History Of A-fib. Taking Omeprazole With The Aspirin To Prevent Upset Stomach. Reason Of Headache?

Posted on Thu, 4 Apr 2013

Question: I'm a 33 y/o male. I'm 5'9" and weigh 212lbs. I have a history of A-fib (only 2 events in the past 2 years). My cardiologist has me take 325mg of aspirin once a day. I take omeprazole with the aspirin to prevent upset stomach. About 2 weeks ago, I had a gradual onset of intense calf pain in 1 spot. I did some calf stretches and it appeared to relieve the pain, but later that night as I was trying to sleep I was fighting an incredibly bad headache. The next day I felt dizzy for most of the day. Later that afternoon I took a long nap and woke up feeling better. However since then I've been noticing the calf tightness returning almost daily. I try to make sure I'm not sitting too long and that I stretch the calves. I also have been exercising--which seems to make me feel better. However I'm still getting the bad headaches (I'm having one right now).

Answered by Dr. Gopal Krishna Dash (13 minutes later)

Hello sir,

Thanks for the query,

I understand your problem

I have noted your medical history

Please note that dizziness in patients with A-fib could be due to increased hear rate it self. Medications that decrease the heart rate will be helpful. Your cardiologist will help you select one of these drugs. Commonly used ones are metoprolol, digoxin etc. Calf pain in a patient with A-fib may be due to blockage of blood vessels due to embolism. This can be resolved by doing a scan of the leg. The scan that is helpful is called as Doppler scan. If this is excluded, other causes could be due to low sodium in the blood, thyroid problem etc which should be checked.
Though your headache can be due to many causes, in a patient with A-fib, secondary causes like any blockage of blood vessel need exclusion either by a CT /MRI Scan.

I sincerely advise you to be evaluated by a local neurologist at the earliest. He will guide you through investigations the way I have discussed above. Your management will depend upon the exact cause rather than simple assumptions.

I hope that I have clarified your query,

Please let me know in case you have any concern
Best wishes

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar