Heart drugs

rascal - your drug regime sounds a bit like mine!! There is huge room for error when taking so many - and they keep changing the colours/shapes of them which is even more confusing. And some of mine need cutting in half which, even with a pill cutter, is not an exact science.

It is nice to be home, but I could not fault the service I had from NHS this time. The only fly in the ointment is that a follow up appointment has a wait time of 61 weeks - yes, you read that right!! In fact I already had a phone follow up appointment for November from the stent admission, so that is a bit nearer.

growstuff - I have had echos - pumping function is not too bad, but leaky valve present.

I am also to see someone in electrophysiology with a view to an ablation.

Also saw cardiac rehab nurse - there are 2 strands to the rehab: gym based (which she says I am not fit for) and education (which she says I do not need as I have all the info in my head already) - so I think that means no rehab! But they are a good and available source of information.

Getting my head round my limitations is a big challenge and a source of great frustration, as I am sure it is for many of us on here.

My thoughts are with you, Luckygirl, and hope that things will settle so that a revised normal life is possible. It’s so hard to be so unwell when living alone especially after so long caring for your DH. No advice, merely sympathy.

I take amlopodine, hydroxychloroquine, simvastatin, too, amongst other things. (about 15 others)
I've been told it's the omeprazole that is making me tired!

GrannySomerset - thank you.

MissAdventure - when on so many meds it is difficult to know what is a symptom of disease and what is a side effect I find!! I would happily bin the all!!!

There is an online support group for AF

healthunlocked.com/afassociation

Health unlocked also run support groups for many other conditions. It's worth having a look.

I joined the AF support group 5 years ago. It's been great, so much wisdom and helpful advice from other people with the same condition.

I know how you feel, Lucky.
I can barely keep my eyes open already today, and could easily sleep the day away - it's not a life I want, and I'm afraid of falling, too., I'm so unsteady on my feet.

I hope your meds can be adjusted somehow.
Fingers crossed!

Keep going Luckygirl, I take a cocktail.of pills for heart disease, diabetes and thyroid. Some years ago my Gp decided some of my drugs were old fashioned and he changed me to Nicorandil, I took one and was completely knocked out, we just went back to 'the old fashioned ones' and I am stable. If your drugs are not helping then try to keep pushing Gp to review them, I'm just back from a 3 mile walk that I do at least 3 times a week, thanks to old fashioned medicine 😅

Marydoll

🤣 Sorry. I was texting DH what train I was on. I blame those blooming biologics!

Oh, that really made me laugh 😂

Hope you make it home this afternoon, luckygirl and tweaking your beta blocker works.

My husband has a stent and takes massive doses of drugs including beta-blockers which are intended to slow his heart rate down so that more blood can collect in his heart before it is pumped out, making it work more efficiently. He is slower than he used to be and sometimes a little breathless, but we just take it easy when walking. Every now and again they juggle his drugs which worries me, but recently he was contacted by a specialist pharmacist for a check so we are reassured.
We're grateful that he hasn't had to have one of those implanted defibrillator devices.

merlotgran

Marydoll

🤣 Sorry. I was texting DH what train I was on. I blame those blooming biologics!

Oh, that really made me laugh 😂

Hope you make it home this afternoon, luckygirl and tweaking your beta blocker works.

What is even worse is that I was actually on the 16:45, not the 14.45!

Yes, my husband, v low BP and slow heart rate on his cocktail of drugs, following 2020 heart attack and one stent fitted.

He’s just had his check-up and meds review, and nothing can be changed.

I am on heart meds after a heart attack, stents then a later one.
Bisoprolol, my beta blocker, made me dizzy, sometimes breathless and I had a low pulse in the 40s. Dropping to 30s overnight.
Also developed AF. Was given a pacemaker which keeps my heart rate in the low 60s mainly. No more dizziness and rarely breathless now.

Thank goodness for all those posts. I thought that it was just me. Had a heart attack 2 years ago. Stent fitted and the ubiquitous Bisopralol prescribed, along with the rest of the cocktail. The side effects are horrendous. I can sleep for England, constantly breathless, can barely walk - basically cannot function.

I am no longer driving as I am afraid of having another episode when behind the wheel (AF). GP disinterested and no follow up from cardiology.

Am I to accept that this is the end of my life?

I had a stent fitted after a heart attack just a year ago. The meds made me feel very dizzy for quite a while. I was given a number to speak to the cardiology nurse and she was so helpful. I split my medication, taking some am and some pm. It was a bit trial and error but a year later I now feel fine. I do still get a bit light headed but nothing like before. My statin dose was lowered along the way. I am slim healthy and my cholesterol is 2.8. I am walking every day and doing two sessions of strength training at the gym and that has helped tremendously. I still take blood thinners, aspirin, bisoprolol etc
If you can, do cardiac rehab. It was so helpful to me and gave me my confidence back.

Luckygirl has already written that she can't do cardiac rehab.

It is interesting and reassuring to know that others are on this cocktail of drugs after having a stent, although I would not wish them on anyone else.

I can understand the need to take drugs that keep the artery, and other arteries, as open as possible - I am just puzzled to have several drugs all for the same purpose. The relevant ones I am taking are: Ramipril, Ranolazine and Chemydur. They are all supposed to be doing the same thing - I would have hoped one would be sufficient.

I get the anticoagulant and anti-platelet need - that makes sense; and also the betablocker (metoprolol) to keep the heart rate down and prevent too much AF, although it does of course wipe me out. And the statin makes sense. It is the other 3 that seem a bit of overkill to me, and I just feel that the more drugs you take, the more chance of side effects and adverse interactions.

Ask for a second opinion from another consultant!

That is what I did when I was fairly certain I was being wrongly treated for a thyroid problem. The original consultant was furious and fairly unpleasant, but she had been rude all along, so I did not let that faze me.

Just make sure which hospital you want to be referred to instead of the one you currently attend and that the consultant you have now, is not also on the staff of the other hospital.

Donford Yates wrote of solicitors that people just stay with the same firm even if it changes hands, but they look damned hard at their rice if the grocer sells his business - the same applies to doctors.

If you are not satisfied, go somewhere else! I did, and got the right treatment. Good luck!

Luckygirl3 Yes there is a huge room for error. This happened to me this week for the first time. On a Friday morning I make up four pill boxes with great care for the following week. It takes me a while to make sure everything is correct. Or so I thought!

On the Sunday I started to feel very cold. Even the air on my skin in the house felt exceptionally cold. Having to put the heating on crossed my mind! I wakened during the night
(a thing I never do) I usually sleep very well even if I fall asleep during the day. I don't realise this until I waken! I wasn't feeling well it felt like a cold or flu was starting. Had disturbing dreams. Unusual for me.

Monday, nose running, bad dry cough, feeling cold and shivery. Took Boots Dual Defence nose spray, just in case. By the evening I felt my legs twitching when I was sitting. Feeling exceptionally tired.

Tuesday at lunchtime I suddenly noticed there was no morphine in the lunchtime pillbox at all! So for four days I hadn't been having the lunchtime morphine. I've to take two at lunchtime and two at bedtime. So it was withdrawal symptoms I was suffering from. Not a cold!

So I'm sure I will be more careful and check daily that I'm having the correct amount of medication.

Enjoy being home Luckygirl3 there is no better place. I can't fault NHS Scotland. They are very good.

We all need to try to think positive. I remember there are folks worse off than me.

I have had 2 ablations for my AF and my heart goes into AF very rarely .

Luckygirl If you're not fit enough to do cardiac rehab, the team obviously thinks you have further issues. My guess would be that's why you've been prescribed the three additional meds. Ramipril is for high blood pressure and it's not uncommon to take it as well as a beta blocker. The other two are for angina. If I were in your position, I'd listen to my cardiac consultant rather than posters on GN. I think you're just going to have to accept that you've had a major intervention and it's going to be some time before you feel like your former self.

ecci53

There is an online support group for AF

healthunlocked.com/afassociation

Health unlocked also run support groups for many other conditions. It's worth having a look.

I joined the AF support group 5 years ago. It's been great, so much wisdom and helpful advice from other people with the same condition.

Thanks for providing the link to that AF support group, ecci53. I had a look and there's lots of interesting posts. The search function seems to work quite well, unlike Gransnet, so I could find threads I might be interested in.

The health unlocked forums are very good, and some have speciality nurse helplines, too.

Another who uses this site, I found it via British Heart Foundation, the Atrial Fib hub is one of the hubs I have found useful.

Same for me. Meds for heart and high blood pressure. For many months, was too weak to walk. Cardiologist doctor did not seem concerned. I bought blood pressure apparatus and my BP often dropped drastically, like 88/50. I had to argue with doctor to met me refuce P meds

I found I had five different meds for blood pressure.
All of my medical notes say "complains of tiredness".