I have high blood pressure and Afib. I had an MRI on my brain and the doctor found I have had a couple of strokes. Thankfully they made my left side numb, but nothing more. I take 20mg of lisinopril a day and 80mg of Lipitor. I am continually nauseated, and my leg muscles are weak. I feel off balance when I stand or walk. I stopped the Lipitor two days ago in hopes I'd feel better. So far, I don't. I also found reviews online from people taking Lisinopril and read some horror stories from them. Lisinopril lists the same side effects as Lipitor. I'm seriously thinking of stopping the Lisinopril too. Has anyone had any experience with these drugs? I don't want to have another stroke, but I'm also on blood thinners and Metoprolol to slow my heart. I'm wondering if those two drugs are enough to treat my blood pressure and afib so I can get back to feeling half normal.
Lisinopril and Lipitor: I have high... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Lisinopril and Lipitor
Since we are not medically trained it would be wrong for us to comment. Please discuss with your doctor.
Thank you Bob. My problem is I've been complaining about being nauseated and dizzy and legs aching for months. He seems to think I have vertigo. I contacted a heart doctor who agreed with me when I suggested stopping the Lipitor. I haven't asked about stopping the Lisinopril but if I don't improve, I will suggest that too. I'm just tired of being sick and feeling weak all the time. It's not fun. I only found out about all the side effects to these meds yesterday as I was doing some research. Of course I don't want to have another stroke. I may not be as lucky with the next one!
As BobD states, need to see your doctor at the soonest to discuss your concerns. Consider emergency room if necessary.
Closely monitor your blood pressure and heart rate. And be cautious when reading online reviews about side effects. Your doctor prescribed what is needed based on your medical traits.
May I say it does seem unusual you are taking lisinopril and another blood thinner. Lipitor does not normally cause concerning side effects.
Hope you feel better soon !
Thank you Mav7. Here's what I wrote in response to Bob. I'll paste it here so you will know i responded: My problem is I've been complaining about being nauseated and dizzy and legs aching for months. He seems to think I have vertigo. I contacted a heart doctor who agreed with me when I suggested stopping the Lipitor. I haven't asked about stopping the Lisinopril but if I don't improve, I will suggest that too. I'm just tired of being sick and feeling weak all the time. It's not fun. I only found out about all the side effects to these meds yesterday as I was doing some research. Of course I don't want to have another stroke. I may not be as lucky with the next one!
Are you taking another blood thinner besides lisinopril ? Anticoagulants are very important.
I've been on Lipitor 80mg, Lisinopril20/Hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg (both in one pill), Metoprolol Succinate ER 50mg, and Eliquis 5 mg. and I take the Eliquis twice a day. The Lipitor seemed a bit high since I am 5'2" and weigh 112 lbs. As I said earlier, I stopped the Lipitor and hope I get to feeling better. I'm still nauseated today.
Perhaps I have misunderstood your comment , but Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor and does not have a blood thinning effect, If needed for that effect another drug, such as the newer anticoagulants, warfarin or aspirin will be prescribed
Thank you for your response. From what I understand, Lisinopril is used to relax blood vessels so blood can flow easier. Don't know if it is called an ACE inhibitor. The blood thinner I'm on is Eliquis. I've stopped Lipitor because the side effects I'm experiencing are terrible. So far, I'm still experiencing the awful side effects. It's only been six days since I stopped taking it, but then it could be the Lisinopril I'm taking causing the side effects. They both cause the same side effects. I also want to stop Lisinopril. Don't know which one is causing my problems. I wish I could just stop all meds. Not fun to get old!!
Hello Hatchback, here is the technical description of Lisinopril "· Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor. ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme." and it has the effect you describe, I have been taking 10mg for BP for 15 years with no ill effects plus I take just 5mg per day of the South African equivalent of Lipitor which keeps my cholesterol at around 4 (Doctor does nor want it lower) and my 'good' cholesterol is high. Four years ago I was diagnosed by chance with PAF which was inevitable as it is familial, my father had it and my 4 sisters have it , but it is symptomless. So I take 1.25mg Biso when I find my HR is getting over 100 or irregular and I continue to take 1,20mg verapamil which have always taken with the Zetomax (Lipitor), plus pills for anxiety as that is the root of my problems and Xarelto! When I was first diagnosed with AF it was after taking an anti-biotic for a cut leg which did not agree with me and caused me to vomit flecks of blood, I immediately saw my doctor who did a ECG and I was in AF she was concerned about the blood so I was sent to a Cardio who admitted me to his cardio word. He considered after a weekend that my BP was too low and wanted me to take Biso alone. After a few weeks my BP shot up and I was put back on the Lisinopril and Verapamil as well as the Biso, and that's how it's stayed. Just to add ,I 'm not very heavy either at 49kg.
Thank you for sharing your story. Sounds like someone has done the right things for you. Me? I've been suffering horrible side effects since last May and my doctor, who I do like, has done little. I don't think he realizes how miserable my health has been for way too long. That's why I will email the heart doctor and ask if he can help me feel better. Thank you again and glad you are doing OK.
Lipitor can cause serious side effects.
I am certainly not a doctor. But I am also on Eliquis ,5x2 and was told by cardiologist to never take aspirin with the Eliquis.
I hope you are able to see your doctor very soon and feel better. I feel if you describe your symptoms as noted above they will see you soon.
Thank you. Right now my blood pressure is 104/59 and my heart rate is 78. I am all over the place all the time. I'm going to try to get my heart doctor to take over for my general doctor. I'm sure he knows a lot more about blood pressure, heart and what I should be taking.
Yes, I've read this too, and have been told to never take aspirin. I was told to only take Tylenol if I need a pain reliever. I don't know why my doctor, and the vascular doctor put me on both. They did it after I had a stint put into the vein on my neck. I get very confused. Maybe since it's low dose, it's OK?
I was taking low dose aspirin also (83mg) when told to stop.
But if your doctor is aware that is what matters. May want to verify with him,
Just for clarification - Eliquis is an anticoagulant which helps to prevent blood clotting at a very early stage. Asprin is an anti platelet which helps to break up clots that have formed. So Eliquis is prevention whilst asprin is given after an event such as a stroke or stent.
If you take both for various reasons it should always be under medical supervision so do take heed of what your vascular surgeon says here.
Generally speaking for Lone AF asprin is not taken with anticoagulants,
My doctor told me the same about aspirin and Eliquis. I had been taking a baby aspirin alone before being diagnosed and when I went on Eliquis he told me to stop the aspirin and never take it with the Eliquis.
I'm on Eliquis and was told it's a blood thinner and I am also on low dose aspirin. I was also told to never take regular aspirin, Elavil, Ibuprofen, etc., and only take Tylenol when needed for pain.
I had originally been prescribed linisopril, warfarin, metropolol and Diltiezem in 2014. I stopped the linisopril after less than a week due to the perceived side effects. I weened off of warfarin and didn't care for the possible side effects from other thinners, so being a natural healing sort, I researched and tried remedies.
I would urge you to look into N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) for it's abilities to help with heart, blood vessel wall repair and anti-viral and immune supporting capabilities.
I take an ayurvedic medicine tablet called "Heart Formula" by banyanbotanicals.com/
I take 1 x 2 times per day. This one tablet has enabled me to have regular and lower heart rates and BP. Took about 2 weeks to really feel the difference in my energy and well being. I stopped taking many other supplements as this appeared to decrease or eliminate the reason I was taking them and save $$.
I take today only 1 presecribed med, Diltiezem 1 - 360mg and 1 240mg per day. My blood thinners are Nattokinase 1 800mg every other day, 1 400mg the other days. Vitamin "E" 400m2 x2, D3 500IU x 1 and turmeric 850mg 2 caps 1 x / day.
Nattokinase is scientifically proven by multiple agencies to be as effective as some of the most often used blood clot dissolving prsrciption drugs. So this would reduce or eliminate clots from forming.
Suggestion: Take it slow, try the Heart Formula for a few weeks and see how you feel, then consider the NAC. It also acts as a mild from of blood vessel drano, gently clearing the vessels. Drink a lot of water - my BP and heart rates and well being decrease when I do not drink enough water. Try for 6 - 8 glasses / day. Ideally pee will be pale yellow, too dark increase water intake.
Good luck on your search for better health.
Thank you so much! I'm open for more natural help. I've grown fearful of prescribed medicines. Seems the side effects are worse than the illness! I'll research your suggestion. Again, thank you!
You start your statement with
"I have high blood pressure and Afib. I had an MRI on my brain and the doctor found I have had a couple of strokes. Thankfully they made my left side numb, but nothing more" As a person who had a stroke I can say that if you have lost some of your brain, as I assume you have otherwise the MRI doctor could not have seen that you have had 2 strokes, it will be reacting and some of your symptoms could be down to that. However I did find that the medication side effects were worse than the stroke and I eventually stopped all medication except for the Eliquis and went on a different diet which cured about 90% of my irregular SVT events. I'm 78, weigh 53 kg and exercise a lot. Everybody is different though so what works for me may not work for you so treat what your doctors say as advice and don't be afraid to experiment with yourself as only you will be able to work out the best things for you. There is a lot of good advice in this forum. And give your body time to adjust to recovery from your strokes and any changes you make to your diet, drugs & lifestyle.
All the best.
Roy
Thank you for your response. I'm thinking the doctors have no idea how it feels to be sick every day. Nausea comes and goes throughout the day. The only thing I can think of is the Lisinopril is the cause of my feeling ill. It's hard to plan anything because of it. You may be correct about part of my brain being dead. The numbness has been with me since Aug. of 2021. I had no idea I had a stroke until they did the MRI. I wasn't ill or felt bad. I only knew it was numb when I touched it. That's how I found out it was numb. It's been since I've been on all these medicines that I have felt sick, can't balance when I walk and dizzy at times. I'm going to stop the Lisinopril today. I can't reach any doctors over the weekend, but I can't continue feeling sick. I have four dogs and a kitty to care for. Feel like it or not, my babies get their care and sometimes it's hard to walk around when I'm feeding them. I've managed, but very slowly. Thank you again for your response. Hope my doctor isn't upset with me for stopping the meds!
I am sure your doctor only wants what is best for you but often in treating ‘the condition’ they forget to treat the human being you are. I’m a grouchy sort regarding that sort of doctor so it wouldn’t worry me in the least if I upset a doctor but if it affects you, please look to see if you can go to a more understanding doctor or simply ask them to listen and believe you. Writing it down and giving them a letter can often work?
Sometimes it’s really difficult to know if it is a condition or a med that causes symptoms.
My attitude is very much that we have limited time to enjoy life and if we can’t function because the meds make us feel worse than the disease (I’ve had similar situations with at least 3 medications I was prescribed) then we need to do something about it but ensure you understand the possible consequences of stopping the medications or if there is an alternative that may suit you better before you go against medical advice.
Caution:- there are lots of people using and taking supplements of one sort or another sometimes with excellent results but there are others who are harmed from unregulated products and bad advice so remember that taking these without professional advice from an experienced Nutritionist or Functional Doctor who will advise wholistically could be harmful as these products are also manufactured and not ‘natural’. Food is natural - plants are natural - anything that comes from a container is manufactured.
Please know that I am the first to embrace alternative methods and have done so with limited success.
Hope you feel good soon.
I agree with you 100%. I'm going to email the heart doctor tomorrow, (Monday) to see if he can help me get the right combination of meds. My regular doctor is a wonderful man and he's trying but knows little or nothing about meds I was prescribed by the emergency room doctor. Holistic doctors are great. I may contact one and get some "natural" ways to approach my blood pressure and heart problems. It sure couldn't hurt. Again, thank you!
Hello Hatchback,
I'm so sorry that you are going through all those issues.
I think I would discuss with the cardiologist and ask him to recommend another primary Care Physician. Not knowing your medical condition I would say that your PCP is not wanting to change anything. I would try to see someone else. I had to do that recently and it is working out well for me. Very glad I changed.
I agree with one of the responders. I have never heard of anyone taking the usual dosage of Eliquis and aspirin at the same time. But it could be ok in your case. Also ask your pharmacist about the combination of all of your meds and interactions. I actually put a lot of trust in them since medication is their specialty
Good luck to you. I hope you get all this straightened out and are feeling better. Go for second opinion regarding PCP!
Thank you! I will call and try to get an appointment with my heart doctor. I have never met him in person. Only emailed with him. I will do as you suggest and ask about a reference to another doctor. One that's familiar with heart problems. I will also ask for a face to face appointment. I met this doctor when he had me wear a monitor for two weeks which turned out to show nothing before the stroke. I finally contacted him by email and asked him if he thought it would be OK to stop the Lipitor. My regular doctor insisted I take it every day and I was desperate to stop the nausea. The heart doctor said it would be fine and to let him know how I feel in a couple of weeks. Don't know if he'll be OK with stopping the Lisinopril too. If they felt like I do every day, they would understand! Again, thank you.
One more question. Have you ever thought about a Watchman device? I can not take blood thinners since I had a fall while on Eliquis and had a serious subdural hematoma followed by 3 brain surgeries including a craniotomy.
I would be concerned about the weakness and unsteadiness when standing since that could cause you to fall which could be a disaster since you are I blood thinner.
Just for your info, I have 1 ablation, a Watchman, a pacemaker to control my lower HR. I also have high BP so that complicates things.
My heart med regimen includes per day: 150 mg Metoprolol tartrate, 150 mg Propafenone (1/3 the usual dose) and 10/12.5 Lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide. With this combination. I'm staying out of AFIB and BP is good. A little weakness but still able to exercise. I used to take 40 mg Lisinopril per day but it elevated my Potassium so my PCP took me off it.
For the AFIB, my EP told me that maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercise really improves AFIB. I have found that to be true in my case.
This may be too much info, but may help with suggestions for your dr.
Hang in there. There is hope. I'm 74 years old and feel better than I have in a long time!!!
Wow! You have had a lot of scary procedures. Talk about brain surgeries and that scares the heck out of me. Glad you are doing so well. Maybe one day I will feel good again. Hope so. I also should do some exercise. I don't because I'm usually too nauseated to even think of it. I'm 76 and use to be quite active. Now I pay someone to clean my house and do my yard work. I hate losing my independence. I have enough problems just feeding my dogs twice a day and I have a kitty that lives on my roof I feed twine a day. Maybe if, or when I feel more normal, I will start exercising on a regular basis. Again, thank you. I'll try to get the heart doctor to help me with all my questions and direct me in the right direction.
I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues. I can’t help with any of those drugs but your symptoms are similar to something I experienced a year ago. I too had an MRI but it only showed 5mm perivascular space and 5mm pituitary cyst to which the neurologist wasn’t concerned about. Hence interesting for us here to know what they saw in your scan that showed stroke? Nausea in women is often an overlooked symptom for heart failure. betterhealthwhileaging.net/...
They found wiggly lines in the MRI x-ray. You may be able to search online by asking what the brain looks like after a stroke. When a person has MS, it looks very similar. I had to ask how they could tell the difference. They said they can tell by the pattern. My symptom of numbness is also a symptom of MS. My neighbor has MS and It's so sad. Maybe I'm more fortune, but I'm not sure. I guess a stroke could either kill me or paralyze me and that would be horrible too.
Mine just mentioned white space matter (not squiggles) but perivascular space can be a sign of previous stroke (I also lost my eyesight momentarily, hence MRI). Just wondered as I went on to develop aFIB but had experienced irregular heart prior to fainting / eyesight loss. Like CDREAMER's post... these specialists provide little information one can make sense of
Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm glad your eyesight returned. I just said "squiggly" line because that's what they looked like to me when I looked at the x-ray.
lipotor if i am right it is called atorvastin and i was on that 80mg but got the doctirs to take me of it but of course i had to have something so they gave me simvastatin 40mg and my legs are improved dont got with a statin as you say you may end up with another stoke
Thank you for your response. Yes, you are right. It is atorvastatin. I tried to cut the pill in half, but still made my legs hurt. My doctor wanted me to take 3/4 of the pill. I'm just tired of being ill and my painful legs. Also, the dizzy and weak feeling in my legs. I'm going to email the heart doctor and see if he will help me. Maybe he can regulate meds for me so I can feel OK again. I am afraid of having another stroke. Just can't go on with the way I've been feeling.
Just to mention again that I manage with just 5mg of atorvastatin (half a a 10mg pill per day), Diet helps too, not too much dairy and fatty food no smoking and minimum alcohol - I only drink water as I enjoy it.. My total cholesterol is 4 and my good cholesterol very good, I will take anything to try to prevent a stroke. I feel with a heart attack you either recover or die, with a stroke often when you recover you are disabled and helpless - I'd rather die, I think I will leave instructions for a ticket to Switzerland and Dignitas be purchased should that happen ! I'm 78
I, too, am afraid of another stroke. I am fortunate I only became numb on one side and it doesn't interfere with any movement. The heart doctor told me yesterday, I can also stop the Lisinopril. I'm still taking the blood thinner and the drug to slow my heart. I hope that's enough because the side effects I was experiencing didn't allow me any good quality of life. I'm hoping the symptoms will disappear. The muscles are not sore. I'm hoping more symptoms disappear with time.
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