low blood pressure

[Poorlizzie]

I have just been switched to Entresto for heart failure. I have taken 3 tablets 24mg. Dose twice a day. Blood pressure now 76/51 lying down. Do not want to stop medication. Heart rate ok, suggestions

[Captain_Birdseye]

If you're experiencing new symptoms due to low blood pressure, call 111 for advice - they will put you on the right path.

[Lezzers]

Drink plenty of water (assuming you're not on any fluid restriction) and keep your feet elevated, this usually helps to raise BP. If you're feeling dizzy, faint, etc then phone nhs111. However, if the low BP isn't affecting you then I would speak to your medical team tomorrow as they may want to tweak your medication. My husbands bp has been as low as yours & at times even lower, on the recommendation of his nurse he's taking his Entresto every other day but he's also alternating his other meds to see if this helps. However this is only a temporary measure and he's only done this with the agreement of his nurse. Good luck

[Poorlizzie in reply to Lezzers]

Hi Lezzers thanks for the advice. I laid flat for about 40minutes and it went back up to 85 my “new normal”. I was enalapril for 5 months and it made no difference to my EF just made me fatigued and gave me a cough so was pinning my hope on this one. Have an appointment with BF nurse next Monday will pace myself until then.

[Lezzers in reply to Poorlizzie]

Good to hear it's come up a bit, but definitely speak to your nurse. It may be a case of just getting used to Entresto, certainly when my husband first went on it his BP went very low but it did start to get to more normal levels after a while. Unfortunately his BP is impacted at the moment due to other health issues hence taking meds on alternate days. I hope the Entresto works for you, it doesn't always improve your EF but it does protect your heart & hopefully reduces hospitalisation etc. Good luck

[Bigbrian]

hello, I would think entresto would lower blood pressure as well as it’s other known good qualities. Drinking water does raise blood pressure.

[irishwife93]

Entresto does have a strong effect on lowering blood pressure which can mean some people have trouble tolerating it. It does take time for your body to get used to it and for your blood pressure to stabilise. You seem to be on the lowest dose, give yourself some time to acclimatise.

My husband has been taking Entresto for 9 months now and his nurse introduced it very slowly and raised the dose carefully so his bp wouldn’t drop too low. He is now on a mid dose and his bp is at a stable level. He feels a lot better than he did on Ramipril. I hope Entresto can do the same for you!

[Thanksnhs]

Hi when I was on it I could only take the lowest dose when my heart failure nurse tried to increase the dose but I couldn't even get out of bed I was staggering everywhere when I tried to get up. I immediately dropped it back down and we just left it like that. Char

[BSA20]

My BP dropped down to 98/72 with pulse at 54 and I felt dreadful. The clinic nurse just told me to phone if I started to fall over to which I replied I couldn't risk with a replacement hip and osteoporosis. The nurse who prescribed it said my BP would not drop. Now back on ramipril. The trouble is I am on other meds for colitis so perhaps they are not mixing well.

[Jak8]

Hi Liz your right to be cautious with Entresto but it is a potential life changer - no pun intended. I was introduced to it progressively from what I believe is a maintenance level to full strength over the course of about 3 months. I did n't check my BP regularly but after 6 months of the full strength course felt much healthier and fitter. But I then started to experience postural hypotension being quite dizzy on rising from a seated position. I was on two BP reduction medications then. Eventually this led to my collapse/black out which was diagnosed as being due to low BP and one of the medications was halved immediately. This proved inadequate and I had another collapse 6 months later. After a spell in A&E I was discharged and started to monitor my BP regularly and discovered I was suffering hypotension with BP falling to 80/50 and lower. I quickly stopped all my Bp medication and was already on a half strength Entresto. My BP returned to a regular 90/60+ and I am back to a daily 6k hourly walk.

If you can progressively get onto the Entresto treatment I would but you will know how your body is reacting to the medication. Keep checking your BP and drink plenty of water. It may be worth getting a check on your B12 levels as mine were found to be low and this can cause diziness.

[Poorlizzie in reply to Jak8]

hi Jak8

Thanks for your post. I am feeling a lot better this evening. Determined to keep trying with the Entresto. My EF is 32% and has not improved since diagnosis in December while on enalapril. Do not want to slip into the next category.

[Jak8]

Yes mine got lower too but I think Entresto and a determined wife helped my recovery. It is a bit of a battle but such is life. Take care.