Do heart medications affect the glucose levels in your blood

(Marta L Fivehouse-Niemann) #1

Recently, 5 days ago, I had a heart attack. I know, BUMMER. Emergency stent surgery. I am doing really well with my recovery so far. I think it is because of my keto WOE. I am also T2D. Lowered A1C from 12 a year and a half ago to 6.4 this past month. No meds just diet and lifestyle changes. Feeling great until this happened. So now my bg numbers are high, 155-190. Still eating keto but have added a bunch of new meds. I know my body is stressed but has anyone else had this experience? How long did it take to get things back to normal, if that is possible.

(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #2

@Marta, My heart goes out to you. No pun intended. I had an MI 28 years ago and have battled problems associated with all the prescribed meds for years. As for your question, did KETO cause your MI? Probably not. Iā€™m sure there are many other things going on that contributed. I know Heredity and stress were big factors for me at 28 years of age.

(Marta L Fivehouse-Niemann) #3

Oh no I donā€™t think keto cause the heart attack, it was in the making a long time. I think keto is helping in my recovery rate. I feel great but a wee bit tired.

(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #4

I think thatā€™s prob. norm. Seems like your attitude and spirits are good. My KETO goal is to get to a point where Iā€™m free of all prescribed medications. Iā€™m only a few months into it but Iā€™ll get there, no matter how long it takes.

(VLC.MD) #5

Which cardiac meds ?

(Marta L Fivehouse-Niemann) #6

A statin, of course, ACE inhibitor,Beta Blocker and Thiazide diuretic, a blood thinner.

(Naomi Brewster) #7

Medication when you need it is a good thing - obviously we would prefer not to need them and thatā€™s where you are heading but for now, they are probably helping you. I hope you have a doctor willing to work with you to assess necessity as you go along. Well done for KCKO - youā€™re doing great.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

Does your doctor know youā€™re on a ketogenic diet? If your doctor has been pegging his prescriptions at a certain level because he believes you to be a sugar burner, you may in fact do better on lower doses, or none at all.

Such a way of eating should eliminate the need for the statin and the diuretic at a very minimum. What are your cholesterol numbers, and your triglyceride level? The diagnostic criterion for prescribing statins is based on flawed research and flawed assumptions about cholesterol, and new studies of heart disease risk show associations primarily with the triglyceride/HDL ratio and with LDL particle size distribution (we want to avoid the small, dense particles in favor of the large, fluffy ones). The size of our LDL generally improves along with our trig/HDL ratio. If you can convince your doctor to go along with the current research, he may eliminate the statin without your having to push too much.

As far as the diuretic is concerned, there is ample evidence that carbohydrate causes water-retention, which prompts the kidneys to retain sodium to maintain the electrolyte balance. Once you go keto, the kidneys excrete all the excess water and stop retaining sodium as well, which means that you need more sodium in your diet when youā€™re ketotic, and that you may need to work a bit to stay hydrated. In fact, I just re-watched a lecture by Dr. Phinney, in which he states that the higher our serum beta-hydroxybutyrate, the more sodium our kidneys excrete. On top of it all, he also quotes recent research at McGill University showing that the bodyā€™s need for sodium is far higher than was previously believed, and it is far higher than the U.S. recommended daily allowance.

(VLC.MD) #9

Statins seem to increase insulin resistance but the others are fine. Iā€™d just take the statin and keto. Carbs are much worse on your body than the statin.

If your pressure gets too low the diuretic might be safely cut / reduced

(Jen ) #10

Hey Marta!

Iā€™m glad you survived your MI- so scary! I used to work on a cardiac floor (Iā€™m assuming you are in the US) and what you have been put on is the ā€œgold standardā€ of cardiology. Basically if you have an MI and get a stent, you get the whole shebang of meds.

May I ask what you are on for a blood thinner? I was on Coumadin for a while after a blood clot in my lung; you have to be extra super careful with any green leafyā€™s, cauliflower, and a few other foods.

I have been taking a long acting beta blocker for over a decade & I personally have no link to the med with my obesity. I stayed at a constant 125 lbs for five years on the med. (I donā€™t weigh that now, I wish!)

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

(Marta L Fivehouse-Niemann) #11

JayBee Jen
December 1
Hey Marta!

Iā€™m glad you survived your MI- so scary! I used to work on a cardiac floor (Iā€™m assuming you are in the US) and what you have been put on is the ā€œgold standardā€ of cardiology. Basically if you have an MI and get a stent, you get the whole shebang of meds.

May I ask what you are on for a blood thinner? I was on Coumadin for a while after a blood clot in my lung; you have to be extra super careful with any green leafyā€™s, cauliflower, and a few other foods.

I have been taking a long acting beta blocker for over a decade & I personally have no link to the med with my obesity. I stayed at a constant 125 lbs for five years on the med. (I donā€™t weigh that now, I wish!)

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

(Marta L Fivehouse-Niemann) #12

Wow, itā€™s been a month since my heart attack and I have learned so much. More than I ever wanted to learn. My latest lipid panel results, Chol/HDL 4.42, Cholesterol DVA 248 mg/dl, HDL 56 mg/dl, LDL mg/dl 168, LDL/HDL 3,Triglycerides DVA 120mb/dl

Dr still pushing heavy duty statin and want to up all my meds even when all my test are coming back good. They want me on ā€œoptimal treatmentā€ I asked ā€œoptimal for whom?ā€ I donā€™t think they were happy but they at least are willing to discuss and let me decide.

Next appointment after my echocardiogram so that should be interesting.

Still doing keto but apparently not strict enough because I only have a trace of ketones, according to the stick. Will do some IF this next week. Feeling great and encouraged. Thanks

(Abhishek Anand) #13

Marta,

I am nearly in the same boat. I had exertional chest pain and failed my stress test. A stent was placed to fix a 99% blockage (more here).

I would recommend Dr. Davisā€™s form (undoctored.com, formerly trackyourplaque.com). I have learned a lot from that forum. He has a long experience with reversing heart disease. He is a strong proponent of low-carb and is fine with keto. Apart from low-carb, he also focuses on optimizing Vitamin D, Thyroid, gut flora.
Dr. Davis does not push statins, although he is open to low doses in people who donā€™t respond to other interventions.

#14

I know that this is several months later, however, I too had a heart attack about 15 years ago. I was placed on statins and have fared well.

As I understand it, statins are continued for MI patients long-term because they also have beneficial anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation in the arteries can cause plaque formation ergo the use of statins.

You will also find that even in low carb circles (even Dr Fung I believe) say do not stop taking statins if youā€™ve had an MI.

(Bob M) #15

You might rethink those statins:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #16

Or give a listen to this lecture: