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Junior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 16
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 16
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Quote:
I'm not sure this belongs here in a neurotalk forum, but thought I'd throw it out just in case somebody knows something about it. My husband, always healthy and strong, spent a week in the hospital last month after being in stage 4 heart failure for several days (we didn't realize it, of course.) His heart rate was 150 bpm when he first checked in, & the official diagnosis was Atrial Fibrillation with Rapid Ventricular Response. After all the tests and scopings were done, it turns out he had no clots, no blockages, no plaque, no heart disease, everything looked just dandy, but even when they tried shocking his heart 5 times to get it back into normal rhythm, it didn't work.
So, after 2 weeks on a bunch of meds, he went back in for another shock, and this time it worked. However, for the next 3 months he still has to wear a "LifeVest" (with a built-in defibrillator in case his heart stops) and has to keep taking these meds. Don't get me wrong; I'm grateful for the LifeVest for sure, and also grateful for these meds that slowed his heart rate and are keeping his blood thinned to prevent clots in case the Afib returns. He lost 15 pounds of water that were pressing around his lungs.
I'm just a bit concerned. He's taking Xarelto, Digoxen, Fenofibrrate, Carvedilol, Furosemide, Simvastatin, Sotalol & a baby aspirin. I mean... that's enough to gag an elephant. And, that's only the meds. I've been making him take handsfuls of vitamins, minerals and other supplements for years, morning & night. I am, of course, of the opinion that they're what's kept him so healthy & maybe even what kept his heart from stopping last month. I've added an extra fish oil and resveratrol to his regimen. I can't imagine losing him. I mean, I know, we all have to face it some day. But if it can be put off a few extra decades?
So, if it's not out of place to ask about heart meds, does anyone have input on this list? I imagine that the side effects must exist, but at this point I figure the benefits outweigh the risks. Hopefully he can go off them if his heart behaves itself.
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Unfortunately, that's a pretty normal list for someone with a-fib and CHF. I don't know how educated you are regarding the meds, just in case you're not...the Xarelto is a blood thinner. It's used because when the heart is in atrial fibrillation, the atrium (the upper chamber of the heart) is basically just twitching and is in spasm, rather than contracting like it's supposed to. When it's doing this, you're at a much higher risk for developing blood clots in the heart that can then go to the brain, causing a stroke. Digoxin is used to treat both heart failure and atrial fibrillation. How it works is a little more complicated, but it basically both increases and makes the contractions of the heart more effective. The fenofibrate and the simvastatin are for cholesterol. I'm guessing his was high? Carvedilol is a beta blocker. It helps with heart rate control (and blood pressure if that's an issue), furosemide is a diuretic for the heart failure, sotalol is for ventricular (lower part of the heart) arrhythmias, you said he had a rapid ventricular response?, and a baby aspirin is to prevent clots as well, it inhibits platelets from clumping in the blood vessels, while the xarelto directly interferes with the clotting cascade.
I would also make sure you run the vitamin and supplement list by his cardiologist. Many supplements can interfere with meds. Digoxin especially interacts with a lot.
I hope this helps a little...
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