Possible Alternative Drugs?

[stevie_smit]

Hi there I was Just wondering if you could please advise me on the drugs my Nan (Grandma) is taking as she is
finding life harder and harder. She has had 2 heart failures over the last few years and since then she spends most
of the day in her chair falling asleep she just seems so drowsy all the time with no drive to do anything. The more
this happens the bigger she is getting and the harder it gets for her. She also gets the shakes really bad and
swollen feet. The thing is because we live in the U.K she is using the NHS and when she goes to see the G.P he is always rushed and i dont think he gets enough time to talk to her and review her drugs properly and also because it is the NHS from my experiance tend to use the cheapest availible drugs until they become a problem. the drugs she has right now are spironolactone, Losartan Potassium, Bisoprolol Fumarate, Furosemide, Cordarone x, Flucloxacillin and One-Alpha. What i was hoping is that someone here might have some suggestions of alternitive drugs to any of the ones she is taking now. That might reduce some of her symptoms she is getting now. So that i can suggest them to her G.P and see what he thinks. Any help anyone can give would be greatly appreciated thanks guys

[stevie_smit]

Thank you very much for both answers they could help quite a bit. She is only on the antibiotics for a short time sorry i just wrote them all down. She doesnt smoke or drink but she does cover her dinners in salt so will be hiding that tonight (She wont be happy). Its very helpful that you mentioned about the fluid in her legs because now you say it, it kind of makes sence as it has to go somewhere I will tell her to mention the Lassix to her Dr to see if he thinks it would work for her. I will also pass this info on to my mum who is trainning to be a nurse so maybe she can use this information to help my Nan out. Thank you very much for your time

[gmachris518]

I am not a doctor in any sense of the word, but rather a patient, just as your loved one.

I have CHF, or HF as you put it.  I take Coreg 25 mg. 2xa day, lassix 160 mg 1x a day, and Diltiaziem 30 mg. 2x a day.  

I don't not eat salt, and work very hard at keeping my weight at a normal level.

If a person smokes, and has CHF, they need to quit ASAP.  If they drink, the same holds true, QUIT.  If there is any extra weight on their body, then that extra weight needs to be lost.

I have found that with CHF, if there is swelling, putting your feet up doesn't do much good, as the fluid just goes to the area of least resistance, such as the back of the legs.  Your Nan might benefit from a higher dose of lasix, to address the edema.  

To understand how she feels, you would have to suffer the same illness, but I can tell you this, if she is listless, and dealing with swelling, she most likely has more going on than shows at the surface.  With the swelling, comes the inability to get a good breath of air, and not being able to get the oxygen she needs, leaves her feeling very weak, and unable to do much but sit in her chair.  

In my case, I spent about 3 years dealing with the swelling, and the inability to have any kind of life, so I basically just sat and waited for death.  Then one day I had a medical emergency, and spent 3 days in ICU, where my life transformed.  I was given the Coreg to help my heart beat stronger, Diltiaziem to help with BP, and enough lassix to rid my body of all of the excess built up fluid.  Within a week the swelling was greatly improved, and within 3 years I was back to feeling alive again.

I don't know the age of your Nan, but I am a grandma myself, and I know that with the right medication she could feel a lot better.

I hope the best for you and your Nan.....

[jrbon]

Let us go step by step,

1) HF is a chronic, permanent condition. She probably has had 2 acute congestive HF episodes.
2) One of the symptoms of HF is tiredness.
3) The first 4 meds. that you indicate are standard in HF.
4) The 5 one, indicates that she also should have an arrhythmia problem.
5) The last one, indicates that she may have a osteoporosis problem.
6) Do you know why is she taking the Flucloxacillin? This is an antibiotic and I do not think is something to take indefinitely.

A few things you could do:
1) Be sure that she is properly hydrated and nourish (most elderly have lack of nutrition).
2) Check her blood pressure. The HF medication can low it too much and then could be necessary to change the doses.
3) Make her stop any salt intake.
4) Try to elevate her legs, this will help with swollen foot.
5) Try her to make 5 very small meals a day, she probably cannot afford a normal meal digestion.
6) Normally, elder people suffer from lack of vitamins, you could try a B Complex or check with the dr. about that.
7) Double check why is she taking the antibiotic, if not necessary stop it.

Jesus