Posted by Carl Plaskett on May 03, 2001 at 14:47:02:
In Reply to: Re: "late atrial flutter"/Steve Giddings posted by Steve Giddings on May 03, 2001 at 14:46:04:
Thanks for your detailed explanation. I felt really poorly this AM after taking 150mg of Rythmol last night (and 75 in the AM), at my EP's suggestion. All the Rythmol seemed to do was raise my HR from 120 to as much as 138, and my BP dropped to 80/59.
A 5 minute or less cardioversion this afternoon at 4 made me "new" again, and I am back to 70BPM or less, with BP of 115/70.
I am convinced that the Zithromax antibiotic, perhaps combined with the fact that I had been taking magnesium and potassium supplements up to the time I started the antibiotic. Given that these supplements would certainly change my electolyte levels, and that there is a warning for Zithromax not to take anti-acids containing magnesium or aluminum, it just seems too coincidental for the flutter to have begun less than 2 hours after I took the first, double dose of Zithromax.
I hope this is my last episode, but it is a relief to know that such things can ocurr even 2 yrs. post-op. Having been through the 220-240+ HR while doing intervals on a bike and thinking it was just because I was getting a "workout from hell", I know enough now to stop if it ever happens again.
Thanks again, Steve, and I'm sorry I missed seeing you row in Tampa, but I was off to Seattle the day you wrote.