Have been in permanent AF for 5 years. Was in hospital here in France for 5 days & released with apixaban (blood thinners) bisoprolol (beta blocker) atenolol for high BP. Also take venlaxafine and my own meds to help, such as iron, B12, q10, magnesium etc to try to improve energy levels as always tired and must rest 2 hours in afternoon. 70 yo. 3 monthly GP checks. Only suggested ristabil by GP.
Ideas to increase energy levels?
That's exactly what we'd all like to know.
Sometimes I think feeling tired is a condition of the mind which we unwittingly allow ourselves to slip into. I had an afternoon of gardening a few weeks ago and felt I had so much more energy for doing that.
I honestly believe that over the winter I've caught lazyitis (my name for condition I have). I'm so used to sitting at my PC I really don't want to do anything other than that. There's so much to see on the internet and I'm afraid I'm hooked. I'm waiting for warm, sunny days to arrive and entice me outside.
If we don't keep active then of course there's the fear that our bodies will lose strength and we'll slip into becoming weak old people . Basically it's our choice isn't it?
Right I'm off to buck my ideas up.
I'll watch answers to this post with interest (tomorrow, cos my PC is going off now).
Jean
That sounds familiar, we live right next to a big park in Italy and I try to force myself to do the recommended 20 mins walk once a day even twice on good days, even though I love the park in Spring with all the blossom and the birds etc. the computer and researching the Family Tree quite often seems much more interesting. It's warming up now and I know by the end of June I'm just going to want to stay inside where it's cool. I do find that I can do a cat nap of 10/15 minutes when I need to go somewhere in the afternoons, but if I don't set my body clock (or whatever you'd call it) I will just suddenly wake to find an hour as passed.
I take bisoprolol, digoxin, olmesartan and warfarin.
Pauline
A lot of good points, Jean. Your posts are always very helpful.
Hiya Peugeot207pwv,
My personal view is that "tiredness" per se, is not so much a reflection of medication (it is a factor though) but of lifesyle choices PLUS the natural state of our body over the years during the aging process.
My serious medication intake started when I was diagnosed with AF in January 2010, aged 65 .... Bisoprolol, Statins and Warfarin, Ramipril and Felodopine. Ramipril has since been dropped and is gone from my list of drugs. Having retired from the workforce I couldn't stand the life of a retiree so I returned to the work force driving buses. I continued driving buses , initially full time and then after a year or so changed to part time until early July 2024 when I retired completely, aged 79. ( Incidently I've been a bus driver in UK and in Sydney for some 32 years, so I've inhaled plenty of carbon monoxide, brake and clutch asbestos and general road crap, also was a heavy smoker from 1961 to 1985 ). I should mention that the only "supplement" I take is Bio Q10. All other medication is bog standard NHS issue.
Over the 14 years since officially retiring I have experience increasing bouts of tiredness and chose my time of day in which to have a napette, an hour or 90 minutes sleep. My way of recharging my batteries. Nowadays, and I'm still an early riser - a habit from eternal shift work - getting up at around 5 am or worse waking up around 1 am then going back to sleep an hour or so later, and getting up at aroun d 7 am it is hardly surprising my body clock is stuffed. In my view this is all critical to my levels of tiredness. Yet as and when I need to I can manage a long road trip on a shared driving basis with my OH without any tiredness. If I had to do the same road trip on my own I could but I would revert to "bus driver" mentality and plan it in a way that I had plenty of breaks from driving. Recently did pointy end of Cornwall to Eastborne and back ( about 750 miles round trip ) of which on the return trip I did probably 6 and half to 7 hours driving of the total trip time).
Of course, another factor with tiredness is ......... it can reflect a persons response to "boredom" ....... I get bored very easily, with ..... TV, with exercise, with food, yes, even with people ... etc.
I have read "jeanjeannie50's" post and feel she is pretty much 'right on the money' -- notice she hasn't mentioned anything about medication (maybe she isn't on any 😀 ) but she has mentioned about being active ......... for me the most important thing is not just being physically active but having a lifestyle balance which involves a high level of mental activity ... use it or loose it !! I certainly endorse Jeans comments about warmer weather - I'm already scheming and plotting garden based adventures for when the warmer weather arrives.
But guess what, - after my light lunch - I'll have and hour or so shuteye. Then up and at 'em again. Mentally, I need that shuteye.
Reading Jeans post again ......... made me reflect ........ on my paternal grandmother, she lived to 102, stopped smoking at 95, not that she 'puffed' much - then there was her Sherry - not a dainty little Sherry glass for her, but tumblers full of the stuff (lunch and evening meal) !! But she was always mentally on the ball, always reading, newspapers, novels, whatever she could lay her hands on. Always up for a discussion, on any subject -except one - I wanted her to talk about her husband (my paternal grandfather) - then the shutters came down 😢 So, I never knew him.
So, don't be upset at your 2 hours rest in afternoons, be grateful that it comes to you.
John
You are taking four ‘relaxing’ medications - bisoprolol, atenolol, venlaxifine and magnesium so not surprising you feel tired, not to mention the permanent AF which affects your circulation. Maybe just accept you can’t do what you used to and you’ll need less of all of them?
Sorry not atenolol (used to take the as, but it’s amlodopine!
Same effect ☺️
Why are you on two beta blockers? No wonder you’re tired! Atenelol and bisoprolol are both beta blockers. ACE inhibitors, CCBs or ARBs are generally first line for blood pressure. I’d ask for a medication review.
If you "must rest 2 hours in afternoon" and it is inconvenient, try setting a timer for 30 or 60 minutes, sleep and then get up again. I think you'll find it is nearly as refreshing. It's something to do with "sleep cycles" and other technical stuff!
I don’t sleep! I get swollen ankles so I have feet up watching TV.. then I don’t want to get up! It used to be one hour, now I need 2
OK - sorry - I misunderstood.
Have you had your thyroid levels checked? I had to sleep afternoons and low levels was what was found to be causing my extreme tiredness. Tablets to solve that meant I no longer needed that afternoon nap.
Jean
Please share if you get any answers on this it seems to be unfortunately a bit normal. Yes I need that afternoon nap and I can really sleep when I do it. I am exhausted. some days I don’t know why I bother getting up because I feel too fatigued to get anything done. I’m pretty sure it’s the meds themselves not 100% sure which of them because I have seven total for the day. Everything they give us has side effects it seems so they can sell us more meds to counteract them.
I also recently reminded myself that even though my head has all these things I want to do I am five years older than when I a fib, etc. two years with a pacemaker and prior to that six months of hell with tachycardia. Unfortunately, I have a this all comes together in a package. How jealous I am when I see older people able to run around and do all kinds of things, but I pace myself because I know what I need to do.
I just had and everything is fine as far as I know I need to see the doctor, but if it were urgent, I would already be there.
you sound like you’re doing all the right stuff. I hope you feel better in my head. I’m still 35. I think that’s part of my problem. My body is reminding me. I am not lol
So many of your comments are same as i feel! My head really wants to do things, my body says no! And I envy those older than me who are both able and sprightly! I have 2 ‘Shifts’ so when exhaustion sets in I tell myself I will finish things on shift 2.
that’s the answer it’s about all we can do if we can’t do what we want to
Same here I envy those older fit people too. I think they believe that we're just lazy. In my head I'm going to paint indoors and get the garden straight. My body just wont let me and I've had a chest infection for about the last 10 days.
Have you tried any other treatment options to mitigate the afib? Often it is a matter of finding the right doctor to treat your condition. Now all doctors think out of the box. Many just follow the standard treatment protocols because that is what they know and that is also safe. Here is a name for you to consider, Dr. Michel Harissaguerre. He is a world renown EP who practices in France at The Bordeaux University Hospital. There is also a group in Paris called Rythmople you may want to reach out to. I have learned over the years while dealing with extensive cardiac issues that accepting at face value everything one doctor says or does may not always be in your best interest. Seeking alternative opinions from other doctor, especially highly regarded doctors may ultimately result in the best outcomes for your long term health. Just some food for thought. Not being familiar with your health insurance situation in France it is impossible for me to say what your options are but I hope you have the flexibility to seek help from whoever you want.
Having a siesta is normal behaviour for swathes of the world's population . I really don't see why anybody should worry about it. I am nearly73. I accept that I can't do as much as I could physically 10 years ago. I still manage to look after a large garden and do all my own housework. I have always enjoyed reading and like to spend a few hours a day on this. If I fall asleep over my book or reading HU - so what?
A useful and interesting discussion. I identify with a lot of the points made here. Sometimes I think it's so unfair that some folk older than me have kept going at the same level while I've had to slow down; other times I think that I'm just being lazy. There's something about this time of the year when there are things I could be doing in the garden. Then I forget that I need to rest and I overdo it and get overtired which makes me feel down. It's difficult to get things into perspective and it's difficult to find someone who understands what you're going through.
Cheers CM
Happy to hear kindred soul… I feel people think I’m just lazy and old! But it’s like my battery runs down and if not recharged I cant do my second shift.. which I can just about do after my rest! My poor husband has to do so much more than he used to 3 years ago! I feel useless!
Hi
At 2 years 3 months on 2 separate times BBs. Metoprolol N0 exertion without sweating uncontrollable and pauses at night as H/Rate fell 47avge at night. 185 H.Rate not controlling
Breathlessness, fatigued H/R. Couldn't exert myself. Lots of sleeping.
Followed by Bisoprolol at 1 year 5mths. 156 H/Rate still not controlled.
Enter action to be referrred to a private H/Specialist who had worked at our base hospital.
Introduction CCB Calcium Channel Blocker. Within 2 hours of taking Diltiazem 120mg CD at 156 H/Rate fell to 51 from above 156.
Over days reduced from dose 1/2 180mg to 120mg CD. At 3 years 3 months Bisoprolol reduced down to 2.5 mg Night.
No Bisoprolol from December. Fatigue vanished afternoon And walking further without stopping for few minutes.
This morning 133/ 79 with 82 H/Rate and no Bisoprolol. At 6am and about to take my Diltiazem at 7am.
The NZ Heart Foundation stated that a CCB pill should be taken am and at least 12 hours apart BBs night.
Reducing or stopping BBs will enhance your energy.
Check B12 for level at 700-800 gor us oldies.
I take no other supplements. B12 I have been on B12 Gold Top SOLGAR 1000ug. I take sublingual nugget x 5 days each week. Since 2010 when I was diagnosed by Dr.
Also het a print out of your thyroid health, TSH, T3 and T4.
And Thyroglobin Antibodies,
cheri JOY. 76. (NZ)
Energy Bank
Breathlessness and no Energy
fatigue
INR levels 1.5
CRP Levels
