I’ve been following this post since it appeared although it’s not my main post Covid issue. However I did have an issue with the beta blocker metoprolol following Covid so I figure it’s worth sharing here. I was on it according to protocol following a stroke in January 2022, a blood clot at the left middle cerebral artery of undetermined cause but my cardiac ejection fraction was pretty low at 30.6 (from a viral induced cardiomyopathy over 20 years ago). The dosage was very small at 12.5mg then increased to 25 right before a mild case of Covid in August 2022 that was followed with bloodwork that showed a number of problems and I was out of state when the results were reviewed by my cardiology clinic provider. He called me and told me to increase metoprolol to 50 mg because there was a blood test, BNP, that was elevated and I told him I was having some shortness of breath when starting a walk so he feared I was going into heart failure. Within a week at 50 mg I was having severe respiratory distress. It turned out I had asthma, possibly Covid induced, perhaps present since earlier in life but never diagnosed. This was discovered after 2 failed trials at 50 mg and a trial of carvedilol. They each exacerbated asthma in different ways. Then on to pulmonary to complete that diagnosis. There I learned that blockers definitely exacerbate asthma.
Also it’s worth noting that the Sim something you’re on may be simvastatin for cholesterol. And the Eloquis is likely prescribed for Afib to, as you stated, prevent stroke. I have been monitored for Afib but after 2 years with a loop recorder to monitor for it there have been no occurrences so I have not been prescribed it.
In summary what I can say is that in the two years since my stroke I’ve had horrible experiences with drugs. Besides the 3 months of torture with beta blockers following COVID I also was prescribed a statin for lowering cholesterol l, again post stroke protocol, even though my LDL was near optimal, and suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon as a rare side effect from it. And there’s been a couple more drugs with short term trials I could not tolerate.
Bottom line is I am very sensitive to medications and from what you state you’ve experienced perhaps you are too. I understand being in a position where you absolutely know that the symptoms you are experiencing are directly related to a drug. You know your timeline and your body. It’s really hard to keep going back to a provider telling them you can’t handle it. But I have a good one in cardiology now and he listens to me. He thinks it’s a liver metabolizing issue with my intolerance. That’s all I know about that/ not sure if they go through too fast or hang out too long but something doesn’t work just right.
I wish you luck getting it all figured out and I encourage you to know exactly what and why you’re taking the prescribed meds. I’m still in the process of finding the right mix and it’s 2 years on January 1st. I understand the thoughts of just going off everything for a bit and trying to reach a normal balance and then starting fresh with minimal intervention. But then there’s the ‘what if’s’ and that’s scary too. Hang in there.