  |
|
 
Side Effects of Drug-Eluting Stents 
Tweet
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Current Postings on This Page (48): • Dear Di, Australia -- yes, yes, yes,. I am 40 years old and have had 9 more heart attacks after the taxus medicated stent was put in my LAD. The second major heart attack was caused by stent thrombosis, but since I get vasospasms so bad they give me heart attacks. I did not have them before the stent was installed, so I can reasonably assume the stent is responsible for the next 8 heart attacks I have suffered. You are not alone, and if your doctor does not believe you go somewhere else. Unfortunately for us we suffer, while medical device companies make billions of dollars using people like us as lab rats. • yes, yes, yes,. I am 40 years old and have had 9 more heart attacks after the taxus medicated stent was put in my LAD. The second major heart attack was caused by stent thrombosis, but since I get vasospasms so bad they give my heart attacks. I did not have them before the stent was installed, so I can reasonably assume the stent is responsible for the next 8 heart attacks I have suffered. • I had 2 bare metal stents 4/11 and took Effient for 7 months of hell. swollen lips, burning ankle, continual rash,& sore mouth. I went to Plavix for a month and the same results. After stress test pics showed an anomaly, catheterization indicated restenosis in both stents. Medicated stents were inserted into the old stents and I was put on Brilinta and after several days the same ill effects are present. Am I to expect this hell for the rest of the time required to take these pills? Am I the only one to experience this type of side effects? • Has anyone experienced Vasospasm episodes (following stenting) brought on by sitting in a particular position? I can't go to the movies, restaurants, concerts, watch TV or sit in a car for very long without risking a Vasospasm episode. 3 out of 4 doctors don't believe me and the 4th, bless him, thinks that maybe one of the stents is kinking when I sit a certain way...but there seems to be no idea, after 9 months, how to treat this. Can anyone help? • Dear Editor - Thanks so much for your kind response and in-depth information. I feel a bit more confident, now, about the Endeavor Resolute stents. Something I'm still trying to find out is if anyone else has reported Vasospasm being triggered by sitting in a particular position. My cardiologist (second opinion because the first one was at a loss as to why I was, am still am, having these events) thinks that one of the stents, on a bifurcation, is kinking the artery when I relax my thorax while sitting. It triggers a varying mixture of breathlessness, chest pain, rapid pulse, raised BP and pain down my left arm. I have been told it's non-life threatening but it certainly disrupts the normality of my life and makes me feel very ill. Have you heard of anything like this before? Re the Crestor (thank you for picking that up) - I am on it for the cholesterol but I meant to say I'd been switched to Effient (which caused nose bleeds until the dose was reduced).
• I had 2 Endeavour Resolute Coronary (drug eluting) stents implanted March 2011. 3 days following the op, I was back in Intensive Care for a week and have since had inexplicable leaps in blood pressure (I have generally low BP), crazy pulse (55 to 125 in seconds) plus pins and needles down my left arm. I've had 9 months of hell (over 15 emergency hospitalisations) with cardiologists seeming at a loss as to why this has happened. I've finally been diagnosed with Microvascular disease (it appears microscopic pieces of plaque were squeezed out by the stents), Vasospam (brought on by sitting for too long or in a slightly slumped position hence indicating a squeeze on one of the arteries) and/or Prinzmetal syndrome as well as an inflammatory reaction to the stents. I'd like to know if ANYONE else has had these symptoms following stenting because I certainly had none of them beforehand. I've already changed from Plavix to Crestor and am taking Ikorel for the vasospasm (which is causing reflux). The symptoms have eased off but still recur unpredictably. I'd like to know if taxol is the polymer used in the stents I have so I have some idea if that's what I'm reacting to. Can you help?
• My uncle recently had a medicated stent. His taste was fine prior. Now everything taste bad and he is getting thin and weak. he wants to eat but not even his favorite foods are palatable. Could this be stent related if so how long will this last?
• I have three stents in my Vascular tree. I had one Bare Metal stent installed in 2010. Then in 2011 they found that it had Restenosis (Tissue Growth). The Doctor ran a medicated Stent inside the Bare Metal stent (RCA) and stented this other area (CX) with a Medicated stent. The problem I have been having is drug reactions with the taxol on the stent. It seems to react with a lot of medication the market. One water pill can last up to days and lower my Blood Pressure. I took a Blood Pressure Pill and it lasted 7 days. NOT VERY HAPPY AT TS TIME!I CARRY ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS OF TAKING TAXOL. I'M 9 AND 1/2 MONTHS N THIS AT THIS TIME. I HAVE 5 TOTAL STENTS BUT ONLY 2 ARE MEDICATED. • I'm looking to Connie, Mississippi,USA, May 19, 2010...Did you receive any information on your dad and his fatigue problem? My husband had the same thing after the first stent. We had to change cardiologists to get any help. That led to another stent and the first stent had to be reballooned. He felt GREAT for 2 days then a chest pain hit in the LAD area (first stent loc.) and the same symptoms came back. He has terrible muscle fatigue, no energy and sleeps a lot. Dr. refuses to recath and keeps throwing pills at him (up to 15/day). Feels no different than before the stents. I'm looking for another cardiologists! Looking for answers, he has no quality of life. HELP!
• I do have two stents in my heart, taking Plavix and 81 mg aspirin every day. feeling headache, body hot, confusion in the head, hoarseness, sometime nausea, don't sleep most of the times. please let me know if anyone has this experience.
• hello,I am a 64 year old lady...just had a heart attack and 2 different procedures to have stents put in...have had a terrible dry cough since I started on meds....can hardly talk without coughing...I am on Lopressor...is this the culprit?? thanks.......judi
• My name is pankaj kumar.My father had one endeavor medicated stent.Vein [artery? Ed.] was 100% blocked. doctor told it is very good stent. can you tell me it is good or not. Any side effect.Is Any problem with this stent?vHow long it work. i am very worried please solve my problem sir.plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzplzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzThank you. • I had 3 stents put in 2 weeks ago. Now I am just fatigued. I can't seem to motivate myself or focus on what I have to do. Is this a side effect of medicated stents? Seem to be breathing better now but I also have costo chondritis and it seems to have kicked up with a vengeance. Now I'm paranoid when I feel the pain. I am also on Plavix but haven't noticed a problem with that. A word about coughs...my wife had to stop taking Diovan due to the dry coughing. She has found her own cure and keeps a baggie of sugar free gummie bears under her pillow at night. She lets it dissolve in her mouth and it actually soothes the cough. • BP increase and malaise is not a side-effect
of these stents, assuming they have stayed open and are functioning correctly.
We assume the patient has been compliant with antiplatelet (Plavix, aspirin)
and other medication. These symptoms may be due to other related
clinical conditions or possibly
medications.
But we always recommend that the
patient
see
a cardiologist to
discuss these symptoms -- the placement of a stent is meant to help the patient
feel and function better, so if the opposite is happening, the situation
should be looked at by a cardiologist, if possible the interventional cardiologist
who placed the stents. • A patient had one Atom and 2 Xience stents placed
approx 6 weeks ago. Patient has been complaining of increased blood pressure
recordings and occasional
malaise. is this common with these types of stents? • Mr. Forum Editor - you continue doing fantastic
job here! Although my stent is 4 years old by now, I keep returning to
this website every once in a while, just to keep up with the latest news.
I noted people writing about their cough, presumably caused by an ACE
inhibitor. The fix is easy enough - just find a private spot and clear
it up every
once in a while. Not a big deal. But the ACE inhibitor can have another
side effect - it can impair kidney function, leaving too much Potassium
in blood. This is silent, but potentially more serious. My doc orders
routine blood tests, that's how he caught it early. He asked me to stop
the Lisinopril,
and voila! Potassium dropped back to normal within a week. • Dorothy F in San Antonio -- if you think you are
experiencing an allergic or hypersensitive reaction to your Taxus stent,
you should contact the cardiologists doing the stent study (see top of
right-hand column). They are pretty much the only group studying this
issue and they happen to be...in San Antonio! At UTHCSA. • Jean K., Texas USA -- I also had a Taxus Coronary
Stent put in 2 years ago. I have itching from the neck to my navel button.
I feel very warm and my body is wet after only slight exercise. I occasionally
have palpations, mainly at night. I now have started being nauseated
occasionally and burping. Benadryl stops the itch, but returns when I become
heated.
Tums help the burping. Sweat has to be dried off immediately because
a rash will appear. I cannot sleep on my stomach because I overheat after
a few minutes. Keep in touch, please. • I would like to respond
to the post from Sandy
in Massachusetts Dec. 2006.
You mentioned anemia possibly due to the Cypher medicated stents. I am looking
for a possible connection to the diagnosis I received in July 2009 that I rec'd
of myelofibrosis, which is bone marrow turning to scar tissue with the need for
2 units of blood every 30 to 40 days. I had a stent installed in June 2006. My
brother in law had a stent installed in 2007 and was diagnosed in April 2010
with the same disease. Anyone have this same disease after a stent. I am trying
to figure out how I got the disease. There is no cure except a stem cell transplant
which they don't do in folks over 60 years. Experimental drugs are the only offering
now and it's pretty much a guessing game. • My Dad had a medicated stent done in January.
He was also started on Plavix along with his ASA daily. We have seen
the cardiologist twice since then and just had repeat heart studies and
lung
studies done today. He has no energy, tires over the least thing and
appetite is down. He just turned 75 and has been VERY active up to now
but his activity
level is getting worse. Right after the procedure in Jan. he felt really
good for about 2 weeks. Since that time he has had this increasing lack
of energy associated with shortness of breath. Could this be related
to the stent. My Dad still farms and has a five acre garden. Yes-- 5 acres!!!
Could this be related??? Looking for answers!! • Patsy -- if one of your meds is an ACE inhibitor
(you can Google each med and see) that might be the cough-producer.
But don't stop taking your meds without discussing this with your doctor.
He/she can probably prescribe a different BP drug that won't make you
cough,
assuming
that is the problem. Have faith -- sometimes it takes a little while
to sort out the best drug therapy for each person. Just stay in communication
with your doctor (and us!). • I never thought about that, yes I am taking BP
meds, well at least I got an answer for that. Now you can answer the
question, why me? Have a nice day. • Patsy -- coughing is not something we've heard
about as a "side-effect" from stents. Are you on any ACE inhibitors (blood
pressure med)? They are known to have "dry
cough" as
a not uncommon
side-effect. • I've had 2 stents put in a bare metal, and drug eluting stent. I am cold
all the time, I thought it might be the blood thinners I am on, but I was not
like that when I had the bare metal stent in. It started after my last MI, and
they put the other stent in. Then I come on with this very annoying cough, which
I can't seem to shake, I have to all day and all night. I also have heartburn
like crazy, bad enough I had to go and get medication to help, but it doesn't
work very well. I have ruled out everything else, because nothing else has happened
since the MI, and these are all new since the new stent. • On Nov. 23, 2007, I had a heart attack and had
2 medicated stents put in. I take a high blood pressure medication, a
81 mg aspirin, Plavix, and Zocor for this condition. I also have rheumatoid
arthritis and take methotrexate once a week and folic acid daily for
this
condition. I have taken Remicade and Humira for this condition, but my
doctor took me off to see if I can get by without it. I am 60 years and
have had 2 other heart attacks resulting in 2 metal stents and a triple
by-pass. My current problem is night sweats. I will wake up 6 times at
night soaking wet. An hour after the last episode I will start freezing
and will have to add bed clothes to get warm. My temperature often will
rise above 102 degrees within a matter of minutes. It will slowly drop
(3 to 4 hours) after
I take tylenol. • I received one coated Cordis stent in April 2007
post AMI in LAD. Received another of the same in May in RCA. I started
coughing almost immediately after
AMI in hospital. I have continued to cough, choke & have clear postnasal drainage
excessively for four months. Physician recently gave me a steroid injection & course
of antibiotics with steroid & antihistamine nasal spray. Nothing seems to stop
the excessive postnasal drip with cough, etc.
Anyone else? • I THANK GOD I FOUND THIS WEB SITE. I thought
i was going nuts as do my
doctor & 2 dermatologists. I have been fighting a recurring rash for 2 years
that started a few weeks after a Medtronic stent was put in. I did not make the
connection
then & the doctors never have. When it first started it was so bad i thought
it was shingles. I had the itch, the sores, & the blisters, but the dermatologists
said no. My Dr. still says it is a follicle infection, but no treatment has stopped
it. I used to love a long hot bath, but when i do it now i itch all over for
an hour or more. This is an unbearable itch, not normal at all. I only take luke
warm showers now. I still have a recurring chest itch & neck and back occ.The
Dr.s gave up on it a long time ago. I use a cream on my chest almost daily [
triamcinolone acetonide ] but i worry if it my have a long term use side effect.
I am allergic to several antibiotics, sulfa & penicillin. Do they ever remove
a stent.?? • Kenny -- sounds like a drug reaction. Check out
our related topic on Plavix
and aspirin: dosage and allergic reactions -- rash seems to be a not
uncommon sign of adverse reaction. But don't stop taking Plavix without
consulting your interventional cardiologist -- he/she may be able to put
you on a different drug, like Ticlid, which may or may not relieve to rash. • I had a taxus stent in LAD on Jan 1, 2007, started
on plavix and asa and switched my vytorin 10/20 to lipitor 40. Now 3 weeks
later started with hives and itching on my eyelid and axilla and all around
my upper thighs and groin. Could this be the plavix or stent . Started
steroids. any one with similar problem and did it resolve without stopping
plavix. • Lori -- 7 stents? That's a lot of stents by any
measure. We're very sorry for your loss. If we may ask, had it been determined
that your mother was too frail or ill for bypass surgery? • I would not recommend taxus stents, my mother
had 7 put in february 2005, and she passed away 6 months later • Greg -- still having this problem? It might be
the Plavix -- this has been reported (see our Forum topic on Plavix and
aspirin -- link is in the right side-bar). But don't stop taking it yourself.
Discuss this with your cardiologist. Ticlid is another antiplatelet drug
that he/she might prescribe instead. • After having two Taxus stents placed in early
October 2006 followed with 75mg Plavix, 81mg aspirin,75mg Toprol and Vytorin,
I thought I was good to go. Even felt 98% better. Then on October 31 2006,
I began itching uncontrollably. Coincidentally, I took a flu shot October
31 so I immediately saw the flu shot as the cause. Even my PCP thought
so. So used benadryl to help with reduce to itching. But now, on December
4, I still have the itching. Sometimes it's unbearable. Mostly I have light
itching during the daytime, and the more serious itching in the evening.
I take the plavix, toprol and Vytorin first thing in the morning, so am
wondering if it's oral meds or the drug eluting stent. • I Have had placed the Cypher medicated stents
about 2 years ago I now have anemia . And no one can find a reason. I was
wondering if anyone has the same problem. My brother also has them and
is just diagnosed with anemia. • We continue to receive reports from patients about
adverse reactions that they feel might be due to drug-eluting stents, given
that they have eliminated other causes. We have not found a wealth of data
on these problems outside of our Forums. Check out our topic on Allergic
Reactions to Drug-Eluting Stents. • My father had taxus stents put in in January,
2006. He has continued to have an unexplained temperature since then. Has
been in the hospital and no infection was found anywhere. Has anyone had
this reaction from the taxus medicated stents? We are wondering if this
temperature could be from them? • My father-in-law had 3 taxus stents put in on
5/27/06. Since then he has had chronic hiccups. Has anyone else had this
reaction? • i have had extremely dry crusty lips since the
use of plavix and aspirin. i am not sure if it's from the medication or
the stent itself. please please help me. • A number of patients have written in about allergic
reactions after stenting and we urge posters here to also read that Forum
Topic. Sometimes drugs can cause these reactions -- namely Plavix,
Ticlid or other medications that heart patients are on. But sometimes the
explanation may be an allergy to the metal in the stent, or the polymer
(plastic) coating. • Sharon, "medicated" (a.k.a. coated or drug-eluting) stents have radically reduced the incidence of restenosis by supressing the growth of "scar tissue" inside of stents. This used to occur in about 20% of cases -- this has now been reduced to single digits. That is why in the U.S. well over 90% of all stents used are of the drug-eluting variety -- in some hospitals it's 98%. That being said, there is some concern that drug-eluting stents are slightly more "thrombogenic" -- prone to an increased incidence of thrombosis (blood clotting) inside the stent and for a longer period of time than bare metal stents. We are, of course, talking about small numbers: clinical trials show about 1% thrombosis rate for all types of stents; real world may be a bit higher for drug-eluting variety. That is why post-stent dual antiplatelet therapy of aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) is prescribed for 3-6 months at a minimum and possibly for a year or longer -- to keep the blood smooth and reduce the possibility of clotting inside the stent. So things to think about are: can you tolerate Plavix
and aspirin? can you afford a year of this drug? are you going to need
surgery that you can predict in the next year (antiplatelet therapy can
be a problem for surgery because it inhibits clotting)? are you allergic
to either of these drugs? There are also some (again very few in number)
who are hypersensitive or allergic to the drug-coating itself on the stent.
There are several topics on our Forum about these concerns. Also read our feature
on drug-eluting stents. In Europe, drug-eluting stents are used less
frequently (they are more expensive) and some cardiologists are again starting
to use bare metal stents in wider arteries that measure 3.0mm or more in
diameter (restenosis normally occurs much less frequently in wider arteries).
Remember, the complications are few in number, but any concerns should
be discussed with the interventional cardiologist who is doing the procedure.
By the way, the fact that your husband's stent has worked fine for 9 years
would indicate that it was quite successful -- in any case stents can't
be "replaced" because they are permanent implants. If it has
blocked up and is the cause of the angina, it may be reopened via angioplasty.
But it may be that another area in the coronary arteries has a blockage
that is the cause and may require treatment. Please let us know how things
turn out. • My husband has had a coronary stent
for 9 years. the past 2 weeks he has experienced angina on a regular basis
and may need to have his stent replaced. I believe doctors are now favoring
the medicated stents. Are there any side effects or risks from these "medicated
stents." i would greatly appreciate any feedback, thanks in advance • I would like to know if anyone has the following
side effects with Taxus Coronary Stents: Itching all over, feeling warm
and face is red, palpations, nausea & burping Thanks so much |
|||||||||||||||||
