Coronary Artery Spasms...Anyone?

pjammies · 09-24-2007, 03:52 AM

Greetings all,

I'm 42 years old and had to go to the ER about a month ago because I felt as though I was having a heart attack. I ended up staying in the hospital for a week and after several tests (including stress and angiogram), I was diagnosed with coronary artery spasms and high blood pressure.

Interestingly enough, I had quit smoking (after 20 years) about two months before I ended up in the hospital.

My cardiologist now has me on Coreg CR (40 mg), Norvasc and Nitro Spray plus an aspirin a day. After I got out of the hospital, they gave me Lopressor but I still had the spasms until I started on the Coreg CR. My cardiologist said the Lopressor can actually hurt my type of condition.

However, since starting the medications, all I want to do is sleep, my back hurts even worse and it feels as though my life energy is being sucked away.

I tried to stop taking it but had a bad episode so I take it at night and will discuss it with my doctor at my next appointment.

I am wondering if any of you are on Coreg CR and/or have artery spasms and have experienced these symptoms. If so, how do you cope?

Cheers,

pajammies

started04 · 09-24-2007, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjammies

Greetings all,

I'm 42 years old and had to go to the ER about a month ago because I felt as though I was having a heart attack. I ended up staying in the hospital for a week and after several tests (including stress and angiogram), I was diagnosed with coronary artery spasms and high blood pressure.

Interestingly enough, I had quit smoking (after 20 years) about two months before I ended up in the hospital.

My cardiologist now has me on Coreg CR (40 mg), Norvasc and Nitro Spray plus an aspirin a day. After I got out of the hospital, they gave me Lopressor but I still had the spasms until I started on the Coreg CR. My cardiologist said the Lopressor can actually hurt my type of condition.

However, since starting the medications, all I want to do is sleep, my back hurts even worse and it feels as though my life energy is being sucked away.

I tried to stop taking it but had a bad episode so I take it at night and will discuss it with my doctor at my next appointment.

I am wondering if any of you are on Coreg CR and/or have artery spasms and have experienced these symptoms. If so, how do you cope?

Cheers,

pajammies

Hi pjammies,

Coreg is a beta blocker and can cause tiredness. I've been taking 6.25 twice a day for heart failure with no side effects. Coreg also has an Ace Inhibitor component for treatment of high blood pressure...beta blocker slows the heart rate, etc.

Does your variant spasms happen at rest with no obvious cause? Or is precipated by exercise, etc.? The usual protocol are nitrates (nitro or slow acting) and calcium channel blockers and if CCB is ineffecive then Alpha Blockers.

Do you have the EKG results taken with your Stress test. The ST segment (a trace as output of an EKG) will be elevated when in spasm mode and will resolve with proper medication....Beta Blockers treat heart rhythm disorders! You don't mention any arrhythmia problems. I don't know the mechanism of BB that harms unless it is a very slow heartbeat!

pjammies · 09-24-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenkeith

Hi pjammies,

Coreg is a beta blocker and can cause tiredness. I've been taking 6.25 twice a day for heart failure with no side effects. Coreg also has an Ace Inhibitor component for treatment of high blood pressure...beta blocker slows the heart rate, etc.

Does your variant spasms happen at rest with no obvious cause? Or is precipated by exercise, etc.? The usual protocol are nitrates (nitro or slow acting) and calcium channel blockers and if CCB is ineffecive then Alpha Blockers.

Do you have the EKG results taken with your Stress test. The ST segment (a trace as output of an EKG) will be elevated when in spasm mode and will resolve with proper medication....Beta Blockers treat heart rhythm disorders! You don't mention any arrhythmia problems. I don't know the mechanism of BB that harms unless it is a very slow heartbeat!

Hi Ken,

I am on Coreg CR (40 mg), Norvasc (10 mg) and Nitro Spray. I guess I should've listed all the medicines I'm on. I also take Tramadol and Robaxin for back injuries and severe arthritis.

The spasms happen when I am at rest and, also, when I am stressed. When the spasms first began happening, it was mostly at night after I would lie down in bed, which really confused me. Then, later on, the spasms became worse and would hit me out of nowhere. The last two were so severe I almost fainted and knew something was wrong. That's when my husband insisted I go to the ER.

I haven't seen the results for myself but, apparently, I failed the stress and, I believe, the EKG tests. They did an angiogram to see if I had a blockage, which I didn't, and after monitoring me for a week my cardiologist (who is supposedly one of the best in this area) diagnosed me with HBP and artery spasms. My BP was 190/110 in ER.

I keep hoping I'll get adjusted to the medicines. I've noticed I've gained some weight, too, even though I don't even eat as much as I used to. I know it's because the medicines probably slow down my metabolic rate. I can live with this (though I would really rather not) but I just hope the drowsy, zapped feeling goes away.