I am sorry if I am repeating myself but all though I am 80 years old, up until this winter I was fully independent, I drive a car, and I could work a small allotment. I am now becoming breathless without exertion and I tend to nap anytime that I sit down. I have seen a Cardiologist this month and am having an Echocardiogram and possibly a Holter. My bloods are normal, I have no symptoms of heart failure and my heart is considered to be okay considering my history. I have now commenced Furosemide 40 mg daily. I have only had a couple but feel so fatigued! Am I just paranoid about old age or can a couple of Furosemide add to my general unwellness. I know that we have no medical training but we do have joint experiences. Thanks. Phyl.
Tired all of the time now.,, - Atrial Fibrillati...
Tired all of the time now.,,
Hi Phyl
That's how I felt for quite a while, totally drained and needing to sleep afternoons. Then a blood test showed that my thyroid was underactive. Drugs for that have cured my tiredness.
Have you had your thyroid tested? It's not always checked under a routine blood test.
Jean
I am having the Thyroid test on the 18th. Plus vitamin D .
Let us know your results please.
Will do! x
You might get ferretin tested too. My thyroid dose was reduced a tear ago due to afib, and since then I've had fatigue in my limbs, and breathlessness, air hunger, even sitting still. I assumed these are from the lower thyroid dose, but discovered I have low ferretin and that's connected to the air hunger and fatigue.
Hi PhyK,
I can't identify with all your comments but tiredness I can. I have osteoarthritis in both shoulders - the right has been dealt with by steroid injection 2 years ago and is trouble free - still!
The left shoulder is now the demon - but no steroid injection. This shoulder has been made worse by my tripping up over our cat ( in mid Nov 2023 ) and giving my left tendon a tear from the rotator cuff. Been on pain killers ever since ( CoCodomol 30/500 ), around 6 to 8 tablets a day.
I don't blame my tiredness on CoCodomol but on the impact of prolonged pain .... just suffering from pain I mean without treatment. I see an MSK Interface specialist on Wednesday and hopefully this guy will wave a magic wand. I don't feel tired when I'm active - not at all - but when I stop and put my feet up it takes a couple of shakes of a lambs tail and I'm away !! 😱😱 By the way, I'm 80 in September.
I hope after you've had the Echo and other checks more will be revealed and that you might consider coming back to the forum and tell us of the findings - am sure many will find it interesting. I've just had full range blood tests and everything is in the green marker, including thyroid. The NHS App is amazing for viewing test results.
Have you ever had a full review of your medication(s) ? Wishing you well in future.
John
Seen by the Cardiologist this month and medication discussed. Thank you for taking the time to reply. It’s good not to be the only one experiencing unwellness. Take care.
CoCodomol does cause sleepiness and drowsiness it is one the side effect of using it.
.... yes, I know, I read the paper in the packets, BUT, the problem is I take 4 other drugs - 3 of which list the same side effects as sleepiness/drowsiness ........... toss a coin ! Hopefully on Wednesday when I see a MSK Interface consultant he'll rid me of my pain and I won't need to take CoCod.
Actually John I think it is normal for old (and not so old!) people to fall asleep when they sit down and relax. Especially if you have been physically active for awhile. I do not feel tired when gardening or doing housework but I stop because my back starts to ache - badly. After lunch I take my book and read in bed or out on the sun lounger in the garden and usually within 30 mins -sometimes quicker- I nod off. This is normal - in France and other Mediterranean countries they call it a siesta and nobody would have thought there was anything wrong with them for indulging in it 50 years ago. It is in Anglo Saxon countries where Protestant work ethic still rules the roost albeit in a more secular form that it is looked at askance . Though now the health benefits of an afternoon nap are being acknowledged and I have read that some companies had installed "sleep pods" for employees to nap in!
When I first started having serious back problems my physio told me to lie flat for 20 minutes every afternoon to allow the discs to plump up a bit. Of course I used to fall asleep and it became a habit and now the only way I can stay awake all afternoon is to do something active or go out to a social meeting. I have just read the BHF advice on tiredness and they say if sleep is a problem you shouldn’t nap during the day but if my hip or back pain interferes with my sleep it makes sense to have a shorter night sleep and nap in the day.
I have had a siesta most afternoons since my late 30s - when my bad back started and sitting on sofas and armchairs for any length of time became torture. I don't buy this don't nap in the day stuff. Generations of people who live in hot countries have lived perfectly well doing that. There is too much rigidity in health advice these days. Same with diet. I tend to ignore most of it! Wnen you are retired you can arrange your day to suit you not anybody else.
Auriculaire,
Looking at your comments, and those of Buffafly and Qualipop, its quite likely a "pain assault" on my body - left shoulder - is the issue, osteoarthritis BUT THEN I tripped over the cat in the early hours mid November 2023 and the dynamics have changed. I see an MSK Interface consultant in 2 days for discussions on what to do with the shoulder. I have to say though when I'm not working I do have a nap in the afternoon, not any more successful than night time sleeping as I'm a side sleeper - also a very restless sleeper .... yep ! I know, another part of the tiredness problem. At least if I can become pain free and off any type of pain killer it would be a massive plus.
I have also decided to retire, for a second time, and so long as I calm the shoulder there is plenty of work to be done in the garden. Interestingly, I can get to sleep in a couple of shakes of a lambs tail .... its staying asleep is the issue! Mrs BenHall1 however can't get to sleep easily - but when she does she sleeps for the whole of Europe !
John
Like my husband! He naps in the afternoon but is much better than me at sleeping at night. There will be no problems tonight though as my daughter and her 18 month old boy have just arrived and running after him will exhaust us in no time!
Hi Auriculaire,
I hope you survived the onslaught of your daughter and her 18 month old young man .... in your part of the world I guess perhaps .... Mistral .... sort of ??? 😂😂 comes to mind/may be appropriate.
Now for an update on all my mechinations with tiredness, anticoagulants and shoulder pain.
1) Stopping Edoxaban and restarting Warfarin - best thing I've done. No more nightmares/horrormares/ any damn scarey stuff, along with a return to unbroken sleep - took a few days to get stable but now I'm locked into an INR of 2.7 - all made easier by the fact that I self test. My GP has agreed to this and will now continue to sign off repeat prescriptions for Warfarin and Test Strips.
2) Pain - saw a MSK Consultant last Wednesday he satisfied himself about the pain level in my shoulder and gave me an injection - from which I am now getting over - and tiredness has stopped. Still on pain killers but on a much reduced level ... and this will continue till I'm off them. Sleeping better too. My preferred pain killer is CoCodomol 30/500.
3) Spoke to our Surgery Pharmacist ... following on my requesting a change to my drug prescriptions - so now I have 'official' surgery approval for a return to Warfarin, to stay on 3.75mg of Nebivolol ( instead of 5mg Bisoprolol ), and a return to Simvastatin 40mg from Atorvastatin 40mg.
Early days I know, but I am starting to feel a bit more like the old dynamic me .......... not quite at the age of 35, or even 45 but certainly as I was at 60 ish. Hope this progress continues. Beyond doubt - brain fog has gone - amazing how life is without brain fog !😂😂 I feel I can see clearly now.
John
Result! Daughter and grandson are leaving for the airport in 30mins !!! Knackered and not helped by the Beast striking early hours Fri morning. 5mg Nebivolol seemed to do nothing to bring down heart rate as when I checked Kardia on getting up for breakfast it was banging away at 150bpm. Luckily some scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast banished it. 18 month olds who are just starting to say their first words can sure make a lot of noise!
I am a side sleeper and always said I couldn’t possibly go to sleep on my back at night, but during a very bad episode of hip and leg pain I could only get comfortable on my back with a pillow under my knees and then to prevent reflux I needed a wedge pillow as well and found that with practice I could sleep like that. So when I moved I bought an adjustable bed - very soft with a gel layer - and when my joints are hurting I raise the head and foot section and the effect is magical.
I've lived with chronic nerve pain in my spine for 30 years now. I'm on the highest dose possible of opiates and yes it really does knock you out. I turned 76 today but often feel like 90. The things I can do seem to be reducing day by day. Falling asleep after my main meal is now the norm. All I can say is fight it and g et absolutely everything checked. Thyroi s results can be at teh bottom end of normal but still causing problems. Ask for FULL thyroid tests not just T3 and T4.
I am also on this drug due to fluid overload, which itself makes me tired and breathless but the drug helps and does not cause me any tiredness at all. I would go back to your doctor for reassessment, good luck x
I am 46 and tired most of the time too since my HA just over a year ago, it's a bit of both physical and mental tiredness. I think I have just resigned myself to getting used to it. When you get bloods, I assume you'll get thyroid, vit B, full iron studies, those can all be culprits. Respiratory / lung issues, poor sleep or sleep apnoea are others. My mum was falling asleep in the day and then had a sleep study which showed sleep apnea. Hopefully you can chat to GP and rule things out, sometimes there's just no clear reason.I hope you find an answer for your tiredness, but in the meantime listen to your body and take it easy 🌸
I recall when I was younger my grandmother struggling with this drug. These diuretic can affect the electrolyte balance, if I recall, and in her case that really affected her badly until they changed it for another. I would definitely ask your doctor about this and try to get to the bottom of it all.
I presume the furosemide is for fluid retention. If this isn't caused by your heart, has your doctor explained what is is needed for?
Steve
Hi Phyl, the BHF have an excellent section on chronic fatigue which you might find helpful. However it’s good you are having tests because suddenly losing your energy when nothing else has changed can be a sign of something serious going on so it’s important to rule things out rather than putting it down to a sudden onset of old age. I am constantly tired but I know the reason and it’s not just because of age. I hope the doctors come up with an explanation/solution. I suggest you make a note of any symptoms or changes however minor which might then point to a diagnosis. Best wishes x
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