Drugs! It's all about drugs!
Jan. 20th, 2016 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamsharkSo I started taking some new meds after learning that sometime in the past I had a heart attack that I completely failed to notice. Most of these are the type of maintenance meds that have no really obvious effect except that years go by without you dropping dead.
The statin, for instance. I'm supposed to go in to the clinic in a few weeks and get my cholesterol checked, and then maybe I'll know if that one is helping. I don't notice any side effects, so that's good.
It took a few weeks to really kick in, but the BP med (Losartan) does seem to have lowered my blood pressure noticeably. I used to average around 137/85. My average is now 121/75. There are still a few outlier high readings (153/89) but way fewer of those than I used to get. There is a lot of variability in individual readings, but the average has been holding steady.
But the Toprol - OMG. That's the beta blocker I was hesitant about taking because of the side effects. After much discussion with my cardiologist, we decided to start by cutting the smallest available pill in half for an effective dose of 25mg. I started it a week ago. According to my BP monitor, my resting pulse immediately dropped from about 58 to 52. BP is maybe down a little bit too, but it's so erratic it's hard to tell without a larger sample.
The day after starting the Toprol I went to the gym and did the exact same treadmill workout I've been doing for the past month or two: 20 minutes "cruising" at 3.4 mph with three 1-minute intervals at 4.0. My cruising HR has been about 124 for many years. With the Toprol it starts at 114, and very very slowly increases to 119. Similarly, it's 5-10 beats below normal during faster intervals.
This is actually exactly what this medication is supposed to do - calm down the heart. I just didn't expect the effect to be so pronounced at such a low dose. And I didn't expect it to kick in immediately. Of course, maybe it's not done kicking in. Maybe the effect is going to keep increasing. I certainly hope not. I do feel just a little light-headed now and then. Tolerable at this level, but not if it gets worse. Thank God I didn't start with the full 50mg dose - I probably would have keeled right over.
The statin, for instance. I'm supposed to go in to the clinic in a few weeks and get my cholesterol checked, and then maybe I'll know if that one is helping. I don't notice any side effects, so that's good.
It took a few weeks to really kick in, but the BP med (Losartan) does seem to have lowered my blood pressure noticeably. I used to average around 137/85. My average is now 121/75. There are still a few outlier high readings (153/89) but way fewer of those than I used to get. There is a lot of variability in individual readings, but the average has been holding steady.
But the Toprol - OMG. That's the beta blocker I was hesitant about taking because of the side effects. After much discussion with my cardiologist, we decided to start by cutting the smallest available pill in half for an effective dose of 25mg. I started it a week ago. According to my BP monitor, my resting pulse immediately dropped from about 58 to 52. BP is maybe down a little bit too, but it's so erratic it's hard to tell without a larger sample.
The day after starting the Toprol I went to the gym and did the exact same treadmill workout I've been doing for the past month or two: 20 minutes "cruising" at 3.4 mph with three 1-minute intervals at 4.0. My cruising HR has been about 124 for many years. With the Toprol it starts at 114, and very very slowly increases to 119. Similarly, it's 5-10 beats below normal during faster intervals.
This is actually exactly what this medication is supposed to do - calm down the heart. I just didn't expect the effect to be so pronounced at such a low dose. And I didn't expect it to kick in immediately. Of course, maybe it's not done kicking in. Maybe the effect is going to keep increasing. I certainly hope not. I do feel just a little light-headed now and then. Tolerable at this level, but not if it gets worse. Thank God I didn't start with the full 50mg dose - I probably would have keeled right over.
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no subject
Date: 2016-01-21 12:06 pm (UTC)Or so it seems to me...
no subject
Date: 2016-01-21 08:14 pm (UTC)As in, they don't reduce the risk of heart attacks. they do lower cholesterol but that doesn't turn out to be all that. Worth looking into anyway. I'm glad your heart issue is being addressed, anyway. I like you. :)
no subject
Date: 2016-01-21 09:02 pm (UTC)"There’s little doubt that statins are effective in reducing heart attacks and deaths from heart disease in people who already have heart disease..."
The controversy seems to be about over-enthusiastic proponents who want EVERYBODY to be taking statins, whether they have heart disease or not (which is bonkers). Until very recently, I assumed I was in that group. Turns out I was wrong.
The experts are still trying to untangle cause and effect where cholesterol is concerned, but I think there's a reasonable chance that high cholesterol contributes to arterial plaque buildup. At least in people who have the genes for arteriosclerosis, which I clearly do (my father died of a heart attack at age 54). Statins clearly lower LDL cholesterol, and also seem to have an anti-inflammatory effect (which I would be very happy to have for other reasons).