Entresto. Would appreciate any discussion, pros, cons.

I am currently taking Pradaxa, entresto and carvedilol. I am wondering if I should be on both entresto and pradaxa or should it be one or the other? I also am on Farxiga and my doctor just recently prescribed digozin.

@harlold
This is a question your should asked your cardiologist or at least your PCP.

It appears you are taking a lot of medications per your last sentence.

Have you every asked your pharmacist to go over your medication and give you an opinion. Most pharmacies will do that.

I think I counted 6 heart medications but your answer to your questions should come for an experience cardiologist. Ask him/her specifically the question and make sure knows every single medication your are on and the dosage. Not only your heart medication but any other medication you have.

@joyh
I have been on Entresto since it came out. I had declining EF numbers and my heart failure (HF) doctor at Mayo put me on Entresto and Carvididol. I am on the highest number for Entresto.

Side affects: I have read many saying the side affects were too hard and some came off. I was told I would have side affects of fatigue, etc. I did! I called my HF doctor and he asked me to give my body time to adjust to the medications and most likely they would lesson and eventually go away. He was right. Took several weeks but side affects got lessor and lessor.

My EF is now stable and has been same for about 10 years now. I am not sure if it was Entresto but my EF became stable on it with Carvididol. It really had a quality of life change when my EF stopped going down. Entresto is one of many new drugs specifically made for HF.

Just a note: When I was first prescribed Entresto my insurance would not cover. Norvast (maker or Entresto) offered to cover my prescription free and they did for several years. My Mayo HF worked to get the Entresto to be classified as a HF drug not just BP. My insurance company finally agreed and approved it. But at a high co-payment cost. I went from paying $0.00 to $125.00 every 3 months through my mail service as retail was even more expensive. Just mentioning as if you have trouble with insurance you can always asked for help from Norvastis.

I have been on Entresto for a year to address my heart failure. I also had persistent Afib for 4 years. I have been using Xarelto, Metoprolol for most of the time, switching to Amiodarone last Fall, Jardiance and occasionally a few other drugs for short periods. I had a cardioversion on Feb 5 and have remained in sinus rhythm this far. Last week I had a wireless pacemaker inserted into my right ventricle and one in my right atrium because of low pulse readings (high 20’s to 40’s much of the day). My heart failure was resolved just one day before the surgery. So with no heart failure and no Afib, do I need taking any medications? So far my cardiologist left me taking only Xarelto, Jardiance and rosuvastatin. May have me resume Entresto in a week. Any ideas that might help??

I forgot to mention that I have fairly low blood pressure most of the time and extremely low (72/55) occasionally.

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm not competent to answer your questions but encourage you to confide in your Dr. with any of your questions and concerns. Sadly, many many of us are challenged with heart issues and lots of meds. Wishing for you, the very best!

@stonemountain47
I was diagnosed with HF back in 2001.
When you say your HF was resolved what does that mean? HF is usually diagnosed by a low EF (ejection fraction). Was your EF back to normal?

Amiodarone is a very strong and great medication but comes with toxicity. I was on it temporarily, so I am familiar with it. Check with your doctors about the dose you are on and being on it long term.

When you asked about whether you should take or not take a medication this should come from your cardiologist and your medical providers not us on MCC. We do not know your medical history nor are we health or medical professionals to be able to recommend taking a medication or not.

When in doubt about medication look them up and research them. That gives you information about the drug and purpose and then you are more informed about the drug so you can ask your cardiologist about your medications and if you need to still take them and/or same dosage.

In past I had a lot of problems with PVCs. A poster said to take potassium to lower PVCs. I never add a supplement without consultation with my doctors. After reading what this poster posted about it helping, I was really hopeful it would help.

I contacted my EP and asked about the potassium supplements. My EP came back on Mayo portal and said not to take any additional potassium as my blood work showed I was already at the high level of potassium in my blood tests.

I mentioned this as why I say you need to check with your medical providers and not take what a MCC poster says to do or not do as again we are not medical professionals and do not have your medical history, and your medical tests, even if we were medical professionals.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I am in full agreement with your recommending to always check with the Doctor before adding anything to my diet - and I do. I was on Amiodarone for only 5 months. My Doctors (cardiologist and electrophysiologist) felt that the amiodarone was critical in restoring my heart to full health (60 EF) as well as preparing my heart for the cardioversion I got on Feb 5. I am now continuing taking only Xarelto, Jardiance, and Entresto twice daily.

I'm in the second week following the pacemaker install and hope to find myself able to do more soon.