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
Steve’s Mailbox: Harlan Shares How He Gets Out of A-Fib Within 15 minutes
Harlan Alpern, M.D., Cooperstown, New York, wrote me about his unusual A-Fib trigger and a way he successfully controls his A-Fib attacks:
“I am a 72-year-old retired physician who developed atrial fib (lone and paroxysmal) at age 61. My initial trigger was a strong emotional stress event.
Although I have the common triggers for A-Fib including alcohol, coffee, and lying on my left side, the principal trigger for me for A-Fib is emotional stress (and negative emotions especially since I have given up alcohol and caffeine.). This can come from something as simple as watching an emotional or scary movie or television show. I had such an episode this evening which prompted my email to you.”
An Unusual A-Fib Episode Treatment
Xanax, generic name: alprazolam
Dr. Alpern went on to describe an A-Fib episode treatment that works quickly for him. Maybe it will work for you, too.
“I have found a therapy that gets me out of A-Fib within 15 minutes. I take a 1 mg tablet of Xanax and lie on my back in the dark. I occasionally check my heart with my stethoscope. Within 15 minutes I am back into sinus rhythm.
My current cardiologist told me he was not aware of Xanax being a therapy to affect cardio version from A-Fib into sinus rhythm, however my internist kindly provides me a prescription for the Xanax. (I have a New York state medical license but dropped my DEA license after I retired in 2007 so that I cannot order it for myself.)”
I read Dr. Alpern’s email with interest and wrote back to him:
Thank you for sharing what gets you out of an A-Fib attack. I have one similar story about Xanax (a minor tranquilizer). An A-Fib.com reader, Sally, wrote me that her A-Fib comes on at night and is very severe, preventing her from sleeping. “I get up and take Xanax 0.5 mg, and within 15 minutes or so, the A-Fib stops. And I can go to sleep.”
Conquering Your A-Fib Episodes
Xanax and Beta-Blockers: Xanax (alprazolam), though primarily used for the treatment of anxiety disorders, appears to have beta-blocker properties. Beta-blockers are typically prescribed to treat high blood pressure and heart problems, and they are prescribed off-label for anxiety. Xanax is a different kind of drug, a benzodiazepine, that is a type of tranquilizer.
But be advised it’s recommended to not take Xanax on a regular basis for more than 2-3 weeks because of the danger of addiction.
Using Xanax for Your A-Fib? Anyone else using Xanax to help with their A-Fib attacks? To tell me about it, just email me.
Scary Movie A-Fib Trigger: I have never heard of a simple emotional stress such as a scary movie triggering an A-Fib episode. Does anyone else have a similar trigger? Email me and share your experience.
Always aim for a cure! As we continue our correspondence, I’ll encourage Dr. Alpern to seek his A-Fib cure.
Eleven years of living in A-Fib is a long time. I’ll urge him to talk with his electrophysiologist about a catheter ablation. (I had mine 20 years ago and am still A-Fib free. I’m age 77 and very active.)
