It’s great to be able to find out about AF. Not getting any info at the hospital. I am on 10mgs Bisoprolol. 8mgs perindopril 2.5 indapamide, this was to control BP 100mgs levothyroxine . 20 mgs simvistatin. 3inhalers they say for COPD. I stopped smoking 10 yrs ago and 2 yrs later had slight heart attack and had 2 stents fitted. I work full time but struggling as my breathing is really bad. I honestly feel no one bothering they just give you more pills oh aye am on warfarin which I didn’t want to do but was advised there was nothing else as I also have mitral valve stenosis. After having heart monitor removed for the tape analysis they gave me an appointment for 9 months later by which time the results would be out of date. Kicked up about it and was asked if I was having bother. I feel all these meds are causing me huge problems with breathing. Not ready to give up my work but would like a better quality of live so that I could do things. Irregular heart beat there all the time but I have no symptoms except visual evidence or when pulse/ bp is taken. I’m only 63 but have an 18yr old brain and a body of 90 yr old. Only found I had this 6 months ago but would dearly love to get off some meds as I feel the are the bigger problem. Am I just being silly?
Cath
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Sinclairsime
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I know exactly what you mean as I have the same issue with meds. I'm 64 and I too take perindopril, bisoprolol, flecainide, levothyroxin,omaprazol,benzosomething I can't pronounce plus exemastane (had breast cancer in 2015) and I also take glucosamine and vitamin D3. As you can see it's quite a cocktail and I suffer from breathless that I never had before and have all sorts of side effects from the cancer drug e.g. Peripheral myopathy which is at times unbearable. My AF is not really stable and rears it's ugly head totally at transom and I wonder at times whether the amount of meds I take is making me feel 'ill' much more than the issues the meds are allegedly aimed at!! I agree that doctors are too quick to just give out more meds though I hear that's because they a are paid every time they do so. Not sure if that's true though so don't quote me!
You are not being silly. Not at all! I HATED taking meds - I was on Bisoprolol and Flecainide - only drugs I ever tried to control the AF. I felt so bad on Bisoprolol I refused to take it as I felt it did absolutely nothing to improve my QOL. The AF I coped with - the meds I couldn’t, gave me serious effects and exacerbated an underlying condition.
The one med I continue to take for AF is the anti-coagulant but I take Apixaban NOT Wafarin.
Please visit the AFA website - go to Resources - download the information leaflets and absorp - then you can go armed with information and have a serious conversation about what you want.
I now see a Functional Medicine Doctor and although I still have both conditions and take 3 prescribed medications, I follow a gluten free diet, eat very well but little, exercise, relax and sleep now. Now I am stabilized - with the help of medications - I feel much more energetic and do tolerate the meds - 2 of which I would not be able to function.
Too many pills, lack of taking a detailed history, reading notes and taking time to ask the patient. There is a quiet patient paradigm shift going on which is rejecting non essential medications.
But each individual needs to make their own informed choices and look at the benefits and the risks of taking pharmaceuticals and the interactions of each medication and the consequences of taking or not taking.
Do your homework and then take back some self determination. Lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.
PS - do you see an EP (Electrophysiologist who is a specialised cardiologist who treats the electrics of the heart and for me the only people who really know about arrythmias).
Is the Bisoprolol for the AF or the blood pressure? This can make you very tired. You can discuss with your GP whether you need so much. For the AF it decreases the heart-rate, which means that when your heart goes fast in AF it is still roughly below 120, or better still, 100, and so does not put excssive strain on your heart. It does not help to prevent AF or to return your heart to normal (SNR). Some people feel better if they take it in the evening, or half in the morning and half in the evening, but less is usually better for quality of life (QOL).
If your heart rate is going below 50 sometimes then you will feel bad, and a decrease in the Bisoprolol may well be in order.
However, Bisoprolol is not recommended for people who have ever had asthma, so I wonder if the same applies to people with COPD? Nebivolol does the same but is usually considered better in such cases.
I have no experience of the other drugs, but a friendly pharmacist might be able to suggest which ones, if any, may be making some symptoms worse, which you could then discuss directly with your doctor.
If the heart monitor showed anything serious they would have taken more action. When you go for your appointment they will take an ECG then. Treatment for AF is largely about QOL so talk to your doctor.
You may also find reading Dr John Day's website is interesting, particularly with respect to what you can do to lessen your AF burden by life-style changes. See drjohnday.com He has had some AF, is a cardiologist and a cyclist and is very practical. It helps you to feel that you can take charge, not just be subject to the meds.
I am also enjoying reading Dr Rangan Chatterjee's book 'The Four Pillar Plan'. It is nothing to do with AF, but everything to do with how very simple changes in our life-styles can make big changes to our health - and you get to choose which of his suggestions to try. Every such step will help the AF - so give it a go!
Pay to have a private appointment with an EP. Get all your blood tests and an ECG done by your GP first so you have all the data needed with you and don't need a second appointment. Tell him/her all your issues and hopefully they will give you a course of action. My guess is the bisoprolol is the main culprit and should change to nebivolol, but could also be the levothyroxine or the statin so these need to be looked at as well. You don't say what the inhalers are but three seems excessive. But don't worry about the warfarin - it's actually a drug most tolerate well and will help stop you getting another MI.
Hi Sinclairsime, how do you stay alive with all that stuff inside your gut ????
Bisoprolol alone is an evil drug never mind 10mg of the stuff. If I was in your place
I would be having stern words with my GP and chucking the stuff in the bin. Get real, get a life !!! All the best and take great care of yourself please.
I would echo Mike11’s advice. Get a second opinion, pay for it if necessary and make sure they are an EP. If paying, go for one who is recommended by people on here.
Whatever CDremer is saying it is practically correct. She is good investigator and have proper approach to med.
My advice- read all the pros and cons of each med. and what are they for. The doctors prescribe med. without going to individual health condition of each patient. Your health is in your hands only !!!! Less med, healthier life.
No Cath, you are not being silly at all. I am also 63. None of us on here are doctors I don’t think, and what works for some may not work for others. I have seen quiet a few athletic types posting on here-so many in such great health —but with A-Fib. Have seen some pretty sick puppies too, but doing ok. Also people may have other health issues not shared on this A-Fib line. So, I would caution you to read and feel the love here, but also try to tell your doctor how all of these medications are making you feel. I believe most doctors want to be more than pill-pushers and are compassionate but cautious. No one wants a patient to die under their care. Yes, the pharmaceutical companies make tons of money off of these drugs, but so does my local grocery chain and restaurants make tons of money pushing their appetizing sales-of-the-week.
I was completely overwhelmed with suddenly finding myself in a position where I was prescribed medications. Beforehand, most would have described me as a completely passionate workaholic, and I truly enjoyed the hours I put in. Was killing me, and I did not recognize it...I did not want to slow anything down working full time in my job, bringing work home to complete during the nights and weekends. Never took vacations-never wanted to.
Once the surprise A-Fib hospital visit was over, and I was diagnosed with A-Fib, (on top of my nerve issues, short term memory, IBS, degenerative pains, etc); I just broke down in tears and hysteria in my doctor’s office. I just did not want to take medications-had always figured vitamins and minerals and positivity with the other more common meds for conditions above would help me to prevail. But, my doctor who normally sees me for a quick few minutes and leaves, recognized me in that moment as a patient that needed her wisdom and her time. She then sat down with me and took her time to explain the medications, the options and alternatives and adjusted some of them more individually for me.
For example, we both agreed my anti-anxiety meds needed up-ing!🤣
Lol. Anyway, she also told me how things have changed as I have aged and gave me more resources to read later.
I know I am just 63, but my body probably feels pretty much same age as yours!!! I am retired now, but wish I was still working some days. I can’t seem to handle much stress at all-even if my phone rings and I don’t recognize the number makes me nervous, deadlines like appointments, schedules, etc =anxiety, and I can no longer multi-task like I did. But...I enjoy my daily walks over to the Cathedral(mostly done on a scooter so I can keep up with my two rambunctious dogs and not be in pain from degenerative issues). I also enjoy sometimes making homemade soups with herbs from my apartment window garden, and things I don’t eat much of anymore—fresh yeast breads, bagels and pizza dough for neighbors and family (I have a rolling chair in the kitchen), watching Little House on the Prairie, Hallmark Channel, completing my memory challenge on the app called Elevate, enticing birds with seeds on my apt window, brief but pleasant chats with neighbors, and visiting my mom and others in the nursing home. I’m sure people who read that will yawn, but it works for me so far. I will take on more things as I go along, but for now, it’s ok for me.
It’s not so bad when you stop professional working. I found out something very interesting, things that I thought that I didn’t have time to do because I was too busy working...well, it wasn’t true. It was just me. For example, I still haven’t washed my car!
My hope is that you will figure out with your doctor the what, why’s and how’s on all of your medication. It takes a while to get used to depending on something other than what’s in your own power to create.
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