Replies

Doc has me on 81 mg, says no more benefit after that. It must do more than just thinning blood. I’m on Plavix for blood thinning. Not sure I understand why all my meds.

I’ve never had hi BP, never hi cholesterol, no arrhythmia, yet he has me on metropolol, Lipitor, Plavix, aspirin.

The aspirin is to cut down inflammation which is the cause of half the heart attacks but it doesn’t damage the liver. It may cause stomach problems but a coated aspirin gets around that. Aspirin is a good thing here.

The statin Lipitor is to lower LDL but it also lowers HDL which is a good cholesterol. The LDL leads to a plaque buildup which together with inflammation can cause plaque bits to dislodge and cause heart attack and stroke.

The Plavix you already know about but as it thins the blood it allows the heart to not work so hard. The metoprolol I have no experience with but it is a beta-blocker which relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow. So it looks like he’s having you take Plavix and metoprolol to make it easier on your heart.

It sounds like your problem is a weak heart and after reading this thread the culprit could possibly be your previous daily intake of ibuprofen.

I don’t think ibuprofen was meant for daily dosing but aspirin is Ok. Ibuprofen is a great pain and fever reliever but should not be taken daily. My doc said to not take ibuprofen and aspirin together. One can be taken in the morning and one at night but not together.

Sounds like your doc is taking the standard approach here partly to get some relief for your heart and partly to practice defensively in case you have another attack.

Ask him if there is any exercise you can do to increase your HDL and also if there is any cardio therapy such as pilates or any supplements that can strengthen your weak heart.