On 5th July I had a stent placed in my right coronary artery which was blocked to 94% in one place. I am grateful for this life-saving surgery. I also have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which is becoming more frequent.
I am on a whole raft of drugs now and they are seriously impinging on my quality of life. I have a constant low-grade underlying nausea, feel weak and exhausted and somewhat low in mood, am out of breath etc. etc. I also have peripheral neuropathy but am assured that this is not due to the drugs, even though it coincides with the stent and the new drugs. I am assured that all these drugs are essential.
This is what I am on: clopidogrel, edoxaban, metoprolol, lansoprazole, ranolazine, pravastatin, ezetimibe, ramipril - quite a cocktail! - as well as treatments for osteoporosis.
Are others on so many? Were you able to stop these after a while?
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Singingforever
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You are now approx two months into your new medication regime and any bedding in issues should have moderated or better disappeared. So if you believe you are still suffering from side effects which are affecting your quality of life why not talk to your prescribing health professional (your GP?) about this. There may be something they can do about swapping one medication for another or reducing the dose which will improve matters. Or as an easier alternative talk to a pharmacist who will at least be able to give you a professional opinion, but may not be able to action a solution.
Thank you for your reply. The wait for a cardiology follow up after a stent is 65 weeks here - yes you did read 65! The rural GP practice around here is beyond hopeless - doctors stay a few months, then move on, more stable doctors are booked up for months etc. etc. I get conflicting information from them all - one just said my numb legs were a reaction to one of the drugs but there is no way of knowing which - and then goodbye! I am wholly unclear as to why all these drugs are needed, but keep swallowing them. Medical services round here are at breaking point.
You have my sympathies given your apparent tale of woe! However you could try a pharmacist as I suggested; they are often more knowledgeable about medication than prescribing GPs, since that is their specialism. Of the medication you have listed clopidogrel is an anti-platelet and you are likely to be on that for life as I am with aspirin, lansoprazole has been prescribed to 'settle the stomach' due to the number of meds you are taking in particular clopidogrel, and you could have very high cholesterol because not only are you taking a statin but also ezetimibe. And certainly all of these have known side effects for some people, aside from all the other meds you take, of which I have no knowledge.
I have my stents fitted April 2023 and still suffer from side effects like yourself. GP are useless and don’t listen, same issues as you!
I have no told myself there is no option just have to get on with it. I find doctors look for the easiest way out and there is no continuity of care nowadays!
Oh, up here we don’t even get to see the specialist or doctor after our stent fitting we are told ‘your better now!’
The side effects of my daily cocktail of drugs were worse than the heart attack.
It took me months to get used to them, and I do mean months.
Like you I felt exhausted and nauseous.
After around four weeks I spoke to me GP, who is very good, but didn't want to go against what the consultant had prescribed and he recommended I wrote to the consultant or give it a little more time.
My "rehabilitation" then began, it was online due to covid and miraculously the exercise made me feel better.
Now some three years later I attend two exercise classes a week, go to at least three dances a week and I feel great.
I do remember hating the first Summer after my heart attack as I just couldn't cope with the heat, it made me feel terrible....I'm normally a sun worshiper, we spent 17 years living in Spain.
I'm pleased to say the following year I was back to my normal self.
After my stents in 2020, I had Clopidogrel and aspirin for 12 months. “until the stent skins over”. Lansoprozole to help avoid stomach problems from those first two. And a statin, which the cardiologist said would be good for my arteries as well as lowering cholesterol. In your case the Ezetimibe is an assistant for the statin.
I bruised easily and even a scratch bled profusely. After the 12 months I was switched to Edoxaban as I also have AFib. Much gentler than the Clop/aspirin, though I still have the Lansoprazole.
I was already taking a blood pressure medication, like your Ramipril, so that continued. But for a v slow heart rate I would also be on a beta-blocker. That’s your Metoprolol. Slows down the heart. And makes you weary and slow.
Ranolazine is for long-term angina pain. Were you on this before the stent?
I suspect your cocktail is pretty much equivalent. If getting information from your GP is difficult, you might be able to talk to your pharmacist- they are usually very knowledgeable about such things, often more so than a busy GP. My rural GP dispenses, and the pharmacist is very good - does a complete medication review every year. Maybe you could ask for this?
Hi, I've had quite a journey with various meds since my stents 9 months ago, fortunately I have excellent GPs however my follow up was after a year so I contacted the secretary of the cardiologist to see her earlier as I wasn't 'right' .... might be worth either asking your GP to write to the consultant for an earlier appointment or contacting the hospital yourself.
It is a shame you can’t get to see a cardiologist for revue. Or even a phone call as I had recently, twenty months on from my stent surgery.
I am working with my gp who is amazing, and we finally agreed on a new approach to meds. As I was feeling so ill or having side effects which was seriously impacting my quality of life.
The beta blocker we could stop as I do not have angina since op, and cardiologist approved dropping that. Aspirin is essential after stent surgery so for life.
The statin saga was awful, tried every one available for months at a time, made me feel in agony. So we’ve stopped all those. She explained the percentage difference station would make between having heart attack/stroke and not, the percentage is so tiny versus impact of effects on myself, that it wasn’t worth suffering.
I must emphasise this is very individual to me and my health journey, everyone is different. But I do think it sounds like you need a good chat and revue with someone!
I wish you well with it all, it’s rotten to feel unwell constantly.
I’m the same as you stent in RCA - more than 95% blocked in January . Was told I can stop the clopidogrel after a year , but on aspirin for life . Various changes of meds . Can’t get on with any of the statins so awaiting a blood test to see if I can go on Ezitemebe instead ? Was on 10mg of ramipril , now reduced to 5mg , as this combined with Bisoprolol was causing my bp to drop too low .the meds are all trial and error . Hopefully you’ll get the right combination for you . Wish you all the best in your recovery
Thank you. I have been experimenting with taking the drugs one ant a time rather than morning ones in one go, evening ones in one go. Things start to go downhill side effect wise after the Ranolazine, so maybe that is the culprit. I will try and make an appointment with the pharmacist I think.
As I understand it, Ezetimibe is for taking in combination with a statin, rather than instead of as I am told it enhances the effect of the statin.
I have been told I can stop the clopidogrel after a year, but I was only given aspirin for a month. This may be because I was already on Edoxaban for AF.
It is all rather complicated and getting clarity on the whys and wherefores is a bit of a battle!
Those are all standard after a stent but some of them can cause problems and all could be changed. The problem is finding out which is causing what. After my heart attack and stents every single one of my tablets was changed. The worst one for nausea was lansoprazole. Your clopidogrel will be stopped after a year. I had bisopralol which dropped my BP and heart rate far too low so that was changed then stopped. I'm not sure which of yours is the BP/heart rate tablet. Have a talk to he pharmacist at your GP surgery about possible alternatives.
Plavix (Claudipril) is essential for 12 months after stent placement. The last thing you want is for that stent to clog. It is a blood thinner. Are you also taking a baby aspirin?
I was put on aspirin for one month, as I have been on edoxaban for years, so was already anticoagulated. And I am now also on clopidogrel and do understand the importance of taking it for the 12 months.
It is some of the pother meds that are causing me problems I think, notably ranolazine.
I have a serious side effect of numbness in my legs, and to a lesser extent my hands. It is becoming a real problem.
Obviously, I can’t give medical advice, but Ranolazine was the problem for me. It caused nausea, weakness and visual disturbance (scotoma – sections of my vision obscured, rather like you get with migraine but without the pain). My GP agreed that given my good blood pressure, regular heartbeat and lack of angina or other chest pain that Ranolazine was “over the top” and most likely unnecessary. I stopped taking them and felt much better within a week.
Sorry to hear this , you are not alone . I’m similar to you. Had HA two months ago and have osteoporosis. The effects of medication can be quite overwhelming at times. My BP was very low so Ramipril was stopped after seeing GP as it was affecting my recovery. I’d pursue with your Gp if no improvement soon.
On the good side I’m happy to have survived and enjoying small walks and pottering around the house taking regular breaks. Still feel it’s early days though so I’m accepting that it will take a year to get back to some near normal again. Cardio rehab has been great and I hope you get chance to start that soon.
Good luck with your recovery, better days are on their way 😊
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