. Now I have more frequent A-Fib episodes, of longer duration, new aches and pains in my joints and mild depression. And even when I'm in sinus rhythm, I can't exercise like I used to when I was on the amio. It's as if the Multaq keeps a lid on the heart rate. At this point my options appear to be Sotalol or something like it, or ablation. I believe Multaq is dangerous as well as ineffective.

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I have been on Multaq since the end of October. The few side effects I had at first went away and I can honestly say I have none now and feel really good. No, I don't like taking it, or any of the other meds I take either, but it has taken away my pounding heart palpatations and for that I am grateful. I am 67 years old, and fortunately and very thankfully, my insurance covers most of the cost. Thus far I am happy with Multaq. I just hope it continues to work and that a year or two down the road they don't find out it causes cancer or worse problems.

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I just called cleveland clinic inquiring about video/skipes appointment consultations. They do not have this feature with this type of technolgy available . we use this all the time in the telecomm industry with password and encrypted ip. does anyone know if any of the top ten hospitals provide this type of consultation?

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I had called Cleveland Clinic to talk with a doctor about A-fib via phone and they have that service, however, I found $500. or so to be a bit too high for me at this time.
Also I read some articles of the individuals who are taking Multaq and I am glad it's working for them.
There is a warning on internet by our federal health officials that Multaq "may" cause liver damage. it was written by Matthew Perrone/1/14/11 - worthwhile checking your liver enzymes!! You may Google it as: Matthew Perrone Multaq to get the article.

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I am exactly trying go do that, my Dr. dropped the amiod and started ms on Multaq, which us like amiod lite. I was without my CPAP machine for a couple of months, and drinking 7 cups of caffeine every day and couldnt stay in NSR with Multaq. Then it went back in. Then out again. Now I've been out since 12/24, but with no more caffeine and no more alcohol, I think it will convert back in on it's own. My Dr. scheduled me a cardioversion, but it went back in on it's own, so I cancelled the convert. I will give my current test of Multaq through March a shot, then, another suggested drug, I have to go into the hospital just to get started on, so why not convert then? I'm not a fan of ablation, don't think the technology is perfected yet.

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Just back from my cardiologist and I am off Multaq!! Based upon the liver toxicity forcing them to be removed, a serious issue! We are switching to a rate control strategy versus a rhythm control path, as it seems most rhythm control drugs suck, in both my cardiologist's and my own words. I'll post in a month to see how our rate control strategy is working out.

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