Beta Blockers

[briarrose]

I've decided to post this message based on all of the questions recently about beta blockers and some people that have listed symptoms that could be related to beta blockers.

As a patient I definitely have my own opinions based from experiences. I've tried Propranolol and Toprol both with very nasty side effects, drop in heart rate down in the 40's, I would sleep up to 20 hours a day, SOB, etc. I took Atenolol for about a years time and I thought it was the cat's meow but after a year I started waking up very short of breath and it would take awhile for my chest to clear. I was also having difficulty laying on my right side. They finally switched my beta blocker again and oh what a relief it was.

So something to keep in mind is that sometimes you need to have your medications re-evaluated by your doc. You can become intolerant to them.

As I list out the drugs, if you go to the website for your specific medication, please go further into the packaging information and look at the study side effects that are sometimes not listed under common side effects.

Toprol XL aka metoprolol succinate

https://www.toprol-xl.com/about_toprol/effects_toprol.aspx

packaging PDF - http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/pi/toprol-xl.pdf

Most Common Side Effects

In a large clinical study in patients with heart failure, serious side effects and side effects leading to discontinuation of TOPROL-XL included dizziness/vertigo, slow heart rate, and accident and/or injury. These side effects occurred in 1% to 2% of the patients in the study taking TOPROL-XL and in 1% or less of the patients taking the placebo tablet. If you experience any of these or other side effects, contact your doctor or other health care provider.

In patients with high blood pressure and angina pectoris, the most commonly reported side effects with immediate-release metoprolol tartrate are tiredness (10%), dizziness (10%), depression (5%), diarrhea (5%), itching or rash (5%), shortness of breath (3%), and slow heart rate (3%). If you experience any of these or other side effects, contact your doctor or other health care provider.

Propranolol - aka Inderal

Foreign Brand Names

Apo-Propranolol? (Canada); Detensol? (Canada); Inderalici (Mexico); Nu-Propranolol (Canada); PMS-Propranolol (Mexico)

http://www.medicinenet.com/propranolol/article.htm

Please see drug interactions at this website

SIDE EFFECTS: Propranolol is generally well tolerated, and side effects are mild and transient. Rare side effects include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, depression, dreaming, memory loss, fever, impotence, lightheadedness, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, numbness, tingling, cold extremities, sore throat, and shortness of breath or wheezing.

Atenolol aka Tenormin

http://www.medicinenet.com/atenolol/article.htm

SIDE EFFECTS: Atenolol is generally well tolerated, and side effects are mild and transient. Rare side effects include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, depression, dreaming, memory loss, fever, impotence, lightheadedness, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, numbness, tingling, cold extremities, sore throat, and shortness of breath or wheezing.

Tenoretic aka Atenolol

PDF - http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/pi/tenoretic_lpv.pdf

Betaxolol aka Kerlone

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic3/betaxolol_ad.htm

SIDE EFFECTS

Most adverse reactions have been mild and transient and are typical of beta-adrenergic blocking agents, e.g., bradycardia, fatigue, dyspnea, and lethargy. Withdrawal of therapy in U.S. and European controlled clinical trials has been necessary in about 3.5% of patients, principally because of bradycardia, fatigue, dizziness, headache, and impotence. Frequency estimates of adverse events were derived from controlled studies in which adverse reactions were volunteered and elicited in U.S. studies and volunteered and/or elicited in European studies.

In the U.S., the placebo-controlled hypertension studies lasted for 4 weeks, while the active-controlled hypertension studies had a 22-to 24-week double-blind phase. The following doses were studied: betaxolol?5, 10, 20 and 40 mg once daily; atenolol?25, 50 and 100 mg once daily; and propranolol?40, 80, and 160 mg b.i.d.

Kerlone, like other beta-blockers, has been associated with the development of antinuclear antibodies (ANA). In controlled clinical studies, conversion of ANA from negative to positive occurred in 5.3% of the patients treated with betaxolol, 6.3% of the patients treated with atenolol, 4.9% of the patients treated with propranolol, and 3.2% of the patients treated with placebo.

[cardiactec]

yes, be careful with inderal all of you who are on it. i took it and was okay for about a month and then started getting terrible nausea spells, followed by white colored stools -- NOT a good sign. i discontinued the med shortly after the third or fourth occurance of white stool and terrible nausea and the white stool is no longer present and the nausea, though i have it from pots symptoms, it is NOTHING like what it was while i was on inderal. so watch out! your liver could be warning you from white colored stool that it does NOT like processing inderal! i just wanted all of you to watch out for that because i know dr. low usually uses it as a primary beta blocker in pots patients.

[Guest dionna]

the propanonol caused me to pass out every time (no exaggarating) i stood up and i know i wasn't dehydrated because i was getting IV fluids daily.

dionna