u/Competitive-Boat9406

Hi! So this isn't actually about me, it's about my best friend, he is 19 and struggles with weakened heart muscles + recently had a heart attack. He has so much trouble sleeping because the meds he takes for his heart give him alot of nightmares. He wakes up so many times during the night because of them. This makes him so exhausted and makes his condition worse too :(

Does anyone have any advice on when to take the medication in the afternoon so the nightmares are less??

Right now he takes one pill in the morning, and then one pill JUST before he gets to bed. And I'm assuming if he takes the afternoon dose a little earlier that it maybe won't affect his REM sleep as much? But he's only going to start trying to take them earlier from tomorrow.

I'll keep track of what time he takes them, when he falls asleep, and how bad the nightmares were to try find a good time for him to take them.

But I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue and maybe could advise what time they take their meds to prevent these nightmares?

I've never used reddit before so im sorry in advance. I guess I'm maybe looking for some advice or reassurance, or maybe similar stories from people.

My best friend (he's only 19, and ate really healthy and exercised well too) found out about 2 and a half months ago that he has high blood pressure, and about 2 months ago it turned out to be heart faliure. He has been on medication but it feels like it just keeps getting worse and worse.

2 months ago it was just a slight cough and chest pain, shortness of breath and occasional nose bleeds. But now despite taking meds, hes in pain 24/7, needing to go to the hospital atleast twice a week because the pain gets so bad he's worried it a heart attack (which he has already had one 2 weeks ago). He has really bad shortness of breath and is dizzy all the time and light headed, daily nose bleeds too.

The doctors just say he needs to stay away from stress, eat well and sleep well and take medication. But his parents are getting divorced and he's stressed all the time, he can't sleep because he's in pain/stressed and he can't eat because he's in pain/no appetite, and aparently he's in pain because he's not eating or sleeping or staying away from stress well, so its just a loop of him not being able to do anything about it. He's lost so much weight and he's so incredibly depressed because of all this. He has absolutely no appetite and he throws up half of anything I manage to convince him to eat, which is barely anything. I'm so worried he will die soon and i don't know what to do about it. He lives across the world and there's only so much I can do from where I am.

I feel like the doctors aren't doing enough or they're not taking his case seriously. He is only 19, he worked out well, he ate well, he wanted to study be a doctor and he is such a good person. It's so hard seeing him at such such such a low point.

I'm sure there's probably things I'm forgetting to say but i would really appreciate any advice or maybe similar stories anyone has to give :(

If anyone knows anything that could help with being short of breath that would be great too. Especially if it's things that we might not have tried already. Tips on helping him eat would be great too or maybe any specific foods that are easy to eat. I'd love to hear from people in similar positions too