COPD and my PM
Although I have a long list of health issues, other than my heart, the most pressing is the COPD. I just learned a lesson that may be useful to others. I use a Trelegy inhaler once a day and it works quite well. Then Monday when I used it I noticed that I did not seem to taste the powder as before, but just figured I was getting used to it. Yesterday it was like I simply inhaled air. I wear a smartwatch and frequently check my HR. I noticed early in the day that my HR was elevated between the high 80's to 100. As the day progressed I noted that my HR was not going below 90 and it took almost no movement to raise it. At one point just walking a few steps shot it up to 112!. Time to freak out. A little research on the net revealed that there is a relationship between untreated COPD and HR. I went t my pharmacy and explained the situation to the pharmacist. She called the maker of Trelegy. After a few questions, they agreed to replace the inhaler. Fortunately, I had just refilled the med so I had another on hand to use until I got the replacement. After getting back home I used the inhaler and within a few hours, my HR was back at normal and staying there. Today all is well.
Just a little FYI for those with COPD and heart issues.
4 Comments
Going to have to think about this one
by AgentX86 - 2020-09-23 12:20:48
Untreated COPD driving pO2 down (pCO2 up) causing increased heart rate to compensate?
IDK
by bill328 - 2020-09-23 12:27:51
All I can tell you is what I experienced. When my inhaler stopped working, after two days my HR was hitting over 100 with hardly any activity. Once I replaced the defective inhaler, my HR has returned to normal. IDK, maybe smoke and mirrors...
Well, my deliberate opinion is - it's a jolly strange world. Arnold Bennett
It's good that you were able to get it sorted out so quickly
by crustyg - 2020-09-23 18:41:54
I'm pleased that it was so easily resolved for you - and good advice to always have a spare. We have two family members with exercise-induced asthma, and there never seems to be an in-date inhaler around when it's needed.
AgentX86: you may be right - pCO2 can rise quite quickly if airways obstruction is significant.
Anyway, a useful mental puzzle.
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Going to have to think about this one...
by crustyg - 2020-09-23 11:51:39
I don't doubt for a moment your recollection of symptoms and the events that you described.
But - and this is a big but - I don't see how this works, so I may be misunderstanding something important.
Your description *sounds* as though your Trelegy inhaler had run out ("like I simply inhaled air") and your HR went up.
This doesn't make sense to me: Trelegy contains an inhaled glucocorticoid (no effect on HR), an anti-muscarinic (like Atropine) so this would tend to increase HR (blocks effect of the Vagus nerve), and a beta2-agonist (tends to drive up HR). So how does a *lack* of these drugs become the causal factor of your undoubted increase in HR when it should, in theory, result in your HR going down?
Anyone explain what I'm missing here?