Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 24)

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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You should be able to get a card that is good for $30 a prescription from your They sent me one the other day that is good for a year.t.

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Hi- I started Multaq about 5 months ago- since taking the drug I have noted no A-Fib incidents at all- The drug does scare me also however, given its short period of time on the market-It is working well but I still am nervous about it- I am 64 and could not keep my heart from racing if I walked from one end of the room to the other-those symptoms have been gone-period- The thing that worries me is asking myself if I will have to be on this drug forever~

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Vici, Most of us have the same concerns, there is no actual permanent cure at this time. The best we can do right now is try whatever we can to lessen the affects of Afib. Everything has side effects and each is dangerous to a certain degree but those are our choices as far as meds go or ablations.

There are many new things to control or possibly even cure Afib in the works. All's we can do is hope and wait.

The only thing that has no side effects is taking or doing nothing at all. But that may be the most dangerous way to go and you will still have the full disabilities of having Afib and having the highest chance of getting a stroke.

You have to look at this both ways, the choice seems obvious.

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Gary- Oh there is no doubt- I have had two pulmonary emboli, very fortunate to still be here, my Doctor doesn't want me to try ablation, for some reason, so this is it- after reading the many posts here from those who have had ablation I think I can understand his thinking- Lets all hope for a better day and Good Luck to everyone

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I have been taking multaq for 4 daya and all ready have weird side effects.Severe abdominal pain,shortness of breath with the least activity.EVven more irregular beats then before and of and on heart racing that I didnt have before.I will call my Cardi.. tommorow to get of the pills.

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i was exactly the same was one the drug 3 months even though the heart syptoms went away no af i was sick all the time dizzy tired not hear at all, then i started with really bad pains in my uppper abdomen and left and right side so started take half the dose in morning afternoon was alot better no sick and af ok but still very bad pains thought i had gallstones so had a scan and found problems with my liver straight away i stopped the pills and i have had several scans cats ect not gallbladder its one of my ducts in the liver have to go in for a camera but i have never had this problem before i started the multaq i think its a very dangerous drug and even though my first blood test showed no affects on the liver i think they should do more that the intial one after 1 month as mine developed after the 2/ 3 month i would never recomend this tablet to anyone and whats worse my doctor went mad when i told him id stopped taking it just thought id update you on my experience jackie

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i would defo recomend for af but the side effects are worse than the af i have had one abalation and they wanted me to have another i said no so they tried this drug told me it could have an effect on the liver so i had to have blood test after 1 month that was ok no problems at all second month still so sick and dizzy so i started taking anti sickness drugs which helped but then i started with pains in my upper abdomen and left and right habd side so i reduced the tablets to half am and pm the sickness went away and stopped the sickness meds was well pleased still no af thought id cracked it 3rd month very bad attacks so went to see digestive consultant had a nuclear cat after normal scan which showed enlarged bile duct but they dont know why i go in for camera next week into the ducts and i think this is all through the multag i think you should ask for blood tests for the first 4 months as mine where fine the first month which they recomend but to be quite honest the sickness and pains i had all the time where worse than the af i stopped the multaq myself doc went mad but i dont care i had never had any problems like this before and within 3 months of this drug i have another health scare the docs say it isnt the multaq but i really dont belive that this is your life so push for the blood test i know this is only my case and you may be ok but please ask for more than the first mth blood test as i started with the pains the 2nd month if id have had more than 1b/test maybe it would have been picked up my gamma went from 25 to 195 in 3 months wich is far to high not trying to scare you just giving you insight i never had jackievl

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I HAVE ATRIAL FIBRALATION TOO.
3 YEARS AGO I HAS ABLATION. AND NO ANY RESULT.
6 HOURS UNDER GENERAL ANASTASIA.
AFTER I START TAKEN MULTAQ . THE MULTAQ HELP ME.
PLS BE CARE WITH LIQUID QUANTITY AFTER ABLATION. BECAUSE WHEN I LEAVE THE HOSPITAL AND AFTER 6 HOURS EMERGENCY I WAS IN HOSPITAL AGAINST. I WAS FULL OF LIQUID .
AND I STAY IN HOSPITAL TWO MORE DAYS.

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Multaq has turned this once energetic happy guy into a brain dead, depressed old man overnight. It also affects my sleep in the most bizarre ways - intense dreams, constant waking, awake for the day at 4:30 after very broken sleep, and exhausted all day. I hardly can function at work, and used to be so bright and creative, but that's all in the past.

But, as the cardio points out proudly "But you're in NSR now, aren't you? What's the problem".

well, yeah, but judging from what I've been reading, it might not be the Multaq at all, as it's pretty ineffective.

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Trapper, How long have you been on Multaq? I have been on it since October of 2009. I did not go out of afib until I had a cardioversion in Apr of 2010. I have been in ever since. I too, was very tired in the beginning, but I would take a short nap some days and that seemed to help. I am much better now and the being tired is not as bad. They even took me off warafin a month ago and put me on aspirin. I was so happy about that. Since heart problems often cause depression, they put me on a small dose of wellbutrin which improves my attitude and gives me a little energy. I do hope this drug works for you and you feel better soon. Take care and good luck!

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I have been on Multaq for over a year and until recently only had short instances of a-fib and then only in the 80-90bpm range (my resting HR is about 40 and I'm 71 and otherwise fit and active). About 6 weeks ago the a-fib started again at 80-90, but continued, so I had a TEE cardioversion. That's my third in 3 years. If a-fib recurs, I'll go for ablation which is about 70% successful the first go round and maybe 85% with the second pass.

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It seems there only a few of us are taking Multaq without any problems.

I was diagnosed with occasional Lone Afib a year ago, otherwise my heart is very healthy with no other heart or circulation problems at all. I've always taken a multitude of vitamins, minerals and herbs regularly most of my life. I don't drink or smoke and have been weight training since I was 12, I'm 57 now.

I have only been on one antidepressant since 1986 (Aan MAOI) with no problems at all and I managed a lower dosage but I will be on it for life.

My Afib did not just start by itself. It started immediately and was caused from an irresponsible doctor when I received some injections and was put under before taking an MRI for a pain in my hip. When I was put under and injected with dyes and cortisone, my heart beat went crazy and they had to lower it. I have NEVER had any heart problems until then.

I asked what they had given me and found out that 2 of the injections were absolutely not to be given to a person taking an MAOI type of antidepressant, which I was on. It could cause rapid or erratic heartbeat if given to a person on an MAOI. I have never trusted most doctors due to past experiences. There are really not that many who care or even follow proper procedure.

They had this information but never even bothered to check it for any possible bad reactions with what they were injecting me with. So that's how I ended up with Afib, nice huh.

I started Multaq 7 months ago and have had absolutely no side effects at all. Had my liver checked now and then it's perfect.

As with any kind of drug, what works for one may not work at all or make things worse for the next hundred taking it. Drugs are mainly trial and error, Multaq was not the first drug I was given, the previous drugs had little or no effect. I also had to go thru 3 doctors until I found the one I knew was good and met my standards. I won't just settle for anyone because they have the right title, that means nothing.

There are so many physiological differences between one person and another. Physical makeup, ailments, taking other drugs, heredity, the list is endless to why certain drugs will have so many different effects on different people. Multaq worked perfectly for me but it does not mean it will work on the next 100 or 200 people after me.

I don't like taking any drugs but for now I must until something better is found. I will not do an Ablation due to all the horror stories I read on here and of all the failures. My doctor only works in the Arrhythmia field, nothing else, to him an Ablation is only for a desperate last resort.

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Taking Multaq for two months. Experiencing extreme lightheadedness, unable to stand. Muscle cramps in both arms, hot flashes, feeling of pressure closing in, nurse says not to change dosage.

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i would change you know your own body i was on 3 months and now im having tests on my liver terrible drug

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Gayle, I've been on it for 3 months, including the few weeks before a cardioversion The weird sleep, brain deadness and fatigue problems started with day 1. I felt pretty good even with the afib prior to starting. I thought that I would be off of it a few weeks after the successful cardioversion as well as getting off the anti-coagulants, but the cardio says he wants me on both the rest of my life. I don't think feeling this bad for the next 30+ years is an option. The anti-coagulants have destroyed my skin and GI tract as well. I look like I've been stoned and thrown down a cliff from all the bruises and blood blisters. I hate both of these meds, but none of the docs I've talked with seem to be the least concerned about the side effects and my quality of life, because as I said "well, at least you are in NSR". Sorry, but I don't buy medicine by the formula and numbers any more. I'm very discouraged and it's time to decide my own destiny.

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Trapper, are you seeing a A-fib cardio specialist ? That is all my doc does. There are other meds they could try for you, but most are not as effective as multaq. I will say that when I first started, I was afraid of this med and I was only taking one half pill at a time. I did not inform my doc of that fact. The meds did not put me back in a normal beat and that is when I had the cardio version and when I was in the hospital they were giving me the full dose. It did not seem to bother me too much and I just stayed on it. Some folks cannot take a full dose of some meds as they are sensitive to them. In fact some pharmacist say that seniors should be on smaller doses than say a young or middle age adult. It just depends on the person.
They kept me on a blood thinner until more than a year after I was back in afib. I am glad to be off warafin as I was loosing my hair and it really affected my stomach and my veins.
So far, the aspirin seems to be working, but I do take the full dose. Keep checking with your doctor. It is very difficult when you feel miserable every day.
I wish you luck with all this.

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I have been on this drug for almost two years. I only take one dose once a day, though. I started doing that because I kept forgetting to take my medication until late in the morning, and I didn't have any symptoms. I have had three liver function tests and they have all been normal. The only side effect I seem to have from this drug is abdominal paid and loose stools, but not all the time.

The warfarin on the other hand has made a mess of my hair. It's not falling out but the texture has changed and it's very soft and fly-away when before it was thick and coarse.

As Gary said, drugs affect each of us in a different way. I also agree with him about doctors. I don't trust most of them, but when you find a good one, you should stay with him. My EP moved to Kaiser and I followed him there.

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Marine123, Jackie is totally correct. You should already know your own body and how it works

After many decades of learning how my body reacts to different stimuli and knowing my own ailments, I have no problem telling a doctor the same and telling them they are incorrect in their diagnosis and will do my own research as to what I think would be the best course to take. If I want a certain test, i will tell them to give it to me no matter what their opinion is. I've yet to be wrong in my self diagnoses.

If a doctor does not have the time to spend with me discussing things in detail and answering all my questions. I'll find another doctor who will have the time to talk and listen.

The problem with most doctors today is they are deluged with a lot of patients and they will tend to follow the same procedures with everyone with similar ailments. It becomes like an assembly line to them. These type of doctors in my opinion are useless and of very little help.

If your doctor is like this, quickly find a new one that will take the time to talk and listen.

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Trapper, read my last message to Marine123.

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try nattokinese instead of warfin it thins blood and will disolve clots should you have one start. check it out on google .. I use Dr. David williams supplements for natto.

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