upset stomach

[Jackiesmith7777]

Hi , husband has been k. Digoxin for two weeks now , the last three days he s been having to empty his bowels a lot more often . Sorry if your eating lol . He seems ok in himself , he s eating ok and no temp . I’m worried the tablets he s on won’t be in his system long enough , He s already been 5.30. Am 6.30 am . He s also on bisoprolol and edixoban also one for stomach ulcers and cholesterol . The doctor seemed to think this is ok yesterday as long as he isn’t feeling unwell . Has anyone else experienced this with any of the tablets , he s been going on average about 4 or 5 times a day like this so far . Thanks for any advice .

[BenHall1]

Hi,

Sorry to read of your hubbys problems. I can only relate to you an experience I had in the early days of my AF, 2010/2011. I identified the onset of an AF event with food I'd eaten and the following symptoms - diahorrea, intense pain in lower ribs, left side, burping and intestinal gurgling. The pain was the worst as it would trip me into AF. The diahorrea was debilitating and occurred mostly early morning. My GP had blood tests done testing for IBS and Coealiac Disease. These came back all clear.

GP offered more tests but I declined instead, I consulted a Nutritionist who put me on a course of Probiotics and started me going Gluten Free, Wheat Free and Oats Free. She also encouraged me to examine other foods I eat regularly, including vegetables and and remove them. I followed her advice over many years and eventually won through, not only eliminating AF but removing gut issues too. Certainly, one thing emerged - that if I followed the health mantra of eating 5 or 7 fruit and veggies a day I'd be in permanent occupancy of the bathroom. don't forget the link between diet and the Vagal Nerve - will leave you to read up.

So today where am I .... no bowel issues, I eat less, can't remember my last AF event - at least 18 months maybe as long as 4 years and just beginning to return to some foods I'd given up in 2011 and the years that followed. Personally, I wouldn't play the blame game too seriously in the context of blaming medication. Back in the day my medication mix was ..... Warfarin, Bisoprolol, Ramipril and Simvastatin. I'd be more inclined to examine more closely your household diet and how it might or might not affect your hubby. If you consider the Nutritionist route try the BANT website for a practioner near you (if you are in Britain). Do remember GP's are generalists only not Nutritionists/ Dieticians. Hope this helps, just sayin' my experience.

John

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to BenHall1]

You might be right as his ablutions have never been solid ‘sorry again if your eating breakfast ‘ and he s never looked into the problem , so maybe tabs might have aggravated it more . It’s hard to know what to eliminate at the moment he didn’t have any fruit yesterday and I’ve bought lactose intolerant milk for starters . I gave him egg on toast instead of porridge as I thought it might be more binding, we have whole meal seeded bread so maybe I should change the bread . Thank you for advice

[BenHall1 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

If you choose to follow the food/diet thing you'll find it is all things to all people ....bit like AF itself really. A couple of personal observations .... my gut gets serioudly upset with diahorrea if I eat scrambled egg, in any format, yet fried and/or poached and/or boiled egg is quite ok but I only have an egg once a week if that. Again, I gave up all these seeded breads and wholemeal bread ages ago .... no good for guts. Bog Standard white slice is fine. Weird.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to BenHall1]

Thank you . Funny you should say that because he had scrambled egg for the first time in ages at the weekend . Yes I’m going to try plain white bread today to see if that helps .

[JOY2THEWORLD49 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

Hi

I like sour dough bread.

Otherwise Pitta wholemeal.

It was the butter in scrambled eggs after operation which made me ill. No toleration for high fat.

cheers JOY. 74. (NZ)

[Murdy1 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

Changing to plain white bread helped me, good luck in finding an answer for hubby 😊

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to BenHall1]

Same here, I find standard white bread suits me better than any type of brown.

[Buffafly in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

W hole meal seeded bread is an absolute no-no for anyone with IBS-D or diverticular disease so I certainly would change the bread. A healthy alternative would be to buy a bread machine and make your own (white) olive oil bread. It is better to get fibre intake from soluble fibre from fruit and veg in moderation. As you get older ‘healthy diets’ can become indigestible unfortunately.

[Qualipop in reply to Buffafly]

I was diagnosed with IBS and diverticulitis many years ago and was told to go on a low fibre diet against all the advice at the time. It worked. Now 40 years on I have just started having one slice of seeded bread a day purely because I like it. So far so good but I am watching the effects very carefully.

[JOY2THEWORLD49 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

Hi

Binding foods are white rice, white bread. Cheers JOY

[pusillanimous in reply to BenHall1]

The only fruit I can tolerate to any extent are bananas and some varieties of apples. I love avocados but they hate me, My explanation for this and it's purely supposition, is that I was born in the middle of WW2 in England when food was rationed until 1954, and the only fruit available to me in any quantity were apples from Grandma's orchard , and they were so sour that a few bites were enough. Bananas were about the first imported fruit available. I found when I came to South Africa when I got married and all sorts of fruit was commonplace and everyone had an avocado tree in their garden, that if I ate a few new fruits the transit time would be minimal. Now in my old age, they go straight through me, so I have to, much to my regret, avoid them. I believe it is the fructose, my daughter in law who is a dietician, agrees that in my case that is most likely.

[JOY2THEWORLD49 in reply to pusillanimous]

Hi

And avocados have a lot of good fat.

Could be the fat content.

After my gall bladder was removed I couldn't eat avocados for a few months.

I can now 13 years later. Chicken skin too fatty and melted cheese not good because of the fat level.

cheers JOY. 74. (NZ)

[BenHall1 in reply to pusillanimous]

Hi pusillanimous,

Yeah I've had a pretty similar experience to you overall. Bananas yep, Avacado but as part of a salad. Lettuce - no! Rocket yes ! (No, I'm not rocket man 😂😂 ). In a similar manner to you, when I arrived by ship in Sydney as a young 22 year old my Uncle met me and we went off to see his friends in north western Sydney. I couldn't get over these friends large garden having Orange and Lemon trees populating various areas of their garden. Not as an orchard , just as medium size trees scattered here and there.

Yep, I remember food rationing after WW2. When my kidz were little and if they got fussy with food ( which they often did) I used to say be grateful, when I was your age, our food was rationed. They never understood, and now all in their 40's they still don't. 😂😂😂. I never ever like Apples ....... just adore Grapefruit ..... not good in the context of taking Warfarin too. But to hell with it, I just eat the stuff. Yummy, yummy.

John

[Threecats]

Hi, I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s problem. Has he had a blood test to check his Digoxin level yet? When I was on it for a short time my level was checked after 10 days to make sure I wasn’t having too much. I think that would be worth doing if it hasn’t been already, as Digoxin can interact with quite a few drugs, some of which can increase its effects. One of the side-effects of to much Digoxin is stomach upset. That’s probably not the cause here but worth checking, I think.

I hope he’s able to get to the bottom of the problem soon, if you’ll excuse the pun!

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Threecats]

Thanks as it a right pain in the … 😁

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to Threecats]

I phoned the heart function clinic this time after you said about blood tests as not satisfied with docs advice yesterday and luckily a doctor answered and has booked us an appointment today for a blood test , as you said after ten days we should have been booked in for one , for kidneys and digoxin levels . So thanks I’m glad I phoned now . So glad I found this site .

[Threecats in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

I’m glad to hear that. I must say I was concerned at the GP’s response given the circumstances. I hope all goes well for your husband.

[oscarfox49]

What's he taking for his cholesterol? Statins are well known for this horrible effect on the digestive system and it could be that changing the ones he is taking will improve the situation. I take Simvastatine which is not too bad for me, but Atorvastatin was very bad indeed for me when I took it.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to oscarfox49]

Yes he s on atorvaststin

[oscarfox49 in reply to Jackiesmith7777]

That's the one that caused me problems. My doctor himself was taking them and had to change too to Simvastatin. Perhaps it is worth your husband talking to his doctor and seeing if there is any reason why he can't change.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to oscarfox49]

Yes I will thanks

[Goldfish7]

I can take digoxin without problems for around 3 - 4 weeks then it starts upsetting my stomach. I soldier on for another week or so and generally it turns into rampant diarrohea and I stop taking them. I will generally stop taking them for a couple of weeks then start again. It appears to be a fairly common side effect if you look online.Im guessing its pretty important not to live with diarrhoea as it will leave your electrolytes depleted, your nutrition damaged and your social life and exercise demolished. See if there is anything else you can take. Best of luck!

[Cavalierrubie]

If your husband has started on a new drug and this problem has occurred since then it has to ring alarm bells that the drugs are upsetting his stomach. I am very surprised at your doctor’s response. Surely that is first port of call to look at what he is prescribing. Diarrhoea is a common side effect of lots of drugs. Make sure he is well hydrated with the diarrhoea, that’s very important with his health issues.

[cassie46]

I was on digoxin when I was first diagnosed with AF some 9 years ago. I was on it for 6 months, I did not have stomach problems with it but memory problems so I stopped taking it. I was given a channel blocker Diltazem this was changed in hospital by a cardiologist in place of it. My other heart drugs were Bisoprolol, Ramipril and Rivaroxaban). so maybe a change of drugs. I agree with others on the food aspect being discussed above, before having AF my now varied medical problems at 67 I was on no medcation for anything and had not stomach or digestion issued at all. Over the past nine years there are so many things I cannot eat now, I think it is to do with medications and perhaps old age thrown in as well!! It seems like an onging battle.

[JOY2THEWORLD49]

HI

yes, too much.

I had a meal out on Tuesday at a Village Retirement Trust place.

As the following day from 5am 11am and 5pm were loose I had to think what

caused this change.

1. I suspected too much fat in gravy or in beef pie filling

2. Some truffle perhaps to improve the pie filling or the gravy

3. Or too much butter in the mashed potatoes.

It was over in 24 hours - or the next day.

I will ask the chef what oil they used, did they add truffle or was the mashed potato full of a fat or butter.

I guess it not always the meds unless they are stopped to see if it is.

Make a note of food x meals time and when he goes.

I am not on Digoxin. I am on Diltiazem 120mg AM and Bisoprolol 2.5mg PM.

Check out what he is eating. For AFers they say small more frequent meals, plenty of fluids mainly water.

Take care, Joy. 74. (NZ)

[jd2004]

This is what happened to me when I was given digoxin last year. Felt really bad. At first dosage was reduced then stopped. Long story but I'm back on digoxin 1.25 after being given a loading dose over two days. I seem to be tolerating it just now but I don't take it at the same time as other meds - bisoprolol and apixaban. I take these when I wake up about six and then take digoxin coup!e of hours later. Don't know if that's useful but I figured taking all meds at same time might be too much for the system.

[Jackiesmith7777 in reply to jd2004]

Ah thank you , yes he takes them all at the same time in the morning ,apart from the atorvastatin and 3.75 bisoprolol in the evening

[DawnTX]

I have gone from one end of the spectrum to the other also bladder issues at times I’m sure if you check side effects that is one of the possible’s unfortunately it’s some thing we have to live with for the most part unless it gets to making him sickly. Tell him good luck. I have to say that particular drug gave me no problems except for the fact it only worked about two weeks and they had to increase it but that’s because of me my body has rejected just about everything they tried.