1kate1 Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 I was recently diagnosed with dysautonomia, my main symptoms being low blood pressure and high heart rate. I tried Midodrine for 2 weeks but I got an intense squeezing feeling in the carotid arteries in my neck. Then doctor put me on 25mg Atenolol. I have been on it for 11 days. The brain fog and grogginess was debilitating until yesterday. Today I woke up with less brain fog but my heart rate is elevated to where it's uncomfortable. Anyone else had issues with Atenolol? Did they resolve? How long?Also wondering - for those who have tachycardia and hypotension...what meds have worked for you?Thank you for taking the time to read this and respond. I am so excited to join this forum! I have not yet met anyone who has even heard of dysautonomia so it's nice to talk to people to are familiar with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KareBear Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Welcome to the forum 1kate1!! Sorry to hear you are having these problems and were diagnosed with dysautonomia too. I tried many beta blockers over the years but never tried Atenolol though I do know others here take it so maybe they will give some input. I finally found propranolol that works great for me. It took a little adjusting to it at first but it controls my heart rates wonderfully and my bp no longer drops low like it used to. So, that's the med that helps me most. If the med is bothering you, you may want to let your doc know so he/she can decide if you may need a change especially since it shouldn't increase your heart rates. Is your bp dropping lower on the med or better? If the med is dropping your bp it can make your heart rate rise to try and compensate. Starting new meds is always hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Hi and welcome. Haven't tried Atenolol but have used a combo of midodrine with a beta blocker (propanalol, now nadalol) to deal with symptoms. I think mestonin is also supposed to help control HR without affecting BP in some dysautonomia patients. A certain percentage of patients get good relief with it but like every drug it doesn't work for everyone.Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjensen Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Kate, welcome to the forum. I am new as well. I have found a lot of tips on tis site. I am feeling my way along, so I am no help. I will say that every day is different. It does take some time to know what could help or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1kate1 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Chaos and Medic Girl - Thank you so much for your replies. I don't want to bug the dr and complain if this medicine takes longer to "acclimate" but maybe it is time to let him know how awful it's making me feel - thanks for the encouragement. I know nothing about beta blockers but you make it sound like there are many others out there. MedicGirl - do you remember how long you took the Propranolo before the side effects went away and you felt better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1kate1 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Kate, welcome to the forum. I am new as well. I have found a lot of tips on tis site.I am feeling my way along, so I am no help.I will say that every day is different. It does take some time to know what could help or not.Thank you for the welcome. I truly appreciate it. It makes me feel less lonely with this "condition" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KareBear Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 I dont remember the exact amount of time it took to adjust to propranolol but I do remember my doc feeling confident it would help me and he told me to not give up on it, take every dose on time, and give it at least 2-3 months. It made my symptoms as far as low bp, dizziness, and near syncope much worse at first and I could barely get up for anything. But, I did adjust to it I believe around 6-8 weeks after starting and it has been the best med for me. I'm glad I stuck with it. It of course doesn't help all symptoms but helps the cardiac stuff. No more bp drops, controls heart rates, no more chest pains, helps with the chronic headaches, even the shakiness and nervousness associated with tachycardia are relieved by it. I take 40mg 3xday. I have been on it for a couple years now and it still works just as well for me. I hope you and your doc find one that works for you too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Just to clarify, Mestonin isn't a beta blocker. It's a totally different category of drug so if beta's don't work for you it might be another option to explore with your doctor. There is research on it relative to POTS. Personally propanalol worked for me almost immediately. Changed to Nadalol after a couple years as it's an extended release and propanalol is short acting in the lower dosages that are usually prescribed for POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1kate1 Posted December 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Just to clarify, Mestonin isn't a beta blocker. It's a totally different category of drug so if beta's don't work for you it might be another option to explore with your doctor. There is research on it relative to POTS. Personally propanalol worked for me almost immediately. Changed to Nadalol after a couple years as it's an extended release and propanalol is short acting in the lower dosages that are usually prescribed for POTS. Do you remember how long it took you to adjust to the Nadalol - when you felt good and didn't have any side effects? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkd Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I don't know if your doc is willing to let you try different betas, but my doc said he had a list of them and he'd just go down the list til we found one that worked.I took atenolol for about a week. It dropped my blood pressure to 90s/50s and I felt really tired and more dizzy.Next was acebutalol. I took it for just a few days and had a weird episode where my breathing was really slowed and I had pre-syncope. Then I tried betaxolol. I had no 'adjustment' period at all with it. It lowers my heart rate and my blood pressure has stayed in the 100s/70s. So, it's been a good fit for me.So, I suggest giving your doc a call and see if he'd let you try something else. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeforeTheMorning Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 Hi,Sorry I don't know anything about the meds, but I just wanted to say welcome to the forum! I hope that you find something that will really help you soon.Best Wishes,Lyla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted December 2, 2013 Report Share Posted December 2, 2013 I had to start at a lower dose of the Nadalol than prescribed for a few weeks and then work up to the full amount- which is still a low dose. Sorry, can't remember exactly how long it took but I remember it wasn't an "immediate relief" like the propanalol had been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1kate1 Posted December 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 Thanks for the encouragement. I went back to the cardiologist today and he has me taking metoprolol. It's a really small dose (12.5 mg) twice a day - and I'll work up to a higher dose over time. Thank you for the comments!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeris5000 Posted December 3, 2013 Report Share Posted December 3, 2013 Glad you are trying a different medicine, 1kate1. I was going to say I started taking 12.5 mg atenolol about a month ago and it's been fine so far. I was told to take it before bed, which helped with the initial drowsiness. I don't notice any side effects now. I think I was supposed to up the dosage to 25 mg, but I'm unsure if that is 25 all at once, or 12.5 mg twice a day. But I like 12.5 mg a day, my BP stays around 106/65 and my standing heartrate is always under 100, unless I'm coming out of the shower, then it still dances between 100-125. I've also noticed that if my heart has to work hard, it still does despite the atenolol. Climbing a big flight of stairs will get it up to 170 and my dance workout might get it up towards 190. I'd like to know if increasing my dosage might cut that high, working HR down a bit. I can't tell if I need more atenolol, or I'm just really deconditioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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