Recently diagnosed with CAD - Scared to live

Think it’s easier said than done to find a new doctor, nowadays you have to be put on a waiting list and in my husband‘s case it’s up to 18 months before you could “maybe”get an appointment as a new patient

"Not-MD" Friel here,
You're getting nothing but a lot of "WHO-HA" from that Dr. I had several severe side effects to Eliquis. When the health provider wouldn't change it, I decided 'Lady, if You Won't Change this Prescrip., then I'll Change YOU. I called Another Clinic, scheduled an appt. with a Cardiologist there, took my index card with:
1. name of medication,
2. dosage,
3. Name of Dr. who prescribed it
4. list of side effects
Gave it to the New Cardiologist. Also gave her index cards with ALL of the Other Med.'s I'd
been prescribed & the side effects that Those Meds had caused.
Oh Guess What! She told me to Stop Eliquis Immediately & take low dose aspirin every-other-day. She sent me to another Cardiologist in her Clinic, He did a scan of my corated artery & told me I had the Arterial Health of a 57 yr. old Caucasian European Woman! (I'm 87)

Could I ask you what your side effects were when you were taking the Eliquis?

Thanks
Ruth36

We all have something. It is part of living. None of us will escape the fate of dying, but that reality sits in the background of our lives, and we live our life in spite of our fate. Your expressed fear and anxiety, suggest a thatmental health therapist, Who can guide you out of depression, fear, and anxiety would be a good solution!. There is so much we don’t know about your CAD, and even moremore that we don’t know about you! I have CAD, I inherited it from my father. My cousins have CAD they inherited it from one of our grandparents. For my family it is an inherited disease. Each member of our family handles it very differently along with expressing it differently.. I tend to tackle things head on. I have been living with this eventuality for 40 years and was officially diagnosed a few years ago. (I am 68). What I did was to investigate every test known to man and ask for all the tests. I asked for the pictures of my arteries. I asked for the cardiologists. In my case, I will stay on top of the disease and do what I can to stay in good health and slow down the deterioration. Meanwhile, other diseases become of more immediate concern! Think about that for a second. CAD is one of the bazillions of things which can go wrong with our bodies as we age. It’s not enough for us to have CAD, we can have other related and non-related things plague us. So if one thing is upsetting you so terribly, what will happen as time goes on and other things get thrown in the mix? Every human gets to deal with the same thing, just a different combination of diseases and bodily conflict. What you have expressed needs a mental health professional. What you expressed involves not your CAD but your ATTITUDE towards something gone awry with your body. You are blessed to only need a stent at this juncture. My dad experienced his first Widowmaker heart attack at 58 with a triple heart bypass. He went on to have many stents and angioplasties between another quadruple bypass and another triple heart bypass at 80. he lived a full life and passed away at 87. He lived a full life and was blessed that the CAD didn’t slow him down and didn’t distract him from the way he wanted to live his life. CAD can live in the background of your life, unlike other diseases, which drop you to your knees, front and center. I suggest you get a referral to a therapist who will help you through this difficult adjustment. You are blessed to know you have CAD and can take steps to mitigate consequences. Other diseases are silent and you can’t do anything about them until too late.. I hope this message is one of support and you can find the Hope inspiration to approach our disabilities with courage. Bring the light into the dark and get some necessary support to rebalance your emotional needs. right now it sounds like you are operating in the dark trying to find your way, we can’t do it alone. Thank you for being honest and reaching out for support.!

Sure. Happy to share, however please remember, we are Each like a Snowflake. No 2 of us are exactly Alike, we all have different inherited body chemistry.
Eliquis - 2.5 mg. (the Eliquis was manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb)
1. I developed bleeding gums
2. Joint pain
3. Feeling weak most of the time, lack of energy (It probably produced a low level of depression)
4. Dizziness
5. Intermittent tightness in my chest
6. Some eye irritation (possibly Dry-eye)
7. Frequently feeling confused, difficulty with focus & concentration.
When my Dr. said I'd probably HAVE to take it indefinitely, I told him either change my prescription or I'll find A New Cardiologist.

I couldn't agree more. Conspiracy theories are probably not the best tidbits to pass along to an individual with a new diagnosis and who's scared about it and needs reassurance, not the old
"they're all moneygrubbing quacks anyway" schpiel.

Totally agree with other comments! You've been given a new lease on life. If you have a cardiac rehab option, I would highly recommend getting into the program. It will give you people in similar circumstances to talk with and it will boost your confidence in what you can do safely.
All the best!

Wow, you really did have a lot of side effects with Eliquis..
My main thing with taking the 2.5 mg is joint pain, mainly in my legs, started a month after starting it..
My legs feel stiff, hurt when bending knees especially going down stairs…I also feel lack of energy and times I feel like I can’t focus on things..I feel depressed also, was told after my heart attack
( Dec 24’) it could take 6 months to get back to myself. Well, it’s been 7 months and I don’t feel any stronger…I felt I had more energy right after I got out of hospital.
I know everyone is different so I really don’t know if it’s The Eliquis or maybe I have arthritis in my legs. I was told baby aspirin wouldn’t be appropriate for me at this time so she wants me to stay on it till at least the end of the year.

Hello ruth36
My heart goes to you ... taking a medication that has come with a Down-side is The Pits (been there, done that). Our Dr.'s have spent years studying Medicine plus more years specializing in Cardiology, hence we have to rely on what they tell us. However as I have come to believe, 'What's Right for a few isn't always Right for Everyone.' When I was diagnosed with A-Fib & started on my Pharma-Odyssey, I had expectations that whatever pill prescribed would "Do The Job". I've had to learn The Hard Way if the side effect to a drug feels like it's doing More Damage than good, it's time to have a Heart-to-heart Talk with your Doctor. Tell Her/Him you are afraid the issues with your knees, etc. will do Permanent damage, surely there must be Other blood thinners available! Maybe they just started you off with one that isn't compatible with Your Body-chemistry. (after all, You're the Patient who's paying their Bill )

@jaireeves17 I want to check in and see how you are doing. You mentioned not being able to sleep and I absolutely understand the toll that can take.

Have you learned more about CAD? Have you been able to have a conversation with your doctor about your concerns?