Heart Attack Support Group

Heart attack is a serious, sudden heart condition usually characterized by varying degrees of chest pain or discomfort, weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and arrhythmias, sometimes causing loss of consciousness. It occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted, causing death and scarring of the local heart tissue.

287 Members

1,044 Posts

0 Online

chollensbe 01/02/2014

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum (or ANY forum for that matter). 8 months ago (2 weeks before my 38th birthday), I had a heart attack and two stents put in...I haven't been the same since. I went from being active and vivacious to, well, up and down - depending on the day. I had an artery that was 99% blocked by a blood clot and another artery was completely collapsed...hence, the stents.

Since then, I have switched meds four or five times. Mainly the beta blockers...have HORRIBLE side effects. Want to try Bystolic. Tired and lethargic during the day (been on the couch all day..took every effort just to take a shower) to not being able to sleep at night. So tired but yet can't sleep leads to such frustration and irritation. Beta blockers also cause confusion, slow speech, and an "I really don't care" attitude. No motivation AT ALL. Not to mention stomach pains from chronic constipation and all the hair loss!

So, after 8 months of griping and complaining and losing friends or talking to people who don't understand, my mother suggested I join a support group...so here I am! I am trying to wing myself off of the beta blockers but feel slight chest pain/burning and my heart is doing funny things...withdrawal side effects??? Any suggestions or personal experiences you can share would be EXTREMELY helpful...thank you!

LDF1 01/09/2014

I'm no longer on beta blockers and actually only on them for a short while. I was on Toprol though, and It didn't give me any side effects. I must say though in my initial recovery I took it VERY easy, only walking. It wasn't until maybe 6 months or so that I started anything more. And I sought out a specialty cardiologist that worked with Olympic athlete to run specific stress test on the bike. that was besides my regular cardiologist that did regular treadmill test. Yeah, I'm type a. Lol

you sound very positive and upbeat, I'm sure you will learn to ride the wave and have a quality life:)

chollensbe 01/10/2014

Louie,

Is it normal to have good days and bad days? I think the beta blockers mess with my mood (up and down). The first time I tried to get off (early on) I felt GREAT. But got scolded by my cardiologist so started them again...again I felt awful but this time when I tried to get off them, my heart didn't feel right (almost like anxiety)? Did you ever experience side effects when you got off. Its been 6 months since the H.A. so I am at the point where I want to decide now if I will be on them or not. I am trying a THIRD beta blocker, makes me sluggish during the day so I will try it tonight in lieu of the morning and see how that goes.

Thanks for your honesty and encouragement!

chollensbe 01/10/2014

Thanks Lenny! So other than the anxiety, how has the last 13 years been? Or is it different everyday? How are the meds working for you? I am really thinking about getting off of them bc I feel down and irritable with them but GREAT without them! How do you feel physically? I sometimes get anxiety when I think about possibly having another H.A. but I just decided that I was not going to let that fear control my life. Honestly, I think I would rather have quality years than 100 miserable ones...but we can't help what we can't help huh? I have finally given myself permission to rest when I need to rest. I was feeling guilty about this bc I felt slothful and lazy (so not me)! But my body knows what it needs so I am trying to listen to that without feeling guilt. Thoughts?

deleted_user 01/22/2014

Hi there ! I am new to this forum and in the process of having my heart health assessed due to some scary test results. I just wanted to thank Chollensbe for her contribution - it is so very hard to find information from people in my age group 37-44 with heart issues and reassuring that, not withstanding challenges, you are able to still be able to share your experiences. Thanks

chollensbe 04/02/2014

Thank you Strength71 (love that tag name)! You are right..it isn't common (or expected) for people in our age range. I have come a long way and my hope is to encourage others through the process. Please keep us posted!

deleted_user 04/03/2014

I just wanted to chime in and say thanks for all the beta blocker talk and how it has affected everyone during adjustments and such. My Dr. recently cut mine in half per day and I had some interesting things going on. Like waking up at 3.am and having a heart rate of 150+ is kinda scary, its good to know I'm not the only one

chollensbe 04/04/2014

Hi Mark215,

That IS really scary. The first 6 months was the worst for me (mainly due to my fears). But we do have to be wise. Remember, you can always call your cardiologist just to confirm it is normal...also the pharmacist can be a good resource bc they know what kind of withdrawals/side effects to expect from the meds. If nothing else, for peace of mind. Something else that helped me is that I expected to feel 100% the way I did before the H.A. Well, I have come to peace knowing that I may feel 75%, or 85% better and thats ok too! Just give yourself grace and permission to rest or whatever. Please keep us posted and very hopeful that you will start feeling better soon!

Join the Conversation