Beta Blockers

[Griffin]

Does anyone know the contra-indications for beta blockers? My cardiologist told me not to let any doctor give them to me for my tachycardia/hypotension. Then he wrote in a letter to my GP that he might try beta blockers. I can't get any sense out of him over why he said to avoid them or why he then changed his mind. (He keeps changing his mind on all sorts of things which is endlessly confusing).

[Angelika_23]

Hi,

I can't tell you what the contraindications are, I guess we would need to know which one...

I was put on Toprol XL, and it does bring my HR down. Toprol can lower your BP, so if you have a low BP that might not be the drug for you. I happen to run normal or high, so it is fine for me. I don't really notice any side effects at all from it. I am just so happy it reins in my HR. I do notice when I have to go off meds for testing though.

Good luck,

Angela

[Guest tearose]

Well, the bb gave me terrible chest pain, made my partial bundle branch block worsen and gave me more bradycardia. The miseducated doctor actually considered giving me a pacemaker so I would better tolerate the bb!!!

Thank G-d I went to get a second opinion before I did anything.

I know from learning from better electrophysical cardiologists and the Mayo Clinic that bb's are contraindicated if you have lower heartrates.

Maybe there are other reasons, I don't recall.

[ethansmom]

My guess would be that they are contraindicated for those with hypotension (low blood pressure), because that's the main function of BB's is to lower your BP.

I alswo happen to have normal blood pressure so I have tolerated a BB for many years with no problems- in fact, it is my lifesaver because it keeps my HR normal and prevents palpitations and episodes of SVT. However, I did have to try several before I found one that worked for me, which is Sectral. Some of the others gave me major bradycardia, dizziness, and headaches.

[summer]

I think BBs are contraindicated for asthma or other breathing problems (or at least they must be used with caution) - also they can make Raynaud's syndrome worse, or I suppose other conditions were vasoconstriction is a problem. I think they can also make allergies worse, and decrease the effectiveness of epi-pens used for anaphalactic reactions.

[summer]

The miseducated doctor actually considered giving me a pacemaker so I would better tolerate the bb!!!

That's a scarey doctor!! Glad you got a second opinion too, Tearose!

[summer]

Sorry. me again ..... I almost forgot (actually, I did forget), BBs can mask the signs of hypoglycemia or even worsen hypoglycemia in diabetics. Ok, I'm done now .

[Griffin]

The miseducated doctor actually considered giving me a pacemaker so I would better tolerate the bb!!!

That's outrageous.

Thanks everyone. It's any beta blocker. If they generally lower blood pressure then they are defintiely not for me as I already have hypotension, so if the consultant tries to give them to me he must be mad like Tearose's.

[summer]

Thanks everyone. It's any beta blocker. If they generally lower blood pressure then they are defintiely not for me as I already have hypotension, so if the consultant tries to give them to me he must be mad like Tearose's.

Hi Griffin,

I have low BP, and can not take a BB alone because it drops my BP too much, but I also take Florinef which keeps my BP from going too low. The combination of the two together work pretty well for me. The florinef keeps my BP up and the BB keeps my heart rate down. I think this is a pretty common combination for POTS.

Summer

[Griffin]

Thanks Summer. Useful to know.

[RIfainthearted]

I take midodrine to raise my BP and nadolol to lower the HR. I also recently started taking Florinef. The three seem to work well for me. Good luck!

[Griffin]

Hi

My doctor has never heard of midodrine and it isn't in his little book. I think it may be off label in the Uk.

[cmruls]

Which BB's is everyone using and what dose? I use carvedalol (coreg) 6.25mg BID.

[spaceorca]

Dr Raj's team at Vanderbilt recently published a study showing that a low dose of propranolol (a beta blocker) worked better than higher doses for POTS patients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19687359. So another variable to consider may be how much of a beta blocker to use. As the title of this article suggests, "less could be more." My son hasn't tried a beta blocker yet, but we may try one soon. We're currently adjusting amounts of the florinef he takes and don't like to change more than one med at a time.

[Griffin]

Got my prescription today. He has put me on bisoprolol (Congescor). I start it tomorrow. Minimum dose. Hope it suits me. Hope it does not lower the BP too much. Feeling a little anxious because the Ivabradine (which I will stay on) has raised my BP to normal and now I am fearing it will go down again. I guess it all has to be trial and error but I was so hoping the Ivabradine would work on its own and disappointed it needs a top up of BB.

[hensor]

I'm from the UK and am on a combination of Propranolol (a beta blocker) and midodrine. It works for me. Propranolol on it's own dropped my general BP too low but it seemed to help with my vestibular migranes and PoTS.

Midodrine is only prescribed by very few Drs cos it is not licenced for use in the UK - so I have to send off to Queen Square NHNN in London every 3 months for a new prescription. Only certain Drs can, and then only for specific patients. ( I don't really understand, just know that my pharmacy has to order them from Germany)