Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 25) (Top voted first)

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 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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Hi Gary, and thanks for your reasoned responses. As this is a forum specific to Multaq, I don't want to get into a long discussion about medicine in general, but you've hit the nail on the head.

For this thread, here are my problems with the combination of Multaq and Pradaxa.

Extreme fatigue - poor concentartion and memory. I'm having real problems at my job.
Poor sleep patterns and short length of sleep.
Bad indigestion, heartburn, bloating and gas. This is the pits for me, as my afib troubles started in response to vagal stimuli due to stomach problems, so I'm afraid it will be kind of self perpetuating.
Bleeding sores, bruises, blood blisters and bleeding gums
My BP can fall as low as 94/55 and a pulse rate of 40 with resultant dizzy spells and lightheadedness. Some says I'm afraid to drive.

Interestingly, several days ago I came across this tidbit:

"A study conducted by Sanofi indicated that patients taking Multaq and Pradaxa may be exposed to higher than intended amounts of Pradaxa, which may be increased by 1.7 to 2-fold (doubled).

This might expalin my bad skin and bleeding problems. No comment from any of my doctors. My belief is that anti-coagulants are vastly overused anyway, especially in low risk patients. The adverse effects can easily outweigh the potential benefits if you REALLY study the statistics yourself and check around you for the anecdotal evidence."

Joint pain, but I cannot take NSAIDs anymore, due to the Pradaxa and aspirin.


So my conversations and visits to doctors this week garnered these helpful things.

"keep doing what you are doing, as your rhythm is great AND

we can give you a prescription for sleeping pills, a powerful PII for your stomach, and some celebrex for your joint pain you can take once a week."

Yeah, great - let's do polypharmacy and keep on taking pills to counteract other pills. Yummy. Anybody else see anything wrong with that combo of meds?

Knowing what I know now, I would never have mentioned at a routine physical that I occasionally experienced a flutter when I had indigestion. I also know what started the whole thing, and how I could have fixed it myself without spending thousands of dollars and having endless hospital procedures and spending more on drugs per month than my mortgage. I felt great until they started experimenting on me with many different classes of meds. Now I feel like I'm 90 years old. People ask me all the time what's wrong with me . . .what happened?

A tip for others. If you ever start losing weight with the resulting fluid loss, load up on potassium. Also if you ever consumed alcohol regularly, have your magnesium levels checked. INSIST on it before you are started down the road to afib med hell.

So why don't I just quit taking the meds? according to some experts, once you are on them, you cannot quit - EVER - due to the rebound effect, which again can be worse than what you were originally were being "treated" for. I want to find a way to get off them safely.

Yes, I'm bitter . . . . . .

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Sorry about the typos. My brain doesn't function well these days.

Oh, did I forget to also mention the vison problems?

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Trapper, just read your post to Gary. I think a lot of your problem might be the paradaxa. I asked my doc about paradaxa and they said if you have an accident where you were bleeding they may not be able to stop it. Therefore, they kept me on the warafin, and there is more of a possibility of controlling bleeding with that drug. I had side effects, but not as bad as yours. I was on 5 mg a day. For my stomach, I took prilosec, I eat an activia yougart everyday and I take gasx and tums. Also take some of the supplements they recommend here. I do agree with other folks here that if your doc is not listening to you, you need to find another one. Take care.

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Gayle, thanks. I refuse to take coumadin - I've seen the results first hand, and it ain't pretty. The only reason I agreed to go on Pradaxa was it was intended originally for me to be using it only for a few weeks, and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke was less than coumadin. I definitely agree that the Pradaxa is responsible for the GI distress and the bleeds, especially at the plasma concentration levelsthe Multaq can cause. I do take it with meals, but also recently read you should take Multaq 2 hours apart from the Pradaxa, but both should be taken at the morning and evening meals, hmmm. Also, the only other med I'm on for something different I cannot take with aspirin, which shouldn't be taken at the same time as the Pradaxa. but also with a meal, but also with food. Hmmm. Gonna be a lot of calories consumed. :-)

I'm working on some changes . . . . . .

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Trapper, Wow, my doc told me with the paradaxa it is much more difficult to stop bleeding should you get in a accident or were bleeding internally. I asked them for it last year, as I heard it did not have any side effects and that is what they told me in regard to it. I go to an Afib specialist at the University of California and they see me every 4 to 6 months unless I have problems. As I told you I am now on aspirin everyday (325mg) and am off the coumadin.
I hope you continue to follow up and they find a good regimen for you.

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well said gary

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my hair was falling debbie and doc put me on pilopetan plus minoxidil think ive spelt it right your spray this on your scalp and really worked the pilopeptan are all the vit b you can name in one pil skin and hair much better now

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