Open heart surgery symptoms and conditions

Hello everyone. I am a 40 year old female and have been on Toprol XL 50 mg. for about 6 years now. In the beginning I was taking Toprol, then because my prescription plan wanted to switch I am on Metoprolol. I was prescribed this after a stress test because my heart rate did not go down as quickly as the cardiologist wanted it. If only I knew what I did now, I would never have started it. HELLO!! I weighed 200 lbs. at the time and was a couch potato. What did he expect? Of course my heart rate wasn't going to go down being so out of shape. I am so angry that I was prescribed this drug for such a stupid reason. I am also on meds to lower my blood sugar and high blood pressure. I know that all of my problems are due to my weight and so I've made a decision to seriously change my diet so I can get off of all of this crap. I currently weigh 217 lbs. But as you all know, being on Toprol, it's so hard to lose weight. I want off of this crap as soon as possible. Can any one of you guys who has gotten themselves off of this medication please send me some information as to how you got off of Toprol XL? My doctor is a real moron who works solely for pharmaceutical companies so I refuse to go to him. I will be changing doctors soon.

Hi All, Hope everyone is holding up well. I've been on warfarin for year and a half now and like most of you i find it has changed my life a lot. I'm only 22 and i hate taken warfarin. I have gained weight and feel depressed. The thing that scares me the most is that i was sick at the weekend and i found there was blood in my sick!!! Has this ever happened to anyone before as it scared me a little.

Ugh, this has to be the worst medicine I have EVER been on. I was having anxiety attacks that occurred every evening and lasted for hours. Hot flash, nauseousness, inability to concentrate, thought I was going crazy.........
they started after my mom went in for open heart surgery in Nov of 2008. They put me on Xanax for attacks, and Clonazepam (double ugh), and I didn't take Effexor for a while, but my aunt convinced me to do it as I wasn't doing much better.

The thing is I'd been having issues with fatigue, heart palpitations, facial hair, etc. for several months to years and the doctors ran blood work and said everything was fine........

With the clonazepam and effexor I didn't have mood swings so much, but it was because I spent 16-20 hours a day in bed. When I first started the effexor I was told that the side effects go away after your body adjusts, and as it was the fourth or fifth anti-depressant I tried I figured I would suffer through. I lost 40 pounds (as I was/am overweight it was a good side effect in some ways) in a matter of 6 weeks, lost my appetite to the point that when I realized that I needed to do something about it I had to force myself to eat 1/2 piece of toast a day, slowing eating more...........I went several weeks only able to eat an average of 500 calories a day. I was so nauseous all the time. I was pretty much having a break down. I would only be "functioning" for 2-6 hours a day.

After going to the ER because my muscles began shaking while standing or trying to climb stairs (I'm only 28), having racing heart beats which they just prescribed more medication for, absolutely no energy, my hair falling out by the handfuls, I would wake up with it on my pillow............could not concentrate for the life of me, falling behind in school work (back to school mom), unable to do papers because I couldn't think.............

They finally tested my thyroid (runs in the family, have been telling them it sounded like my thyroid from the beginning........) my levels were finally off the charts, my TSH wasn't even registering. I was diagnosed with Graves disease........which can cause the panic attacks that they put me on the medication for in the first place.

As I figured it was probably the Graves, I tried weaning off my meds, only to feel as though I was going nuts and going to die............... I cut my clonazepam and effexor dosages in half, and within 2 days I could concentrate, and within a couple weeks I could go up and down the stairs again.............

Even now it is hard to say how much of my issues were caused by the Graves and how much was due to the Effexor combined with the Clonazepam. I was able to wean of the Clonazepam within 6 weeks by cutting my dosage in quarters every two weeks, but NOT the Effexor. I tried cut it and started having panic attacks, couldn't think, major migraines, and bed ridden........so I had to reduce it even slower.

Once I got down to half a dose, all of my symptoms went away except the fatigue. That is why I associate a lot of it with Effexor and NOT the Graves, because the symptoms did not go away until I reduced the drugs. I am now finally free of Effexor for about a month, and it was a hard road. It took me six months. I still have some issues with concentration and the occasional panic attack, but they are very minimal. I have read that this could be due to either both or one of the drugs I was on as it can take a year or more for your body to adjust.

Anyhoo, I wonder if the medication didn't trigger the Graves, or what.............but I would NEVER EVER suggest this medication to anyone.

I have gained most of the weight I lost back........but that is to be expected since my metabolism probably hit rock bottom not eating anything but toast for weeks.......

Anyhoo, I really wish that Doctors would tell you what could happen before giving you a drug. At least then when you start having these symptoms you know where and why...........rather then going in, and them having no idea?!?!?!? Funny, as if you search online you see lists that match exactly what you are going through.

I am now VERY leery about taking any meds at all, including Tylenol.

I had open heart surgery August 23rd 2006 for a conginital heart defeat (Aortic Valve replaced with mechanical St Jude valve). I wanted a bio valve but Drs insisted I should have the mechanical valve because of my age (45 at the time).

Prior to my heart surgery I was a performer, singer/songwriter/actress/comedianne and I loved what I did. It was my life. Now, after 2+ years post-op and on Warfarin (7.5 mg daily for life) I feel like life has ended and I'm just a walking dead person. The effects I feel daily are as follows...

Dizziness
Severe Headaches
Blurred vision
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Weight Gain
Trouble concentating
Fluttering effect in my head/ears- Hard to explain
Hair loss
Unexplained pains in chest & left side of my body
Unable to sleep well
Tiredness- even when I've done nothing to be tired for
Nausea
Gas & Diarrhea off and on
teeth pain- Like I've drank something very cold
feeling in my head similar to a brain freeze- like you ate ice cream too fast
Night bleeds in my month- wake up with a mouth full of blood daily
What do think, is that enough??

I'm going in tomorrow for a cat scan because the headaches have been so bad they feel I need to be checked for brain tumor and/or internal bleeding. When I tell the Drs I think this is due to Wafarin they pratically laugh in my face as if to say, "Silly silly woman, don't be foolish! We know whats best for you. Remember, we saved your life!" Really? Did you?!

I want nothing more than to get off this rat poison and regain my life, but to do so could mean a stroke or heart attack. I would go under the knife again to have the mechanical valve removed and replaced with a biological valve, but do you think my insurance company (Kieser) would pay for a "silly" thing like that? Right!

Welcome to the greatest country in the world!

I'm going to start a website to help people like us. I want your stories, please send me your info, together we might make a change, what can it hurt to try? Email me ******

B.

I am 55 years old. I had open Heart surgery when I was 41. In the last five years, my triglycerides where high. I was on, Lipitor, Tricor, Mobic.
I droped thr Tricor, because I went on line and learned you are not supposed to take tricor and Lipitor together. Lately I have had tingling just below my neck. I am feeling flu like symptoms the last couple of days for no apparent reason. I am weak, all my joints amd muscles ache. My Cholesterol is about 146. Well after reading all this I am going off this stuff today. Are these some of the symptoms?
Also in the last 2 years I have gone from a 8 and half size shoe to a 9 and half...like my feet have swollen.

Pulmonary Embolism - blood clots in my lungs which were caused by a presumed blood clot in my leg, which was caused by my Yaz. This is a very dangerous situation, and I was very lucky.

I have taken Vicodin for 12 years now after open heart surgery. My chest bone did not heal right and in 2002 had injuries to both my knees. My doctor took me off of the medication last week since all my heart medications that I take along with this is damaging my liver. I will tell all who is reading this that I have been taking 750mg 5 times a day for 12 years and I am having a tremendous amount of trouble coming off of this drug. I have not slept in days and all you can do is think about the drug. Diarrhea is a another problem with not taking it and major cold spells and sweating. Anyone that can avoid this I hope you do. Because of the damage to my liver I had no choice but to stop cold turkey, I hope and pray that these symptoms go away soon......

My Saga began years ago when I had high cholesterol at 25 years old.
At 39 my doctor started me on Lipitor and I didn't stay on it.(no reason)
Now at 45(200 LDL) and at the urging of my father I have been on Lipitor for 24 days. He is on crestor. My father had open heart surgery at 41 and a second bypass at 55. He takes about 30 nitros a day at age 74. His brother died at 55 and father at 56, both heart attacks. So you see his concern for me, though being a female does help me.
Anyway at the time of my physical a swollen lymph node was found
on my neck. It has been there for over a month now and we have done
CT scans, mammograms & blood work . I will have a biopsy in 2 weeks on my neck. Everything has come back normal, however the pain in my
stomach started two weeks into the Lipitor. Also difficulty swallowing
like a chest infection. I lost five pounds not being able to eat much and constantly would get so bloated eating just soup. I went back to my doctor she sent me for a CT scan because lymph node issue too. Scary.
I had a biopsy on one breast as well because we are doing all these test for the lymph node swelling.
Well I have been popping Ibuprofen 600mg at a time to stop what feels like liver pain. I had hepatitis A so I know what that feels like. The pain was all over my top abdomen. I am starting to worry even more thinking I may have lymphoma. I start getting pain running down the inside of my right leg and the calf also. I spent 10 years in the Army reserve and was always fairly in shape so this was so out of the blue. I decided to go to and internal doctor because I was getting nothing from the family doctor and we still have the lymph node issue (swollen) He immediately said
stop taking the Lipitor after hearing my symptons. I still have to have a
biopsy on my neck but I am convinced Lipitor caused all the pain in my
stomach and fatigue. My doctor seems to think so too. Don't stay with a doctor that isn't aware of a drugs side effects. Definitely shop around. I hope to post again when my symptons disappear and my lymph node comes back negative.!

I was prescribed lisinopril after I underwent open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement last July. Initially I was on 40mg, and was successively reduced to 5mg, which is where I am now. Basically, my dosage would be lowered after I would start to complain about side effects (dizziness, fatigue...), which my cardiologist would attribute to my recovery -- i.e. my blood pressure would stabilize, hence the higher dosage would lower it too much). Well, now I'm down to 5mg, and I feel worse than ever. I'm dizzy all the time, I have severe aches in my joints -- particularly in my knees and elbows, stiffness in my hands, pain in my feet, extreme fatigue, weakness in my arms, shortness of breath, and mild chest pains. My cardiologist maintains that it's not the lisinopril, yet after running full bloods, my primary doctor can't find a single thing wrong with me. I tried getting off the lisinopril for a little over a week, but I didn't feel any better. So, my question is this: does anyone else feel as crappy as I do, and how long does it take to get this drug out of your system? I'm only 34 yrs old, I'm not overweight or otherwise out of shape, and this is really affecting my ability to work and to spend quality time with my wife and 10 month old son. Ugh.

Have been prescribed lisinopril for high blood pressure, stage 1...........
Am scared to start it because I really hate starting new medications.......
Asked the pharmacist about the safey of the drug and was told it was one of the most tolerable drugs out there for hbp.....cough was the chief complaint...............
Anyone else feel this way..........??????????????

This is a nightmare. I have been on Lamictal 200 mg, tab in morning, for approx. 5 months. About 3 1/2 months ago I started getting muscles aches and weakness, muscle overuse problems, fluid retention ( like 12 pounds), stayed in a trance with very little short term memory. Thought it was everything but this medicine....I am an avid athelite, yes, even at 51. So, I blamed myself for not slowing down. Quick exercising totally, for 2 months, iced 3 times a day on leg muscles. Finally after making it to the summer without a mental breakdown, I went to the emergency room and a new internist to get checked out. Blood work, thyroid, hormones,ok.... Really don't care what they think , I can not walk, it hurts like hell. The Dr. did tell me to get off Lamictal....ok 7th day and I have some relief but it is not complete. Called manufactures, interesting, yes- these are side effects!!! But the studies are limited. Listen , unless you have seizures, get off this medicine... you read the full disclosure of side effects and then search yourself......It can ba a huge FOOOOOPA.....And you are the fool that will end up holdling the bag, not the manufacturer. Hopefully I will get better. Right now , I just trying to stay calm.

I take 7.5 mg. of warfarin daily, and have been for about 5 years. The biggest problem I have is dizziness, the inabilty to concentrate, vision, and waking up at night, everynight. I am a healthy 54 year old male, and have regular test run twice yearly.

I had Open-Heart Surgery in Mar/2006. I'm 55-years old & this makes the 3rd Open Heart surgery for me. I have 2 artificial valves. I was told to take Toprol XL twice a day along with all my other meds. I had never been on ToprolXL & I have noticed that my INR (take coumadin-- blood thinner) has been out of control; unbearable itching on my waist; fluctuating weight gain due to fluid build-up; horrible nightmares and sleepless nights at times; fatigue. I know all this is related to Toprol but I cannot seem to convince my doctor. I just cut back my own dosage to 1-tablet per day & already feel better.

Recently had quad bypass open heart surgery. Am taking Toprol 75mg - 2x a day.

No libido, very sleepy mid afternoons, difficult to sleep.... also many of the side effects reported on this website.

Will call my Dr. next week about this. This drug may not be for me.

63 yr male.

After 2 months of 2 grams I have unbearable itching from my shins to my ankles. I have un-normal histamine response to mosquito bites..so much so that I am going to quit this drug.I had heart attack and open heart surgery 2 years ago and have tried all statin drugs, with severe muscle damage.(before heart attack)
Bill

I BEEN ON ZORCO FOR ONE MONTH AND MY SIDE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE. WEEKNESS ON RHW RIGHT SIDE, BOTH OF MY FEET FELL LIKE PINS AND NEEDLES ARE IN THEM. ALSO I CAN FEEL LIKE A NERVE IS JUMPING IN MY RIGHT FOOT. ALSO MY MOUTH FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO SOMETHING. I WAS ON LIPATOR AND THE EFFECTS WERE ALMOST THE SAME EXCEPT FOR THE MOUTH PART. I HAVE QUIT TAKING ZOCOR AND I AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM MY CARDIOLOGISTS. I WAS AFRAID TO QUIT TAKING ZOCOR BECAUSE I HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY IN MARCH OF 2005. BUT MY CHOLESTEROL IS PRETTY NORMAL FOR NOW. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THE PROBLEM WITH THEIR FEET AND MOUTH.?

I have always been told by doctors that I had a perfect heart, and should live to 100! In midJanuary 2005, I experienced all the symptoms of a heart attack, like the mother of Guest #3586, above--namely, shortness of breath, gasping for breath, heart palpitations, etc. The ER doctor said all my heart signs were excellent, just stop taking the detrol. He has seen many others with symptoms like mine who were also taking detrol.
I immediately stopped and felt better for a while. By midMarch, feelings of constant fatigue, etc, etc, drove me to a doctor again, who informed me that I had a loud heart murmer, and needed to see a heart specialist at once. I did, and within a week I was undergoing open heart surgery to repair a badly damaged mitral valve.

My husband went to the doctor Saturday, 3/19/05 was there at least 3 hours before being seen by the doctor. He went for sinus allergies. He was prescribed Singulair, my husband took the dose late that afternoon after having lunch with a close friend. At around 2am he started having stomach pain and the urge to release everything in his stomach. Since 2am that morning he had strong vomiting and diarrhea up until 4pm the next day. I gave him a warm chammomille tea and Immodium advanced to help him get through this horrible ordeal. He also came down with flu like symptoms of aching muscles and the vomiting/diarrhea continued it was extremely difficult for me to watch him suffer this way. My small 4 year old started crying feeling that his daddy would not get better, this was extremely sad for both of us. My husbands diarrhea finally calmed down at around 7pm Sunday. The vomiting continued since he did try to have a light soup, he then went to bed early at around 9:30pm and later complained of having dilusional dreams as though they were very real, this is one of the symptoms described on the medication. My husband was never really able to sleep since he had taken this medication it wouldnt allow him to get any rest. Finally at around 3:30 am that Monday he finally dozed off and slept until 7:30 am. only 4 hours of somewhat sleep.

He wasnt feeling well enough that Monday morning so he forced himself to stay home from work to catch up on some rest, my husband had gone through an absolute horrible ordeal only because some doctor gambled on guessing this medication would be ok for him. My husband also had very fast heart rate along with everything else I've talked about.

He did mention to this doctor that he had previously had open heart surgery and the doctor didnt feel that this would be an issue with Singulair. When the doctor was contacted on Saturday morning he simply told my husband that his symtoms were due to him picking up a viral infection from the patients sitting around him in the waiting room that Saturday morning he came in. I strongly doubt that this was the case.
To everyone out there if you read this message please do not allow your dear family loved one to be put on Singulair, this medication is extremely destructive. My husband simply went in for allergy treatment and ended up having a weekend nightmare. So please I strongly advise that if you suffer from allergies do not allow any physician to prescribe you this absolute nightmare medication. I wish you all well and take great care of yourselves along with your dear loved ones.

Thank you.
Ms. Hicks