Beta Blocker Dosage

[ethansmom]

I just have a quick question...is 200mg a super mega dose of beta blocker? I was just wondering, because my cardiologist had put me on 200 mg daily of Sectral last summer, and I had to stop it because it was dropping my BP too much and making me feel faint all the time and super tired. When I first got sick I was on 400mg daily...this just seems really high compared to others I've seen. Any thoughts?

[Michelle Sawicki]

I was told by a POTS doc that lower doses of beta blockers seem to work best. I only take 12.5 mg currently.

Michelle

[nantynannie]

I was also supposed to be on 12.5 of Coreg (never got that far) but maybe it depends on the medication?

Ann

[POTSparent]

My daughter was tried on 3 different beta blockers. None were the same that you are inquiring about, but all 3 were at much lower dosages than the 200/400mg you're noting. It would certainly depend on the medicine as the 3 we tried were all at different mg dosages. I will further note, however, that the beta blocker approach was abandoned altogether several months ago. Our new doctor wasn't a fan of them for the treatment of POTS. We considered excessive fatigue to be an unacceptable side-effect of the beta blockers.

[beala]

potsparent ,

what have you found to help with your child HR then ?

[briarrose]

It definitely depends on the medication your taking and usage. I was only taking 6.25 mg of Atenolol but the starting dosage is 25 mg.

With that said, I looked up starting dosage for Sectral and this is what I found.

Recommended dosage

ADULTS

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Hypertension

The usual initial dose for mild to moderate high blood pressure is 400 milligrams per day. It may be taken in a single daily dose or in 2 doses of 200 milligrams each. The usual daily dosage ranges from 200 to 800 milligrams.

People with severe high blood pressure may take up to 1,200 milligrams per day divided into 2 doses. Sectral may be taken alone or in combination with another high blood pressure medication.

Irregular heartbeat

The usual starting dosage is 400 milligrams per day divided into 2 doses. Your doctor may gradually increase the dose to 600 to 1,200 milligrams per day. If your doctor wants you to stop taking this medication, he or she will have you taper off over a period of 2 weeks.

CHILDREN

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The safety and effectiveness of Sectral have not been established in children.

OLDER ADULTS

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Your doctor will determine the dosage based on your particular needs. Do not take more than 800 milligrams per day.

[Jersey Girl]

I tried a few beta blockers to control my BP which was steady high a year and a half ago and could not tolerate any of them. I ended up on Verapamil for 6 months. I now have Xanax 1/2 pill which works for those occasional times it will spike. I also used to spend a lot of time in a warm bathtub to lower my pressure as well. Some autonomic specialists don't like beta-blockers.

[Guest Julia59]

I was told the other day during my TTT that the BB dose I was on was a high dose. 20 mg of propranolol three times a day. I was on 20 mg four times a day.

I have been on BB for 14 years. I was able to lower the dose on and off over the years until I crashed with POTS. The nurse told me that 14 years is too long to be on BB's.

I would love to get off of my BB---but every time I have tried in the past, I gets these horrible hyper adrengic attacks.

How will I ever get off of them---------

Julie :0)

[ethansmom]

At this point I feel that my tachycardia is well controlled with Florinef and Pro-Amatine, and staying hydrated- so really, I think I will try to avoid BB's for now. I have enough fatigue without them lol

My heart rate goes from 65-70 sitting to maybe 100 standing if my meds are in my system, so I am happy with that.

[calypso]

Jessica,

This sounds too high for treating POTS. I would think 100 mg 1x or 2x/day would be more appropriate. I take metoprolol 25 mg 2x/day. For someone who is being treated with metoprolol for high BP, that person would probably take at least 50 mg 2x/day or more. I also know some people take 12.5 mg 2x/day, but this didn't cut it for me.

If you have very low BP -- like 90/60 or lower -- I would think a BB would be a bad idea. But since you are on midodrine, maybe that would counteract enough ... what is your BP running since you have been on this? I think the BB lowers my BP about 10-15 units systolic and 5-10 diastolic, if that helps you get an idea of how you might be affected by a low-dose BB.

Amy

[ethansmom]

My BP usually runs on the higher side now, around 130/80 average. When I was taking Sectral it ran 90/60 and I felt like death, even with the Pro-Amatine and Florinef. I am seeing a new doc in 2 weeks so hopefully I will be able to talk with them more about it then.

[Ling]

I take Inderal once a day 160 mg. Increased the dosage recently due to bad chest pains. Works great for me and I take Effortil twice a day for blood pressure

[corina]

Jessica

I was on metoprolol 300 once a day (which worked for 24 hours). Since I'm on midodrine I've lowered till 200 mg a day. I don't know why but it works for me. When I stopped the metoprolol for having a TTT I really felt bad and wasn't able to do anything accept be in bed and wait till my test was done. Afterwards I started on metoprolol again and began to feel better.

Since we all react different I wanted to let you know so I think you don't have to worry about it. It's all about how YOU react and feel about it.

Corina