beta blockers
- by Tracey_E
- 2009-10-13 04:10:06
- Conditions, Meds & Tests
- 2940 views
- 21 comments
For those of you who have tried different beta blockers, which have the least side effects? Do they all make you tired? How about weight gain?
If a drug has a list of ten side effects, I'll probably get nine of them! I can't even take an aspirin without side effects. Just one of the many reasons I have resisted any attempt to be put on meds! I really do not want to do this, have not in fact decided to do it yet, but the dr wants me to try a low dose because my resting rate is over 100 now, which makes it really hard to work out. It's annoying but not dangerous or debilitating so I'm thinking no thanks.
21 Comments
The weight gain is real
by Gonnie - 2009-10-13 09:10:18
I currently take 25 mg of Carvedilol twice daily & recently started 80 mg of Sotalol twice daily for VFIB. I won't resist the Sotalol because I had an episode of VFIB that scared me so I understand the need for it. I don't, however, like what my weight is doing but I'm the only one who can do something about that. I recently started Jazzercise but can't get my heart rate up much & don't understand enough about the device settings to know what to ask about. Good luck whatever you decide!
don't know
by Tracey_E - 2009-10-13 09:10:36
He didn't say which one, only that we'd only try a very low dose. That's why I was asking here, so I can have a discussion with him rather than just take what he suggests. He is still waiting on my blood work, said he'd call back and we'd discuss it more after he sees it. I'm not on anything right now, I've talked my way out of every prescrip anyone has tried to put me on so far!
It's not really a matter of cutting back, this has killed my workouts. I'm huffing and puffing and getting dizzy before I break a sweat. I'm ok when i start to warm up, but as soon as I exert, my hr skyrockets and the pm maxes out. I had a stress test last week and lasted a whole 6 minutes. And 4 1/2 of that was walking slowly, as soon as they cranked it up, zoom! I'm fine with day to day stuff, but I miss being more active. I've got to decide if it's worth it.
This may sound odd, but pacing at a higher rate and 100% really won't use up your battery that much faster than pacing just sometimes. It is a factor in battery life, but your safety settings, the voltage, and the extra features that your pm uses have a bigger impact on how long it lasts. My first pm was supposed to last 4-5 years, I pace 100% and I still got 7 yrs from it. I'm very stable in my usage so they were able to turn the safety margins way down, and it was years ago when they didn't have all the extra features that the new ones have now.
Beta Blockers
by SMITTY - 2009-10-13 10:10:03
Hello Tracey,
I understand, from personal experience, where you are coming from on not wanting to take any of the various heart medications because of undesirable side effects. However, since doctors tend to get a little persnickety when we turn them down without even trying their recommendation, you might consider trying the low dosage approach to see if you can tolerate the medicine and slow your heart rate a little.
I read an article the other day about a new beta blocker called Bystolic. This one has some of the same side effects as all other beta blockers, with the most common adverse events being headache, fatigue and dizziness. I know that is the same old song, but from what I read the side effects are less severe and it was stated that fewer people suffer any side effects.
If you haven't already given this one a try you might consider asking your doctor if it may suit your needs.
Good luck,
Smitty
Coreg CR
by aldeer - 2009-10-13 10:10:48
Hi Tracey.... I have been on many, many different meds for a-fib and hypertension. I am now just on the Coreg Cr that has helped me lots with minimal side effects for both my heart problem and bp... have been on it for about a year and a half. Will always be in a-fib with a single lead to the ventricle and av-node ablation.. but other beta blockers have always really left me very tired. Good luck with what ever you and your doctor decide. aldeer
Atenolol
by nat36 - 2009-10-14 01:10:57
Tracey I am also on Atenolol to lower heart rate. My heart rate at last visit was 155 so doctor wanted me to try meds again. I am like you and did not want to do it! He said that my heart function could go down rapidly if my heart rate stays that high. I also could not tolerate exercise at all! So I started on 50mg once a day and it has really helped. My heart rate is staying in the 80-90 range now. I am exercising a little but taking that slow. As far as side effects, all I notice is that I am a little more tired. I have tried Toprol and it made me feel exhausted. This is not as bad for me. I have also been on Flecainide before the pacemaker and it also caused me to be very tired. So far I can tolerate this. I have been on it for about two months now. I tried splitting it in half but it did not work at the half dose for me. Good luck and let us know what you decide!!
Atenolol/Sotalol
by donb - 2009-10-14 02:10:17
Hi Tracey, Thought I'd update what I'm taking now. I was on Atenolol for 17 years, 25mg twice a day. Doing Rehab my limit treadmill was 8% grade @2.8 mph which kept just under 130BPM my upper PM limit. Now with my last PM I'm on Sotolol 80mg. twice a day as I was put on it for slight Atrial-Fib. Now after being away from Rehab for months I'm back and doing a lot better.
I'm at 10% grade @3.2 mph with my HR peaking at 91 after 20 minutes. Now this is after doing 2.5 miles on air bike and another 2.5 miles on the Eliptical. My overall rthym is better, hardly notice any PVCs'. I always thought it was my prior PM that was kicking up my HR. Now, if I can convince myself that this Betapace doesn't tear up my chemistry--------So far So Good DonB
Bystolic
by golden_snitch - 2009-10-14 02:10:29
Hey Tracey,
I tolerate "Nebilet" (Nebivolol) best. I just googled it because I wasn't sure what the brand name is in the U.S. and it's Bystolic. See: http://www.drugs.com/nda/nebivolol_070501.html or
http://www.drugs.com/bystolic.html
Don't know why it took so long to get FDA approval, first time I took it was back in 2001.
Best wishes
Inga
beta blocker
by franko1966 - 2009-10-14 06:10:08
hi tracey,i take atenolol 50mg twicw a days,my hr was over 100,and in a fib,but now down in the lower 70's,and just in flutter.good luck i also take mag
BP, afib, fish oil
by Tracey_E - 2009-10-14 06:10:26
I don't have afib or any irregularities, only a fast hr.
It sounds like many (some?) of the beta blockers will also lower bp? Because my bp is so low they usually check it twice (3 and 4 times if they don't know me) to make sure they read it right.
Smitty, thanks so much, you're awesome as always! I have said no thanks in the past, he took it pretty well and never pushed. He definitely knows me well (and knows I'll balk, lol) and is approaching this differently, he really wants to give it a try. I guess I'm leaning towards giving it a trial, as long as it's short term and very low dose. If I'm gonna be tired and dizzy, I can do that without without pills LOL, the whole point is to get back to exercise (which currently makes me tired and dizzy).
Philman, I've done a food diary and I've tried the fish oil, that's how I got by the last year- which would be the last time I told him no thanks to the beta blockers. Caffeine sets me off, I limit myself to one cup of decaf every other day. It helped at first, but now my rate is back up again. I haven't noticed any other correlations. I haven't tried magnesium but will look into it. Thanks!
Frank, you crack me up!
Inga, who knows why the FDA does anything!? They approve dangerous untested stuff and take forever on things used safely with good results the rest of the world.
Sounds like Bystolic is the one to ask for. Thanks for your feedback!!
Sotalol (Betapace)
by golden_snitch - 2009-10-14 09:10:09
Hi again!
I don't agree with you, Gary. Sotalol most importantly can have proarrhythmic effects (unlike normal betablockers) causing life-threatening arrhythmias like torsade des points tachycardia.
Sotalol has class II and III (calcium channel blocker) antiarrhythmic effects, not just class II as betablockers like Metoprolol. Sotalol belongs to the same class of anti-arrhythmic meds like Amiodarone.
Also, the betablocker part of Sotalol is non-selective which means that it doesn't just affect the heart but also other organs. Propanolol for example is also a non-selective betablocker, metoprolol on the other hand is selective and only affects the heart.
Treating a rhythm that is just a bit too fast with Sotalol definitely overshoots the mark. It is normally used for ventricular tachycardia, and for atrial fibrillation, too. In many cases a therapy with Sotalol is started in hospital because it can have such bad and even life-threatening side-effects. The percentage of patients who experience serious pro-arrhythmic effects is just as high as those that "only" have fatigue or dizzyness.
There is a really good article on Sotalol here:
http://www.rxlist.com/betapace-drug.htm
Gary, you might not experience any of the side-effects, and so it works well for you - which is great, I don't know anyone else who's on Sotalol who tolerates is that well -, but you just can't state here that there are "no known side-effects".
Best
Inga
Sotalol
by Tracey_E - 2009-10-14 10:10:54
Gary, good for you! It's nice to hear someone doing well on sotalol. My mom is on it for afib. She was in and out of the hospital several times before they got the dosage right. She's doing ok now in that she rarely goes into afib, but she is always tired and sob.
mag, do you find you can get your rate up with exercise?
Exercise/Beta Blockers
by Philman - 2009-10-14 12:10:43
Tracey, One quarter of the smallest dose of Atenolol and plenty of exercise may be the answer. For me the small dose works and the exercise eliminates the side effects for the most part. Bystolic was troublesome with headaches and the usual. Glass of red wine at night works wonders.
-Philman
my 2 cents
by Philman - 2009-10-14 12:10:45
Fish oil, magnisium,ace inhibitors c/b worth a try. I assume the b/p is ok. I loath, detest,despise, and hate b/b but still take a 1/4 25mg atenolol 1x per day. You will need a pill cutter but this very small dose works for many people. I take it late morning and have not had any a-fib while playing tennis in months, when I was on the docs dose , I would have episodes 2-3 x a week... I feel that too strong a dose will create the very problem the drug was supposed to fix. The "real deal" is finding a cure for the problem not the symptoms. A simple diary of your food intake might shed some light on the issue. You may have some allergies with other things as well. A heart monitor will be an easy way to detect some of the causes of the increased h/r. Or just check your pulse after "suspect " foods or events.
Good luck to you, and thanks from all of us for your untiring efforts to help the pacers in this club
-Philman
Hi Snitch,
by GMan - 2009-10-16 07:10:24
Could it be a low dose, maybe? (of Sotolol) I take 2/day 1 @9Am, 1 @ 9PM 80mg. I've monitored myself daily for weeks and haven't felt anything! Can any of you share what the Sotolol is doing to you???
Gary
Almost forgot!
by GMan - 2009-10-16 08:10:16
The Doc said the Sotolol will IMPROVE my putting in golf! I haven't tried it yet, but will keep you posted. He said you will be calmer, steadier, and concentrate better! Any comments???
breaking a butterfly on a wheel
by golden_snitch - 2009-10-22 08:10:29
Hi Gary!
Well, good for you, but even with a low dose you can't say for sure that there won't be any side-effects. You seem to not have any, but still that's just you. Sotalol in general has lots, and as pointed out even life-threatening side-effects. Prescribing Sotalol "just" to treat an otherwise normal heart rhythm that is a little too fast is breaking a butterly on a wheel.
There are other options as for example Ivabradine (direct sinus node inhibitor).
Best wishes
Inga
jm
by Tracey_E - 2009-10-23 09:10:08
I noticed that the first year also! The whole time our hr was 40, our atria were beating like crazy, trying and trying to get the ventricles to go faster. Mine settled down over the first year I had a pm (1993) and I didn't have any symptoms at all until the last year. And really I'm fine now, I just have problems when I work out. It doesn't affect day to day activities.
I'm in the same boat
by jm48 - 2009-10-23 09:10:27
So it sounds like I'm in almost the same situation as you. Ever since the pacemaker my HR has been fairly high and I really notice it, more so early in the day. In any case both my cardiologist and my EP think my heart is just going to take a long time to adjust to having an assistant. My cardiologist is starting me on a low dose of Inderal to see if it helps me feel more like myself. Believe it or not I'd be only too happy to get to a point where I feel like my old 40bpm self (that is my 40bpm self from before the dizzy spells). Despite having CHB my whole life I have never really felt like a heart patient until now.
You know you're wired when...
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Curious
by Shirley - 2009-10-13 08:10:50
Hi Tracey,
Just wondering which med your doc is thinking of putting you on? As you say, if it is not more of a problem than cutting back a bit on running, i would think, forgo the meds.
I am on so many meds for lungs, high blood pressure, colesterol, kidney etc etc., I keep trying to eleminate any one that I can, only to have another one dropped on my plate. The reason I am asking is that my resting rate is also always around the 100 rate. Only time it is lower is sometimes around 5 or 6 am when I get to the 70 range. Then it is back between 95 & 105. I am worried about using up my battery too quickly as I am paced 100% in the ventrical.
I hope you are able to come to the best resolution that will keep you safe and able to enjoy life ...without getting caught up in this meds onslaught that we seem to be pushed into, with all the side effects that come with them.
Good luck,
shirley