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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.)
