amiodarone

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Posted by Glenn Camp on February 07, 2004 at 18:56:13:

I know I'm preaching to the choir but here goes.......

As I have said in an earlier post that the EP in Dallas I saw January 26th, recommended that I switch from flecainide that I had only been taking for eleven days at that time, to amiodarone. He said amiodarone would be a better medicine to keep me in NSR and it was a safer medicince as well and could be taken over a long period of time. I would not have started amiodarone until at least two weeks afterward if I had kept my appointment with him. He ordered thyroid and pulmonary function tests. I did the thyroid and it was safe for me to take amiodarone. I never took the PFT because after going on to Houston on January 30th, I canceled my appointment with the Dallas EP.

In Houston while talking to Dr. Jie Cheng, I mentioned amiodarone to him and he agreed that amiodarone would make me more comfortable and keep me in NSR better than flecainide would. He gave me instructions to stop flecainide the following week, which I did this past Tuesday and for two days take 100 mg of Toprol XL for a couple of days before starting amiodarone. Instructions were to take 200 mg amiodarone three times a day for seven days and then only 200 mgs daily afterwards. I started the first tablet Thursday evening and by Friday evening those uncomfortable pvc's started returning.

Keep in mind that two different EP's told me amiodarone would make me feel better.

Flecainide did help me somewhat after a couple of weeks taking it. I still had afib and even though I didn't feel good, it was somewhat more tolerable than while I was on betapace. I noticed that I didn't have the bad feeling pvc's that I had been having while still on betapace/sotalol.

This morning, Saturday, a little past 7 am I started having more severe pvc's and that nasty afib combined to throw me on my duff again. The worst attack I have had in three weeks. Oxygen bottle kind.

I called Dr. Cheng in Houston and within five minutes he returned my call and asked what I was experiencing and told me to stop the amiodarone immediately, I had already taken a 200 mg tablet earlier, and return to taking flecainide this afternoon which I have done. I also had taken some xanax to try to keep me calm as possible along with breathing exercises I always try to employ as much as possible although I'm short of breath. I took more xanax and 50 mgs of Toprol XL at Dr. Cheng's instructions.

Well as a result I began to come out of it in a little over a couple of hours and have been in a drug stuper ever since. But I would rather be in a stuper than feeling one of those damnable attacks.

I sure hope PVA and other ablations as necessary will give me some relief from this mess.

Another side note:
I have a swallowing problem that I have had for more years than I can remember. Not everytime, but sometimes when I am eating chicken breast, rice, cornbread, etc., food lodges in my lower throat and gags me. Most times I can't get it to go down or up. However, it usually eventually goes on down. This doesn't happen with every bite of food I swallow. It's a family thing as my older brother who is 74 has had the same problem all his life and he is in excellent health for a man his age. He's still punching cattle.
Dr. Cheng had ordered a barium swallowing test to be done here in Kilgore before I go to Houston. I had a swallowing test scheduled at 9 am Friday, yesterday, and had to abort it because of irregular heartbeats making me sick and being NPO for more than 12 hours and being diabetic without eating anything, and not being able to take any antiarrthymic medications didn't help the situation at all.

I hope I can get it done next week.

Regards,
Glenn

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