Fluttering

[Qualipop]

Since a mild HA last August and 2 stents I've had non stop problems, mostly from tablet side effects. Now my heart has started fluttering. MY BP monitor picks it up. Yesterday it lasted 30 minutes. I can go 2 or 3 days with nothing then it suddenly starts; anything from 5 minutes to an hour.GP doesn't seem unduly concerned and has booked a holter monitor which could be 4 weeks wait. I've asked for a blood test to see if candesartan has raised potassium levels; that's Wednesday. Husband insists I'm making it up just because it's a Bank HOliday even when it's clearly there on the monitor. Chances of the holter monitor catching an episode are 50/50 because it's so intermittent. Urgent care was useless with a 3 hour wait before doing an ECG- of course it has stopped then. Don't dare even phone ambulance as it could only last 5 minutes and would have stopped before they got here.

Not coping at all; scared to death . I had no noticeable problems at all before the heart attack. How d I get a diagnosis if they can't catch an episode?

[Qualipop]

Thanks. I'm sick of them second guessing at anxiety or musculo skeletal. I don't get anxiety when I'm having my breakfast for goodness sake. If it shows as an erratic heartbeat on my BP monitor that should be proof enough. I've suffered from health anxiety and panic attacks for enough years to know the difference This hurts as if I've been kicked in my upper chest.. Angina tablets don't take it away. The valsalver manoeuvre knocks the rhythm back to normal sometimes but I don't like to do it without advice. Today it started at 11.15 and went on till 1pm. I still have discomfort in my chest. As far as I can tell it could be A fib, Atrial flutter, vagus nerve of excess potassium from my BP tablets. I Just need to know so it can be treated, not wait around for a month on the off chance a monitor just might pick it up. I should have had a blood test after starting the new BP tab and they didn't do one. I don't have much faith in them. They insisted the breathlessness before my HA was just muscular. Wrong! My husband even believes the HA was all in my imagination. IT does NOT help.

[Rbrealey in reply to Qualipop]

Hi Qualipop. I was switched to Candesartan by a different doctor as I was getting chest pains (turned out to be anxiety of course) and when I went to get my prescription the Pharmicist said I would need to do a questionnaire as NICE were monitoring side effects for heart patients and were collecting data. When I saw my own doctor the following month he took me off them and asked me to try Ramipril again as he believes it’s a better drug for heart patients. I did that and all was ok. It may not be connected to your situation but I thought it worth mentioning.

Keep pushing for the blood test, I hope all is ok for you.

Rachael x

[Qualipop in reply to Rbrealey]

Thanks, tat's worth bearing in mind. I wonder if more side effects have cropped up than they expected. I was on Ramipril but couldn't tolerate it at all. Blood test today