Hi all,
I had a H/A in January which resulted in a stent being fitted.
I am on several meds Asprin, Atorvastin 80mg, Clopidogrel, Lanzoprazole, Ramipril 7.5mg, Bisoprolol and recently I have suffered severe stomach pain and diarrhoea. This is happening basically once a week and I'm presuming it is one or a combination of the meds causing this?
I'm worried that something serious is going on and will obviously contact my GP but wondered whether anybody else has had similar problems?
I had stomach aches etc every day for the first couple of months following a heart attack and stent in late March. Touch wood everything is pretty much back to normal now, I think the body just need time to adjust to the medication. Do you have rehabilitation with a cardiology nurse where you could discuss, or a helpline you could ring?
Thanks for your quick reply 
I finished the programme a few weeks ago but could possibly still get in touch with one of the nurses. I don't get stomach problems every day but for the last three weeks running and on three separate occasions have had severe bowel problems.......never had this before so presume medication related etc, I am taking soluble aspirin so maybe this is the culprit.....
I’m taking also taking soluble aspirin, plus Atorvastatin, Pantoprazole, Ticagrelor, Ramipril, Bisoprolol, and Prednisolone. Have you looked at the leaflet that comes with each medication for possible side effects? You really need to put your mind at rest so perhaps as you said, ring your GP or the helpline today if you can.
Thanks for your reply...I have had a look at the accompanying leaflets and most say possible stomach problems so I need to narrow it down a.s.a.p. I've contacted my surgery and have been told my Dr will contact me next Thursday so in the meantime I'll research.....as you do! 👍😀
Not surprising really that we have stomach problems. I’m glad you managed to get an appointment with your doctor, pity it’s not till next Thursday. I’m fortunate that I can usually get one the following day or if I ring at 8.00am even the same day. I hope you get it sorted out asap. 🤞
Hi Floyd, As you say it is good to get it checked by the GP just to be sure that nothing else is going on and that there isn't any infection.
The GP has given you Lanzoprazole which is a PPI which should help the acid reflux and help protect your stomach but for many people that may not be enough , especially if they take their Aspirin many hours after the PPI dose.
I have been on many different types of medications that can unsettle the stomach over the years. This can also be worse if you already suffered from things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome , stomach acid problems. So , a trick used by many people on medications that can irritate the tummy is to have a little bowl ( couple of heaped spoons from a big tub) or little carton of natural probiotic live yoghurt with a teaspoon of honey to help line the stomach just before your morning or evening medications and before taking something like NSAIDs , Aspirin is one of these or Steroids if you ever have them.
My morning yoghurt I call my " First Breakfast " and usually sprinkle some dried fruit , blueberries , a few nuts on it to make it more enjoyable.
If you get acid reflux after every meal you can also make a tablespoon of yoghurt into a dip by adding your choice of chilli, tomato , chives , or onion and garlic to it ( if it's allowed on your meds ) and have a few chopped veggies or bread sticks with it before your meds or a meal.
If a medication has to be taken without food , I will have the yoghurt the few hours before with other meds , then have the med without food with lots of water and make sure I don't lie down for at least an hour after it.
If you have changed your whole diet since getting on the medications this may also add to the pain or diarrhea as you body gets used to the change so it's worth keeping a food diary for a few weeks eating what you normally do at the moment and seeing if the symptoms are worse on days when you eat certain foods as well. Then you can stop eating those foods or only have occasional amounts of it to reduce the stomach issues.
Some people start eating much more fruit and fibre than they did before a heart event as part of a healthy diet and sometimes the stomach takes time to get used to that or the portion size might need to be smaller.
It can help reduce the stomach problems to reduce use of processed sugar and avoid foods with artificial sweeteners in entirely as sweeteners do cause diarrhea in some people as well as effecting the kidneys in the long term. Many people with IBS or stomach issues as well as heart issues take a one a day probiotic as well as using the yoghurt to help ease symptoms .
If it continues and the only cause is a specific medication or brand off a drug talking to the GP to try an alternative with does not have this side effect might be worth trying.
Thank you for your in depth reply I'll do as you suggest regards the yoghurt and have contacted my Dr and will hear back next week. It seems after reading many posts on here that it's fairly common to suffer stomach related problems and several things can be causing it so obviously a case of narrowing down the culprit!
Hello
I have more issues with my stomach than I have ever had since been put on my meds terrible stomach aches sometimes constipation for me and indigestion but I also have IBS so I suppose that does not help
Hopefully in time yours will settle down as you adjust to them but if not then of course you need to speak with your Doctor and see if there is anything they can do
Try not to worry though there is anything else wrong I think some of us are more sensitive to meds than others x
I found lanzoprasol caused my bad stomach and have been changed to pantoprosole which causes no problems.
I'll look into that.......thank you!👍
Lansaprazole was awful for me, and it wasn't picked up until I noticed that the problems began after I took it. I eventually found that I vomited between 30 and 60 minutes after taking it, the bowel issues started off intermittent but gradually got worse and worse.I was quite disappointed as they had dealt very effectively with acid reflux, etc., and I don't think I changed them quickly enough as now I can't take any of the PPIs. I now take Famotidine.
Some people have really sensitive stomachs. Aspirin & plavix ( clopidogrel) are main culprits. Bisporol & statins can also impact in dose dependent manner.
I am post 3 years stent placement. I had exactly similar prescriptions & issues. Doctors said anxiety after heart issues adversely affect stomach. I suffered for 2 1/2 years, till doc reduced medications.. I only take aspirin & statin now but still it occasionally upsets my stomach.
Suggestion:
Always take aspirin & plavix with food.
Use Librax tab half an hour before eating or in case of stomach ache, after consultation with doctor.
You can switch to rosuvastatin, after consultation with doctor.
You can switch to nebivolol from bisprolol, after consultation with doctor.
Spread medications across 24 hours to give sensitive tummy a break.
Keep your head elevated with two to three pillows to avoid stomach acids reflex.
Take a cup of hot water after each meal to aid digestion.
Light Walk / exercise 30-40 minutes everyday
Hope this will help!
Thanks
check when you take them it may say with food. I’ve a pill. Need to take with food as it affects the stomach. Drink plenty of water too. Having s many meds easy to forget the side effect and interactions.
I am on exactly the same medication as you and find the Aspirin and Clopidegrel are the main culprits for tummy upset which is why they prescribe a PPI to almost everybody who are on those two. I used to be on Omeprazole before the Clopidegrel but there is a supposed contraindication between them. So I went on Pantoprazole which did not really work that well and was switched to Lansoprazole 30mg twice daily which did work. That being said I found the Omeprazole much better but will have to wait another 8 months before I can switch back. My cardiologist told me there is no problem with Omeprazole but my GP and pharmacist differ so I have erred on the safe side. Hope you get it sorted as tummy problems are really horrible.
Hi, yes I get stomach pain and diarrhea every now and then. Initially I had a long bout of it and GP thought it was probably the aspirin. I was put on Esomeprozole, to protect the stomach lining. I also started taking probiotics for awhile till I was better.Now I'm not on Esomeprozole anymore and I just make sure I take my aspirin and clopidogrel on a full stomach. That seems to work for me. I have had the occasional bout and it seems to happen if I don't eat enough for breakfast before taking the meds.
I have had horrible stomach issues since going on the usual meds 3 years ago. They come and go. However, I have had a bad time lately and am going to see a specialist on Monday.
My semi-informed theory is that the aspirin may have given me an ulcer, as I have horrible reflux symptoms like bloating, nausea, belching, chest pain (non cardiac, my cardiologist determined this week after I persuaded her to give me an ecg and blood test...tho of course i worry). On the plus side I've lost 8 pounds bc I cant eat much...I am taking lanzoprazole and have tried gaviscon but they don't seem to have an effect.
Hi Floyd,suggest the 80mg Atorvastatin and the aspirin are causing the problems you have but your on Lanzoprezole to counteract.Rosuvastatin are a better alternative to Atorvastatin,lot easier on the stomach.Goodluck.
It could be the aspirin. I also take Lansoprazole and as a consequence have always avoided Aspirin. I actually take Apixaban as a blood thinner
I didn't get on with lansoprazole. Gave me terrible problems resulting in many trips to the loo. Now on famotadine and things much less volatile
I have found that I need to take Lansoprazole twice a day 15mg instead of 30mg once a day as my body seems to metabolise it in less than 24 hours
Hi, I had really bad stomach ache three weeks after having two stents fitted and I felt that bad I phoned 111 and they called an ambulance and to cut a long story short they said i had a form of GORD and given Lansaprozole and told to take one just before breakfast then have my breakfast followed by dispersible Aspirin and all my other meds. They said it is down to all the acid tablets upsetting your stomach. This did do the trick if you still feel bad you could take peptac (it's like Gaviscon) that worked well for me. Best of luck.
lt will be the medication you are taking. You need more protection for your stomach or a review of your meds. Diarrhoea is no good for you as it will cause dehydration and electrolyte irregularity. See your doctor and put your mind at rest. Everything is a great worry at first until you get stabilised. Best wishes.
I regularly got really bad stomach pain. I'm allergic to the "azoles" so I have to take famotidine but each time the GP would double my dose. It was a nightmare trying to track down which tablet was doing it but eventually in my case it turned out to be aspirin so I now take coated aspirin which doesn't dissolve in the stomach. No troubles since I changed.
I’ve posted this on here before, sorry to repeat myself but it may be helpful. Stomach problems started occasionally for me but ended up every day.
I’m on bisoprolol, flecainade, blood pressure meds and statins.
**I used to be on omeprazole but after about 18 months I started getting really bad Stomach upset to the point I was scared of leaving the house. Awful stomach cramps, I did not think it could be that as I had been on it so long and gave up magnesium (later restarted) artificial sweeteners and others but nothing stopped it till I gave up omeprazole and it then cleared up over around a fortnight. it’s one reason I only take one lansoprazole and not the two I’m prescribed as I’m worried about it happening again. I did not take a ppi for ages after that but started to get a tight chest after eating my evening meal a “bra too tight” feeling. Told the gp and she gave me the lansoprazole (she knew about the reaction to omeprazole ) and it really helped. **
Unfortunately recently the bad stomach started again with the lansoprazole when I had to start taking it regularly so I have now had to stop taking that as well. Exactly the same stomach pain and symptoms.
When it was happening every day I also worried about the rest of my meds maybe not getting a chance to be absorbed as well.
One thing I did read on here regarding reflux was to only have decaf tea and coffee. I only have one tea and two coffees a day but it made a huge difference to me.
Hi, don't be sorry as all info is good info and is helpful to someone. It's going to take time in my case to narrow the cause down but reading the posts on here will certainly help. I wish you all the best if you are still suffering!
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