I would like some advice please. I have Afib and was put on medication (Bisoprolol 2.5 and Edoxaban 50mg) 2 Months ago with no follow up until the end of October. I am getting stinging pains on the top of my head and congestion in my sinuses (my nose is clear). It’s very scary and I don’t know if it is side effects of the medication. I can still feel my heart skipping a beat at night, is this normal.
I also take thyroxine for hypothyroidism and Lansoprazole for a hiatus hernia.
I wake up every morning sweating and have nausea.
can anyone relate to this?
I feel you are given medication and left to get on with it with no support.
I have an appointment with my GP but it’s not until next week.
Many thanks 😊
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Cat-222
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My suggestion would be to ask a pharmacist in the first instance with regards contraindications of drugs they can advise you, if they think it is the drugs then GP who should refer you to your cardiologist of nurse specific for drug monitoring etc., good luck x
Yes, pharmacists know so much more about the drugs and appreciate that we all react differently to them,, always ensuring they check up on people having been prescribed new ones as happened with me when the lowest dose of Bisoprolol brought my heart rate down too low!
I can relate to the sinus issues, but not to the same cause. Mine was partly caused by sinusitis a few years ago, which affected my hearing too, but also worsened by a drug I took for my bladder (called doxazosin). The effect in bed can be pretty bad and make sleep difficult with the forced mouth breathing. It can also cause snoring and maybe even sleep apnoea, something that can itself spark off AF and have other effects.
Bisoprolol is a betablocker given to "calm" the heart by slowing its rate a little. It can cause a wide range of issues, although most people seem to cope well with it. If your GP agrees, you might leave it off or halve its dose and see if that makes a difference? You need a GP to agree to this, however - never follow advice from the internet regarding prescription medicines, only your own doctor.
The worst general effect from a beta blocker like bisoprolol is to reduce the heart rate to the point that the low pulse causes symptoms such as tiredness, shortness of breath and similar. This means that, in my case, my GP has said I can take up to 5mg if need be but to stick with 1.25mg daily. My heart rate on 1.25mg a day drops to high 40s at times, though, so I would be reluctant to go to 5mg., although if it stopped an AF episode, I likely would.
I can't see that the edoxaban is causing this, although, again, some people do have side effects from this, too, but far less, I think than from bisoprolol. The edoxaban is an anticoagulant and is given as having AF increases the chances of blood clots in the heart, and those can cause a stroke. It's very important that it is taken regularly for that reason.
I think I would speak to your pharmacist as someone else has suggested if you really can't wait for the appointment, or maybe phone 111?
Thank you for your response. I am still new to this so it’s taking a while to adjust.
I thought I would feel better but the only thing the medication has helped with is I am not getting the dizzy spells and my heart is not beating really fast. My heart now is normally 54.
I do get tired easily and frustrated as it is effecting my work which is physical, I am a Manager of a shop but cannot do the heavy lifting and have to keep stopping for breaks.
I am trying g to avoid stress as I know this makes it worse but this is not always possible.
I get a lot of indigestion and not sure if it’s because of my hiatus hernia and Lansoprazole or Afib.
I just want to know the best supplements, diet and exercise to do. I want to stay as healthy as possible but not sure what to do for the best. Maybe I need to see a nutritionist.
What supplements do you take? I know you are not meant to take omega 3 oil.
I want to take vitamin D but do you know if we can take K2 with it which takes vitamin D straight to your bones and not the arteries.
HI Cat, i'm a bit late to the party, but as I have recently changed from Bisoprolol to Nebivolol, as a result of other Afib sufferers postitive experiences, I thought I would share mine. I felt I was losing my QOL the past 6 months or so on Bisoprolol, after 4 years on it. I could hardly exercise as I got breathless very quickly and was always stopping to get my breath back on a walk of only a few hundred yards. Plus dreadful brain fog and extra tirdeness on top of my baseline ME cfs. The I heard aout Nebivolol, looked it up, found it to be a Class 3 new beta blocker with 2 modes of action instead of the usual one. It dilates the blood vessels by introducing Nitric Oxide (somehow-not a pharmacist!) allowing more blood to flow and more oxygen to be available. I asked my GP if I could try it and he said, Yes they are sisters and fine. I am hardly breathless at all now the brain fog lifted the next day and has not come back in 5 weeks since I started it, and I can walk faster and move just that bit quicker without setting off the Afib or any breathlessness. I am delighted!!!
No supplement has helped me, partly because scientifically I know they are most unlikely to help, indeed - there's no evidence and doctors have looked at magnesium and vitamin D. Also, I am not easily suggestible so placebo effects avoid me like the plague as they know I will reject them, sadly, but that's the way I am built. Taking extra vitamin D is - perhaps - a good thing, but not to excess.
In terms of health, avoiding high blood pressure is a central tenet for us all, it seems. The causes of that are harder to know, but keeping a healthy weight is so important, as is daily walking exercise, but not crazy exercise, and avoiding diabetes and getting good sleep (i.e. avoiding sleep apnoea. I have insomnia so can't do a lot there, but no sleep apnoea to my knowledge).
I don't know anything about thyroid troubles except that it is a very important gland and hormone and that different countries have varying ideas about what levels are "normal". It might be worth asking to see an endocrinologist and to ask what might be right for you given the AF?
Overall, AF can make people feel like a heart attack is around the corner, but it isn't. It just feels that way, and that is anxiety playing games that are beyond most people's control yet still are "only" anxiety - in the mind not the body, if you see what I mean.
You will be fine and the day will come when you will again feel in control, for sure, that is true. For now, though, take care. All will be well, but only in good time.
You sound much like me. It never fully goes away and there are days when anxiety tells us horror story instead of the comforting tale we badly need to hear; then, well, depression hovers in the wings, but the next day comes and the play goes on!
Keep us informed how you go on, but, I feel sure you will come to feel better than you currently do. We could all do without this condition, that's for sure.
You should check this out with whoever prescribed these for you - try ringing them or their secretary. If you are unable to do this then check with your pharmacist. they can advise you as to whether this is to do with the medications you are taking or needs further investigation - indeed our pharmacist can now make appointments at the GP surgery for us now - he did this when I was with him a few weeks ago as he thought I needed to see the GP rather than hang on for a routine appointment. If you can do neither of these call your GP and ask for either a telephone consultation or emergency appointment that day. Also might be worth calling 111. This could always be something not connected to your medication and really should be investigated.
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