Advice please with Meds

[Washo66]

Hi All,

I had a heart attack just over 11 weeks ago, had a stent fitted to LAD & LVEF was showing 40-45%.

Currently on the following meds:

Morning:

Lansoprazole 30mg

Aspirin 75mg

Ticagrelor 90mg

Bisoprolol 2.5mg (was 2 tablets but reduced to 1 due to causing low BP)

Night:

Atorvastatin 80mg

Ramipril 2.5mg

Ticagrelor 90mg

In the 11 weeks, the side effects haven't gone completely, still sometimes get lightheaded & dizzy.

Frequent stomach pain & constipation. Hair is thinning rapidly & now also showing signs of ED.

Also flatulence is constant! Feeling tired most of the time.

Saw my cardio nurse on Monday, she listened to my concerns but didn't really express any alternatives, as I hoped.

Now she wants me to start taking Eplerenone 25mg as well.

In the 11 weeks I have lost approx. 1 1/2 stone, completely changed my diet (wasn't that bad to begin with) & my blood pressure, oxygen level & pulse are all showing normal readings.

I have an Echo booked for February & this should show if my LVEF has improved as well.

Guess I'm after advise really, I'm reluctant to start Eplerenone because I'm worried about adding more side effects to the ones I already have.

Has anyone got the same group of meds I take.

thanks for listening

[Lowerfield_no_more]

We are all different and respond differently to medication including their side effects so a quick and easy answer to your question might not be forthcoming from members on here. I suggest you talk through your issues with your GP who will know your medical background and may be able to offer and prescribe some alternatives for you to trial. Or talk to a pharmacist who are equally qualified to review your drugs and their interaction, and in some cases perhaps more knowledgeable.

[Pickerj]

hi

I’m 11 months post HA and stenting. Recovering from the HA was the easy bit. The concoction of medication a totally different story! I had terrible side effects the worst being fatigue and terrible brain fog.

Essentially everyone is discharged on a drug regime that probably works for 90% of people. For those that it doesn’t sit well with it becomes trial and error to eliminate the drugs and replace them with others that you can tolerate. That requires patience and an understanding medical team that should be a given but is not always the case.

This forum is great for that but if you can sit down with your GP that’s better as they are your prescriber. I found the cardiac rehab team fantastic at liaaising with my consultant to stop medications that were problematic. Also the cardiac specialist nurse at my GP’s has been excellent.

I’m gradually getting better but it’s been a total drag and taken far longer that I imagined . Best of luck with your recovery

[Washo66 in reply to Pickerj]

Hi Pickerj,Thanks for reply.

I've got over the shock of HA but feel medication is really holding me back.

Worried about taking Eplerenone after reading about side effects on here!

[Desktop54]

Hi Washo66, my husband had a similar issue and along with his consultant agreed he could split one of his drugs so he took half in the morning and half in the evening. It helped a lot. Perhaps talk to your doctor to see if you can do that too. All the best.

[DWizza]

Hi , I had Nstemi heart attack & quadruple bypass in July . I’m on similar regime of meds. Had my bisoprolol reduced from 3.75 to 2.5 as it was spacing out .. now had another tweak , reduced to 1.25 and half a tablet of 1.25 Rampiril added. BP is low normal. Get dizzy spells if I get up too quick from resting . I’m very active , physical work around small holding , no problems with dizziness while up and working. Did 6 weeks cardiac rehab at hospital, found it ridiculously easy , disappointing. Now working with a coach specialist in cardiac rehab resistance training, back to weight training and jogging aiming to run 5k. I went back to GP to discuss my meds and mentioned ED, very common , he prescribed a type of viagra to try, can’t update you as I have t collected it yet.

Not familiar with you new drug. I know that some of my meds will be stopped after a year and others will be tweaked again. I was quite hung up on the side affects , however , the dizziness is manageable, BO a s great , activity is incredible. I will be keeping any eye on how I’m feeling and won’t hesitate to get back in touch with my GP/Consultant to discuss any issues. I’m sure you’ll find the level of meds that will work for you 👍

[Washo66 in reply to DWizza]

Hi DWizza,Thanks for the reply.

You seem to be making progress, which is what I wanted to hear really.

I had my 1st cardio rehab session last week, also found it incredibly easy & looked out of place there. But the rehab people were nice & helpful.

Want to back to where I was before HA, feeling young for my age & enjoying my weight training etc.

Now I feel like an old man, which I know is the side effects of the meds.

Maybe I just need to be more patient & hopefully, I feel I'll get back to being more like the real me.