Multaq Anyone Else Take It (Page 3)

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.

REPLY

REPORT

Hi Suzanne, I was having 4 to 5 afib episodes a week when I first started taking Multaq, and they continued for about a week after taking it. I too was taking Metoprolol with it. I was taking 50 mg twice a day, and my doctor increased it to 100 mg twice a day.

I haven't had any afib for about 3 months now. No side effects either.

I know you're supposed to come off of metoprolol slowly, but I haven't seen anything one way or another regarding multaq. Good luck with your afib!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Just read my previous post and realized it may be ambiguous: I continued to take, and still do take, Multaq along with the metoprolol...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Eddie Y: thanks for the info, I did not come off Metoprolol slowly, just all at once before I started Multaq, so I'm thinking that might be why I'm AFibbing. I'll take heart that in a few more days the AFib will stop & the Multaq will kick in!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You all need to be consulting your doctors more.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Harry, I would love to consult with my doctor, however have tried to reach him for 3 days to no avail. I'm in Canada, this doesn't say much for our healthcare does it? I appreciate anyone's feedback, it's helpful to hear how other people cope, thank you again.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi again, finally spoke to my doctor. I am to wait 3 or 4 more days and if I'm still afibbing off & on I'm to go back in to see him. He said absolutely do not go back on Metoprolol with Multaq as it may slow the heart down too much, however with my heart in afib I wouldn't mind! Thanks again for the helpful feedback.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I guess I have a stubborn heart, because not only did my doctor keep me on both, but he upped the metoprolol like I mentioned earlier.

I am younger than the average afib patient (I'm in my mid-40s) and have no other cardiac conditions, so I'm sure that factored into his decision.

In any case, it goes to show each individual situation is different. Good luck with yours, Suzanne!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Eddie Y- you are young for Afib, I'm 61 but have no other heart problems, but have had this for about 5 years. Good luck to you too and thanks for the info.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Suzanne. I'm 74 and take Metoprolol, Multaq, Digoxin, Lovastatin, and Coumadin. No a-fib! Our general rule is no Metoprolol if your pressures are less than 100/60.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Harry, thanks for the info, you are on what seems to be a lot of drugs but if no Afib, that's perfect. Are you a doctor by the way? You seem to be extremely knowledgeable. By the way my Afib has stopped for now so perhaps the Multaq is beginning to work, good news. Thanks Harry.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Susan. Great to hear that you're back in rhythm again. It’s always a little disconcerting when in AF. But it’s great your going back in on your own now. That's how it has been with me since I started taking Multaq (beginning of Oct). I'll still occasionally go out of rhythm, but now I'll go back in within a couple of hours. Good luck.

PS: Has anyone noticed that there seems to be a lot of people on this forum taking Multaq with the name Ed. Just check the previous posts. Hmmmm. Wonder if there’s anything to that. :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Ed L, I had noticed the same thing! My dad has afib too (I inherited it from him...thanks dad!), and his name is also Ed.

If only my name were Fritz like I wanted when I was a kid, then maybe I wouldn't have afib and be taking Multaq now. ;-)

Maybe we should tell Sanofi-Aventis to market to men named Edward.D

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

For you athletes out there: Does Multaq (dronedarone) work well for you while engaging in very strenuous exercise? For example running a mile as fast as you can or jogging a marathon. Dronedarone has been offered to me and I'm very active in athletics. Thank you, Lon

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Ed L & Eddie Y (Fritz), you are right, there do seem to be a lot of Eds with afib! And to LON, have you been on an afib medication before or is Multaq the first? Multaq is the first one I've been on, only for 6 days, so I've been curious to hear about others experiences with this drug, it's a great forum for information and once again I thank everyone for answers to my previous questions.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

No Suzanne, I'm not a doctor, just a pleased patient. With regard to athletics, I passed a stress test yesterday without going into a-fib. I needed cardiac clearance for a colon operation on Jan. 6.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Harry, that's good knews about your heart staying in normal rhythm durring the stress test with the dronedarone. Thanks for the information. To Suzanne, I've been on amiodarone (cordarone) various doses for 8 years with no harsh side effects. Amiodarone has worked well until the last 12 months where my heart has gone in and out of a-fib several times per day. Now I'm mostly in a-fib while exercising. My cardiologist has offered me dronedarone. I think that I'm going to give it a try. FYI the following dugs (various doses of each) have not been effective for my a-fib: rythmol (propafenone), betapace (sotalol) ans atenolol (tenormin). Good health! Lon

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

i just started on multaq. was told that i would have diarrea for about 2 weeks with this drug. i have a-flutter but no symptoms. my heart rate is alwats 60-80 but my ekg shows flutter. anyone else like this? flutter but no symptoms??

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My doctor just switched me from Amiodarone to Multaq but he did not tell me how to make the switch. Should I stop taking Amiodarone and wait for awhile before starting the Multaq? If so, how long?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yokena, phone your doctor's nurse.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I'm swithing over from amiodarone to Multaq (dronedarone) next week and my cardiologist is well aware that I'm currently taking 200 mg of amiodarone per day. He told me that these two drugs are in the same chemical family. This is good as the half life of amiodarone is 58 days which means that it will take well over a year to eliminate the amiodarone from my body (down to an insignificant amount). If the Multaq works well for me, it may be due to the synergistic effects of these two drugs working together. Therefore I won't know how well the Multaq is working for me until the end of 2011. Good health! Lon

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

How long does it take Multaq to get into your system and actually work? I started taking it this morning and it has been...

2 REPLIES

I just started taking Multaq and was told to stop taking Ranexa why? What happens when you take both ? The Ranexa was wo...

2 REPLIES

I was diagnozed in Feb with a-fib. Started taking Multaq at that time. So far I have refused Coumadin. Have had some min...

4 REPLIES

Can 1,000 MG of acetaminophen cause elevated pulse rate while patient is taking 400 MG of Multaq twice daily? ## Multaq ...

2 REPLIES

Atere 3 months of Multaq, I began to run dangerously high potassium levels, not low! Any other similar experiences? ## I...

3 REPLIES

Does the tiredness go away after being on Multaq awhile or does the tiredness continue? ## Multaq made me tired for abou...

19 REPLIES

I have been taking Multaq for almost 5 months. Yes it helps, maybe to much, I am exhausted it keeps me so low and irregu...

19 REPLIES

Are there any coupons available for Multaq tablets? I've just been prescribed this drug, which is very expensive. Th...

17 REPLIES

Has anyone else experienced notably increased shortness of breath attributed to Multaq? ## Multaq contains the active in...

10 REPLIES

I was started on Multaq after ablation got my heart to beat normally. I has previously been in Afib 62% of every day. Th...

7 REPLIES