Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My brother suffered a minor heart attack last week. They gave him six medications to take daily and now he is a freaking down-syndrome freaking zombie. He's speech is completely slur, he walks like a zombie, stares into space like he wish he's dead. Gone are his happy self. His constant smile.
I took him back to the hospital and the doctors see nothing wrong with him and after a couple of days discharged him. At first they thought it might be stroke due to his slur but not sure now.
So my thing is, if it's not a stroke, it has to be the medication. The day he was released after the heart attack, he was himself. The next day when he took his medication....he hasn't been the same since.
I have a hard time trusting doctors and these pharmaceutical companies.
They gave me blood pressure medicine which made my blood pressure TOO LOW and the doctors were delighted! However I did not have enough energy to do anything - they seemed to think that did not matter!
Anyway these doctors need to consider the "quality of life" someone has along with the dosage they prescribe. Might want to point out to the doctor that a "zombie" is not going to have much of a life!
That zombie feeling is a side effect of some blood pressure lowering medication, but most often with time that feeling goes away and you feel more like a human being again. If it doesn't or it's intolerable you can talk to your doc about adjusting doses or finding another medication that is better for you. Often with blood pressure meds it is a matter of trial and error to find the meds that will best control your blood pressure and minimize side effects.
You can also talk things over with the docs to set a goal to minimize or eliminate the need for those meds if that is a possibility in your case.
Thanks for the input! I don't know how my brother is going back to work like this. That's what worries me. Hope his body gets use to it and he goes back to normal.
Thanks for the input! I don't know how my brother is going back to work like this. That's what worries me. Hope his body gets use to it and he goes back to normal.
Sometimes it takes a few weeks to a month or two (depending on the person) for those side effects of lethargy, tiredness and that Idontgiveadamn feeling to go away, hopefully your brother can take a little time off after his heart attack to recouperate, and he will have followup visits with his doctor to evaluate how he is doing on those meds and overall in the meantime.
I know how that goes. I have taken beta blocker drugs for years for supraventricular tachycardia, and those can do a number on your energy level. I was a regular zombie myself when I began taking those, but the alternative was a cardiac procedure that involved burning or freezing portions of the heart involved with the tachycardia, and that sounded too brutal to me. They told me I wohld need to take the beta blockers for the rest of my life without the cardiac ablation, so I hunkered down and got used to them, more or less. Fortunately they have done a good job of controlling the SVT, (along with avoiding the stimulant triggers), but I can't find a doctor out there who will tell me I can stop taking them.
Best of luck to you and your brother, and hope he recouperates well.
Why does someone need that much medication for a minor heart attack?
clopidogrel (brand name Plavix) inhibits blood clots
famotidine (Pepcid) heart-burn relief
aspir-low (aspirin)
atorvastatin (Lipitor) lowers cholesterol
carvedilol (Carvedilol is used to treat heart failure and hypertension (high blood pressure). It is also used after a heart attack that has caused your heart not to pump as well)
lisinopril (Lisinopril is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), congestive heart failure, and to improve survival after a heart attack.)
nitrostat (nitroglycerin) Preventing or relieving a sudden attack of angina (chest pain) caused by heart disease.
You will get better results by taking him regularly to a "primary care doctor" (family doctor) and a cardiologist. (As opposed to taking him to the hospital - for adjusting his medications.)
Doe he have a regular doctor?
Does he also have a cardiologist?
I also recommend that you get a blood pressure cuff for him and take his blood pressure three times a day - morning, noon, night. If his blood pressure is too low, call the hospital emergency room and ask what to do.
I would also recommend getting a thermometer and a pulse oximeter (goes over finger and gives blood oxygen level and pulse).
Then record his blood pressure, pulse, and blood oxygen three times a day - write it down. Take that to his doctor.
Doctors can be a LOT more helpful if they can see what his vital signs have been. Sometimes blood pressure can drop too low! But how do you know if you don't check it?
P.S. With myself, I will go to my primary care doctor two or three times in one week if necessary! Once things are adjusted, then maybe once every three months or six months. But keep going back if needed.
He takes that many meds to keep him alive. Plain and simple. May need adjustment but that's a different issue.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
