Now I know we are speaking of the same medicine :)
As I said above, I feel bad lots of the times and part of it is pain in my legs and especially my calves. I had this before I started the Avapro, but it seems to be worse. I also notice a bit of chest pain that isn't due to angina, which I am so acquainted with :( It is a pain that is hard to describe, although it is not significant at this point.
I never have indigestion due to taking 40 mg of prilosec per day.
I always feel "very offish", so,,,,, I cannot blame that on the Avapro :) No, I do know what you mean and physically I do feel the same.
I take 80mg of Lasix probably 3 out of 5 days. I take it for fluid retention and never really consider the reduction in BP from the medicine. I need to do that and check my BP on a day that I take it.... It may go a bit too low and make me feel worse?
I really don't like Lasix due to side effects. One is that over the years, it can effect your hearing. I believe it has made my bad hearing worse :(
Also it seems the dose has to be increased, over time. That, I guess, is due either to a medical tolerance, or increased fluid retention.
It also removes lots of potassium. I take prescription potassium supplements, but I have to balance that with the fact that Avapro tends to increase potassium (I think). I do wonder about my potassium level though. I need to get a metabolic panel/test I think, to determine my electrolyte status.
Thank you for your most upbeat, positive and very informative post :) It really helps. Yes my present is definitely tied to my past. I was reminded of how far I am from Cleveland last night when I had angina. Bummer, if I don't make it to the CC, I will have the big rip :)
So sorry you had to experience the calcium channel blockers and their ballooning effects :( I am sure that you know how controversial this class of medicines were a few years ago. Really I guess most main stream cardiologist had stopped prescribing them after clinical trials or "studies" revealed increased mortality rates from CCB use, I believe. I shan't search this, lol.
Then, lo and behold, other studies were done to prove the opposite! I think these were funded by the shareholders of the companies that manufacturer the CCBs...
Now the doctors make use of them when desperate, or when they are the best medicine, as in coronary artery spasm induced angina, I think I have read. Don't believe much of this... Going from memory.
So glad to hear of your success with diuretics :) I take Lasix but not every day. I have never checked my BP or heart rate after I have taken it. I take a beta blocker (atenolol) which does a good job of keeping my heart rate fairly low, or <75 most of the time (but >0 he he he). Maybe it doesn't raise my heart rate? I will soon check.
I couldn't hold anymore cholesterol. I am full of it :)
The CC is a great place and yes I am fortunate to have been able to go there. Did you know the doctors there work for a salary and do not have private practices? They only work for the hospital, but they are very, very busy. It is a large hospital, especially the heart disease/cardiology section. It is also a non-profit organization. The stent cost around 1/4 of what they do in Alabamy :)
I have to make an appointment at the C.C. to see a surgeon for minimally invasive bypass surgery, after last night. I may not be ready, but I would like for them to be ready :)
I can't take statins :(
I would love to see a hypertensive specialist, especially if this Avapro is causing chest pain.
Ah geeze, I was afraid of that. I remember when I read of your weeks success... The thought ran through my mind that, well that it might take more time to tell. What all kinds of meds have you tried for BP control? That may be to hard to come up with. It is like a turkey shoot kind of anyway. They, the docs, throw everything they have at you. I, like yourself, really know how that goes.
You and I also know how important it is to keep our BP under control. I could probably get used to the not so good feeling that Avapro has given me, as a trade off for the excellent BP control. Don't know yet... If it causes angina, that is another game altogether. We don't have forever to tinker and experiment with medicines sometimes, but I am sure that you will find a med to do the trick for you. It is out there :)
I called the CC today. I am to go there for a surgical evaluation and have the MID-CAB surgery (one trip), that is if they agree it needs to be done, lol. They performed my last of nine heart catheterizations, so they have the latest angiogram. I saw my doc here and had an echocardiogram about a month ago, which was a month after the stent at the CC. I am to have my local cardio's office fax the results of my last appointment and the cd of my echocardiogram to the CC.
My doc at the CC will get with the surgeon there and make the evaluation. If I am lucky, the nice receptionist will call with a date for the MID-CAB surgery. I told her today I wanted it ASAP.... The surgeon I chose did his undergraduate work at MIT and completed medical school at Harvard....Did his residency at the CC. Very impressive credentials. Wow I am so lucky. Last night I could see myself getting my chest sawed through for a single vessel bypass, at my local hospital. Not a pretty thought or vision.
Well I will stop the rambling and yes I will see a BP man if I go to the CC. I will also ask a question to him, for you :) Wishing you luck with A BP medicine :)
I wonder if you could list any (and all) side effects you think you are having with the Avapro?
I know too well that trying to determine which drugs are responsible for which side effects is nearly impossible when on multiple rx drugs, unless they were introduced one at a time. I thought I'd ask, anyway, just in case you can come up with something specific. The reason I'd like to know is that I could be asked to try this medication also. If Avapro causes you angina, I NEED to know about that. The general feeling of being unwell (well, pretty sick is more like it) is a result of our bodies trying to cope with and process all the chemicals our doctors have us consume. :eek:
Do they do the caths AFTER every procedure? I can see the need for them prior to the surgery. I don't like them but as a diagnostic tool they are hard to beat! I hope you''ll be assigned a date soon and get this underway. Keep us informed!
I also am on Avapro, and like many others, couldn't tolerate the Ace's, nasty cough and heart Palps. I keep telling my dr. the Avapro gives me nasty backaches, and leg (calf)pain, plus I use the little girls room alot. He thinks it is all in my head, but I have read up on it, and those are side effects. I was on 150 mgs. and cut it back to 75, seems a little better.
Yes, ARBs and Aces do tend to hold the potassium, another reason they put me on it, as I tend to get low potassium.
Next Dr. visit I think we are going to have to have a serious discussion, as I am sick of the back and calf pain. Why don't drs. listen? :confused:
Good luck to all, hopefully you find something with less side effects.
Hello again... I tell you, it is hard, as you say, to pin down the exact side effects of Avapro. I think JJ has a better grip on these nasties, lol. Anyone that is semi-healthy and only on BP med would do much better than I in describing these side effects :(
At this point, I do not believe Avapro caused my bout with angina the other night. However there is a slight chest pain that seems non-cardiac related, that I have from time to time that is a new pain, and only started after I began taking Avapro. It is like a muscular soreness in the chest muscles.
I have had pain in my calves, especially when I walk on an incline, for a long time. I think it is due to peripheral vascular disease (PAD). The pain in my calves seems worse and occurs when I am sitting, after starting Avapro. I also feel run down and maybe like I have the flu. This flu feeling and the increased calf pain I suspect might be due to Avapro. I am not 100% sure though. I hate to give a good medicine a bad reputation when it doesn't deserve it.
[[COLOR="Red"]removed]
Since I had a heart attack and have CAD, a bad bout with angina (2-3 days) always puts me on the cath table for an angiogram. I never get the stress tests anymore. They know my coronary arteries are diseased and have existing blockages. I have 4 stents, end to end in a "kiss me" arrangement in my left anterior descending artery. The stents are around 3.19 inches long. I have a 30-40% blockage in the middle of these stents now, per my last cath or angiogram at the CC.
Cardiac catheterization and angiogram are synonymous with me, but they are really two different deals. The catheter is inserted into the femoral artery and threaded up to and into the aorta and if need be, into a coronary artery. It is used to "squirt" the contrast dye into the artery. A nuclear camera images this dye and actually makes the angiogram which is placed on a cd (maybe a DVD nowadays), lol. Really.
The catheter (plastic wire) is also used to insert stents, perform angioplasty (crush plaque 360 degrees against the wall of an artery with a pressurized balloon) and other things like ablation (destroy tiny amounts of heart tissue) to stop arrhythmias. It is all so amazing.
Thanks for the well wishes. I need them :)
P.S. Avapro is also causing my feet to hurt! (I think) :)
Sorry to hear about your developing adverse effects to two classes of BP medicines. That is serious, but I think you will find your med. You may have to see a hypertension specialist as Flowergirl has suggested.
ACEi's in addition to the cough, also caused a discomfort in my windpipe, lol. I think it was affecting my swallowing.
I have had a backache before I started Avapro (osteoarthritis), but it may be a tad worse now, I really don't know.
You have gave me a good idea. I am going to cut back to 75mg of Avapro per day, tonight. You know how some BP meds are I guess, in that sometimes a half dose works as well as a full dose.
Yep, I also have doctors that are hard of hearing :)
Thanks for your information. I also hope that we all find a medicine with little to no side effects (miracle?). Will be in touch :)
I take it you are staying with the Avapro for now. :) The side effects you described you'd had initially while on 160mg dose do not seem as bad as those of some of the other BP meds. Now that you are on 75mg things are better for you and the side effects more tolerable. One thing you forgot to mention: have you seen a good reduction in your blood pressure while on this medication? Does it work?
thank you for your comments! they are much appreciated.
Flowergirl
huck, I am very sensative to meds. of any sort, so it doesn't surprise me if there is a side effect to get, I will get it. The Altace was horrid, and it wasn't a dry cough, it was like having pneumonia, coughing your brains out with plenty of stuff coming up, plus it did nothing for my BP.
The Avapro is alot more tolerable, but it does seem the lower dose is even better. Like anything, we have to make trials with some things. I am very petite, so as one dr. told me years ago, a doseage for the average person, might just not be for me. Oh well, I'll stick with it till my next visit in another month, and then see if he still thinks I'm nuts...LOL
God help us all trying to find the right med., but it has to be out there somewhere, so we just hang in there. Like you, I have had a bad back for many years, but since taking the Avapro, it is almost a constant thing. It is fine when I wake in the a.m., but within an hr. of taking the meds., the ole back is a mess, and the trips to the little girls room start. I purposely tried waiting till 11 a.m., from 9 a.m. to take it to see, and yup, I'm fine till then, so I know it isn't my imagination.
Let us know if lowering the dose helps, ya never know, and Good luck!!
***************************************************
flowergirl2day...Yes, since lowering the dose, the pain is more tolerable, and so far the BP is staying fairly steady, about 124-128/78-82, same as the 150 dose. Of course when I go to the dr. it goes up, bad case of white coat, but after talking with the dr. for awhile and I quiet down, it goes down.
I will admit it is working much better then the Altace, man that stuff sucked! I have talked with many people who have the same complaint about Altace, including my son, who is a nurse. He says he sees it alot in folks. They switched him to Diovan, and so far, he has no complaints. Diovan is also an ARB, but so far, he seems fine with it. As they say, different strokes, for different folks.
Here is to all of us finding that "magic" pill!! Take care, and good luck.
It sounds like you could use a break from your meds. Sorry to hear about your peripheral vascular disease. It seems that when arteries start getting a little stiff (something we cannot prevent as we age), no areas of our bodies are spared. Our cardiovascular system works as a whole and when some of the blood vessels sustain damage, there's a strong likelihood that there are others elsewhere in our bodies with similar damage. Of course, high blood pressure damages our arteries over time and makes them more susceptible to further damage. That is why it's so important to maintain an optimal & healthy level of blood pressure. Sometimes the BP medications are the only way to achieve adequate BP control.
It sounds as is you are getting good results with Avapro. You say your blood pressure is perfect. Well, you've got that going for you! Are you going to stay with Avapro? I have not heard anything I did not like about this medication so far. Good! I'd be willing to give it a try.
We call the catherization an angiogram here. The interventional cardiologists can insert the stents & do whatever else needs doing during this procedure. When you go in for one, they have you sign a consent form in which you agree to have whatever they deem necessary done while they have you there on the table. It also warns you of complications (nasty) and lists them. They usually have you sign it after you've been prepped and sedated and are hooked up to the monitors and cannot even raise your arm (never mind hold a pen-they hold it for you-, or read a single word of what it says in very fine print, with your vision blurry and no glasses on) :D
You also have an option to refuse any procedure other than the test.
I did not know one could have so many over a short period of time. I guess you can if different points of entry are used. My wallet cards said no re-entry for 90 days.
Yes, I have tried Avapro, and so far have not had any side effects. This is amazing to me, because I have tried so many classes of BP meds: allergic reactions to ACE, other ARB's, Beta blockers , lasix and even tried a vasolidator that had me feeling like a drugged zombie from one pill and I was supposed to take it 4 times a day.
My cardiologist has been working with me, since I am allergic to so many meds. At first, he was being patient about it (as my internist was not!). I told him that due to my medical history (diabetes runs in my family and i am insulin resistant) and I have heard that betas can increase blood sugar and that ARBs help with insulin resistance, I would really like to try to find an ARB that I am not allergic to. I even went so far as to try and look at the chemical structures of the 7 ARB's to find one that doesn't have an "S" - assuming that I am allergic to the sulfa component that is in some of the ARB's (this was a suggestion from my pharmacist, who also said he didn't have the time to do it). Anyway, I kept going back and trying each one, I believe I have tried 5 of the 7 total ARBs. Avapro is the only one that I did not have an allergic reaction to. I started of with half a pill (75 mg), and did not have any symptoms, but it didn't lower my BP at all. After a week, I went up to 150 mg and am holding with this dose. (I also had to wean off of Methyldopa, while starting the Avapro. This took about 2 months). Right now, on 150 mg of the Avapro, my BP usually runs about 138/85-95 and occasionally (late night or early am) I will sometimes get a reading of 150/100, which freaks me out. I might try upping the dose a little, but am worried if that will cause side effects. Is anyone taking Avapro at a dose higher than 150 mg? My cardiologist wants me to quit the Avapro and gave me an Rx for a CCB. Last visit, he had agreed with my concerns about CCBs and the increased risk of heart attacks and said that he would never prescribe me one. This visit, he said "no, I never said that" and prescribed it for me anyway, saying that the new studies show this isn't true. I believe with you Huckfinn, that the new studies were probably funded by the pharmacutical companies.
I am going to continue taking the Avapro, and combine it with some other natural remedies (taking magnesium, calcium, hawthorn berry, Co-Enzyme q-10) which my cardio approved of, and also renewing my resolve to exercise every day, do my breatheasy daily, and go back to a low carb diet. I never had high BP when I was on low carb.
stay away from the CCBs! After my recent experience with the horrid edema, caused by my CCB, I did more reading about them. I had known about the increased risks of MIs and read some of the studies previously but not enough of them to make me want to quit taking it. I am convinced now that it's not a good drug for one to take and am so glad I discontinued it.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the Avapro and doing the research. Every bit of info helps us to stay on top of things. Our doctors are too busy to worry about our reactions to rx meds much. They do not like to hear about side effects of our medications that we experience. Mý doctor usually changes the subject. Thanks to all the comments in these posts, I can tell my BP doctor there's at least one BP drug I have enough confidence in to try.
I have tried two ARBs to date but had allergic reactions to both.
Thanks very much for the information...much appreciated! :)
I am very sensitive to medicines also. I am especially finding it hard to tolerate many antibiotics, which is OT here, but fits into the big picture. I think one condition that I have-fatty liver- may have something to do with that. Most if not all drugs are metabolized in/by the liver, isn't that right? My liver condition is due to extremely high triglycerides, not alcohol, lol.
I decreased my dose of Avapro from 150 mg to 75 mg 2 nights ago. I checked my BP last night before I took my dose of Avapro. I take Avapro and the rest of my heart meds before I go to bed. This may not be the best schedule, I don't know. I take them at night because they are at peak concentrations in the morning when most heart attacks occur. This data may be old. I also take them at night because of side affects that I think are less bothersome during the day. Plus I never get up at the same time, lol.
Anyway, they say to check your BP just before it is time for the next dose, to see the most accurate effect the BP med is having on you. I checked my BP last night and it was fine-no change. I just now checked my BP and I think my diastolic BP might be trying to increase on the 75 mg dose. Maybe not.
I will post my BP's on the 75 mg dose. I do feel better in general and my leg or calf pain is much better. I must admit now that I stopped Zetia about 7 days ago, due to overall muscle pain which immediately got better. The calf pain did not though. I think it may have been due to Avapro. This is all just conjecture on my part, but I am trying to be as accurate as I can.
I just noticed that you are from the Great White North! I love Canada :)
Your knowledge of cardiac catheterizations is complete....It sounds as though you have had one? I hope not, but they are the "gold standard" as you say.
I could not have replied to Sonia any better at all myself. As a matter of fact you did it much better than I could have. I am referring to most doctor's attitudes about medicines and their side effects. Also your description of the CCBs...Yikes! I need to copy and paste your post to her :)
Sonia :)
Thanks for replying and for the information on Avapro. It really gives me hope. You supplied information that I knew nothing of, but surely needed to. Thanks much. I am insulin resistant, or by now I may be type 2 diabetic. I have been borderline for a few years.
I apologize for not having time for a proper post to you and Flowergirl. I must write my cardiologist and a thoracic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. I have their fax #!!!
