Connect
← Return to How did you wean off Metoprolol?
Discussion
How did you wean off Metoprolol?
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Sep 19 7:56am | Replies (551)Comment receiving replies
Hello Patidallas, I am very glad to have read your post as it brings to light my own experience. For about 5 years now, since I started taking BP meds, I have been 'arthritic'...or so I thought...with stiff and achy joints.But I never made the correlation... Getting up from a chair is somewhat uncomfortable. Picking up my grandchild is as well. For the past few days I have stopped my BP medication and the 'arthritic' discomfort has gone away...
It's not a great idea to stop BP meds without one's doctor's authorization and I would never encourage anyone to do so as it puts one at risk of having a stroke or heart attack. My BP is now 160/101. Not good!
Why did I stop the BP meds (Candesartan)? I was reading about Covid and discovered that many BP meds contain ACE2. Quote from a reputable source: 'The COVID-19 virus (also known as SARS-CoV-2) is known to use ACE2 for entry into target cells.' Scientists have discovered that some BP meds cause the body to be open to the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus. Here is the report: I tried to attach it but it won't attach. You can google: Canadian Cardiovascular Society Guidance from the CCS Covid-19 Rapid Response team.
Because of this alarming news and because I have Covid-19 symptoms, I sent an email to my cardiologist asking to change my medication to just a pure diuretic or a drug that is not on one of the lists and he wrote back that there will need to be more formal, long term testing. He would not change my medication..so I stopped taking the meds. I am waiting for an appointment with my new GP in a few days to ask for another medication.
I do have the classic Covid-19 symptoms and have been sick for 13 days with 'the worst flu of my life' which may end up being just that. I was tested this week and am waiting for the results. I wanted to see if this sickness suddenly improves once off the BP meds. As it turns out, I no longer have a low grade fever and the shortness of breath is somewhat better. My cough is much better. Is it just my body's ability to heal or is there an improvement because I stopped the BP medication...or both?
Thank you for sharing, Patidallas!
Replies to "Hello Patidallas, I am very glad to have read your post as it brings to light..."
Hi @afrobin, The Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) is giving the same recommendation as your doctor and the information that @mayofeb2020 quoted from the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA).
Here is the statement from CCS: https://www.ccs.ca/images/Images_2020/CCS_CHFS_statement_regarding_COVID_EN.pdf
"COVID-19 and concerns regarding use of ACEi/ARB/ARNi medications for heart
failure or hypertension
The Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Canadian Heart Failure Society
strongly discourage the discontinuation of guideline directed medical therapy
(GDMT) involving Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEi),
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) or Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin
Inhibitors (ARNi) in hypertensive or heart failure patients as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Cessation of these drugs in stable patients can lead to
uncontrolled hypertension and increased hospitalizations for heart failure with an
unnecessary increase in health care utilization, straining our valuable inpatient
hospital resources. Although preclinical data has shown that the COVID-19 virus (also
known as SARS-CoV-2), uses the SARS-COV receptor angiotensin converting enzyme
(ACE) 2 for entry into target cells, there is NO clinical evidence at this time to support
withdrawal of these agents. Please continue GDMT.
Robin, I know that you are concerned about the balance of power sitting with pharmaceutical producers and you are right to question the prescribing habits of your doctor and to determine with your medical professionals what is right for you. Please keep in mind that drugs can save lives and help people manage chronic conditions and enable people to have a improved quality of life. What is right for one person may not be right for another. Hence professional associations and societies produce guidelines based on population numbers for doctors to adapt to the needs of their patients individually.
All,
At this time, it is recommended to continue taking heart medications as prescribed. Here's another great article from Mayo Clinic News Network
- Expert Alert: Have heart disease? Protect your health during the COVID-19 pandemic https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/expert-alert-have-heart-disease-protect-your-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
I wish everyone to stay heart healthy during these trying times, and do your best to avoid needing to go to the hospital for a cardiac event.
Wow I hope you continue getting better. I am on a pure diuretic now and had side effects for a couple of weeks but now I’m feeling much better on this one. I hope your new doctor will put you on that! The sartan family of bp pills caused my tremendous joint pain so I am sorry you had that too but glad you’ll feel better getting off that one as well!
Connect
This is a tweet from Harvard health regarding hypertension medication and covid 10: quote..
I heard that certain blood pressure medicines might worsen symptoms of COVID-19. Should I stop taking my medication now just in case I do get infected? Should I stop if I develop symptoms of COVID-19?
You are referring to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), two types of medications used primarily to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart disease. Doctors also prescribe these medicines for people who have protein in their urine, a common problem in people with diabetes.
At this time, the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) strongly recommend that people taking these medications should continue to do so, even if they become infected.
Here's how this concern got started. Researchers doing animal studies on a different coronavirus (the SARS coronavirus from the early 2000s) found that certain sites on lung cells called ACE-2 receptors appeared to help the SARS virus enter the lungs and cause pneumonia. ACE inhibitor and ARB drugs raised ACE-2 receptor levels in the animals.
Could this mean people taking these drugs are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection and are more likely to get pneumonia?
The reality today:
Human studies have not confirmed the findings in animal studies.
Some studies suggest that ACE inhibitors and ARBs may reduce lung injury in people with other viral pneumonias. The same might be true of pneumonia caused by the COVID-19 virus.
Stopping your ACE inhibitor or ARB could actually put you at greater risk of complications from the infection, since it's likely that your blood pressure will rise and heart problems would get worse.
The bottom line: The AHA, ACC, and HFSA strongly recommend continuing to take ACE inhibitor or ARB medications, even if you get sick with COVID-19.... Unquote
I think if you are concerned about your meds,please check with your doctor first before you stop taking it.