Entresto: So I had a follow up echo and... - British Heart Fou...

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Entresto

Healthaddict30 profile image
14 Replies

So I had a follow up echo and ECG last week, 3 months after diagnosis. EF is unchanged at 35% which was frustrating but the ECG didn't show any ectopics since my ablation so that is good news.

My cardiologist has now put me on Entresto in the hope this will help increase my EF. My blood pressure has dipped to 85/50 and I've started getting head rushes again. Has anyone got experience with this drug where they've found they've begun to tolerate it over time? The cardiologist seemed hopeful this drug would help me so I'll be disappointed if I can't tolerate it and have to come off it.

Has anyone seen good improvements as a result of taking Entresto?

I'm feeling deflated and worried that there's been no improvement yet 😕

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14 Replies
Hanibil profile image
Hanibil

Hi put on Entresto in 2020 low dose at first now on max much improved health.

Etzel profile image
Etzel

Entresto does that short term, I lost about 20 points on my BP for a couple of weeks, had a couple of proper dizzy spells. 2 weeks later back to normal barring what I call occasional weirdness where I think something is going on in my head for a couple of secs.

I had a month on medium dose then upped to 97/103 dose.

Bear with it you should be fine soon.

Jeremyrunicles profile image
Jeremyrunicles

Hi ya,

I had severe heart faliure ef 24%, Mitral valve regurgitation and left bundle branch block. Dilated cardiomyopathy was the main problem.

I was put on various heart meds Inc entresto.by my cardiac team. My ef after 3 months was up to 38%. My valve had all but closed and thr lbbb was gone. They call entresto the wonder drug.

I have a 9 month scan in a few weeks and of course am hoping for more improvement.

I have also been eating a heart healthy diet. Nuts, berries etc. Be worth researching this.

Also various supplements such as l-carnitine, magnesium, Taurine, and ubiquinol.

I was told to walk as much as possible also. I've found this to be the same for many people on here. But rest is jist as important, so try and sleep well.

Good luck. Keep us posted. It does really help to get advise here. It's helped me loads.

Joyce2020 profile image
Joyce2020

I was prescribed Entresto in 2020 and other medication for severe heart failure. A lot of tears worry despair and 2 years later I am now low risk heart failure and getting on with life. My EF was so low at beginning they did not give me a reading. Took several months to maximise dosage and for side effects to calm so keep your optimism up.

Pouchielou1972 profile image
Pouchielou1972

Please bear with it as the cardiac nurse told me at the beginning of my diagnosis, it can take several months or even years to see improvement from the heart meds. I was diagnosed with severe heart failure in 2022 with an EF of just 10%. I started on the middle dose of Entresto and worked my way up to the highest dose 97/103mg and my EF is now 45-50%. I had to go through all the Entresto cough and dizzy spells low blood pressure side effects, but an feeling tip top now and back at the gym weight training 4 days a week when I could barely make it walking from the living room to the kitchen before without being short of breath.

pauljusa profile image
pauljusa in reply toPouchielou1972

That cough's a bummer but it's definitely worth it. 👍

Pouchielou1972 profile image
Pouchielou1972 in reply topauljusa

It certainly is....what irritating at first as it seemed like it would never go, but thankfully it did 😄

Larneybuds profile image
Larneybuds

I was in hospital when I was prescribed Enteresto and wasn't allowed out of bed unless I had a nurse with me because it can cause big drops in blood pressure. That's exactly what it did. After a few days it was fine. I have been on it now for 15 months and BP is good....no other side effects. I was told it is a wonder drug but sometimes improvements can take time. Everyone is different so improvement times also differ but I think there are more positives than negatives with this medication xx

Grasshopper1976 profile image
Grasshopper1976

Hello Healthaddict30, I am on Entresto 24-26 mg one twice a day, and I take Bisoprolol 2.5mg iv been on the medication 5 to 6 months, my injection fraction went from 35% to 51%. My HF is being controlled and feel more positive.

pauljusa profile image
pauljusa

Hi HA, real sorry that you haven't seen much improvement on entresto. I have HF due to overly aggressive cardiac ablation for a-fib that stiffened my left atrium so, our cases are very different but I've taken it for 4 months and have had great results with the med.

I feel much better, and have improved based on physical tests although I still can't run. I'll be getting an EF update in May.

I was ramped up to the highest dose 97-103 mg one month after I started taking it and, back then, my Mayo Clinic doc advised me that I might not see any improvements until I was at the highest dose. Not true in my case since I felt better a couple of weeks after starting it.

What dose are you taking?

Very best wishes - Paul

Dollywow1999 profile image
Dollywow1999

I was given entresto smallest dose by my regular dr cause he was not happy with my bp always being high i fo not have heart failure as my ejection fraction by the echocardiogram is at 56 ....bp only came down some like to 176/60.....seems to affect my bottom number a lot more than that systolic but thrn i was at cardiologost my bp was 158/62 he says oh thats too high so he upped me to that optimum highest level but i break those pills into more than half cause i dobt like the way it makes me feel my bp is not bottomed out yet at all except that diastolic at 60....i take 6 mg coreg once a day also

Kennydope profile image
Kennydope

Hi Healthaddict30 I am now on the highest dose of Entresto and I felt really dizzy when I started taking it. I now feel absolutely fine and am running in the gym 3 times a week and it’s only been 9 months since my CA ! Hopefully you’ll get used to it soon. Not sure about my EF improvement but my consultant thinks it should have increased. Will know in the summer!

Iam on entresto. And went on it end of November last year, started on low dose. Last week have now gone onto middle dose. We will have to see how it goes. Iam currently checked regularly by the heart failure nurse. The issue I have is that my left ventricle EF is 45% as seen on an echo. But my congenital issue has effected my right ventrical which has an EF of 21%. So hopefully entresto will help both ventricals, unfortunately my congenital issue which I have had since birth, and I have only just found out about all this, has basically manufactured my tricuspid valve too low down therefore my right ventrical is not as large as it should be, it is a bit more complicated than that and I don't have the medical knowledge to explain. But hopefully entresto will help to strengthen the hearts function and make what I have as efficient as possible. But so far not too many side effects, except low blood pressure, but all these medications effect blood pressure. I also have regular blood tests mainly to see how the kidneys are functioning. It's all a bit of a balancing act.

pauljusa profile image
pauljusa

I can only speak to exercise performance not EF since I have HF with preserved EF. I've been using Entresto for about 10 months. I do regular 6 minute walk tests (a common heart performance test here in the USA) and during that time my performance has gone from 89% of what a person my age should be able to do, to 106%. I feel much better these days. My first major performance boost came just weeks after starting the lowest dose. I upped to the highest dose after 6 weeks. How are you doing physically? 👍

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