Takotsubo cardiomyopathy discharged yesterday after heart attack I need help Re medication please

[Timetraveler67]

I’m new here please can someone help me? 5 days ago I had chest pains and was admitted to hospital as a heart attack as my blood test showed high enzyme levels In hospital my blood pressure was very low they had me on several blood thinning tablets also aspirin. The day I was discharged they took me off all the meds and put me on Ramipril I started to get palpitations so they did a eeg and they said it’s nothing to worry about and then I went home and the palpitations continued all through the night. The next morning (yesterday) I took Another Ramipril and within an hour my hear was jumping just like the day before but also my ankles and legs looked swollen up I began to feel anxious as now I realise it must be the ramipril 2.5 mg doing this to me and so I rang my gp surgery to ask if the Dr could switch me to another medication with less side effects. To cut a long story short my Dr refused and told me to go up A&E. after all I’ve been through in hospital and now the side effects from this pill I just felt I couldn’t put myself through 2-4 hour wait at A&E so I decided to wait and give the pill time to wear off so today I didn’t take it and everything has settled down so my plan is to go up A&E tomorrow to ask a Dr if they can give me something else. My questions are please can you tell me do I need the ramipril to heal my heart? The dye test didn’t show any blockage at all in my arteries so could my heart heal on it’s own? They are saying they suspect tackitsubo not that I definitely have it. My blood pressure has always been on the low side but dropped considerably when on blood thinners ( 7 a day I think it was) when I go hospital tomorrow can they force me to be admitted because honestly I’m drained from it all and now the worry over this tablet is causing me great stress. I am hypothyroidism with hashi plus I have m.e. Cfs fibro and osteoarthritis please can you please advise me what my next move should be I appreciate you thank you x

[Hidden]

Hello & Welcome

Ramipril is to help keep your blood pressure at a normal reading as we do not want it high or to low as this can affect the heart if we allow this to happen

I can relate to you how you feel about the Hospital about how you do not want to go in and so on I am just the same but I soon realised when it came to my heart even though it felt like tortue I had to keep going there and be seen and sometimes had to stay

No one can make you stay if you do not wish to but always think that Hospitals usually are short of beds and never normally will give you one and keep you in if they think that is not where you need to be they want you out that bed as quick as they can to free it up

Please put your health first I do know how you feel but you need to get this sorted and I hope you will and come back and let us know how you get on x

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for replying can I ask if takosuba is common only I’ve searched on here for Information and maybe other posts and can’t find anything. Thank you x

[Hidden in reply to Timetraveler67]

Hello

I have to say I have not come across it before but that does not mean it is not something people don't get often just sometimes certain conditions may not get posted about or not mentioned as much

Hopefully someone that does have it may see you post and be able to answer you on this one and also this is a question when you go back up to be checked and have your medication looked at you can ask and if you do ask would be lovely if you let us know what they say to help educate us all on these different heart conditions x

[Ramilia in reply to Timetraveler67]

Timetraveler67,

Here's a link to other posts on here about Takotsubo:

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

[MrsSuzuki]

When I had my heart attack at Christmas I was in hospital with another lady who thought she'd had one.

She had an angiogram and there was nothing wrong with her heart and not an attack but she was diagnosed with the same as you, takosubo, otherwise known as broken heart syndrome, which presents as a heart attack. It is usually brought on by a very stressful event, she had a massive argument which caused a lot of stress.

Did you tell your doctor about being diagnosed with takosubo, he maybe hasn't got your notes yet.

I still would recommend you go to A&E, even if you have to wait and insist on seeing an advanced cardiac nurse who will be able to help you. That's what I did when they wanted to send me home after they couldn't find anything why I was having chest pains, turned out to be just a gastro problem, but the cardiac nurse turned up to give me some reassurance.

Lily

[Timetraveler67 in reply to MrsSuzuki]

Thank you for replying to me you have a good memory like me to remember all that about that lady on your ward at Christmas. Yes I will have to go back to A&E to try to ask for a different medication as the ramipril give me awful side effects. I didn’t have any argument at all and no body has upset me recently in fact the evening before the heart attack I’d been out to Nando’s with my son as it was his birthday and we had a lovely chilled out evening We took our leftovers out in a bag and fed the wild life after in some woods nearby we Also saw a wild deer the whole evening was magic. Thanks again for replying I will definitely go up tomorrow and hopefully won’t be up there for hours but like you say best to get everything sorted x

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hello Timetraveler67

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/syndrome is a rare and poorly understood heart condition.

The term Broken Heart syndrome is not used as often anymore.

When I was admitted to hospital many years ago with a suspected heart attack, because my coronary arteries are unblocked, I was thought to have either vasospastic angina or Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

I was later found to have vasospastic angina. Another rare poorly understood and recognised type of heart condition.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is thought to be an extreme response to stress. It can cause an acute form of heart function problems.

Most cases usually get better overtime.

It tends to effect younger women more than men. The symptoms are very similar to a heart attack or coronary vasospasms.

During an angiogram the heart is seen to look distorted, similar to a Japanese octopus pot, hence the name.

There is a long standing Facebook group which may help you.

facebook.com/groups/Takotsu...

There are a couple of other forum members who have had an episode of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Hopefully they will be along to share their experiences with you.

The BHF and Cardiomyopathy UK both have some information about the condition.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I suggest you ask at your follow up appointment with a Cardiologist to have the appropriate tests to determine the cause of your symptoms, which could be either Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy or vasospastic angina.

Possible tests include an echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI.

[Danceawaytheblues]

I have had two episodes of Takotsubo, one in 2002 and one in 2020. I understood the reason for the 2002 episode as I had been under enormous strain. The episode in 2020 was the worse and apart from domestic issues I can find no other reason. I was diagnosed after being admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack. I was also diagnosed with HF and AF. 2 years on and aged 77 I am doing ok. I take Rivaroxaban and Bisoprolol (plus a few other medications) but I feel well. I use my exercise bike every day and feel that along with some mild exercise and a reasonable diet it`s going well for me. I just learn to take one day at a time now. Good luck Timetraveler67 and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. x

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Danceawaytheblues]

Bless you for your kind reply which I found encouraging they had me on both the medication you mentioned when I was in hospital but the day of discharge they changed it to ramipril and it’s made my legs swell up and my whole body feel tight and generally unwell. I’m glad your active and doing well after going through 2 episodes which I know must have been so scary at the time. I’m trying to educate myself so as when I next see my Dr. Thanks again for replying to me x

[Kimbob11356]

Time traveler I had the exact same problem with ramipril. my doctor said it was an allergic reaction and changed them for canderstaten 16m which cause me no problems.

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Kimbob11356]

Thank you for replying to me it’s helpful to know the name of the medication that has helped you

[Ramilia]

Timetraveler67,

I'm sorry you have had such a bad time.

As far as what may have caused your event, it has now been established that Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/syndrome can be caused by emotional stress, physical stress, or no reason at all. It has been documented that about 30% of all cases fall into each category. Emotional stress includes happy events.

I had a Takotsubo event in 2020, and when I left hospital I was prescribed ramipril and bisoprolol for at least a year as some cardiologists believe that the combination of an ACE inhibitor (of which ramipril is one) and a betablocker (in my case bisoprolol) has a protective effect on the heart whilst it heals. I didn't get on with ramipril because it made me cough, so that was changed to candesartan (an ARB) which was fine. So there are alternatives, and I hope you got a helpful response at A&E today if you managed to go.

Milkfairy has given you good information, and I would encourage you to join the Takotsubo Support Group on Facebook that she linked.

You might also like to visit takotsubo.net (and refer your GP to it as it's also for professionals!). Please also ensure you have a follow-up with a cardiologist so that the cause of your event can be properly investigated. Wishing you well.