Mrs Mac.

[ballybee]

Hello everyone, can anyone identify and sympathise with my husband. He has arrhythmic type cardiomyopathy, an icd implant and he has been in heart failure for 7 years now. He changed his diuretic (furosemide)a few months ago due to side effect of gout attacks. The current one (bumetanide) is causing agonising muscle cramps. He is very brave but its making him miserable. He sees his GP this week and wants to also address insomnia caused by severe itching skin. Has anyone else experienced this with medication and any advice would be much appreciated.

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[Ageingfast]

Dear ballybee

I got extra bouts of gout whilst in recovery following AVR. My GP kindly supplies me with tablets to be taken if I get a gout flare. I do not yet take daily prevention tablets.

I also get itchy skin. Especially overnight. Could be linked to diabetes. I am pre diabetic and determined to avoid full blown diabetes. There are courses to help avoid diabetes, run by the NHS. They contacted me following a routine blood test. The course is held in a village hall not surgery. But you might get the introduction from your surgery.

Sooty

[ballybee in reply to Ageingfast]

Thank you Blackcatsooty. We'll find out Thursday about blood test results. It's possibly linked to diabetes as that's been in his family.

[Bluehope81]

Not medical advice, suggestions and opinions only:

He is certainly a brave man, would it be wise to ask if he can go back to his original medication, if it doesn't cause the itching and add in Allopurinol, which improves endothelial function in heart failure patients, and treats the gout at the cause, seems like a win win there.

Plus colchicine for gout, which is being studied by the BHF for a range of heart conditions, another win win there.

Just throwing out some limited evidence on supplements, may or may not be your thing

everyone has their own opinions on such matters.

Coq10 + Biopqq, some evidence it helps with the mitochondria in heart muscle cells in patients in heart failure.

Rejuna Arjuna I believe one limited study it improves EF