Breathless when walking
Recently I notice more and more being out of breath while walking. I take apixaban and perindopril
I have asymptomatic AF and I am a 72 years female.
I just wonder if this is due to age or has my AF deteriorated. To get a GP appointment is difficult at this time. Has anyone any ideas please?
It may be your heart is getting a little tired. Have you checked your heart rate recently - it may be a bit too fast. But there are other reasons for breathlessness and I would hope your GP would take it seriously. Best wishes 💜
I think it maybe be the affect of the perindopril controlling your HR whilst walking, which is why you will have been prescribed it. Combine that with AF, persistent or paroxysmal and age and I think you have your answer, however, you should still talk to your doctor about it as if you have SOB you are no longer asymptotic.
When was the last time you had blood tests & were monitored? Do you have an annual review?
You should be able to talk to your GP even if you may have a delay, I am still having regular blood tests & can still get a GP appointment albeit telephone within 3-7 days.
Thank you. I do get regular blood test. I don’t feel my HR going up. When measured it’s 50-60 resting and 70-80 when walking. Could that be too slow?
Too slow for one person is not for another as everyone is individual and rate is only an indicator and not everything as if your AF has progressed the output of your heart maybe have decreased which is why we are advising seeing your GP and reporting your symptoms. You might ask if an echocardiogram might help determine the physical state of your heart?
Hello emsling, looks like you are being ignored!
I have no experience of perindopril, but I gather it’s for high blood pressure and breathlessness can be one of its more serious side effects. I take Apixaban and find it to be fairly benign so it may not be contributing to your problem. You haven’t mentioned any heart rate medication normally associated with AF. If you take a beta blocker or calcium channel blocker this could also contribute to your problems.
I’m not medically trained but AF main symptom is breathlessness so perhaps your AF has progressed. You really need to get some proper medical advice to find out what is going on. If you are not taking AF rate control medication and rate is regularly in excess of 100 bpm, over time you might be damaging your heart so there are a variety of things that ought to be considered by your Doctor.
Whilst it isn’t easy at this time, it is the right thing for you to do.......good luck and if he/she argues, tell ‘em I’ve sent you!
Thank you. My HR is 50-60 resting and 70-80 walking I don’t feel it only know from monitoring it with my Fitbit.
Well that’s spot on. Explains why no beta blockers as well. Still need to talk to your doctor though, especially if it’s caused by Perindopril as suggested by CDreamer......
My resting HR is similar and will rise to around 100 when walking. I have low BP and find I can get a bit breathless when I first start walking but I put it down to carrying a stone in weight too much and being unfit! I am now trying to do 10k steps per day
Have a look at the side effects of this product and ask for a change of drug .
Hi Emsling,
AF means your heart is not working efficiently and it will often make you feel tired. When I'm in AF lack of energy is always one of my symptoms.
Exercise is essential for general health as we get older, but if it's getting tougher it could indicate your condition is deteriorating and it is important to get checked out.
At times like this when it's difficult to get face to face appointments I find it helpful to have some numbers available to help the initial discussions.
Have you checked your BP? It's worth investing in a simple BP monitor to keep an eye on this, also a Pulse Oximeter is a good investment especially in this time of covid as it measures your lung efficiency, they are very cheap and simple to use, if it goes below 92% it's time to call for help.
Good luck
To find out what is going on you probably need an echocardiogram, which your GP might order. In the meanwhile you could keep a diary. If it was a one-off, it’s probably nothing to be too concerned about.
Also bloodthinners could make a person anemic and breathless so I've heard,may be worth checking for that too,good luck.
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