Medication after Aortic Valve Replacement are you taking?

[Sim]

I didn't like metoprolol it affected my sex life. It did however make me very calm during family "discussions" They prescribed it after surgery. I asked my cardio if I still needed it and since I was on lisinopril for blood pressure he took me off. No problems.

I had the same surgery and was prescribed Metropolol after surgery which gave me depression and low energy. I told the cardiologist to change me back to Atenolol that I was taking before surgery. I regained my energy and started feeling happy the next day. The cardiologist told me that metropolol is a lypolitic agent that crosses blood-brain barrier and this is why I was feeling so down. Ask your cardiologist to try a different medication.

 

[DaveLee]

A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with BAV disease with an ascending aortic aneurism with the drugs. After 6 months my aneurism grew from 5.0CM to 5.3CM and I was told by my surgeon that the time has come, and I would need the replacement. I had the surgery, and I went with a tissue valve... I was 53 years old at the time. And while initially I was told by the doctors after the surgery that it all went fine... after a day or so in the hospital I was informed that I developed "complete heart-block" and I couldn't leave the hospital until after they installed a pacemaker. I wasn't prepared for that nor happy about it. Now 2 years later I feel recovered to a large degree. I got my strength back, but I don't think I have fully recovered my stamina and I gained some weight. The weight is now something I've have recently been working on. Walks and some aerobic exercises and such. Prior to the surgery I was on the KETO diet and it did get me fit so I've also within the last 2 weeks went back to it...but lately I'm feeling unusually tired and getting dizzy at times. But I'm wondering if the meds that I take today are causing me tiredness and at times dizziness so I'm curious what meds other people that had the same surgery as myself.

I'm currently taking as prescribed by my doctors daily: 1 metoprolol succinate (50 MG), 1 rosuvastatin (5 MG), 1 Asprin (325 MG)

I'm now thinking that 325 MG of Asprin each day might be too much as I think I should be taking the baby Asprin with only 81 MG... but then that got me looking into the other two. Both the metoprolol and the statin cause tiredness and dizziness.

So, I'm just wondering what others who have gone through what I have are taking today... though I understand that a very small percentage actually end up with a pacemaker ... lucky me. I'm a couple of months away from regular cardio checkup so I'm just preparing for that with my question on this forum.

I went though the same problems and know how you feel At the time my valve was replaced they did not know of the connection with the aneurism. It was not checked. I still have the aneurism and when it was found, my cardiologist told me I had 2-5 years to live PERIOD. Even when I ask about some form of operation to fix it he told me NO THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE and he retired the next week. He told me I was to old for another open heart operation. Two years before that there was a paper about 1000 over 80 patients that under went open heart and only 2 died (0.2 %). Plus there were new ways that did not need open heart. I have come to the conclusion that at 70 or above they look at it as a resource allocation problem.

The point is DONT EVER trust any ONE source about a life and death problem. at this point in my life its all up to the man upstairs

Let me pose a question, when someone tells you something that is NOT TRUE is it a LIE even if they were told it by someone else ?

BEST of luck
Dave

 

[skier]

I'm on metoprolol after my aortic valve replacement (mechanical) three and a half months ago. I don't have high blood pressure, so I'm wondering if I will need to continue and will discuss it with my cardiologist at my next visit.

Searching around, I found this article I wanted to share on beta blockers improving survival after AVR:
https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/s0735-1097(14)61971-9

Update: My primary cardiologist wasn't sure about the need for Metropol long-term, so I was referred to a cardiologist who specializes in adult congenital heart defects since I had a bicuspid aortic valve.

I now understand why I should probably stay on Metropol despite having a mechanical aortic valve and repaired aortic aneurysm.

The congenital defect that causes the bicuspid aortic valve and ascending aortic aneurysm also presents a risk for dissection of the entire aorta. So even though my ascending aorta is fixed, I need to be careful with my remaining native aorta.

So, it's essential to keep blood pressure low even though I have a mechanical aortic valve and ascending aorta graft. In addition to medication, we also discussed exercise guidelines and surveillance protocol.

 

[Superman]

Update: My primary cardiologist wasn't sure about the need for Metropol long-term, so I was referred to a cardiologist who specializes in adult congenital heart defects since I had a bicuspid aortic valve.

I now understand why I should probably stay on Metropol despite having a mechanical aortic valve and repaired aortic aneurysm.

The congenital defect that causes the bicuspid aortic valve and ascending aortic aneurysm also presents a risk for dissection of the entire aorta. So even though my ascending aorta is fixed, I need to be careful with my remaining native aorta.

So, it's essential to keep blood pressure low even though I have a mechanical aortic valve and ascending aorta graft. In addition to medication, we also discussed exercise guidelines and surveillance protocol.

The gift that keeps on giving.

 

[DaveLee]

I went though the same problems and know how you feel At the time my valve was replaced they did not know of the connection with the aneurism. It was not checked. I still have the aneurism and when it was found, my cardiologist told me I had 2-5 years to live PERIOD. Even when I ask about some form of operation to fix it he told me NO THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE and he retired the next week. He told me I was to old for another open heart operation. Two years before that there was a paper about 1000 over 80 patients that under went open heart and only 2 died (0.2 %). Plus there were new ways that did not need open heart. I have come to the conclusion that at 70 or above they look at it as a resource allocation problem.

The point is DONT EVER trust any ONE source about a life and death problem. at this point in my life its all up to the man upstairs

Let me pose a question, when someone tells you something that is NOT TRUE is it a LIE even if they were told it by someone else ?

BEST of luck
Dave

Correction the study was with 260 over 80 years. Cardiac surgery in 260 octogenarians: a case series - BMC Anesthesiology . Its very interesting.