Beta blockers........your experience?

[RAE]

Had to go back to the doctor this morning. For the last few months, I've been experiencing an irregular heartbeat, on and off. When the irregular beat would start, it often lasted quite a while.........sometimes 12 hours or more. Up until this last week, it would only happen occasionally, and wasn't a huge problem (especially if it occurred during the day), but over the last week I've lost 3 nights sleep because of it, so it was time to go in and see what was going on. After an EKG and blood tests, the doc said it's basically "premature ventricular contraction" or PVC, and often the cause is unknown. He said mine was not all that bad (or serious), and some people who have this are able to basically ignore it without taking medication. In my case, though, there's no way I can ignore this when I'm trying to sleep......if I can even get to the point of almost dozing off, the thumping starts again and prevents me from falling asleep. Very annoying, to say the least! Anyway, he ended up prescribing a low-dose beta blocker (Metoprolol, 12.5 mg, 2X each day), which is supposed to slow down the heart and bring it back into a normal rhythm. This is the first prescription drug I've had to take, and I'm not wild about taking it (there can be side effects), but I felt like I had to give it a try, as the issue has been getting worse, and everything else I've tried (removing all processed foods from my diet, no caffeine, no alcohol, etc) has not worked. Anyway, after taking the first half pill earlier today, the palpitations stopped after about 30 minutes, and I could feel my heart rate slow down. So, it seems to be working so far. I'm curious about others that are taking beta blockers........what is your experience? Did they work, were there any significant side effects, do you need to stay on them long-term, etc? Thanks...........

 

[W2R]

I'm curious about others that are taking beta blockers........what is your experience? Did they work, were there any significant side effects, do you need to stay on them long-term, etc? Thanks...........

Metoprolol (25 mg, once a day) is the best drug my doctor ever put me on. Every time I measure my BP, I am thrilled and amazed to see it staying down exactly where it's supposed to be. Other BP meds hardly helped at all so this is a welcome change for me.

In my case it causes no side effects (unusual for me), and since it is generic it costs almost nothing.

I have been taking it for 7 years. Since I am 68 1/2, I don't imagine he will take me off of it.

 

[Walt34]

I've been on Metropolol 50 mg 2x a day for about a year and a half now. No ill effects that I'm aware of. I had atrial fibrillation, then a cardiac ablation last March seems to have fixed it for a while. But both docs insist that I stay on it, I suppose to decrease the odds of a recurrence.

 

[Teacher Terry]

When I turned 50 I developed HBP, erratic and too fast heartbeat. It was so fast they said it was lucky I had not had a stroke even though I was normal weight and exercised everyday. Every one I have ever been on makes me tired. They all quit working after a few years. One made me winded -topral. Oddly enough I never felt it.

 

[Viking]

I've been on metoprolol 25mg twice a day for over two years to deal with atrial flutter. It typically stops flutter within a few minutes - except for one episode last August where I ended up having a cardioversion to shock my heart back into a normal rhythm.

I noticed that I developed fairly pronounced anxiety within the first few months of starting metroprolol. This is an acknowledged side effect. I'm now on a low dose anti depressant that has eliminated the anxiety without seeming to have any side effects of its own.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Yes I developed anxiety after going on beta blockers so need to take something for that. Many meds for anxiety lead to a clearing of the throat often-side effect.

 

[JoeWras]

RAE: just a suggestion. Did you try exercise for your PVCs? I find that moderate exercise reduces mine to an "ignore" rate. I'm talking 4 to 5 days a week at 30 to 45 minutes of moderate work. However, if I go crazy with exercise up to 6x per week at 1hr or more, I get more PVCs. So there is a sweet spot.

Just an idea to avoid the β blockers.

 

[RAE]

RAE: just a suggestion. Did you try exercise for your PVCs? I find that moderate exercise reduces mine to an "ignore" rate. I'm talking 4 to 5 days a week at 30 to 45 minutes of moderate work. However, if I go crazy with exercise up to 6x per week at 1hr or more, I get more PVCs. So there is a sweet spot.

Just an idea to avoid the β blockers.

Oh yeah, I've been exercising daily for years - long brisk walks twice each day, plus chin-ups, squats, and a few other things. I have no idea why the palpitations started a few months ago, as my exercise routine did not change at all. Believe me, I tried a whole lot of things to avoid prescription meds (magnesium supplements, high-dose fish oil, calming teas, deep breathing, no processed foods, little or no sugar, no alcohol, etc., but nothing worked). It sounds like most others have had a good experience with this drug, with not too many side effects, so that is encouraging. The dosage I'm on right now is pretty low.

 

[MRG]

I was on metprolol for a while and then was changed to Atenelol(beta blocker) 100mg. I have no idea why or the prior dosage. I don't trust the DR who did the change as I later learned he was an id10t.

I was on that for a long time. It definitely lowered my BP and slowed my heartrate down. Initially it was always 55. After 15+ years I was dizzy, always dizzy and feeling like I was passing out. I went to one hospital, while I wasn't in ICU, they had me there to monitor. They noticed my heartrate being low(30s) while I was sleeping but didn't think that was the issue. Discharged with nothing noted. After another year the feeling was much worse. While in another ER, someone noticed my heart rate still in the 30s! They thought that was too low!

I sincerely believe that 100mg was too much for me. I also had issues if I was late for a dose. It was the same kind of feeling I had when my BP was high. Any time I felt like that and checked, my BP was normal. I was put on a alpha blocker and eventually got it under control with the lifestyle changes you mentioned.

Work with your Doc and I'm sure you will have a much better experience then I did. I think a beta blocker is a good medicine for what you described.

 

[Nodak]

I take Metoprolol daily for blood pressure, no problems of any kind.

 

[Dreamer]

I have been on Metoprolol ER 25mg once per day for Atrial Flutter since 05/14. I did not have any symptons for the Atrial Flutter. I have not noticed any side effects using the Metoprolol. I sometimes think that I get tired too easily, but that could be the result of not exercising enough, getting older or the medicine. I am also on Xarelto 20mg once per day for the Atrial Flutter.

 

[Morgan22]

Had fast heart rate and (unusual to me) pain. (Low 100's). Saw cardiologist, she said nothing is wrong with my heart, just stress. But prescribed a low dose of Metoprolol. It made me feel faint all the time, and I would get what felt like blood rushing/pain surges in my heart (don't know how else to describe it). [I don't think she should have perscribed it to me though, since I have naturally very low BP.]
I eventually looked into natural ways to slow down heart rate and read up about Magnesium Glycinate. Since she told me that there was nothing wrong with my heart I slowly ramped down the Metoprolol to nothing and ramped up the Mag. Feel alot better now. HR now in 80's.

 

[Mo Money]

I took Metoprolol and developed hallucinations while sleeping -- night terrors -- a rare but known side effect of that drug. While Metoprolol did wonders for my heart rate, it made my sleep pure, unadulterated hell. Snakes, rats, raccoons, mysterious people wandering about the bedroom. Not a fun trip.

Now on Atenolol. After switching, the thrice-a-week night terrors ended. YMMV, but be careful.

 

[JoeWras]

Oh yeah, I've been exercising daily for years - long brisk walks twice each day, plus chin-ups, squats, and a few other things. I have no idea why the palpitations started a few months ago, as my exercise routine did not change at all. Believe me, I tried a whole lot of things to avoid prescription meds (magnesium supplements, high-dose fish oil, calming teas, deep breathing, no processed foods, little or no sugar, no alcohol, etc., but nothing worked). It sounds like most others have had a good experience with this drug, with not too many side effects, so that is encouraging. The dosage I'm on right now is pretty low.

OK, got it. I didn't see exercise in the original post.

Hope you find relief. PVCs, although supposedly benign, are really a pain. Your heart seems to do a "super pound" to make up for the rhythm disturbance. It can be both irritating and scary.

 

[timo2]

the cardiologist took me off beta-blockers last year when I was 63, after 14 years since my heart attack. apparently I'm one of the few that ever gets off those things, because statistically people on beta blockers have less recurrence of heart attacks, or something like that. My primary care physician was surprised they took me off the beta-blockers.

I have always had low blood pressure, and my triglycerides were low now based on my dietary changes since my heart attack. and the beta-blockers made energy level worse. I know that now because when I got off the beta-blockers, I had more energy. and actually felt like exercising more, for a while anyway.

 

[RAE]

I eventually looked into natural ways to slow down heart rate and read up about Magnesium Glycinate. Since she told me that there was nothing wrong with my heart I slowly ramped down the Metoprolol to nothing and ramped up the Mag. Feel alot better now. HR now in 80's.

Interesting - thanks. I also read that if you take magnesium for heart arrythmias, you should get magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate, rather than the poorly-absorbed magnesium oxide that they sell in most pharmacies. I just got a bottle of magnesium taurate the other day (ordered it online), and was going to try it, but I think I'll hold off for a bit and see how I react to the metoprolol first.

 

[frugal-one]

Have SVT ... fast heart rate and take magnesum (CALM powder mix with water) and have done so for over 5 years. 2t daily. Did not like the risks involved with beta blockers. Went back to the heart doc and asked why he did not tell me about magnesium and he stated "we only prescribe drugs."

 

[MRG]

Be careful with magnesium and potassium(things like Calm, taken as directed, appear ok for most people).

I read a bunch of crapola that resulted in me taking a bunch of potassium(not supplements). Went straight to Tachacardia, did not pass go! An experience that no one needs to repeat. There's some serious crap that can happen, probably not good to play with what we don't understand.

 

[Eagle43]

Toprol XL 50 MG for me, with no issues.

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[Another Reader]

And drugs are not something to play around with either. My family member with thyroid - induced tachycardia lasted one 12.5 mg dose of metoprolol. Got dizzy and almost fainted. Went to bed and slept all day. Shivering cold under several blankets with the heat at 70 degrees. The doctor agreed to take her off immediately.

 

[calmloki]

V-fib knocked me down and out a few years ago. Got a small handful of drugs prescribed and took them faithfully, then developed A-fib. Cardio version and cardio ablation, handful of drugs, now have A-fib back and another reboot cardio version scheduled for the 10th. Have been taking Metoprolol faithfully and my heart rate and blood pressure are low enough that my energy level is barely able to get above an idle without exhaustion and breathlessness. Eh - good not to need to dig ditches for a living.

 

[braumeister]

I also read that if you take magnesium for heart arrythmias, you should get magnesium glycinate or magnesium taurate, rather than the poorly-absorbed magnesium oxide that they sell in most pharmacies.

Any form that ends in "-ate" is good. That indicates the chelated form, which is what you want. Also be careful about the dosage indicated. Some manufacturers include the amount of magnesium along with the chelating agent (which is heavier than the magnesium), and others just show the amount of magnesium.

The easiest way to check is to look for the RDI (recommended Daily Intake) on the package. The RDI for magnesium is 400 mg per day, so if you buy something with 50% of the RDI, you know you're getting 200 mg of magnesium, net of chelating agent.

Personally, I take magnesium citrate. You can also find aspartate, citrimate, etc.

 

[RonBoyd]

I have had A-Fib for a little over ten years now. I started with 50mg of Atenolol per day but developed what I called "brain fog" -- more slow-witted than usual. This was cut to 25mg in the morning and Digoxin (Foxglove) in the afternoon. Many people developed Liver problems on Digoxin (I was not one) and my insurance carrier switched it to a Class 2 drug and raised the co-pay considerably. So I went back to only Atenolol. After experimenting, we (the doctor and I) arrived at 37mg per day. It has been a year now and I have no complaints.

Anyway, I have been "on" Atenolol for over ten years and have had no side effects other than that mentioned above. Certainly, I would prefer to not take any medication but the risk of a "run-away" heart rate is just too great. And the $6.00 copay for a three months supply is not exactly a budget buster.

 

[tmm99]

And drugs are not something to play around with either. My family member with thyroid - induced tachycardia lasted one 12.5 mg dose of metoprolol. Got dizzy and almost fainted. Went to bed and slept all day. Shivering cold under several blankets with the heat at 70 degrees. The doctor agreed to take her off immediately.

Wow, you said a beta-blocker didn't agree with your family member before, but I didn't know her side effects were that severe.

 

[RonBoyd]

The issue of the proper balance of potassium to magnesium is somewhat complicated so be sure to do your research. Important note: an excess of magnesium (or not building up tolerance slowly) will promote diarrhea -- think "Milk of Magnesia.".