Dizziness and fatigue.

[PhyllisK]

The last couple of days I have felt really light headed and very very tired, I am in NSR but my BP can be a little low. I have noticed in earlier posts that Sotalol might be the culprit.

I will seek advice from my cardiology nurse re: decreasing the dosage (I am on 8omg twice daily)

I am just wondering what the consensus of opinion is, should I stick to a drug regime that is keeping me on an equal keel or, chance reducing the dosage so that I can at least regain some energy and possibly get rid of this debilitating fatigue and dizziness?

[Hidden]

Hi Phyllis

I have the same quandary. I have been given a range of dosage I can take for the drugs I use, but don't really know whether to err on the low side, so taking less drugs, less side-effects, also just less drugs which I don't like taking.

Or, take a full dose and have fewer or no symptoms but more side-effects maybe and just, simply, more drugs.

IMO I think it's a personal decision to be made in conjunction with my cardio. At the moment I'm taking just enough to keep main symptoms at bay, but not entirely. Seeing my cardio in Feb and will ask him what he thinks is best to do.

Hope you feel a bit better soon.

Koll

[PhyllisK]

Thanks Koll

I found it very interesting that dosages of medication do not have to be rigid, I will discuss the possibility of using the (range changing avenue) with my cardiology nurse.

Once again thank you for taking the time to answer my query.

Phyl.

[Dadog]

Probably is the Sotalol, Phyl. I've been back in NSR for three weeks now and my Bisoprolol was reduced to 5mg from 7.5mg. BP seems to be decreasing over the three weeks, from 120/76 to something like 95/55 today. Definitely feel better than before but get very tired and useless. Only today, I was hefting heavy boxes and sawing up timber and found it very hard going. I think I will contact my GP if BP stays at sub 100 levels and hope the Bisoprolol will be reduced. That, IMO, is where the culprit lies!

[PhyllisK]

Cheers Dadog,

I am going to try to reduce Sotalol under supervision.

Phyl.

[Maitha]

Hi

My doctor put me on sotalol 80 mg twice daily after my ablation to control my SVT and VT also my normal BP is lower than others

It made me so tired , dizzy , light headed and fatigue , I remembered once heart rate recorded 45

I agreed later with my doctor to decrease it to 40 mg twice and I may take other 40 mg if I got SVT , and it works

Now I'm still taking 40 twice and got used to it , but sometime if I miss a meal or got dehydrated I got dizzy and my heart rate drop down too low

keep a dairy about your BP , since every one of us is different and your doctor knows your condition better .

Try to drink more water and add salt to your food if your pressure is lower than usual , hope you will feel better soon

Maitha

[PhyllisK in reply to Maitha]

Good to hear from you Maitha, thank you for your advice. Phyl.

[Hidden]

Was put on Sotalol after Metropopol, 80mgs x 2. This was the worst medication for me, what's the point of taking something which gives you similar symptoms to the condition! They dropped the dosage to 40mg x2 , and I immediately started to feel a lot better, but eventually it didn't hold. Although I have learned later on that I could have taken a top-up if I started to get any palpitations for a long time (around 1hr) for me. I have SVT. The best meds to hold it, has been Amiodarone, but it destroys other body functions if you have other health problems, I don't have any other health problems (none that are disrupting my life) but I have decided to lower the dose anyway, initially on 200mg currently on 100 mg with 50mg top up and just recently put on a lower dose of 50mgs. Its important to let your cardiologist and GP know what you want to happen. This means for me I will be on 50mgs of Amiodarone in the new year and will use with natural methods of Accupuncture Diet and Exercise and plenty of blood tests, with a top-up of another 50mgs if it continues constantly after 1 hr. maybe after 2 hrs if it stops and starts. Its a scary time though, so I do my relaxation daily around 15 mins even though I feel good. Thought I would let you know of the advantages of a lower dose, of Sotalol with disadvantages of not continuing to hold. Maybe you could discuss the method of topping-up, before you get a lower dose set up, which should have been discussed with me at the time. Hope this helps you decide. Plenty of Good wishes come to you and everyone else on-line here.

[PhyllisK]

Hi ultramarine, thank you for the information.

I have received lots of useful advice, but, since posting the question about the dizziness and fatigue my ECG monitor readings have started to go haywire.

I do a daily reading for the research programme but, today, my readings are looking like a mountain range.

I remain in NSR and my pulse feels strong and regular but I still feel dizzy and tired.

Hopefully this is not an indication of anything more sinister than pre: christmas stress.

Once again thank you for the response to my question.

Phyl

[Hidden]

Sounds like I've got the same as you except my BP is normal, i.e. I'm in sinus but heart beat is all over the place as the doctors describe it. I'm now on Propafenone which works on me and I feel a lot better. But I still get wobbles after eating and lying down, but can cope with that no problem.