Sorry if I keep repeating myself. I'm finding as time goes by there are more and more questions about the medicines we take for this Afib. My blood pressure was high off and on yesterday and early this morning. Plus I had been having excessive urination. Don't think it's a uti. Maybe my electrolytes out of whack? Do many of you drink an electrolyte drink for Afib and how often? I may end up in ER again today. Drs in such a hurry to get you in and out they don't bother to explain anything about the meds. Anything about nutrition. What you eat might affect your meds. It's so aggravating. The medical care here in the US has become nothing about the patient......... Any info is appreciated. I'm basically on my own. Live with my ex and he's not any support. Not exactly a positive atmosphere to live in with him. I don't have any famiky close by. They have their own health problems. My ex also been diagnosed with Afib a few months before me and on the same meds as me only more milligrams. He goes to the VA clinic in Daytona Beach. But hasn't gone since March because of the pandemic. They do have something if he really needed to see them. He has side effects but ignores them. But point is he the VA gives better care than I get. If my ex really wanted to see a VA Dr I know he could. He gets his meds in the mail from them. And I can't afford to pay privately. I'm at the mercy of the Drs in my insurance and they aren't the greatest. In Florida. I have a friend who is in Milwaukee ,Wisconsin and her daughter's father in law is a retired Dr. He practiced for a short time in Florida years ago and he went back to Wisconsin because he did not like the crummy medical atmosphere here. He said the Drs wouldn't work with each other's patients like they should have and they acted like jealous children. Seems things haven't changed much. People aren't always depressed about a condition they have. They are depressed cause they get crappy care. Sorry I had to vent.
Electrolytes: Sorry if I keep repeating... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Electrolytes
Not reaalu sure if you are asking anything aactually but just a point here about frequent unrination. This is AF doing it . Nothing more nor less. Af causes the distressed heart to rid the body of salt which is does through urination.
There are many causes for frequent urination. Besides UTIs, the most important and common is Hyperglycemia, high glucose, which caold indicate a diabetic or prediabetic condition. You can probably get urine test strips at the pharmacy, which could be a a quick and easy solution to finding out if there is glucose in your urine. If this is the case, you should see your doc ASAP. In any case, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Just assuming the afib is causing it without ruling out other possibilities can be dangerous in the long run.
Decided to go to the ER . Just got back. They ran tests. Everything was fine. So they said. So it must be from the Afib meds. Thanks for your reply.
Not the meds, the AF, as Bob said
I forgot to take my dose of metoprolol to the ER with me. And all they had was 50 mg and they couldn't cut it down. I take a very low dose. So I didn't take any metoprolol basically all day. I didn't have any excessive urination during that time. When I finally took my next dose later before I went to bed I was right back getting up several times during the night. And I have done research and frequent urination is a side effect of the metoprolol. Just because it's not listed or some Dr says it isn't doesn't mean there aren't other side effects. We are all different and meds affect us differently. One size does not fit all. In fact the print out I receive from the pharmacy says if you have any other side effects not listed to call the FDA and let them know. I didn't because I've read that this med does in fact cause frequent urination. It's a blood pressure medicine and they usually work as diuretic.
Im in Florida also. I only use the doctors here as, "consultants". Meaning They do not make decisions for me. I listen to what they suggest, ask questions, then do my own research. The first thing every single doc wanted to do over the last4+ years was put me on meds and do ablations. I tried medications, and found the side effects were horrid and stopped. P***ed of a few of the cardiologist because I didnt do what the told me to do. I finally found one that didnt take it personal if I wanted to try other alternatives. He understood and Accepted that I did not want to go the surgical route. Best of all, he is available to talk and discuss anything. He is rare!
As of today, Im still med free (except for anti-coagulants) and me and my Afib monster share my body, but Im in control of the head.
Good for you. I'm wanting to try natural supplements. I used hawthorn for years for my benign tachycardia but when Afib hit I stopped. I'm not sure that it can be taken with Eliquis that I'm on. Unfortunately I don't have the finances to search for a Dr who is open minded like you have now. My health insurance that I can afford limits me severely and probably every Dr I've googled in my plan have not so great reviews. Florida is full of Drs who saw Florida as a get rich place and those could care less about the patient.
If anyone out there knows if hawthorn works with a blood thinner I'd like to know or if you've found something else that works. Hawthorn works to help the heart beat in rhythm and helps blood pressure. I do take magnesium which is also good.
I am all for Lifestyle for health promotion and haven’t taken heart meds for years as they did more harm than good for me personally, however, the ONE med I do not mess with is my anti-coagulant. Do not mess with herbal remedies for anti-coagulation - it’s unreliable and there have been reported deaths from bleeds. Anti-coagulation is a prophylactic treatment which diminishes risk of stroke - the affects of which are unreversible.
On frequent urination - AF does that to you - it may be also the meds but don’t discount AF as a factor - it’s one of the ways I used to know whether or not I’m in AF.
You may find this site helpful regarding supplements, eating plan etc - I certainly have:-
heartmdinstitute.com/heart-...
Do read some of Dr Sinatra’s advice on supplements and his recipes for eating for a healthy heart.
Try unadulterated coconut water for electrolyte balance and don’t mess with anything that comes with a label such as Electrolyte or Energy drinks. Always read the ingredient list on the label very carefully!
Shchldavies offers good suggestions.
Reducing your stress through management such as breathing exercises and meditation, mindfulness, yoga etc will help - there are excellent studies which demonstrate these methods do work. If you can’t change your environment then you need to build resilience to adapt to your environment.
Hope some of that helps, best wishes.
Thank you so much. I wasn't going to stop my anticoagulant. Was wondering if there was something else to take with it instead of the metoprolol which does cause the frequent urination for some people. I don't like how the metoprolol messes with the body. I am looking into what yoga exercises are good for Afib. I do try to exercise but not as hard as I did. And Dr Weil has some good breathing exercises. I will look up your website. I've read some of Dr Sinatra. And I'll check out the coconut water. Florida is about to get brushed by this hurricane coming soon. And I'm trying not to worry. It's not fun to be in one. You have really done a lot of research. You have a lot of good info and it's very comforting to know people like you are there to offer help and hope. God bless you. I do know that the metoprolol causes my frequent urination also from not taking a dose when I went to the ER. I didn't have to go to the bathroom constantly. And I have read others are affected by it that way too.
Good luck with the storm, I have been caught in several big storms in the Caribbean so have some idea what you are going through. Stay safe and you will be in our thoughts. Do let us know how you get on.
Thanks. Storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning but it can still cause lots of damage. Last year Irma went through Florida. Scary as heck and the hurricane season not over til end of Nov. And of course I'm nervous as heck. Helps though to hear good thoughts from others.
Dodged the tropical here but headed north and became a hurricane. So other states had severe damage. Up early to take my med. Had some fast beats but not real bad. So discouraging.
Just read a lot of Dr Sinatra on the website you suggested. Nattokinase was discussed quite a bit as an alternative blood thinner. But as you said when it comes to something like an anticoagulant best not to mess with that. An alternate supplement I think would be too risky because of the need for that supplement to be pure and that is one of the big drawbacks to using nattokinase. But using some of the other supplements in place of the metoprolol sounded promising. You've said you have used alternatives to that med. Is it possible you use the regimen described by Dr Sinatra. He has a combination product he sells and I read some people on his website were happy with the outcome of using it. I take magnesium and coq10 and vitamins (multi) and some other supplements I take that the Drs said was okay to continue. I have to be careful with the magnesium as it affects blood pressure too. I'd love to see a functional medicine Dr but they seem to be few and far between where I am. Plus I'd have to rob a bank to be able to afford one. 😞. Such a tragedy Drs don't give a hoot about REALLY helping the patient anymore rather than throwing pills at you and leaving you basically on your own. You would have made a good Dr.
Frequent urination can be a sign that your heart is irritated.
Grapefruit can effect you meds.
Shortfall in electrolytes can effect your heart, try:
Banana a day
Avocado at least twice a week
Make sure iron levels are OK
Drink plenty of water (not too much as it could have a detrimental effect)
If you take PPIs, cut down or stop them if you can
No alcohol or caffeine for a month
Cut sugar intake as much as you can
Cut preservative intake (in the foods you eat) as much as you can.
Improvement can take weeks or months and it may not be an electrolyte problem, it could be your nervous system, thyroid problems, stress or a physical problem with your heart, but electrolytes are a good bet. You could also try Magnesium supplement (not Oxide) as many of us are magnesium deficient and its needed to orchestrate your key electrolytes that make your hearts electrical system work.
The problem with this condition is that the medical profession make their profit from treating the symptoms not the condition.
I know about most of your advice. I knew that grapefruit is a no no when taking any heart meds. I quit coffee, sugar, don't drink alcohol anyway, try to eat as well as I can. Take magnesium. It's a process for sure. And Drs are no help. They only know how to push their pills and the insurance companies are no help either. In the USA they are like dictators. Decide what meds they will pay for and even if there's something better the Drs rarely fight for you to get the better med. It's a racket here. Profit over patient. Why the patient ends up on these forums. Looking for help. And thank goodness these forums exist. Because they are so much help. And thank you for your help. It's so appreciated.
Very hopeful to have these forums many thanks to all
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