Often several drugs must be tried until a satisfactory one is found. Several have significant and even dangerous side effects and must be used with great care. Digitalis has been used for years for atrial fibrillation and it is a very effective drug. It can slow the abnormally fast beating of the heart's upper two chambers. Other anti-arrhythmic medications such as quinidine , procainamide and disopyramide can help stabilize the heart's rhythm.
Beta blockers are a family of drugs used to treat arrhythmias and other cardiac diseases.
They reduce the force and rate of the heartbeat by blocking nerve receptors. Propranolol is a commonly used beta blocker. Calcium channel blockers are another class of drugs frequently prescribed for arrhythmias. By interfering with the flow of calcium in and out of the cells of heart tissue, they change the heart's electrical properties. Cardizem is one of the most frequently prescribed channel blockers for arrhythmia.