Medications

[Dugstar]

Hi 🖐 my hubby had heart attack a week ago whilst on cruise 🛳 he had stent fitted in Belgium! He's now on 9 different medications 💊 which I know he has to take but he's acting so erratic & very agitated did anyone else feel like this thanks 😊 he also has to take 8 all at once in the morning then 1 at night as cardiologist told him . Any thoughts 😕

[Lowerfield_no_more]

Unfortunately I can't comment on your husband's medical condition as it presents itself at the moment , but what I can suggest is that you get him onto a waiting list with a hospital cardio team through your GP to ensure his ongoing care, if you have not done so already. Your GP will have to refer him. And if he has any discharge notes in French or Flemish get them translated so that you can pass them on to your UK medical team so they have a relevant medical history in English. Finally I suggest you need to enquire about cardio recovery. Most, but unfortunately not all, UK NHS patients receive this usually organised by the cardio team following a heart event , but sincethis occurred out of the UK that may not apply. This usually takes place about 6 to 8 weeks after the event. But if there is nothing available the BHF run an online course if you search for that, which is certainly better than nothing.

[Dugstar in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

Hi thankyou for your reply we've seen our gp referral has been done x

[Avagra]

I had HA Oct’22 and I’m still on 6 tablets in the morning and 3 in the evening and mood swings are still part of my recovery!

[Dugstar in reply to Avagra]

Thankyou what are the 3 you take at night 🌙

[Avagra in reply to Dugstar]

80mg Atorvastatin, 2.5mg Ramipril and 1.25 Bisiprolol

[Dugstar in reply to Avagra]

Thankyou x

[Batty55 in reply to Avagra]

Hi - I was diagnosed with heart failure & kidney failure out of the blue. Regardless of medications, it’s a huge thing that has happened to us & I still am in shock at times and struggle with the implications & fallout from it.

I contacted British Heart Foundation & spoke to the nurses there. They have been amazing. Please contact them - they can help. Good luck. 🙃

[Dugstar in reply to Batty55]

Thankyou ❤️

[Qualipop]

It sounds quite unusual to take all those tablets at once. Have a talk to your GP . My beta blocker especially was taken at night or I was asleep for the whole day. It sounds as if your husband is acting oddly, partly because of the shock of what's happened and partly because of his meds. I assume the leaflet with the tablets isn't written in English or I'd say read each one and see is this is listed as a side effect. Your doctor or the practice pharmacist are the best ones to find out and although your husband isn't yet under a cardiologist here, your GP can contact one for advice if he's not sure. ALso asthe previous poster said, do try to get your husband on cardiac rehab.

[Dugstar in reply to Qualipop]

Thankyou so much x

[Suebedoo]

my brother had a heart attack in Austria two years ago. They gave him two stents and loads of medication. They also said he would need a further stent/op when he got back to uk. Once he was back in the UK, he received rehab and his medication was tweaked. There was no need for a further op. After about three months of gradually increasing things, he was fine.

[Dugstar in reply to Suebedoo]

Thanks think we will know more once he's seen cardiologist here in the uk then 😀

[YITOPM]

Morning. Firstly recognising that you almost died and have a flaw that could come back at any time is traumatic and completely up-ends your idea of living. I had 4 stents about 3 yrs ago. Emotionally it settles down over time. At least he has you to support him. Good luck. I take 7 pills in morning, 3 at lunchtime and 3 in evening. To manage it I bought a pillbox off Amazon that has compartments for morning, lunch and evening, for all 7 days of the week. So on one day I sort them all out and then for 7 days just have to pop the pills. The daily compartments are removable so it can easily be carried with you for the day (pocket sized). Best of luck to him and you.

[Dugstar in reply to YITOPM]

Thankyou I will do anything I can for him he is my rock now its my time to be his xx I've got a pill organiser & I sort them x having contact with people like yourself that are going through it is helping me to get an understanding on how he must feel xx

[Scroll]

took a while but my emotions settled to a more even keel but took me about 8 months,

I take 5 when I wake, 7 at 8am, 2 at 12, 5 at 6 and 3 at bedtime.

My cardiac nurse had me split the ramapril to twice a day as well as the bisoprasol. Then later the same when I was put on dapagaflozin, but that went to 8 and 12,

[Dugstar in reply to Scroll]

Thankyou ❤️

[cotonh]

My husband is also taking 9 medications but they are half in the morning and half in the evening.. However when he first started taking them in hospital he had a period of being very erratic and agitated and totally out of character. I found it very frightening and worried this would be a permanent state. As he was in hospital I had all the support of the hospital which was great. In hospital they took him off some of the medications and "started again" building them up gradually. He became himself after 3 weeks. We only got back to the full cocktail of drugs recently and every time a new one is added or a dose increase he is very tired and some times feels quite spaced out. One of the "4 pillars" of types of medication prescribed was stopped because he was sleeping so much and felt so spaced out. As well as the BHF site you can also look at Pumping Marvellous. As many others are saying crucial to get the GP to refer to a UK cardiac team and get them taking over and adjusting the medication as needed for your husband - everyone seems to land up with their own unique cocktail but where you start is with the common cocktail they give all be it in this case a Belgian one.

[Dugstar in reply to cotonh]

Thank you how is your husband doing now 😊

[cotonh in reply to Dugstar]

Thank for asking. He is waiting for a by-pass operation and is anxious about that but he is not agitated or erratic. He finds it hard, like many people on here, to accept what has happened to him and to his heart, he is usually an active man and has been shocked that he has heart problems. He currently sleeps a lot during the day and tires on exertion so we hope the by-pass grafts will bring more blood to his heart and give it more power again.

[Mulgrave23]

I had my HA 1st Jan 23 in Australia and had a stent installed, and was on a cocktail of tablets from day one. After being a person who didn't like taking a pill for a headache, I ended up on about 11 a day.. and my head and body had some freeky side effects, tiredness, but couldn't sleep and when I did sleep, some very vivid and sometimes, disturbing dreams, I believe it just takes some time for the body to adjust to all the new chemicals coursing through your system, but it will get better..I was lucky enough to be put in contact with the Heart Failure Clinic in my area, who after 6 months, numerous blood tests and med adjustments I now on the maximum dosage I need and the slightly weird side effects have gone, However I'm still on 7 tablets a day and will be on these from now on.

I would also suggest you reach out to see if there is a group at your local hospital or gym, that provide exercise classes with specialists in cardiac rehab, as it's a great way to build confidence in how much you can physically do, and it really helps to meet people in the same and similar situations.. I found it helped to alleviate a lot of the fears of the unknown that I was feeling, and when you mentally feel at ease, I found that I physically felt better.

I wish you and your husband all the very best..

[skyseaka60 in reply to Mulgrave23]

I have also had an 'HA' about 2 years ago with complete blockage of the L.A.D. and my right anterior descending was nearly blocked as well. I had symptoms for nearly 6 months and about for 6 months I would arise from my bed at about 11 pm and had to rest my chest on a footstool for at least 40 minutes to alleviate the pain. The reason I am still alive today is I was a very healthy person who was overdosed on Statins to control moderate Cholesterol which has given me the affliction of 'Peripheral Neuropathy. My heart was generating extra capillaries which is why I am alive today. The heart problem was caused by lack of sleep due to the constant pain mainly in my legs from the Statins. With no deep sleep, a heart condition can evolve as it did with me. I will never retake a Statin, please research and take high doses of Ubiquinone which is food for every muscle and cell in your body and your heart is the largest muscle. Statins stop the production of COQ10/Ubiquinone which is highly important.

[Dugstar in reply to Mulgrave23]

Thankyou so much x

[Kimberly07]

hello dugstar I had my HA in 2018 and 1 stent fitted and was also put on 9 different meds the same as your hubby 8 in the morning and 1 at night. My mood was just as you explained your hubbys is. I kept going back to my doc and she said this behaviour is to be expected after such a huge event, A friend also said to me to expect mood changes even depression after a HA but I didn’t think it would happen to me as I’m normally quite a jolly person. Things did settle down but took quite a while and I did have my meds changed a few times not all of them for example atorvastatin was at 80mg then changed to 40 mg then down to 20 then 10 also the blood pressure tablets were changed took 2 yrs for me to settle on the meds and get the right mg. Now when I think about it HA are life changing and I understand now why I had such erratic moods one minute life if sweet and then boom HA and life changes. I sure things will settle down eventually for you hubby and it is still early days. I had to reply to you because when I read your comment it reminded me how I was then

[Dugstar in reply to Kimberly07]

Thankyou this is exactly how my hubby is I don't want him to think I'm moaning because I'm not but it's putting my mind at rest to know its part of his recovery process xx

[Classic100]

Hello. Sorry to hear your husband has had heart attack whilst on cruise holiday. This must have been very frightening for you both. Firstly he could still be in some kind of shock and trying to come to terms with what happened which may be hard for him. Secondly, I am no medic but his medication may be causing some side effects and he may need to talk this through with his GP and get help and advise regarding his symptoms.Wishing you both well and hope you manage to get things sorted.

[Dugstar in reply to Classic100]

Thankyou x

[Nelson71]

his system has taken a huge shock. It also affects you mentally. It took me about a year before I got back to ‘ normal.’ You are generally on lots of medication to start just to make sure the stent works and to give your heart time to recover. As the months go by your meds will reduce. I ended up on four including aspirin, a statin, a beta blocker and vitamin D3. I think the D3 helped when I had Covid as well as I just had a slight fever for a couple of days and lost the sense of smell (about 2 months)

[Dugstar in reply to Nelson71]

Thankyou I will let him know ☺️

[HeartyJames]

I would just say let him talk about how he feels every day. My wife has listened to me for 3 years. It plays on your mind a lot especially if heart failure is significant and things keep changing as in my case. Now my kidneys getting effected with egfr of 53. It just as hard for the wives too.. Drugs can effect you too, especially fatique . Sounds like he is ok as had a stent, mine (RCA) remains blocked so EF is 30-35%

Cardiac rehab support is essential. I also found anti depressant mirtazapine useful. Just stopped those after three years. So good luck. Its normal though.

[Dugstar in reply to HeartyJames]

Thankyou ❤️

[JamesB-007]

If you haven't already done so, get a pill organiser so you can dispense the medications into time and day sections. This make it easier than doing one med at a time.I am on heart and pain meds, so take a load of meds each day.

Once you husband is referred to cardiology in the UK and his GP has all his medication on repeat dispensing, my word of advice is to keep checking you have enough medication for the next week. My anxiety increases if this is not the case....also suggest he registers for the Patient Access or NHS app service so you can order meds online, so much easier.

Everyone is under pressure within the NHS but don't sit back waiting for things to happen. In my area the admin is poor, particularly when you are under multiple NHS services and hospitals. Don't be afraid to chase outpatient appointments or even consultant's secretaries.

Your husband is likely to suffer anxiety and even depression after his cardiac event. This is normal and should reduce once he is stable and takes his medication regularly.

Hope he recovers well.

Best

[Dugstar in reply to JamesB-007]

Thanks I've got pill organiser have nhs app & sorted pre payment certificate saw our gp on Tuesday so hopefully will hear from cardiology soon x I'm trying to act normal but it's so frightening he says I keep looking at him 👀 xx

[JamesB-007 in reply to Dugstar]

And that is normal as well but you will reduce your observations over time. There will be a period of adjustment for both of you but this will resolve itself over time.

Looking at him all all the time shows you care 😍

Best

[cotonh in reply to JamesB-007]

I too keep looking at my husband and find myself looking at the door if he goes out and does not come back when I expect him, then I jump if the phone goes imagining I am off to the hospital...

[Dugstar in reply to cotonh]

It's so worrying isn't it even harder to try & not show it or fuss round them 😕

[iansHealth1]

it’s funny that you read other peoples account of their maladies and find yourself nodding along and muttering ‘yep’, ‘had that’, ‘oh, forgot about that one.’

I think, ‘I’ used deliberately, that the massive shock to your nervous system and the trauma to your body after a HA, MUST have some sort of ‘lasting’, maybe temporary, effect on your mental state.

Then we go from necking the odd ibru or para after a heavy session on the lemonade to RELIGIOUSLY taking numerous drugs - many of them harsh and powerful - every day.

‘I’ think, MH issues are par for the course, after what is for many, a near death experience. Or worse.

Support and understanding is the root of anyone’s recovery.

Just my opinion after three Heart issues.

[Dugstar in reply to iansHealth1]

Thankyou ❤️

[Pottsgene]

sorry to hear about your husband. I am a Cardiac Nurse. As regarding 9 medicines that is normally about right but without his full diagnosis and scan results it is hard to say. Heart patients with stents will always go home with 2 blood thinners, 2 heart tablets BUT if heart muscle been affected 3 heart tablets, cholesterol tablet and a stomach acid tablet. It might be taking all his heart tablets together in the morning is dropping his blood pressure so you may need to give him some at breakfast and some at lunch time. You GP will need to do an urgent medication review, hopefully the hospital in Belgium have sent all his details across ready for him to see a cardiologist for his 6 week check up and start his cardiac rehab program to get him back on his feet safely. It is a 6 week recovery after heart attack, slow and steady, no heavy lifting m, no driving for 4 weeks and no work for 6 weeks whilst recovering.

[Dugstar in reply to Pottsgene]

Thankyou the referral is done just waiting game now for cardiology hopefully won't be too long xx

[Bluelobby]

Hes probably erractic, agitated, due to getting his head around having a heart attack. Its difficult to understand if you havnt had one yourself, its difficult to talk to family etc who havnt been through one . Took me around 7 months to get my head around what happened and to get used to the medication. He'll be his old self in time just give him time

[Dugstar in reply to Bluelobby]

Thankyou ❤️

[Bobkins99]

When I came out of hospital following mitral valve repair in 2022 I was on 13 tablets a day, I am now down to 3 in the morning and 5 in the evening. It'll be that for life I'm afraid. It takes a while to get the doses settled and I have 6 month blood tests with my GP to make sure everything is working as should, but it's better than the alternative😉

[Dugstar in reply to Bobkins99]

Thankyou ❤️

[Lmcroy]

I am also on 7 tablets in the morning and one at nighttime. I have had two heart attacks the last one a year ago. Two stents fitted. It will take time mentally as well as physically to come to terms with what has happened.

Take care ❤️‍🩹

[Dugstar in reply to Lmcroy]

Thankyou ❤️‍🩹

[Warm-heart]

In addition to everyone else's suggestions (and for sure medications can cause side effects like this, and should in theory reduce with time) bear in mind that the anaesthetic itself can take a good couple of weeks to fully wear off in its side effects, which can affect mood/ behaviour. And definitely worth getting the meds reviewed in due course. A lot for you both to absorb & process, the shock is immense. Even more so away from home on what was meant to be a beautiful holiday...

[Dugstar in reply to Warm-heart]

Consultant said he had been living on adrenaline and once he slowed down & fully relaxed that's why it happened xx

[TasteLessFood4Life]

Out of interest was that in AZ in Bruges? Reason, why I am asking is because my late dad was treated there for his bypass and sadly died there too many years later.

I am quite familiar with this Hospital.