Fed up with meds

[Twobells]

Bee absent from the site for a while.

I am on the point of stopping my meds. So many side affects I don't know which one cause what problem. I have discussed it at length with cardiologist, but he says I would be foolish not to take them and I am apparently on the best combination. I take Ranolazine, amoldopine nicorandil clopideral . I do have other medications for one thing or another.

I have painful joints swollen legs and feet, weight gain, headaches nausea and extreme chronic fatigue.

The nausea is awful so I was given anti sickness tablets. They cause sleepiness and they rarely work. Any one else have these side affects.

[skid112 Heart Star]

Hello Twobells,

Firstly am glad you have discussed it with your doctor. I am not convinced that you are on the best combination and you don't sound overly convinced. I have first hand experience of amlodipine, swelling in hands, feet and legs, was impossible to function. I complained and was put on candestarten, though amlodipine is also used to treat angina, the side effects outweighed the benefits for me.

Your statin is most likely the cause of your aches in your joints, this is one occasion when i would suggest google to check, there are many many others available, or look to your diet to avoid them altogether.

I have little knowledge of the others, save for online searching, it would seem the Ranolazine is also for angina and the side effects include the nausea and dizziness you are experiencing.

Can you not ask for a second opinion, quality of life is very important and I would hope there are other alternatives for you

take care

[Twobells in reply to skid112]

Thank you. I have been diagnosed with micro vascular disease which has left me with angina. I manage fairly well, but struggle when doing anything strenuous. I was due to see cardiologist on 1st December, but that has been put back to Feb next year. He is a really good guy, it's my GP who seems to be a bit less knowledgeable about meds. I am sure at some point he gave her a list of alternatives if I don't get on with them. However, Covid has caused no end of issues trying to remedy my current health. I really feel like I am just living above the parapet. I have copies of all my cardiologist advice so I will look through them today and see what he offered. I am fed up feeling washed out and lethargic. Like you say I should feel better not left with side affects that makes you feel worse. I will keep you updated once I have seen GP. It's good to have support from you. Don't feel so isolated when you share knowledge of someone who has been and is going through it.

[MountainGoat52]

I agree with skid112. That combination of drugs may be the best clinically in the mind of your Cardiologist, but it does not necessarily mean that it is the best for you. The swollen legs and feet and possibly some of the other issues will undoubtedly be the Amlodipine. I was similarly affected and had my medition changed to Losartan. The difference was amazing .

There will be different drugs available that do the same job as those prescribed which should produce fewer and less intense side effects. I think you need to refer the problems you are having back to your Cardiologist and GP. Medication is meant to make you better and reduce risk, not create additional problems. I hope that you manage to get these issues solved. All the best.

[Twobells in reply to MountainGoat52]

Again thank you for your support. I think it is amolpine as I stopped taking it on my own advice about stupid I know, but my legs and feet where like balloons and I could barely walk because of the pain. They are now almost at back to normal. And thankfully the pain has subsided. I will look up Lostartan. It's good advice as sometimes I just trudge along, but now I know that you have had these awful side affects it's given me the confidence to question the cocktail of meds.

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Twobells]

In my honest opinion we should all be proactive with respect to our health and the medication prescribed to maintain it. Only ourselves can know fully how we feel. I am absolutely stunned that some people that I know have never questioned the medication that they have been prescribed, yet have suffered horrendous side effects, sometimes for years.

I was fortunate not to require any medication until 10 years ago. It started with medicine for raised BP and I was prescribed Ramipril which gave me a dreadful cough. As a professional person meeting people daily it was a real nuisance. I advised my GP and he changed my medication to Amlodipine and I had the same reaction as you. Then he put me on Losartan which suited me.

There are other drugs in the same class as Amlodipine and one of those may suit you rather than changing to an ARB such as Losartan. You need to discuss this with your Cardiologist or GP.

[Twobells in reply to MountainGoat52]

I have had several changes in my meds since my MI and bypass x3. I can't tolerate statins, been on Verapamil and rampril. I have had long discussions, but I will now ask about side affects. I think that all of them have side affects, but it just some suffer more than others. I appreciate your feedback.

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Twobells]

You sound very much like me. Statins are a case in point - I can't tolerate Atorvastatin, Simvastatin or Pravastatin. I was eventually asked to try 10mg of Rosuvastatin on alternate days by the Clinical Pathologist at the local hospital and I found I could cope with that. For such a small dose I was amazed how much effect it had on my cholesterol in just three months, even with a relatively low start of 4.4 (total). My LDL bad cholesterol in particular dropped down significantly.

[Twobells in reply to MountainGoat52]

Oh that's good I will ask about it as my last result was 5.8. Before my MI my chlorestral was always around 4. If anything my BP was always onlow side. Although I have taken Ezetimbe 10mg daily however it does cause a lot of ga, but it does work at lowering my chlorestral.

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Twobells]

When the three statins were found to be a problem for me, my GP put me on Ezetemibe. The Clinical Pathologist got me to have some blood tests to ascertain the effectiveness of this drug and the conclusion was that, for me, it had made no difference to my cholesterol. I obviously cannot process the drug. You can see why I was so pleased about the Rosuvastatin results.... which reminds me, I am overdue a blood test. 😀

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hi Twobells

Microvascular angina can be challenging to live with and it is sometimes trial an error to find the best medication to treat your symptoms best.

I live with both microvascular and coronary vasospastic angina. I have had lots of medication changes over the years. I tend to do the changes one at a time very slowly.

I get very tired too and it is a common symptom of people living with microvascular and vasospastic angina.

Is it possible to write to your Cardiologist or contact their medical secretary and ask for a review of your medication?

Explain how your quality of life is being effected.

There are lots of medication options however it depends on the cause of your microvascular angina.

The treatment for microvascular angina caused by microvascular dysfunction is different to microvascular angina caused by vasospasms.

Ranolazine is a ' marmite' drug some people love it others really have alot of side effects. ( I hated it just like marmite)

Statins are useful to help the inner lining of the small vessels work better.

There are alternatives to Amlodipine such as Diltiaziem and Verapamil.

Beta blockers help people with microvascular dysfunction however make vasospastic angina worse.

I hope you find a way to manage your condition better soon.