Tegretol and Atrial Fibrillation Effects
What is Tegretol
Also called Carbamazepine, Tegretol is a psychoactive medication used to treat symptoms of convulsions and depression associated with a variety of disorders including epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia and bipolar disorder. Tegretol is also used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and extraordinary pain that results from paroxysms. First discovered in Switzerland in 1953 and later deployed in the 1960s, Tegretol was initially developed specifically for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. The 1970s saw similar research in Japan that determined that the drug was additionally effective in the treatment of psychoses including severe forms of depression, schizophrenia and seizures characteristic of epilepsy. Also marketed under such names as Trimonil, Bisotin, and Degranol, Tegretol’s chemical makeup lends it to a variety of phenomena when taken in conjunction with other medications. For instance, female patients will experience a rise in metabolism if taking Tegretol in combination with oral contraceptives, and both male and female patients will experience a decline in Tegretol’s effectiveness if used while taking Mysoline or Dilantin.
Side Effects of Tegretol: Can Tegretol cause atrial fibrillation
Tegretol comprises several side effects common to many prescription drugs including digestive pains and complications, severe headaches and sleepiness. Side effects that may occur less frequently include temporary impairment of hearing perception, serious skin diseases, as well as a variety of cardiac complications relating to heart rhythm. Tegretol’s potential side effects as far as cardiac arrhythmia is concerned do have the potential to become manifest as atrial fibrillation.
What is Cardiac Arrhythmia
Irregularities in heartbeat, called cardiac arrhythmia, are the result of a difference in pressure between the blood being pumped in one part of the heart and the blood being pumped in another part. Such a difference may result from an abnormality in the heart’s physical formation, a deficit in the electrical nerve impulses that regulate the function of the heart or a combination of the two. In addition to an irregularity of heartbeat, the dynamics of cardiac arrhythmia affect the movement of blood within each of the various chambers of the heart. In the case of a type of arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation, the atria of the heart, which are the two upper chambers close to the aorta, pump blood at an asynchronous rate with respect to the two lower heart chambers, or ventricles. This results in a remainder of blood that collects in the chamber or chambers with lower relative pressure. The danger inherent in this action is that the accumulating blood may begin to coagulate, or clot. This coagulation can result in a heart attack or stroke. In addition to irregular heartbeat, the symptoms of atrial fibrillation chiefly include tight pains in the chest, dizziness, nausea and a lack of vitality. Those afflicted by atrial fibrillation become restricted in their capabilities where physical exertions are concerned. Frequently, overexertion can result in collapse or even death under dire circumstances.
Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation
Symptoms of atrial fibrillation vary from person to person.
A number of people have no symptoms.
The most common symptom in people with intermittent atrial fibrillation is palpitations, a sensation of rapid or irregular heartbeat. This may make some people very anxious. Many people also describe an irregular fluttering sensation in their chests.
Some become light-headed or faint.
Other symptoms include weakness, lack of energy or shortness of breath with effort, and chest pain.
Incidence and persistence of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation in the absence of awareness may be investigated and diagnosed in a variety of ways. In addition to electrocardiography (EKG), wherein strategically placed electrodes on the body send feedback to an oscilloscope mapping out the periodic rhythms of heartbeat, exercise stress tests help to indicate a patient’s limits of physical exertion, and regular monitoring of cardiac activity using a Holter monitor can provide feedback against a timescale and reflect rhythmic patterns during the course of a day. The physical effects of atrial fibrillation are typically treated with blood thinners, such as Coumadin, while the effects of the arrhythmia may be offset with both invasive and noninvasive surgical procedures such as heart surgery and cardiac catheterization. Cardioversion using an electrical defibrillator, administers a controlled dosage of electrical shock to the thoracic region. This action stops the heart momentarily with the expectation that it will begin beating again at a normal rhythm. Cardioversion is often a short-term solution conducted in a doctor’s office but may be administered regularly via an internal defibrillator that operates similar to a pacemaker.
Some of the causes of Atrial Fibrillation not involving the heart include
Hyperthyroidism
Alcohol use
Pulmonary embolism
Pneumonia
Most commonly, atrial fibrillation occurs as a result of some other cardiac condition.
Heart valve disease: This can be something you are born with or be caused by infection or degeneration/calcification of valves with age.
Enlargement of the left ventricle walls
Coronary heart diseas: This results from atherosclerosis, deposits of fatty material inside the arteries that cause blockage or narrowing of the arteries.
High blood pressure
Cardiomyopathy leading to congestive heart failure
Sick sinus syndrome
Pericarditis
Atrial fibrillation frequently occurs after cardiothoracic surgery, but often resolves in a few days.
Atrial Fibrillation Treatment
In making the diagnosis, your health care provider will consider the severity of symptoms and whether they are new or have been going on for some time. You may be referred to a specialist in heart disorders (cardiologist) during this evaluation. Choice of treatment for atrial fibrillation depends on the type you have, the severity of your symptoms, the underlying cause, and your overall health.
Resources about Tegretol and Atrial Fibrillation
EMedicineHealth Information about atrial fibrillation
Drugs.com information and effects of Tegretol
MayoClinic Mayo Clinic is nationally recognized for its expertise in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, an irregular and usually fast heartbeat. At Mayo Clinic, thousands of patients who have atrial fibrillation are treated each year. Mayo Clinic has expertise in some of the most advanced treatments for atrial fibrillation, including the surgical Maze procedure which is performed in only a few medical centers in the United States.
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