Heart attack stent and meds

[Poshbird67]

Hi everyone had a heart attack on 30th august had emergency stent in the same day…I’m home now but meds are lowering my blood pressure and heart rate so much..ramapril has been halved but it seems to always be after the bisoprolol I feel awful…I’ve heard that many people need adjustments to meds after…has anyone experienced this…Ellen

[RF260]

Hi, had heart attack in April , had angiogram but no stents needed at moment. Assume you've been discharged with usual suite of meds. I've "happily" been on 10mg Amlodopine and 10mg Ramipril for 20 years and have done a decent job of controlling BP, however add in bisoprolol (and I've lost best part of a stone too ) and BP now low at typically 105/60 and resting HR around 42 (lower still overnight). Cardio nurse happy with that but I've said yeh but I feel c**p. So this week Amlodopine has been halved to 5mg and bisoprolol halved to 1.25mg. Very early days but I sense not so tired today and both BP and RHR up a bit. Hopefully you have GP or cardio team who will work with you, they may want you to stick with the current doses for a while to see if things settle but I think I was "over medicated" and thankfully they are supporting dose tweaks. Good luck

[Poshbird67 in reply to RF260]

I’ve been on ramapril 2.5 for 2 years with good blood pressure they put it up to 5mg and 5mg bisoprolol an 80 mg statin and some blood thinners..blood pressure has been 90/59 hr 57-60 but I feel awful

[Seal59]

My husband had CABG x5 6 years ago. He recently had to see a cardiologist privately because his heart rate had gone down to 38. He was very tired. He has now been taken off Metoprolol (but because of that doubled his Ramipril). His heart rate is now about 48 which is his old normal. He does feel less tired now, although he still has a nap during the day (he’s 67). It’s taken a couple of years back and forth to the doctor as GPs are very reluctant to alter heart medication, which is fair enough, but it is worth pursuing when you know you don’t feel right. I hope you get sorted.

[Chembris24]

8 months on and the cardiac team are still adjusting my meds. With Bisoprolol, it was suggested to me to take it at night and that made a huge difference.

[Crabedu]

Hi, remember it's early days and your body is adjusting in so many ways to what has happened. I had a stemi and stent fitted in Nov 23. I had t9 change ramipril to losartan due to getting the cough associated with ramipril. It was then halved due to low bp.I was advised to take the losartan at night as my BP was so low..so I now take the bisoprolol in the morning and losartan at night . Just share with your nurse etc and they will get it to a point that feels okay. Remember you will also be feeling all kinds of things in your body right now.. rest when you need to...you will get there... I am now fitter and healthier than I was and feel blessed each day x wishing you good luck in your recovery. X

[Strawweddrain]

Hi

I had heart attack in July, I was put on the usual heart meds including bisoprolol and ramipril. My blood pressure was very low , very lightheaded and dizzy in the mornings where I couldn’t really function. After 3 weeks my GP took me off ramipril. My BP now better, average 109/74 and I feel ok at this level. Medications take a while to get used to but if you don’t feel right soon it’s worth following it up with your doctor.

Hope you feel better soon 💕

[Quesswho]

Hi welcome to the club.❤ After my HA and stents I was discharged with a suitcase full of medication. It was probably a year or so before we got the correct dosages and drugs that suited me. I'm afraid it's part of the journey. At times it gets you down, but remember they are given to you/us to help, and I'm sure you will get there. Keep smiling 😃.

[Alfie33]

Yes I also add a stent fitted when I add my heart attack with 2 cardiac arrests. I was on ramipril, 40mg of atorvastatin plus strong blood thinners, I carnt remember the name of them sorry. Anyway I was having problems so they changed ramipril to amlodipine, nicorandil and dropped my atorvastatin to 20mg

[Hrty]

Like everyone else I was discharged home with my new "bag for life" which had a fairly standard cocktail of meds including 1.25mg of Bisoprolol. Pre-HA I had a fairly low RHR of 50-60, possibly due to the regular exercise I took, but with the Bisoprolol it was regularly dropping into the low 40s and down into the mid/low 30s and during the day not just at night. One of the nurses commented on my HR at rehab when pre-exercise, and having walked up from the car park, it was 42!. On one overnight stay in hospital the nurse was reluctant for me to take it until my HR got closer to 60. I felt awful and was like an extra in a zombie movie so after sticking it out for a few months the cardiologist said I could stop it. Felt better almost immediately and I'm back to a more comfortable (for me)RHR of 50-60 ish, dropping to 40s whilst asleep, although I still set the alarms off in hospital when my HR drops below 60 :-).

My meds cocktail has been tweaked several times. My statin dose is now 20mg of Atorvastatin (down from 80mg, via 40mg and a brief sojourn into Rosuvastatin) because I seem to have an intolerance to statins, GP has recommended a COQ10 supplement to help. I was also switched from lansoprazole to famotidine because that didn't agree with me. My Isosorbide was also stopped as deemed unnecessary.

Sorry for waffling on - long story short. Talk to your cardiology team or GP/Practice Pharmacist about any problems with your meds. We aren't all the same and it may take a while to get you on the right dose/combination.

All the best

[EdtheDead]

It's taken me nigh on 12 months to hopefully get my medication just right, in particularly Bisoprolol. Started off on 2.5mg then raised to 5mg. It didn't agree with me one bit. I felt tired, even exhausted at times, and completely off. GP was reluctant to act so i requested a phone consultation with the GP Surgery clinical pharmacist.

To say she was brilliant is an understatement and really hit the nail on the head when she said "It's your body, and nobody understands it better than yourself"

Told me to tinker with the dosagemyself until i felt i was getting it right,

I nitially I started with 2.5mg morning and 1.25 night. Seemed to work well iniitially but since switched it to 1.25mg 3 timesa day. Bingo, I'm back to my old self.

Yes, I suppose you could say I was ignoring my GP, but the last time I spoke to my cardiologist he was all for the Pharmacists advice.

[englishbrian]

Aw, Ellen, your not alone,

Meds have always been a problem for me,

Some days it will get to lunch time and I'm feeling good,

and then I remember I forgot to take my Meds.

I feel a little ill about 1hr after taking them.

If you think your BP is very low, were you think you may pass out,

you MUST ring 111 or get someone to take you to A&E.

Don't go on your own. if your on blood thinners like me a fall would not be good.

Always contact your GP for advice on your Meds better safe than sorry.

Main thing Ellen your not on your own with this problem.....

[Avagra]

I had a HA in Oct’22 and I’m on the usual bisoprolol,aspirin,lanzoprazle,ramipril and I’ve seen a cardiologist for the first time two months ago due to a A&E visit with chest pains.Ive had echo,MRI stress and halter etc but had I not gone to A&E my follow up after my attack was non existent,I’m waiting for the MRI results but only had it last week.It appears to me that cardiac issues are dealt with a lot better in some areas around the country than others and some left to their own devices !

[Qualipop]

After my heart attack 6 years ago I had eventually every single tablet changed for various different reasons but the worst by far was bisopralol which dropped my heart rate and BP so low I couldn't function. I just slept all day and didn't have the energy to even get out of the chair. I was told at first to take it at night so any side effects would happen while I was asleep.

[Poshbird67]

Thankyou all for your reply’s I left hospital on 5mg of ramapril 10mg Prasugrel 30mg isosorbide 80mg atorvastatin and 5mg bisoprolol..and 75mg aspirin

Ramapril has Ben halves to 2.5 and I’ve halved the bisaprolol to 2.5 myself just to see if it would make me feel better but it hasn’t I know it’s naughty but gp was going to lower it this week..cardiac nurse doesn’t think I need the isosorbide as it maybe contributing to the way I feel but who knows