Ramipril.....lung and heart

[Festie]

Hello to all

I have severe COPD and AFIB . Was in hospital in January with double Pnuemonia. Was treated with IV antibiotics and steroids. After a couple of weeks I felt better and then kept dipping and feeling worse. All the tests I had in hospital and recently have not once picked up any infection in my sputum. It's mid March now and I'm still feeling grim and am wondering how much of the fluid on and around my lungs is being caused by the AFIB. I have recently had a heart scan and 24 hour monitor and am waiting for results. I take bisoprolol 10mg and Digoxin 25mg for AFIB. I was on Ramipril 2 X 2.5mg doses a day but since been in hospital I have found they just put me in to AF. I know they are a blood pressure lowering medicine but my BP is normal with a tendancy to go low. Is there anyone else out there going through a similar thing? I'm finding lots of appointments been cancelled by the hospital or changed to telephone consultations and don't feel adequately monitored. Thanks in advance for any help or advice

[Hidden]

Hi Festie. I have a similar sounding set of circumstances to you. I have bronchiectasis, dilated cardiomyopathy and am in permanent afib. I take 185 mg digoxin, 5 mg bisoprolol and at present 4mg candesartan. I was given ramipril when first diagnosed but it stripped the skin from the inside of my mouth and lips so I was changed to candesartan. Ramipril and candesartan are drugs to help relax the blood vessels so that the blood goes around your body more efficiently.Thereby reducing the retention of fluid which can show in swollen ankles,stomach or in the lungs. It doesn’t necessarily reduce blood pressure. Bisoprolol reduces blood pressure and slows the heartbeat. As I am a low blood pressure person this can be a challenge!

. As you stopped the ramipril you could be suffering the consequences of the blood not moving efficiently through your blood vessels. Do you have tablets such as furosomide to take to draw the fluid off?

I hope that you will see your cardiac team soon because you will need a drug of the same type as ramipril to replace it.

[Festie in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply littlepom. Whenever I take the Ramipril I feel quite unwell. I do take Furosemide 40mg and spironolactone 25mg for fluid retention. Found myself missing them now and again as I had to work and the boss warned me for going to the toilet too much. I tried jiggling the times I took them and some days didn't take then at all. I now realise the importance of keeping the fluid away, just hope the dueretics on there own will do the job.

[Hidden in reply to Festie]

What an awful boss. They are not adhering to their stutory duty to facilitate your medical needs. I agree about timing the furosomide. I hardly ever have to take it when I am on candesartan. Before xmas I had a major bleed due, I am convinced to being given a new drug replacement for candesartan ( no data so consultant and I agree to differ about it). As a result I came off the new drug and was without that class of drug for 4 weeks until my consultant put me back on candesartan. During that time my feet swelled like footballs, as did my stomach. I was very breathless and had more mucus than usual. Taking furosomide didn’t make much difference to it to be honest. Within a couple of days of going back on candesartan it all sorted itself. So I think that you do need that class of drug asap. Can your GP help to experdite matters. It is horrible when you feel so awful. I hated ramipril. Some people get on with it fine but we are all different. There are lots of other drugs in that category that they can try for you. I hope that you get it sorted soon.

[Festie in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for your experiences littlepom. I didn't realise how important the Ramipril were in regard to keeping the fluid levels down. I will persevere with them and have been in touch with my heart failure nurses . Fingers crossed they will ring me back soon. Take care and stay safe

[Hidden in reply to Festie]

Good luck. I hope that they can find something instead of the ramopril if it makes you feel ill.x

[Kristicats]

I was in Ramipril after a MI for a few years but my BP has always been on the low side.Ramipril lowered it even more .Since Ramipril was discontinued a year ago my BP has remained stable . Your Gp may allow you to ween off it if you keep a close and regular eye on your BP?