Questions about Eliquis and Meds for Pain Relief

So I woke up at a little after 3 am with my heart going crazy. Hooked up to my BP monitor and my heart rate was 152. A few minutes later it dropped down to 81, then later went all the way up to 181. That's when I called RMSA. They stayed with me until it came down to fluctuations between 80 and 110. I didn't want to go to the ER. I knew what they'd do anyway. Nothing they could do but wait it out also. I"m picking up the drug that helps regulate heart rate today. I held off on it because of it might make my BP too low, but regulating my heart rate is now more imperative.

So I woke up at a little after 3 am with my heart going crazy. Hooked up to my BP monitor and my heart rate was 152. A few minutes later it dropped down to 81, then later went all the way up to 181. That's when I called RMSA. They stayed with me until it came down to fluctuations between 80 and 110. I didn't want to go to the ER. I knew what they'd do anyway. Nothing they could do but wait it out also. I"m picking up the drug that helps regulate heart rate today. I held off on it because of it might make my BP too low, but regulating my heart rate is now more imperative.

@catmom777 You did the right thing to use your blood pressure monitor and call for help after your erratic heart rate. I understand not wanting to go to the emergency room, but if in doubt, you should go. Those could be symptoms of a heart attack to wake up with a crazy heart rate if you hadn't just had a nightmare. In a heart attack, part of the heart muscle dies weakening your heart. Don't take chances with your heart. I took myself to the emergency room one day when my resting heart rate was 120. It was a breathing problem caused by a chest full of phlegm due to an infection and my heart was compensating trying to deliver the oxygen my body needed.

If you haven't already, please see a cardiologist. You need to discuss your decisions about taking prescriptions. I know we all have concerns about bad effects from drugs, and it's good to ask questions about them, but a decision that you make on your own can be serious. Don't guess with your heart. You do need to figure out why you are having an electrolyte imbalance and if there is another disease behind that causing the issues that then affect your heart. The kidneys are part of the balance by excreting wastes and reabsorbing nutrients. My mom had some kidney problems and her potassium blood levels were very elevated which put her at increased risk of a heart attack, and for awhile, she had to eliminate potassium in her diet. She had an emergency treatment with something to bring down the critical potassium levels. Her kidneys eventually recovered and she is OK now. I think this happened as a result of the numerous pain medicines she was given in a long recovery after breaking her pelvis,ankle and foot. She had gone through a 3 month rehab stay and they were always dosing her with drugs, and I caught them overdosing her in the hospital and saw how it affected her breathing. She also developed slight jaundice because her liver wasn't happy after all that either.

My dad was a heart patient, and I saw what he went through and cared for him in end stage heart failure. He had an electrical problem where his heart did not correctly initiate the signals to coordinate his heart beat. He had afib, and I saw that on the monitors every time I was in the emergency room with him. He had a pacemaker/defibrillator that saved his life several times. I sent him to the emergency room many times when he didn't recognize the problem. He also had had a head injury years earlier and lost the ability of critical thinking and reasoning. He took a drug for the electrical heart problem. Eventually, he had an ablation to stop the erroneous signals from the heart node. He had a first heart attack at 50, then 2 years later, a quadruple bypass.

So please consult a cardiologist and discuss everything you take, supplements, prescription drugs that you take, and those that you are waiting to see if you need before taking them. Discuss your diet and if it is deficient in nutrients. The decisions about regulating blood pressure with medications and regulating heart rate should be made by a medical professional and as patients we should be an active participant in that discussion with our doctors.

Last time I went to ER with this my BP mach and hospital finger pulse rate units could not read my fast afib. They found another pulse measure device they taped to my finger so they could see the afib and beats: constant 140-143bpm. They said anything over about 100 for long time should be trip to ER. Anyway, they tried 3 different chemicals in my IV over 1 hour, no change. Then they tried this last one, Cartia, and IMMEDIATELY it dropped to solid 80 - still Afibing around but at least it slowed. Took all of 1 second after they pushed it into IV. They sent me home with a prescription of it in pill form; next week my cardiologist when he did f-up visit said stop taking that stuff it is not needed. But I kept the bottle just in case... cartia xp cap 240/24hr. expensive @ $35 for 30.

What is a "RMSA?"

The earliest I could get in to see a cardiologist is May 3rd. Long ways away. I asked my doc to send another referral to another doctor who might be able to get me in sooner.
I agree with you on all this. I had called my insurance plan helpline in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago--did not want to go back to the ER AGAIN, and she said "You only have one heart." So I went. By the time I got there my heart had calmed down.
But, the EMTs put a cold pack behind my neck. That seemed to help. I have a cold pack and next time will try that. I still haven't rec'd the bills for my first ER visits so am extremely nervous about what these visits are going to cost me. I'm on Medicare, but I don't know how that works yet either as I just turned 65 last fall.
BTW, my potassium levels were fine. It was my sodium that was off last week, so now when I feel more off than usual I take some Himalayan salt crystals. I only get my afib attacks at night, which I think is because of sleep apnea. I will be following up on that with an ENT specialist and see if I can get into a sleep clinic. My sis told me to get a fitbit also, which will monitor my sleeping patterns. I'll be looking into that today.
But, thanks for all the information. The more informed I am about this condition, the better prepared I will be when I see the cardiologist.

@catmom777 Call Medicare and ask about billing. My mom is in on Medicare and also has a supplement insurance plan, and a prescription plan, so that pays everything with her medical bills. Medicare providers have to accept the rates that Medicare sets, and I don't think they are allowed to bill the patient. If there was anything else, the Bluecross plan picks it up. Medicare can answer.

Sleep apnea can be a big part of the issues and can contribute to heart disease, so I think you are right linking that to afib. You'll feel a lot better after you address that. A friend of mine had some anxiety being caused by sleep apnea because she was always in fight or flight mode all night when she stopped breathing. She said getting a CPAP machine made a huge difference. She had gone through a hospitalization when they had trouble figuring out what was wrong. Would it help to sleep only half reclined in a recliner until you can get to the cardiologist? It might keep your throat from closing off if you are not laying flat. That's a guess. I don't have sleep apnea.

I had some side effects with Xarelto, so the doc put me on Eliquis, but now I'm feeling dizzy on this too. At least I think it's the Eliquis. It's kind of like a trap. I am supposed to take it for my afib, and I can't go off it because I might get a blood clot if I do, so I keep taking it. I've been taking it for five days now. The first couple days I felt no effects. It was the same way with Xarelto. I was fine for a couple days, then started feeling very dizzy and had some eye issues too.

I had some side effects with Xarelto, so the doc put me on Eliquis, but now I'm feeling dizzy on this too. At least I think it's the Eliquis. It's kind of like a trap. I am supposed to take it for my afib, and I can't go off it because I might get a blood clot if I do, so I keep taking it. I've been taking it for five days now. The first couple days I felt no effects. It was the same way with Xarelto. I was fine for a couple days, then started feeling very dizzy and had some eye issues too.

I had some side effects with Xarelto, so the doc put me on Eliquis, but now I'm feeling dizzy on this too. At least I think it's the Eliquis. It's kind of like a trap. I am supposed to take it for my afib, and I can't go off it because I might get a blood clot if I do, so I keep taking it. I've been taking it for five days now. The first couple days I felt no effects. It was the same way with Xarelto. I was fine for a couple days, then started feeling very dizzy and had some eye issues too.