AboutDavid Richardson Expertise Adult heart function and disease. Not very good about children lesss than 12. Hypertension is o.k. Heart rhythm a special interest.
Experience Certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Was chairman of division of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia. Am now mostly retired.
Organizations Fellow of American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology and member of American Physiological Society..
Publications Circulation, American Heart Journal, Hypertension.
Education/Credentials M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Residency training at Yale Uhniversity School of Medicine and Medical College of Virginia.
Awards and Honors Gold Heartt Award from American Heart Association in 1995.
i am a 42 year old female who has consulted you before on several occasions. I have been on flecainide for almost 3 months and i don't see any improvement. According to my EP, my heart is structurally strong and fine. The decision to get on flecainide was mine because i just could not live with the symptoms 24/7. However, i see no improvement and the only other solution is to increase the dosage which i don't want to do.
correct me if i'm wrong, my research indicates that people who suffer from benign PACs, should just learn to live with it because drug therapy may cause serious issues like CHF. i want to get off the flecainide, please help me, i am so sick and tired of feeling like this all the time. I have no quality of life and almost wish i had some heart disease that was treatable with a pill. i have done everything for my Pacs, i have taken atenolol, toprol, no caffeine, don't drink or smoke and still get them every single day!!!!!
I am 5'4" and weight around 123, gained 5 pounds on the flecainide.
please help me with suggestions on what i can do to improve the quality of my life!
Thanks
Pam
Answer Dear Pam,
It's okay to stop the flecainide abruptly since it's no help. Sotalol is worth a try. Neither flecainide or sotalol lead to CHF. Just learning to live with the PAC's is very safe. They do not lead to heart failure, heart attack, any kind of heart trouble, or any catastrophe. If you're very depressed, an antidepressant might improve the quality of your life.
Of course write back any time you think I might help.
