Tired!

[Rosie2003]

Hi everyone, I had an ST STEMI three and a half weeks ago. Stent fitted. I have the usual medication for an MI, however, I am so tired, all the time. Is this normal? Is it the medication do you think?

[baly_2023]

Hi Rosie,

Firstly sorry to hear about your heart attack and I wish you full recovery.

It's absolutely expected to be tired after a heart attack. The heart has undergone trauma, it needs time to rest and start healing itself.

The medicines I'm assuming your on blood pressure, beta blockers, statins and something like prasugal all are doing what they can to keep the work your heart has to do to a safe level.

Both will leave you feeling more tired then you have been. It took me a good gee weeks to start to get around, doing something like the hoover in one room had me tired and feeling out of puff.

Keep resting, keep taking the medicines and if you ever feel that the tiredness, or if you feel any chest pain then ring 111 to get some advice.

The British Heart Foundation also has a dedicated helpline 0808 802 1234 who you can call with dedicated cardiac nurses who can help answer any questions.

baly

[Rosie2003 in reply to baly_2023]

Thank you so much

[Rosie2003 in reply to baly_2023]

I’m on loads of different meds which I thought would be the cause of my tiredness but people here have said that having the MI will make me tired too which obviously makes sense.

[MWIC in reply to Rosie2003]

May very well be both Rosie - Take things easy and if you’re tired rest up - if after a few more weeks you still feel the same talk to your GP as if your on anything like Bisoprolol or other beta blockers these can cause real fatigue - with mine I was tired but started walking after the fist few weeks of rest and slowly built up which really helped build confidence back in myself - don’t overdo anything and listen to what your body is saying to you for the moment- hope all works out well for you - having a HA isn’t the end of the road (2 years on from mine now)

[Blackcatsooty]

it is early days. Your body has had a big disturbance and needs to settle. You might try establishing at what time you naturally fall off to sleep and stick to that. In my case I find I sleep at 10pm, which is nothing like my sleep pattern previously.

I use a tinnitus relaxer to help with better quality sleep.

If the problem is the medication then you will start to settle with the effects after a month or two.

Good luck

Sooty

[Rosie2003 in reply to Blackcatsooty]

Thank you, I’m trying to adjust to a new sleep pattern, and how unlike me it is so want to go to bed at 8pm!

[Rosie2003 in reply to Blackcatsooty]

Thank you, I’m finding I’m sleeping about 10 hours a day and still knackered. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone.

[yellow731]

hi sorry you had your heart attack but welcome to the club , yes tiredness will hit you alot but it does get better , your body is repairing itself and the meds need to settle it was about 6 weeks till i got a bit of normality and routine without being tired but it does get better, but listen to your body if it tells you to rest then rest , and you are just on the start of your road to recovery 😃

[Rosie2003]

Thank you. It’s nice to know that what I’m feeling is normal.

[Cruiser25]

Hi Rosie, sorry to hear you've become part of the club!! It'll be 2 years ago tomorrow I had my STEMI & the Consultant, Registrar & Staff Nurses kept repeating my heart had been stunned! Thinking back, that's pretty much the perfect term. The old ticker needs to rest and heal, but it has to keep working and bizarrely, needs exercise (only when appropriate) to recover and become stronger...quite the contradiction when you think about it. But here's the thing, 2 yrs on and that's just what the doctor ordered (sorry) & it really works.

Yes I still get tired, an improvement from really exhausted straight after, the meds will do an amazing job & will help take the strain off the heart while it does it's thing. Rehab will be important and will allow you to see beyond the now and see a future, that's cloudy at best so early on.

Good luck, be patient, they'll be set backs & you'll feel you're treading water at times, but these pass and, hey the lighter nights are coming

[baly_2023 in reply to Cruiser25]

couldn't have put it better. 👍

[DWizza in reply to Cruiser25]

I’m 6 months post Nstemi, 4xCABG and still get days when I have a really heavy fatigue . I’m trying to get to the bottom of it. Stopped artovastatin for a month trial (GP guidance) 2 weeks into that and had a really bad day yesterday , I was having a blood test done at GP surgery and mentioned it to the nurse . Told her I felt the same prior to heart attack , feel like I’ve got no energy , sand in my eyes , lethargic… really fatigued and down. I got home and she rang me , says she felt terrible for letting me the surgery without referral to a doctor . Ah spoke to a GP and they wanted me to go to A& E for ECG. I agreed , set off , got in the queue for , was told that I’d be triaged and put on a list for ECG .. saw the waiting times 5 hours to see a doc , 3 hours for triage .. I checked out . 🤦🏼. Told them I was going , no chest pains etc , I’m sure it’s my meds or something else causing it . I hope something comes back from the blood tests like iron deficiency, something that can be resolved . I’m on low bisoprolol 1.25mg (3.75mg gave me the same fatigue and zombie feeling) half a tablet 1.25 mg Rampiril, clopidogrel, pantaprazole, aspirin .. fingers crossed .

[Rosie2003 in reply to Cruiser25]

That’s a great way of seeing things, thank you 🙏🏻

[Nikinromantic]

I went through same. Initially you feel tired. But my doc suggested me to join gym with trainer and start cardio training . It’s been 4 months and I feel better.

[Rosie2003 in reply to Nikinromantic]

I’ve been walking everyday, I do about an hour now. I make myself go.

[Gellies]

Hi Rosie , my mum had a

Nstemi a year ago . Her left circumflex was totally occluded - this was stented ASAP and the remaining vessels a few days later. She was discharged with statins , Metroplolol, blood thinners etc. I had to move into her house for 6 weeks as she was very fatigued and couldn’t function well without assistance. My mum is one of the most capable hardworking people I know but she was absolutely shattered. It transpired that she was also very anemic and was referred for iron transfusions x 3. I’m hoping you feel better soon.

[Zed1063]

Had mine 10 months ago and still feel awful on the meds! I have been told it is the meds but the doctors seem to think it is me!

[Ewloe]

your heart is a muscle and takes time to recover. It’s not like hurting an arm or leg were you can rest the body part injured. Your heart keeps beating so can take longer to recover. Give it time.

[Rosie2003 in reply to Ewloe]

I’m impatient I guess and you’re exactly right, your heart doesn’t get a rest day ❤️

[Qualipop]

I was so tired after my HA I just didn't get out of the chair. I could have slept all day. Eventually my GP took me off bisopralol and swapped it for something else. It was dropping my BP and pulse much too low. Do you have a BP monitor to check yours? I suggest you ring your GP and ask them to look at your medication

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Qualipop]

I had the same problem with tiredness Qualipop 👍 When you have a heart attack, some heart tissue gets damaged or dies if I rightly remember and scares over! My heart rate dropped as well and I was forever tired! But your heart needs to heal and eventually I was able to stop Bisolprol altogether after not quite 2 years! 🥰

[Qualipop in reply to Snowdrops_17]

I was lucky to incur next to no damage and stopped bisopralol almost immediately. That was definitely the cause of my exhaustion.

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Qualipop]

Really, immediately? And did they prescribe you a different medication instead Qualipop?I tried to take it in the evening as suggested but felt the same 👍

So then decided I will tell my doctor that I feel too tired every day! And she agreed that I can stop it if I wished! Glad I did and felt tons better after a week or so!

It's the side effects I couldn't cope with, same with Atorvastatin, I had calves pain when walking outside so that one went too!

I find winter is hard to exercise or going for walks! The weather was 🤷‍♀️ it snowed here yesterday, now it's raining! Must do some again as sadly had to deal with something so unexpected and I was in bits!

Anyway must go and do more now! Have a good day please 🥰

[Qualipop in reply to Snowdrops_17]

They tried swapping it for Candesartan which gave me awful stomach pain in just a couple of days so that was stopped too. Like you I had problems with atorvastatin but mine was stomach pain again (I've had an ulcer in the past). I changed to simvastatin with no problems.

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Qualipop]

I will bear that in mind Qualipop! I am trying Ezetime 10 mg as my cholesterol is high! I will take it and wait if it agrees with me 👍🥰

[Qualipop in reply to Snowdrops_17]

HOrses for courses. What suits one may not suit another. My husband has awful pain on simvastatin yet I've lived with chronic pain for 30 years and it doesn't make me any worse.

[Snowdrops_17 in reply to Qualipop]

Yes not everyone can tolerate some medications! 👍🥰 Anyway better eat a little now Qualipop 🥰