Has anyone diagnosed with Afib been able to continue cycling while on flecainide without an ablation?
i'd like to hear your story.

I am kinda in limbo ATM had 3 afib attacks, with Tachycardia requiring ER visits. I am afraid to exert myself in any way now.
Doc put me on flecainide and metropolol.
I do want an ablation because I don't want to be on meds, and I want to fix the problem.

Thanks

My cardiologist had me continue exercising while on anticoagulant.
So I kept cycling with a Polar H10 heart rate monitor to keep my max heart rate in check.
I was extremely careful to prevent crashing. Of course I took a fall but thankfully did not have a serious bleeding problem.
Took it easier when I was in Afib but still rode.
After ablation about 5 years ago everything has been fine.

Best advice is ask your cardiologist.

I’ve been riding on Warfarin since 1990.

Flecainaide is an anti-arrhythmic, not an anti-coagulant like Warfarin or Eliquis.
If you feel OK with afib, keep riding, but watch your HR and ease off your effort as needed.
I am in afib right now, with a resting HR of 80, whereas it should be 60 as controlled by my pacemaker as a minimum. I biked 25 miles yesterday and my HR fluctuated between 119 and 158, so I adjusted my effort to keep it below 130. I am 84 and take Eliquis, but no rate control meds.
Going to see my cardiologist in an hour and will probably be prescribed my 8th cardioversion. I've had two ablations, but the effects lasted only a couple of years each time.

Just get the ablation, PFA is the state-of-the-art now. I had it done 6 months ago and I'm doing great.
Before that I was on metoprolol for a while, I did try flecinide briefly but it didn't work as well.

Thanks, from all the responses ablation seems to be the best option.

I hope the cardiologist can help you get your heart rate down.
Besides Flecainide, I take metoprolol once a day.
Check with your doctor to see if your magnesium levels are OK. From my research most older folks are deficient.

I have been living with afib for 34 years. Fortunately I have always been asymptomatic and only learned about it during my annual exam back then. Since then I have been under the care of my cardiologist who gives me regular stress tests, ekg and echocardiograms. When I was first diagnosed with afib I had one cardioversion but it only lasted a few days and I reverted to afib. We discussed ablation but my doctor felt there was no need for it because my heart was healthy and I was not experiencing any symptoms.

I was originally put on Coumadin but being a cyclist, sailor and old car restorer presented too many risks of getting cut and having a bleed problem due to the medicine. After a few years I was prescribed an 81mg baby aspirin rather than Coumadin. I also take Digoxin to control my rate. I expect I will be asked by my cardiologist to take Warfarin in the future as I age. My doctor has not put any restrictions or limitations on physical activities so I continue to push myself on my bike whenever possible.

The clotting mechanism for cuts, scrapes (maybe not deep gashes) is different than for internal problems. I'm an MTB'er on Warfarin and subject to the same scrapes, slashes etc now as before my problem, but these cuts heal about as well now as they did then. I had two ablations 10 years ago and no AFib since, but just when I was ready to stop taking it a few years ago, I had a TIA and decided to continue since it doesn't seem to affect me negatively. I see my cardio tomorrow, so who knows.

Yes, the docs always try prescribing blood thinners with afib. I like you am taking a baby asprin.
I read that it takes 12-24 hours to produce a blood clot, and that if sinus rhythm is achieved before that window, a clot is unlikely.
I think blood thinners are more for persistent af.
I'm glad yours doesnt act up much.
I've had 3 bad ones in this past month. It wouldn't be so bad but i have Tachycardia with it, which is dangerous.

Just to clarify, I am in afib 24/7 but fortunately I do not experience any symptoms so my doctor has taken the most non-invasive approach.

Saw cardiologist’s assistant and after much discussion, she recommended Sotalol. I said the “ol” meds are not recommended for
asthmatics, of which I am one, but she thought it would be OK. Our pharmacist questioned why I had been prescribed it so I told her the story. It wasn’t OK: yesterday morning after two doses, I was so breathless, I could hardly walk across the room and neither of my inhalers helped. Upon researching Sotalol, I found warnings which are clear that it should not be used for patients with asthma and COPD(I have that also) as it can cause lung constriction and neutralize the effect of bronchodilators, as it has done for me. It could take up to two days to get back to normal.
Beware you afib asthmatics out there!
Oh, and I’m still in afib😊

The post above reflects (to me) that you need to be your own doctor as much as possible and learn as much as you can about your condition.

Amen on that.
You must be your own advocate, research, and question everything.
Medical care is not the same as it was years ago.
Doctors don't spend the time with patients like they once did.

If you check your insurance bills you'll see why the drs need to get you in and out rapidly (this is kind of like fast medicine, then you can get fast food afterwards; my cardio schedules appts 15 minutes apart). The old joke used to be "What do you call someone who fails medical school." Answer, a dentist. Now, IMO dentists are the wealthy ones because they charge a fortune and insurance is rare.

I’ve been riding on flecainide for a long time (a large dose, 350 mg total/day) and it’s been fairly effective at controlled my ventricular arrhythmia. For me it’s had less of an effect on HR and aerobic capacity than the beta blockers do. Do be aware that your level of effort may not reflect fully in your heart rate, and strain on the heart may be more than it seems for a given HR or perceived effort. Not all cardiologists or electrophysiologosts are really expert in this area. Get second options, consults, make sure your guy/gal has the background and has seen large numbers of patients with similar situations.

I was on sotalol for a few months. I could hardly walk across the street let alone ride a bike, it was absolutely miserable. I don’t have asthma, and it also did not work!

I was on a beta blocker and/or an "ol" during the pre-ablation phase(s) of my AFib and had the same reaction as Mr m above. No thanks. On one ride I counted the 13 "hills" (slight rises) between two parts of the ride as they were logged off.

I've had some issues with AFIB, which began after my last COVID shot. During the first attack they attached a portable EKG and put me on medication. Over a couple of weeks, the symptoms began to subside, and as soon as the EKG was taken off, I got back on my bike and started riding. I kept the distances short and the intensity low, but even so, my heart rate stayed up in the anaerobic zone. But in time, as I continued riding, gradually increasing my distance and intensity, my heart rate came down, the AFIB and arrhythmia symptoms eventually went away. I was taken off medication, and simply kept riding my bike for at least 3 hours per week.

But, I found that if I stop riding for 5 or more weeks, my heart rate begins to increase, and the arrhythmia symptoms begin to creep back. I find that caffeine greatly aggravates symptoms, and alcohol has a mild but noticeable effect. Getting back on my bike and getting back into shape causes the symptoms to subside and eventually vanish altogether. My blood pressure is normal, it hasn't changed since I was in high school, my blood chemistry is good, my cholesterol numbers are normal. My last exam and x-ray showed no heart issues or abnormalities. In my case, cycling seems to be a good treatment for the issue, and my doctor says I should continue.

All this was brought home this summer as I was kept off the bike for most of the last 2 months, and the symptoms gradually reared up again as my fitness began to decline. I've gotten back on my bike despite the heat and humidity, and after a week, I am already seeing an improvement. I kind of feel like I'm being chased and have to keep running to avoid being caught. But at least cycling has no negative side effects, and it is something I very much enjoy doing.

Thank you for that.
Perhaps that is what happened to me. I was fine until the month long streak of 90+ heat kept me from riding.
I have been hesitant to get on my bike and ride for fear of triggering afib. I am on flecainide 50mg x2 and metoprolol er 25mg once a day.

My heart rate had also gotten up in the 90's (in early June it was in the low 60's), and sometimes creeping up to around 120 while sitting at my desk. When I got on my bike last week, I did a 40 km ride, and according to Strava, my heart rate was in the anaerobic zone for 78% of the ride, despite the fact I wasn't pushing myself, my next ride was 75%. I rode the same course yesterday, and was in the anaerobic zone for 70% of the ride. Today I rode the same course yet again, and my time in the anaerobic zone was 50.5%. My resting pulse is now edging down into the high 70's. I'll do another ride on Friday, and I expect I'll see some more improvement.

The weather here in Tokyo has been in the 90's as well, but I thought sitting on my backside was more detrimental than riding in the heat. I listen to my body as I ride and mend my pace as necessary.

Edit. I completed Friday's 70km ride, at a faster pace. Anaerobic zone was down to 44%. I already feel significantly better than I did last week, and am sleeping much better.

Seems to me, from experience, you were/are in afib/tachycardia.
My resting HR is 60 as controlled by my pacemaker because it was previously 34 with pauses. It is now at 70, and on my iPhone looks relatively regular, but on my 24 mile ride this morning it ranged from 96 to 158 and anything in between. I wasn't pushing myself and was using 50W e-assist to keep up with those 10-15 years younger. The temperature here is about 90, but I don't think that is relevant.

The above is from 9 days ago, a 34km ride at an easy pace.




The above is from today’s ride, which was 55km at a fairly fast pace. My resting pulse las night and this morning was back into the low 60’s. This isn’t a bad improvement after 5 rides.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-172195868

(I'd never heard of this Pycnogenol stuff before stumbling onto that post this morning.)

Diagnosed with GERD three decades ago, so omeprazol's (Prilosec) been in my med chest ever since.

81mg aspirin daily after a mild coronary infarction close to two decades back, along with Rosuvastatin & Benazipril.

Spend a few minutes to read that Substack post, please come back here maybe share your thoughts.

I found my Garmin smartwatch to be invaluable when I was monitoring and trying to manage a-fib. My cardiologist and his nurse seemed dubious at first, but I was able to show the elevated HR it showed was when I was in a-fib. Besides medication, I tried relaxation, mediation, exercise, sleep- but there was no correlation or mitigation.
When I would ride, there was a high probability it would trigger a-fib, particularly climbs. The Garmin, though, ironically, was useless in tracking cardio zones and raining effect because of the a-fib. I felt pretty bad about cycling and running (until I had the ablation)- when you do something that's supposed to be good for your heart and you end up with a-fib anyway.

I couldn't agree more. I just bought the Garmin Forerunner 55 and love it.
These watches are an invaluable tool for those of us with afib.
I installed the CyclingDF4 2 app from IQconnect
which has a big bold colorful HR data field.