flecainide overdose

[middy]

Gjood morning,
I wanted to let you know what happened to me on Wed.  I had flecainide rx'd for me 25mg about 6 weeks ago.  I took one dose and it made me dizzy and bad arrythmia.  So I didn't take any more.  Kept the bottle from the drug store though (big mistake).  I take several prescriptions and on Wed. didn't have my glasses on and reached for what I thought was prednisone.  So I took 1 1/2 pills.  I looked  closer and realized I took 75 mg of flecainide.  So I had to think fast cause I know this is a dangerous drug.  Called the parmacy and they put me thru to poison control.  They told me to go to the ER immediately  and asked what hospital I was going to and a bunch of questions.  So I got to ER and they took me right away.  Poison control called them and told them to administer charcoal and monitor me for 4 hours.  The charcoal was a drink and I took a sip of that god awful stuff and a sip of coke till I got it down.  The charcoal passes in the form of diahrea and what a mess.  Today I'm still passing charcoal. Also I believe the charcoal neutralizes all the drugs I normally take so they weren't doing me any good.
Live and learn - moral of the story "always put your glasses on before you take a med".
Middy

[Jerry_NJ]

I know it is a powerful drug, neither my cardiologist nor the consulting EP would allow me to try to drug for treatment of my permanent AFib unless I was willing to check into the hospital for the introduction of the drug.

I have seen many post on this Community of people who started Flecainide without behing hospitalized for the initiation.   I think prescribing that drug "over the counter" is common place in Canada (not sure where I read that) and maybe in many other countries.  

Not sure where I'm trying to take you post, but it is good to read you are ok, maybe thanks to quick thinking.  I think the best practice is to dispose of all "old" drugs we are no longer taking, even if they did cost $$$.

[BobRBob]

Oh boy, what a story. Good thing you noticed you'd taken the wrong pills!