Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
A Look at the A-Fib.com Glossary of A-Fib Medical Terms
As part of your education about Atrial Fibrillation, you’re bound to run across terms that you do not understand. Bookmark our Glossary of Medical Terms page (or click on “Glossary of Terms” in the left menu) and refer to it when reading and studying about A-Fib.
Our A-Fib.com Glossary of Medical Terms and Phrases is the most complete online source devoted exclusively to Atrial Fibrillation. Each definition is written in everyday language—a great resource for patients and their families.
A Sampling of Glossary Terms
To give you an idea of what you’ll find, we’ve selected a few Atrial Fibrillation terms and phrases related to drug therapy:
Beta Blocker: A medication that slows down conduction through the heart and makes the AV Node less sensitive to A-Fib impulses.
Calcium Channel Blocker: A medication that prevents or slows the flow of calcium ions into smooth muscle cells such as the heart. This impedes muscle cell contraction, thereby allowing blood vessels to expand and carry more blood and oxygen to tissues.
NOAC: NOAC stands for Novel Oral AntiCoagulants. NOACs are alternatives for vitamin K antagonists (e.g., Warfarin) for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.
“Pill-in-the-Pocket” Treatment: For Paroxysmal A-Fib patients. When an A-Fib attack occurs, the patient takes an antiarrhythmic med (flecainide, propafenone, etc.) to return to normal sinus rhythm.
Rate Control Medications: Drug therapy that attempts to control your heart rate (ventricular beats), but leave the upper chambers (atria) of your heart in A-Fib.
Rhythm Control Medications: Drug therapy that uses rhythm control drugs, called antiarrhythmics, to try to stop A-Fib and make the heart beat normally.
Browse Our Glossary of A-Fib Terms
Go ahead and take a leisurely stroll through our Glossary of Medical Terms and Phrases. Bookmark the page and refer to if any time you’re learning about Atrial Fibrillation and your treatment options.
By the way: If you don’t find the term you are looking for—email us and we’ll add it.
Go to our Glossary
Bookmark it! Refer to it often!
My Top 5 Picks: Steve’s A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed
By Steve S. Ryan, PhD. This post was originally published July 15, 2016.
Your first experiences with Atrial Fibrillation have changed your life in a number of ways. As a former A-Fib patient (cured since 1998) I highly recommend these items when first diagnosed with this beast called ‘Atrial Fibrillation’.
My Top 5 Recommendations for the Newly Diagnosed
These are the products I recommend (and use) along with a Bonus: a good medical dictionary. These items are available from many online sources, but I’ve made them easy to order the entire list by making a ‘Wish List’ on Amazon.com: Steve Ryan’s A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed,(Note: Use our Amazon portal link, and your purchases help support A-Fib.com.)
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More of My Amazon.com Lists
Besides Steve Ryan’s A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed, see my other Amazon.com lists for supplements, recommended books and DIY heart rate monitors:
♥ By a Former A-Fib Patient: My Recommended Products
♥ For A-Fib Patients: 7 Supplements for a Healthy Heart
♥ For A-Fib Patients: A-Fib Reference Books and Guides
♥ For A-Fib Patients: Recommended Magnesium and Potassium Supplements
♥ Steve’s Top Picks: DIY Heart Rate Monitors for A-Fib Patients
Note: Use the A-Fib.com Amazon portal link and your purchases help support A-Fib.com (http://tinyurl.com/Shop-Amazon-for-A-Fib). Learn more at: Use our Portal Link When you Shop at Amazon.com.
A-Fib Impacts Quality of Life for the Spouse and Family of Patients
Research verifies that the loved ones living with someone in Atrial Fibrillation may be about as stressed as actually having the condition.
In one study the partners of A-Fib patients reported a significant reduction in their quality of life, to the same degree as the patient. (Note: Most severely impaired was a couple’s sex life.)
Educate the Family, Not Just the Patient
One simple solution might be to make sure the spouse comes to office visits, particularly during the early visits around the time of diagnosis, says Dr. Bruce A. Koplan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Educational programs and other interventions to eliminate some of the unknowns may relieve the anxiety for the patient and their partner leading to improved quality of life for both.
Get all Your Loved Ones Involved
One of the most frequently asked questions I get is from the patient’s partner: “What can I do for my spouse during an A-Fib attack?”
Perhaps, just as important, A-Fib patients should be asking “How can I help my family cope with the stress and anxiety of my Atrial Fibrillation?”
A Momentary Pause: When I talk with an A-Fib patient, I always ask how their spouse or partner is doing―how they are coping. This often elicits a momentarily pause while the patient stops and ponders the impact of A-Fib on their family.
My best advice to patients is to get all your loved ones involved! Knowledge is empowering and reduces stress and anxiety.
Talk with them, answer their questions. To help you, download my free report, “Top 10 Questions Families Ask about Atrial Fibrillation”.
Be Confident & Stay Calm
In addition, for your family’s peace of mind, learn Why & How to Create Your ‘A-Fib Episode Action Plan’. During an A-Fib attack, an A-Fib Action Plan with specific steps is reassuring and helps everyone stay calm. Your family will be confident they’re supporting you in taking the right action at the right time.
Discuss your A-Fib Action Plan with your loved ones and answer their questions. Post a copy in a prominent place where your family can find it easily.
Knowledge Empowers, Reduces Stress and Anxiety
A-Fib Drug Therapy: If We’re Sick, Just Take a Pill, Right?
In the US, we’ve been conditioned to think, “if we’re sick, just take a pill”.
When you have Atrial Fibrillation, anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy is certainly better than living a life in A-Fib. It can be useful for many patients.
And according to Dr. Peter Kowey, Lankenau Heart Institute (Philadelphia, PA), while anti-arrhythmic therapy is not perfect, it can improve quality of life and functionality for a significant percentage of A-Fib patients.
P. Kowey MD
Dr Kowey is an internationally respected expert in heart rhythm disorders. His research has led to the development of dozens of new drugs and devices for treating a wide range of cardiac diseases.
He cautions, though, that A-Fib anti-arrhythmic drugs are just a stopgap measure. The problem is they don’t deal with the underlying cause. And are seldom a lasting cure for A-Fib.
The Trade-Offs of Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs
In our article, Eleven Things I Know About A-Fib Drug Therapy, Dr. Kowey writes:
“An anti-arrhythmic drug is a poison administered in a therapeutic concentration. Like most meds, anti-arrhythmic drugs, (AADs), are a trade-off between the unnatural and possible toxicity with the power to alleviate our A-Fib symptoms.”
Did “an anti-arrhythmic drug is a poison” set off alarm bells for you?
In general, anti-arrhythmic drugs are toxic substances which aren’t meant to be in our bodies―so our bodies tend to reject them.
For more, see our full article with Dr. Kowey’s insights, Eleven Things I Know About A-Fib Drug Therapy. It’s based on his 2014 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Session presentation.
Look Beyond the Typical AAD Therapy
Today’s anti-arrhythmic drugs have mediocre success rates (often under 50%).
Beyond AAD Therapy
Many patients often experience unacceptable side effects. Many just stop taking them. And when they do work, they tend to lose their effectiveness over time.
According to Drs. Irina Savelieva and John Camm of St. George’s University of London:
“The plethora of antiarrhythmic drugs currently available for the treatment of A-Fib is a reflection that none is wholly satisfactory, each having limited efficacy combined with poor safety and tolerability.”
These drugs don’t cure A-Fib but merely keep it at bay. Most Atrial Fibrillation patients should look beyond the typical antiarrhythmic drug therapy.
See our Treatments page to learn more about Medicines or ‘Drug Therapies’ for A-Fib.
Answering Your Questions About A-Fib Drug Therapies
Since the beginning of A-Fib.com, we have answered thousands of patient’s questions—many times the same questions. Perhaps the same questions you may have right now.
For unbiased information and guidance about medicines and drug therapy treatments, see our page of questions and answers. You’ll find explanations, resources and advice for the most frequently asked questions by patients and their families. Go to FAQ A-Fib Treatments: Medicines and Drug Therapies.
Tony Rejects Drug Therapy: Says to Ask Questions, None are Stupid
Tony Hall, Evansville, IN, was 54 years old when he develped Atrial Fibrillation in January 2014. After confirming his diagnosis at the hospital, he wrote:
“I sit in the passenger seat feeling like a pet heading to a kennel. Suddenly things are different. I no longer have that “healthy as a horse” attitude.”
He started drug therapy. Then came a cardioconversion, but that didn’t keep him in normal sinus rhythm for long. He was in and out of A-Fib, and by August was in persistent A-Fib.
Learning His Treatment Options
Tony didn’t passively accept everything he was hearing from doctors and others.
He and his wife, Jill, read as much as they could and critically waded through the information they found. (I’m continually amazed at how much mis-information there is about A-Fib on the internet and in the media.)
5-months post-ablation, Tony and Jill after 10K race.
After doing his research, educating himself about treatment options and learning what his health insurance would cover, he chose to have a catheter ablation at the Mayo Clinic in December 2014.
During his three month blanking period, he had some sporadic fluttering and early on a couple of brief A-Fib episodes.
Off all medication and A-Fib-free, in March 2015 he completed a 10K race beating his time from the previous year by a fraction.
Becoming his Own Best Patient Advocate
Tony and Jill are great examples for all A-Fibbers of how to become your own best patient advocate. He rejected endless trials of various drug therapies. Instead he opted for a catheter ablation just shy of a year after his initial A-Fib diagnosis.
In his A-Fib story, he shares this advice to others considering a catheter ablation:
“Make sure, if you desire to have an ablation, that your reasoning is sound and that you have a good argument as to why drug therapy is not the way you want to go.
Having an ablation as front line treatment for A-Fib is not embraced by every EP, and many are reluctant to ablate until drug therapy has failed.
Be persistent and move on [to another doctor] if you are met with resistance.”
For Tony Hall’s personal experience story, see: Very Active 54-Year Old Became His Own Patient Advocate; Chose Ablation as First Line Treatment.
For A-Fib Patients: An Updated Review of Medic Alert ID Products
Last updated: January 13, 2022—When you have A-Fib and you’re taking a blood thinner or other medications, you may want to carry details of your specific medical history.
From the simple printed card to products with an integrated USB drive, there are many ways to carry your emergency history with you these days.
Beyond the familiar styles of metallic Medic Alert ID bracelets and necklace pendants, there are products using newer materials like waterproof foam, Duro silicone and plastic. And products linking to centralized, password protected data storage services.
We’ve reviewed dozens of products to offer you an updated sampling of the available options. (For each product, we’ve included a hyperlink so you can easily get more information.)
A Few of Our Favorite Wearables
These are a few items that caught our eye. An Apple Watch slip-on ID band with multiple lines of custom text, an athletic shoe with medical ID card holder which attaches with velcro. And a sports helmet warning decal for 911 responders, with registered data service and built-in medical ID pocket.
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USB Drive Equipped Products with Medic Alert Symbol
These products all display an emergency symbol or label and include an integrated USB drive. Data can be registered or entered by the owner. A few items are a Duro silicone, latex-free bracelet with pop out USB drive, a stainless steel key chain with the USB built into the fob, and credit-card size data wallet card with a hinged USB drive.
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Keeping it Simple: Print Your Medical ID Wallet Card
If you want the low-tech version, here are three free online sources for printing your own wallet cards:
• Wallet size medicine ID Card (online form) from CVS Pharmacy
• Printable Emergency Medical ID Card (online form) by AllFreePrintable.com
• American Red Cross Emergency Contact Card link on PDFfiller.com site or go directly to PDF form.
Use the PDF form to enter your information. Then, print, trim, fold and add to your wallet or purse. Or print the blank form and fill-in by hand.
Don’t carry a wallet? Consider a Money Clip with medical symbol and a compartment to slide in an emergency medical ID (left); from Universal Medical Data.
Review and Update the Contents Regularly
Whichever method(s) you use to carry your emergency medical information, don’t forget to review and update the contents regularly. For example, when you change doctors, when you start (or stop) a medication, or if you have a medical emergency or surgical procedure.
Knowing you have up-to-date medical information will give you peace of mind.
Additional thought: Consider your spouse and other family members. Should they also carry their medical emergency ID information?
What Emergency Medical Info Should You Carry?
For information about what emergency medical information to carry, see our article, Your Portable Medical Information Kit.
Update: A-Fib and Dementia & My Top 5 Articles
This article was first published on Apr 26, 2017. Last updated: August 26, 2020
There’s a growing body of evidence linking atrial fibrillation with early onset of dementia. New cases of dementia are diagnosed every four seconds. The number of people with dementia is also expected to triple worldwide to an estimated 140 million by 2050.
Most Feared: When 65+ year olds were asked what disease or condition they were most afraid of getting, 56 percent cited memory-robbing dementia.
Good News: A bit of good news is that the prevalence rate of dementia has declined in some countries, including in the US. And researchers think it may in part be due to increases in levels of education, which seems to protect people from getting dementia.
For a disease many of us fear, the message is hopeful: Dementia is not necessarily inevitable.
While both Atrial fibrillation and dementia have been linked to aging, neither is a normal part of growing older.
Reducing Your Risk of Developing Dementia
You CAN influence or avoid developing dementia. Review these articles to learn more about the link between Atrial Fibrillation and dementia:
1. Anticoagulants, Dementia and Atrial Fibrillation
2. Increased Dementia Risk Caused by A-Fib: 20 Year Study Findings
3. FAQ: “I’m scared of getting dementia. Can the right minerals help? I’ve read about the link with A-Fib. What does research reveal about this risk?”
4. Leaving Patients in A-Fib Doubles Risk of Dementia—The Case for Catheter Ablation
5. FAQ: I’m concerned because Vitamin D deficiency has been tied to both A-Fib and Dementia. What is a normal level of Vitamin D
A-Fib Patients & Strategies to Prevent Dementia
What doesn’t work: current drugs, even statins, don’t work or have mixed results in preventing dementia.
What does work: Catheter ablation to eliminate your Atrial Fibrillation. Patients who get a catheter ablation have long-term rates of dementia similar to people without A-Fib. (This result holds regardless of their initial CHADS2 score.)
Don’t Settle. Seek your A-Fib cure: To decrease your increased risk of dementia, your goal should be to get your A-Fib fixed and get your heart beating normally again. We can’t say it enough:
Do not settle for a lifetime on meds. Seek your A-Fib cure.
I Couldn’t Believe the Drugs He Was On; How to Ask Questions About Your A-Fib Prescriptions
03/15/2019 5 pm: Corrected a missing link below to the Free Worksheet, Ask These Questions Before Starting a Prescription Drug.
I received a very distressing email from a reader, Kenny, who was worried about his prescribed medications. He wrote that he just had a cardioversion a week ago and is back in A-Fib (unfortunately that’s not uncommon). Alarm bells went off in my head when I read:
“My doctor just prescribed me amiodarone 200mg, 4x a day…I’m a little concerned about the amiodarone and all the side effects!”
“I’m also on Digoxin…Xarelto and aspirin… .”
“I can’t get my doctor’s office or doctor to call me back! Reluctant to start amiodarone until I can talk to someone!”
Drugs Therapies Concerns
Ding, Ding, Ding! I am deeply concerned for him. The doctor prescribing these drugs is in internal medicine, not a cardiac electrophysiologist. While Kenny and I continue to exchange emails, here’s some highlights from my first reply:
• Amiodarone is an extremely toxic drug, and this dosage is 4x the normal dose.
• You must get a second opinion ASAP! (consult a cardiac electrophysiologist)
• Digoxin is also a dangerous drug not normally prescribed for A-Fib patients.
• It’s very unusual to prescribe both Xarelto and aspirin.
Time to Change Doctors? And lastly, I wrote him that if your doctor or his office isn’t calling you back, that’s a sign you should look for a new doctor (don’t be afraid to fire your doctor). You need good communication when you’re in A-Fib and trying to find a cure.
I’m glad Kenny reached out to me so we can get him on the right A-Fib treatment plan for him and his treatment goals.
Ask These Questions Before Starting a Prescription Drug
Before starting any prescription drug for your Atrial Fibrillation, you should ask what it’s for and why you should take it.
Download our free worksheet, ‘10 Questions to Ask Before Taking Any Medication’ and use as a guide to ask these questions of your doctor or healthcare provider, and note their responses:
1. Why am I being prescribed this medication?
2. What are the alternatives to taking this medication?
3. What are the side effects of this drug?
4. Are there any precautions or special dietary instructions I should follow?
5. Can it interfere with my other medications?.
6. How long before I know if this drug is working?
7. How will I be monitored on this drug? How often?
8. What happens if this drug doesn’t work?
9. What if my A-Fib symptoms become worse?
10. If I don’t respond to medications, will you consider non-pharmaceutical treatments (such as a catheter ablation)?
Research and Learn About Any Prescription Drug 
You can do your own research about a specific medication and if it’s the right one for you.
An excellent prescription database is the U.S. National Library of Medicine Drug Information Portal. (For an example, see the page on Warfarin [Coumadin].)
Decision Making Time
Your research and the answers to these 10 questions should help you decide about taking a new prescription drug. Remember, it’s your heart, your health. Taking medications is a decision you should make in partnership with your doctor.
Note: File your completed worksheets in your A-Fib binder or file folder to use for future reference and follow-up.)
Why You Should Learn to Live with Your Atrial Fibrillation—Not!
“Don’t let anyone—especially your doctor—tell you that
A-Fib isn’t that serious…or you should just learn to live
with it…or to just take your meds.”
From Beat Your A-Fib: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Cure
Research studies tell us the longer you have Atrial Fibrillation, the harder it can be to cure it. A-Fib patient Daniel Doane, Sonora, CA, shares his insights:
Daniel D.
“I didn’t realize how continued A-Fib so drastically remodels your heart. ‘A-FIB BEGETS A-FIB’ was the phrase that brought it home to me.
Every instance of A-Fib changed my heart, remodeled the substrate, and made it more likely to happen again. Get your A-Fib taken care of. It won’t go away. It may seem to get better, but it will return.”
Lessons Learned: After eight years with A-Fib, Daniel had a successful Totally Thoracoscopic (TT) Mini-Maze operation. In his personal story in Beat Your A-Fib, he offers this advice to others with A-Fib:
“Get a catheter ablation or a mini-maze procedure, whichever best suits your situation. I wish I had had this done sooner. I personally think that the sooner a person has a procedure, the better off they are.”
For more from Daniel, a patient now free from the burden of Atrial Fibrillation, see: “I Have Gotten a Lot of Bad Advice From Various GPs”.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that A-Fib isn’t that serious.
To be cured of your A-Fib, you may need to ‘fire’ your current doctor, see Is This the Year You Fire Your Doctor? and Finding the Right Doctor for You and Your A-Fib.
Medical Marijuana: A-Fib Patients Offer Personal Experiences
Due to the increased use of medical marijuana in California and other states, we should soon be getting more data on marijuana’s effects on Atrial Fibrillation.
Several readers with A-Fib have emailed me to share their experiences and observations with marijuana. There seems to be a lot of interest every time I write about this topic.
How about you? I’d love to get more first-hand feedback from A-Fib users. Please email me.
First-Hand Experiences: A-Fib and Medical Marijuana
Jim, an A-Fib patient, has kindly shared his personal use of marijuana and how it helps him. He has tried various meds, cardioversion, and had a failed ablation. He owns his own business in California and is under a lot of stress.
♥ JIM: “Because of all of this, I was having trouble sleeping and was getting very stressed out. But instead of taking something pharmaceutical, I turned to medical marijuana. It changed my life. I come home at night, have some marijuana edibles, and the stress goes away. I sleep wonderfully at night, waking up fresh and ready for another day.
I told my doctor who understands. He says that marijuana edibles shouldn’t have anything to do with A-Fib, and that I can continue to take them.”
On the other hand, John writes that:
♥ JOHN: “99% of his A-Fib attacks occurred while under the influence of marijuana.”
And others add their experiences:
♥ JONATHAN: “I tried a tiny bit of brownie for the first time since being diagnosed with A-Fib (occasional episodes). It was OK until about two hours later. I went into A-Fib and, a bit later, came the closest I ever have to blacking out. I don’t think it’s for me anymore.”
♥ WILLIAM: “The A-Fib ablation has been very successful, except the two times that I went into A-Fib after smoking marijuana. I’m a lifelong recreational marijuana smoker, also smoke to relieve the pain from six surgeries on my right arm. Both times that I’ve gone into A-Fib since my last ablation have been after smoking marijuana. After the latest episode I’ve quite smoking marijuana because of the evidence that it can lead to A-Fib.”
♥ SCOTT: “I am currently 55 years old and have been through 15 cardioversions due to A-Fib. I smoked marijuana pretty much daily and noticed that, when I smoked, my heart rate went up. So, I stopped smoking altogether. Since quitting smoking marijuana 7 years ago, I have not had a single case of going into A-Fib. I’m positive that the two are related.”
Scott added that he also stopped drinking which helped. He used to drink a six pack daily.
PODCAST: Marijuana—Good, Bad or Ugly for Patients with A-Fib?
For my most recent report about A-Fib and Marijuana, listen to my Podcast with Travis Van Slooten, publisher of LivingWithAtrialFibrillation.com. (About 18 min. in length.) Includes transcript.
Marijuana—Good, Bad or Ugly for Patients with A-Fib?
With Steve Ryan and Travis Van Slooten (18 min.)
