Beta Blocker

[roxie]

hi! i have been having problems with reacting to my medicaitions and are trying to somethin else that might help. i've never tried a beat blocker, but am wondering does anyone know what the bb's are supposed to do??

any advice would be helpful

madeline

[cardiactec]

basically, in a nutshell, beta blockers help in many different ways, but mostly to slow down the heart rate. they also help with adrenaline surges. on the same token though, they can drop out your blood pressure (this generally is with higher dosaging). there are many different types of beta blockers, some work more on HR and less on causing drop out in BP.

I know with me, the sotalol I take has helped with slowing my rates down to a somewhat appropriate level and has helped a little with tremor/weakness. I know with some people though, beta can CAUSE weakness, and also more dizziness/light-headedness. beta also can increase fatigue problems in people with or without pots................higher doses seem to trigger or instigate further problems with symptoms and most POTS patients are on a fairly low dose of beta and i believe, have less problems with these side effects because of the low dose.

I'd give it a try and see if it helps out with your symptoms......in low doses, beta's are pretty well tolerated....

[flop]

Hi,

beta-blockers are traditionally used to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate.

My cardiologist explained to me that the tiny dose of Bisoprolol that I take (1.25mg twice daily) does have some effect on slowing the heart rate but that in these small doses that it causes vasoconstriction in the blood vessels which reduces the blood pooling in the legs.

Beta blockers for me have been the most effective med that I have been given - I was lucky and immediatelywent from daily blackouts to no blackouts at all (still very dizzy but able to sit down before I fell down).

I'd advise you to talk it over with your own doctor and, if they agree, maybe try a small dose of a beta blocker under supervision and see how it suits you?

Flop

[Wufflebear]

I was taking indurol before I got pregnant.. It did help. I did find however that my body adjusted to it, so we had to monkey with the dosage every 2-3 weeks which I felt was a bit much.. The other way I have used it is to just take it during bad spells.. Then I can keep the dosage down.

[Rachel]

Madeline,

If you're having reactions to your other meds then it is probably a very good idea to give beta blockers a try. Many people find them a huge help. I've used them in the past. They did put my hr back into a normal range, however, the side effects made me tired. It was nothing serious, though. It just put me back at "normal" without meds. Does that make sense???!

I hope the betablockers work well for you.

Rachel