Treatment for AF depends greatly upon you and your symptoms. Generally, your doctor will focus on treatments that help control your heart rate and reduce the risk of blood clots. Blood thinners, such as aspirin or warfarin, are commonly prescribed. Several antiarrhythmic medications that help control episodes of rapid heart rhythms also are available. The choice of which drug may help you is very individual. Because most of the medications work only some of the time, your doctor may need to try other drugs if you experience continued symptoms or unwanted side effects.

In a number of AF patients, medications cannot effectively control the arrhythmia or may cause serious side effects. For these individuals, a procedure called ablation could be considered.

Some patients may need a pacemaker in conjunction with an ablation procedure.

External and internal cardioversion, drug treatment regimens, and a variety of kinds of catheter ablation procedures are currently used to control atrial fibrillation. The choice of which is best for you is made by you and your doctor.