Flecainide and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2016

For Atrial Fibrillation "Three months ago, because of paroxysmal afib and after wearing an event monitor, I was put on both Flecainide (50 mg twice per day) and Metoprolol (50 mg at night). The original dose was Flecainide 100 mg twice per day, but when I told the cardiologist that I didn't like the way it made me feel, he immediately said 'Well, OK, just take half the amount each time', as though the difference wasn't a big deal! The Flecainide seems to be working, but instead of feeling better, I am feeling progressively worse by the day. Not sure whether Flecainide is to blame or the Metoprolol. Feel I'm in a dream most of the time, excessive daytime sleepiness, slight dizziness, memory problems, depression. Hard to get hold of cardiologist."

• pos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2018

For Atrial Fibrillation "This stuff almost killed me. I went from active and alive to sedentary and out of breath. Dizzy spells, weakness, chest pain, lightheadedness, insomnia, and basically feeling like garbage. I would stop breathing when sitting up in a chair if I happened to doze off. Finally, the doctor listened to me and took me off it completely. I am now going to wear a monitor for 30 days and then be evaluated for ablation. My Afib was only happening about every 4 months and had only happened 3 times. Flecainide reduced my quality of life from excellent to horrible in 3 short weeks. I am DONE!"

• Sue...
• October 21, 2010

For Atrial Fibrillation "Flecainide works for me but caused symptoms that mimicked MS. I was put on Flecainide in October 2009 for Atrial fibrillation. Started having dizzy spells and vertigo soon after. Then started getting migraines (never had it before in my life) and seeing flashing lights. Ringing in the right ear started in November. Then by February 2010 episodes of incontinence, slurred speech, confusion, difficulty focusing on conversations, stumbling, falling, tingling in fingertips, dropping pens, dishes, anything I held. Feared I had multiple sclerosis. After tests for MS - all negative - I went to my cardiologist and asked if Flecainide may be the cause. He said not likely but let's stop it and see. Four weeks after stopping, all symptoms cleared."

• Sue...
• October 21, 2010

For Atrial Fibrillation "Flecainide works for me but caused symptoms that mimicked MS. I was put on Flecainide in October 2009 for Atrial fibrillation. Started having dizzy spells and vertigo soon after. Then started getting migraines (never had it before in my life) and seeing flashing lights. Ringing in the right ear started in November. Then by February 2010 episodes of incontinence, slurred speech, confusion, difficulty focusing on conversations, stumbling, falling, tingling in fingertips, dropping pens, dishes, anything I held. Feared I had multiple sclerosis. After tests for MS - all negative - I went to my cardiologist and asked if Flecainide may be the cause. He said not likely but let's stop it and see. Four weeks after stopping, all symptoms cleared."

• Gca...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 22, 2017

Flecainide for Supraventricular Tachycardia "I have been on Tambocor for 7 years now, and in the past 2 years, I have been having dizzy spells, almost blackout, panic attacks for no reason, breathing problems out of the blue, eyes are blurring up more and more each year, no energy, weak muscles, and not for lack of trying, I just can't get them to tone up, so I consider myself weak. My tummy gets upset, ringing in the ears, and the most annoying, other than the dizziness, is the low blood pressure, it just drops so many times! These are all symptoms for this drug. I was in denial for a long time, as these side effects were minimal and just became worse. I'm not on any other drug. I'll have to go off it, but what's next??"

• Chu...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 15, 2020

For Ventricular Tachycardia "I started having symptoms of fast heartbeat, dizziness, and pain on the side of my head when I was just cleaning my house. Almost passed out one day while driving and had to pull off to the side of the road. Went to the ER, they said I was fine, but I followed up with my doctor who referred me to a cardiologist that put a heart monitor on for 24 hours. He called me right away and told me to go to the ER because my heart was very out of rhythm. They admitted me, kept me three days, and started me on 100 mg Flecainide every 12 hours with Lopressor. That was in 2016. I have gained about 40 pounds, can’t breathe, water retention all the time, and feel like crap. I’m not sure which drug is causing weight gain, but I feel like taking my chances and stopping all of it. After a month, I talked to my cardiologist, and they reduced my Flecainide to 50 mg twice a day because my vision was awful, double, and blurry. That’s why I am on this site now, to see the symptoms of everyone else."

• Bel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 20, 2018

"I have been on flecainide for a year and a half...50 mg every 12 hours for frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)...over 29,000 per day...verapamil and metoprolol had no effect, but after 1 month on the flecainide, the PVCs decreased to less than 100 per day! Amazing response...BUT after 18 months on it, I feel worse than I did with all those PVCs!! Numbness in hands and feet, dizziness, extreme fatigue...and memory issues...sick feeling...I was advised by my primary care doctor to just stay STOP the med, but I'm afraid to do that until I see my cardiologist...Does anyone have experience with titrating down dosage on flecainide...? It works, but at what cost to overall health? Is the health cost worth it...? The black box warning for this drug is of concern for an arrhythmia that may or may not be life-threatening..."

• mag...
• November 18, 2011

For Atrial Fibrillation "No room to get into my history of AF and flutter, so will make it short. Because of a serious AF episode resulting in hospitalization, my cardiologist increased the Tambocor to 100 mg twice a day (had been on 50 twice a day for 3 or so years). Always had dizziness, shortness of breath, and feeling unstable since taking this medication. However, since increasing to 200 mg a day, side effects increased and are getting worse. Just experienced the flashing lights today for the first time. My search of flecainide and flashing lights brought me to this site. Thank you! Will reduce the dose again to 100 mg a day until I can see the cardiologist next Wednesday."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2008

For Atrial Fibrillation "I was having atrial fibrillation several times a month, and it increased to sometimes several times a day. I started taking flecainide, and since then, I have had no heart rhythm problems. Once again, I can make it through the day without being dizzy and almost passing out. It is a Godsend for me."

• Ken...
• September 14, 2010

For Atrial Fibrillation "I have been taking flecainide for over a year now for atrial fibrillation. I also have had PVCs all my life. I have not had one episode other than a few flutters now and then since taking it. I take 50 mg twice a day. The only negative aspects are some dizziness on occasion (usually when turning my head too quickly) and the fact that I don't like taking pills! I do occasionally forget to take them. That is my one big problem, remembering to take them on schedule. I worry about that."

• Not...
• February 8, 2017

For Ventricular Tachycardia "I was put on flecainide several months ago. Side effects were fatigue and dizziness. Effects were interfering with my life (had to pull over if driving, and my commute to work is at least an hour each way). Fatigue was robbing me of being able to enjoy activities. I have stopped taking it and am looking into other treatment options."

• Ard...
• July 27, 2015

For Atrial Fibrillation "I have been treated for AFib for about 6 years, after a long episode resulted in an ER visit. My dosage was raised to 100 mg x2 per day after a short period of 50 mg, which didn't entirely prevent AFib. I have experienced some blurring of vision, dizziness, and fatigue, but have always dismissed it as minor. I am starting to exercise more and am worried that the medication will prevent me from getting enough air/oxygen in my system."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2010

For Ventricular Tachycardia "I have been taking a combination of medicines, flecainide (50 mg twice a day) and metoprolol (12.5 mg twice a day), to control idiopathic paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia for two months now. Trying both medicines separately did not work for me. During the first two weeks of starting flecainide, I experienced moderate to severe side effects including visual disturbances (mostly peripheral), shakiness, vertigo, weakness, nausea, fatigue, and bowel changes. Since my body had a difficult time with the medicine, both medications were reduced in half. It is much better now, but I am still hoping this is not a long-term treatment. I give this medicine a 10 rating for effectiveness. I have not had a single episode (including PVCs) since being on both medications."

• Sla...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 2, 2023

For Atrial Fibrillation "Discovered I was in A-Fib and A-Flutter in 2010 at age 55, by accident when a doctor caught my heart rate at 188. No symptoms, other than being extremely tired and dizzy. Multiple medicines over 3 months, including flecainide up to 100 mg twice a day. All failed. The cardiologist specifically said flecainide failed and was of no use to me. Had an ablation (7.5-hour surgery with 275 burn spots) which worked for years. My trigger seems to be pain. No alcohol. The last 3 months (early 2023) have been back in A-Fib daily. A new cardiologist wanted me to try flecainide again at 50 mg twice a day. No effect. Increased the flecainide to 100 mg twice a day. Symptoms worse. Feel horrible. Can’t do much of anything. Can’t concentrate. Bad headaches. Just want to sleep. Constant A-Fib. The cardiologist sent my records to an EP. Immediately scheduled ablation and stopped the flecainide. Flecainide may work for some people, but it is an absolute failure for me."

• Squ...
• February 25, 2021

For Atrial Fibrillation "I was given flecainide for 5 weeks for atrial fibrillation. I wish I never took it. It didn't work, I had two more fibrillations afterward, and it had many bad side effects: palpitations, skipped beats, way too fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, dizziness, feeling lightheaded (often to the point of almost fainting), nausea, a big lump in my throat, diarrhea, bad headaches, high-pitch ear ringing, involuntary muscle movements/flickering, heartburn, cold sweaty hands/feet, pins and needles in my fingers, chest squeezing, random chest pains, anxiety, insomnia. I often was on the verge of calling an ambulance. I felt terrible. The doctor first increased the amount from 50+50 mg to 100+100 mg, and things got even worse. After a few weeks, I started to decrease the dosage in reverse order. Finally, I decided to stop it altogether, and in 3 days, almost all side effects were gone. I hadn't had any episodes of fibrillation for more than a month now despite stopping the medication."

• Tor...
• February 6, 2021

For Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia "Do not take this medicine. I am currently on flecainide for frequent PVCs, my burden was 16%. While it does calm them down, this medicine sucks the life out of you. This med is great for a couple of weeks, but then I started having a lot of side effects: constant headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, back spasms, loss of weight, anxious all the time. This medicine is not for everyone, but if you decide to take it, read up on it. It solves one problem, it creates a ton more! I wouldn’t wish this med upon my worst enemy! Awaiting an ablation for my left posterior fascicle PVCs."

• Sha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 3, 2021

For Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia "I started taking flecainide in September 2020. It worked great for my PSVT. It was the busy season at work, so I thought all the 'changes' were due to the stress. I had dizziness, was off balance, my left hand started shaking, I got lost 3 times returning home from the store on routes I had been on hundreds of times, visual disturbances, and memory problems. In April 2021, I went to my PCP about other issues, and then my cardiologist because my blood pressure decided to drop really low. I mentioned all the things that were happening, he said, 'Oh, it is the flecainide,' and took me off of it. Everything returned back to normal in about 4 weeks, with the exception of the hand shaking and memory problems. I am being told that since the medicine is out of my system, it is not related to my memory issues, however, I am not convinced. At this point, no one can tell me what is wrong with my memory."

• Sha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 3, 2021

For Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia "I started taking flecainide in September 2020. It worked great for my PSVT. It was the busy season at work, so I thought all the 'changes' were due to the stress. I had dizziness, was off balance, my left hand started shaking, I got lost 3 times returning home from the store on routes I had been on hundreds of times, visual disturbances, and memory problems. In April 2021, I went to my PCP about other issues, and then my cardiologist because my blood pressure decided to drop really low. I mentioned all the things that were happening, he said, 'Oh, it is the flecainide,' and took me off of it. Everything returned back to normal in about 4 weeks, with the exception of the hand shaking and memory problems. I am being told that since the medicine is out of my system, it is not related to my memory issues, however, I am not convinced. At this point, no one can tell me what is wrong with my memory."

• Fle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2022

For Atrial Fibrillation "I have been taking flecainide for 23 days. I have feelings in my middle chest and a feeling of fluttering sometimes and a thumping middle chest, foggy head. For 18 days, I have felt awful, dizzy, sick, chest aching, just awful. At 18 days, I began to feel better with on/off dizziness and sickness, these have been decreasing over the past 5 days and today so far nothing, I feel alert, bright, and wonderful. I was about to give up, I spoke to a doctor, a cardiac nurse, and they both said hang on for a while. Now I feel great, hope it works and keeps the atrial fibrillation (AF) away for good. I am so glad I waited, fingers crossed this is it now, feeling good."

• Jod...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 3, 2022

"I was placed on flecainide 50 mg twice a day for PVCs and bigeminy. It worked for a few months, then stopped. I was placed on 100 mg twice a day in February 2022, and my ventricular bigeminy went away, my heart rhythm was normal. The side effects that came after were horrendous. I have never been so unwell in all my life. I couldn’t walk in a straight line, I was always going to the left. The weakness I had was extreme. But the dizziness and chronic headache were the worst. I had constant black floaters and flashing lights, I couldn’t even string a sentence together sometimes. I couldn’t clean my house or do anything with my children. I was telling them for three months, and nobody would listen. Finally, after staying in A&E this weekend, the doctor agreed it’s the flecainide. I’ve stopped it now, I still feel unwell, but I feel so much better. Now the arrhythmia will come back, and I don’t know what will happen after that, but I will never, ever, ever take flecainide again. I literally thought I was dying."

• Pat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 6, 2023

"Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) began abruptly one day and became so frequent I went to the ER for evaluation. The more PVCs I had, the more anxious I became. After evaluation by a cardiologist, I had a stress test and heart cath done. No structural defects were found, but 20% blockage in LAD. I was started on Metoprolol 25 mg and later increased to 50 mg as my PVCs were still occurring. After discussing my continued symptoms with my cardiologist, Flecainide 50 mg was added in the am and pm, along with Metoprolol 25 mg. My PVCs stopped within 24 hours and are now rare. This medication has been wonderful for me. Side effects are minimal, with rare bouts of slight dizziness, which I will gladly tolerate for no PVCs."