The atrial fibrillation treatment that is most appropriate for you will depend on how long you’ve had atrial fibrillation, how bothersome your symptoms are and the underlying cause of your atrial fibrillation. Generally, the treatment goals for atrial fibrillation are to reset the rhythm or control the rate and prevent blood clots. Ideally, to treat atrial fibrillation, the heart rate and rhythm are reset to normal. To correct your condition, doctors may be able to reset your heart to its regular rhythm (sinus rhythm) using a procedure called cardioversion, depending on the underlying cause of atrial fibrillation and how long you’ve had it. Cardioversion can be done in two ways: electrical cardioversion and cardioversion with drugs. Before cardioversion, you may be given warfarin or another blood-thinning medication for several weeks to reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes. If your episode of atrial fibrillation lasted more than 48 hours, you may need to take this type of medication for at least a month after the procedure to prevent blood clots in the heart. After electrical cardioversion, your doctor may prescribe anti-arrhythmic medications to help prevent future episodes of atrial fibrillation. Medications may include dofetilide, flecainide, propafenone, amiodarone, and sotalol. Although these drugs may help maintain a normal heart rhythm, they can cause side effects, including nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. Rarely, they may cause ventricular arrhythmias — life-threatening rhythm disturbances originating in the heart’s lower chambers. These medications may be needed indefinitely. Even with medications, there is a chance of another episode of atrial fibrillation. You may be prescribed medications to control how fast your heart beats and restore it to a normal rate, like digoxin, beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers. Many people with atrial fibrillation or those who are undergoing certain treatments for atrial fibrillation are at especially high risk of blood clots that can lead to a stroke. The risk is even higher if other heart disease is present along with atrial fibrillation. Your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) such as warfarin and newer anticoagulants. Many people have spells of atrial fibrillation and don’t even know it — so you may need lifelong anticoagulation even after your rhythm has been restored to normal.