shoegal Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 I take atenolel 25mg to lower my heart rate, lately I get low BP like 80/40ish sometimes lower and often the machine can't find it, it's making me dizzy and scared every day. I missed my EP appt and my GP is useless, is this normal? what can I do? I'm tired of being scared every AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeSprings Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Maybe you need something other than a Beta Blocker? The last POTS Dr. I saw said a lot of his patients feel worse on Beta Blockers. I have low BP too, many of us here do - I can't imagine what a beta blocker would do to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Can you take your BB at night instead of in the am? Other ideas - have something really salty at night and again first thing in the am. I have a big cup of broth followed by lots of water - or try a med to bring up your BP, like midodrine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redoctober Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Have you tried Florinef yet? I was like you a few weeks ago...waking up @ 3-4am with heart racing, etc. Florinef has improved that for me...I can now sleep through the night and wake in the morning with higher BP and only mild increases in HR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoegal Posted May 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I just keep waiting to see the doctors, the primary says to ask the endo or cardio. last night it was 80/40's all night and I felt awful. so tired of feeling like this and crackers make me gag by now. I'm off of afood all together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redoctober Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I just keep waiting to see the doctors, the primary says to ask the endo or cardio. Boy, do I know how you feel. Nothing like falling between the cracks.How about adding some salt to your diet...to increase volume and BP. You could also try some licorice tea...which will also help you to retain more water (increasing blood volume). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoegal Posted May 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 my cardio isn't sure what I should do, comforting isn't it? he isn't sure why I feel so bad at 80/40 and below, huh?How do I get my GP or Endo to treat it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyler Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Sounds like you may need to find a new Doctor- you need a doctor that understands that POTS changes like the weather and therefore the treatment needs to be adjusted with said changes. It's common medical knowledge that most people would feel bad with a BP that low. My son took metoprolol for a year and it worked great for his HR but his BP started dropping too low after a year of being fine so his POTS doc switched him to Betaxolol immediately and the problem was solved. If your BP is too low then your abdomen will not get the bloodflow that it needs and that may be why you can't eat. His doctor said that there are a myriad of beta blockers to choose from and some are better at rate control where as others provide more BP affects. Your body increases your HR to compensate for low BP - that could explain your heart racing. Kyler is on his 3rd BB in 2 years and this one is a charm... for now. It has very apparent that some meds make him feel much worse so we had to stop ,change doses, or change type on several occasions. For example - mestinon worked great on his HR - TOO great - it got to a normal people HR which was WAY too low for Kyler's body to fix his blood loss from pooling in his legs - it took away his body's natural ability to compensate for the pooling and we had our first POTS related visit to the ER. Florinef didn't work last year in May but 2 weeks ago (he has gotten worse since then) we started up again and it is the miracle drug for him without making the insomnia worse. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godsgal Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hi there....when I took 25 mg of a beta blocker my bp would be 60/40.....perhaps you could have the dose. Just call the doctor and ask if you can start taking 1/2 the dose. My blood pressure is constantly low and that low I understand is definitely sickening. You don't have to live like that!!!! The beta blocker is making it drop too low. Not worth it! I bet that half the dose would help you a lot. I was taking 12.5 for the longest and that ended up being too much for me as well. I did best on 6 1/4 mg. Yep...taking 1/4 of the dose. But I'm really small and my body did best with that amount. This POTS is definitely an experiment as to the best meds for you. And your body is letting you know this isn't the right mix. Put a call into your cardio to approve the half dose if that sounds like you want to give that chance. Then drink a glass of tepid water before you get out of bed in the morning (recommended by POTS doctor at Mayo). Not a cold glass. Tepid. Try gatorade, and V8 if you can tolerate those. Watch the sugar in the gatorade. I always like G2. Try compression stockings which help the blood pressure & heart rate. Prescription grade. Don't give up! You'll find the right meds for you. And keep searching for a doctor that understands POTS and will help you.Take care,Jared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoegal Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 Jared I have been taking about 1/4 off it it, it's hard as they are not scored to be exact.You got me thinking, I lost 20lbs recently, maybe that is why my low BP has been worse? I'm not big either only 4"10, so maybe blood pressure avg. is for bigger people? I don't want it too high like my pulse due to bad hearts in my family and I know lower is better, but it's been WAY too low. My PVC's have been more often, those scare me :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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