Cure worse than the Affliction

I have been diagnosed with an ejection fraction of less than 35 and a severe cardiac arrhythmia ( 32000 pvc's per 24 hrs ). My cardiologist put me on Coreg and gradually worked me up to a dosage of 25 mg BID. The arrhythmia has dropped to 37 but I feel absolutely horrible since being on the Coreg. I am constantly dizzy and fatigued. The slightest effort requires that I stop and rest. I feel like I have no strength nor any ambition to do anything. I have also gained weight.I am diabetic and I take metformin, actos and glyburide and I had a lucunar infarct 7 months ago. What can I do to not feel like a Zombie constantly?  

[ireneo]

How long have you been on the Coreg? When I took Verapamil (a CCB), the side effects were so terrible that within 5 days I ended up in ER. They stopped the med. Now I take Diltiazem (also a CCB) and it's not nearly so bad. The first couple weeks I had some dizziness and whopper headaches. Now I'm left with a bit of brain fog and fatigue; I don't have the pep I had before but it does help the tachycardia and chest pain.

If the Coreg is too much for you in terms of side effects, see if your doctor would be willing to try something else. 32K PVC's a day is a bit much, huh? Perhaps someone else has had a good experience with a med for PVC's. I have PVC's and PAC's (just a few hundred a day normally) and some atrial tachy plus occasional chest pain. That probably takes a different med than those for PVC's. Hope you feel better soon.

[Momto3]

What has dropped to 37?  Do you mean 37 PVCs/day?  

When I was first on lisinopril, it took me about 4 months to adjust to the dizziness...UGH!  

Does your doctor know how/why your EF dropped?  For what it's worth, my EF dropped to 40% and it was because I developed PVC-induced tachycardia.  I was on anti-arrythmics for about 7 months, but didn't like the side effects.  I had 2 ablations for the PVCs and my EF normalized.  Any chance that could be what's going on?

[duncanmarsh]

Been on Coreg for 3 months.Have never had chest pain.Doc wants me to hang in with the med for a couple more months and then test the ejection fraction again. Sorry to hear about your Dad. Lost my Mom Nov15 under similar circumstances. Still get weepy when I talk or think about it. I think the meds contribute to that also.Thanks for your concern.

[duncanmarsh]

37PVC's/day. I had a stroke in Jan. The Docs seem to think that the stroke and the reduced EF are due to the long term effects of high blood pressure and arterial disease from diabetes. I am also taking lisinopril. Definitely noticed the symptoms that I mentioned before after I started on the Coreg.

[Momto3]

Good news on the drastic reduction in PVCs!  

Sorry to hear you've been through so much.  Hopefully, the meds will help strengthen your heart and you will get past the side effects.  When are you scheduled for another checkup?  echo?