OT: Beta Blocker Withdrawl

[Jeff N.]

I won't go into the whole scenario of why I was taking Beta Blockers, but I just wanted to give you all an FYI: I hated them (Metropolol) because when taking them I couldn't get my heart rate much over 100 bpm, which is terrible for a cyclist who likes to do Centuries. So I decided to just stop taking the stuff and the withdrawl symptoms are/were down-right scarry! Jitters. Elevated BP (through the roof!) and heart rate. Anxiety. Headaches. Dizziness. Loss of appetite. Sleeplessness. Irritability. I should've known better but I just cold turkied. If you're trying to get off this crap, do it slowly! Don't be a doink like me! The effects have lasted about 4 days and still aren't completely gone...much better, but not gone. Better yet, STAY AWAY from Beta Blockers! -Jeff N.

[Geeheeb]

Rebound hypertension is a real thing and should have been discussed with you by a healthcare provider somewhere between the diagnosis and picking up the prescription at the pharmacy.

[SoCalSteve]

Rebound hypertension is a real thing and should have been discussed with you by a healthcare provider somewhere between the diagnosis and picking up the prescription at the pharmacy.

So to get off one drug, you need to take a different one?

[Scuzzer]

No, to get off that drug you can't quit abruptly, you need to ratchet the dose down over time.

I've been on and off Atenolol quite a few times and the doctor was always surprised I was able to tolerate quitting cold turkey, I never experienced any outward symptoms so it didn't seem like a big deal to me. I now understand what the symptoms should have been from your post OP.

Btw, I always quit taking it due to the fact I can't ride worth crap while on it. Riding uphill out here in Colorado after recently quitting Atenolol is what I would imagine being on EPO would feel like to a pro cyclist.

[Johnny P]

I was also on Metoporol a few years back. It really affected by cycling, but I didn't have the side effects that you experienced. My blood pressure was never high before taking this medication.

[bheight1]

Dosage? Please be specific and clear. My heart was sliced in two areas, one area that has known electrical circuits--this beta blocker is low toxcity, cheap, and effective. What's good for one may not be good for another. All of the sudden the Haywire Heart is the Holy Bible and I'm still trying to find out if coffee is good. Follow your cardiologist, or find one that tells you what you want to hear.

[evo111@comcast.net]

Stopping beta blockers cold turkey is a no no - exactly the side affects you are experiencing. Best to work with the cardiologist on getting off the beta blockers and see what alternative there may be to fit your condition.

[biker72]

I agree with the previous posters. You need to talk with your cardiologist.

I was on Metoprolol a few years ago but had no side effects when I stopped using it. I was on a fairly small dose.

[Jeff N.]

Problem has been resolved but it took about 4-5 days. I was taking BB's because it helped control these annoying PVC's I was having. Treadmill was negative. I was aware of the possible downside of going cold turkey but I proceeded anyway so I have no one to blame but myself and my own stubborn stupidity. PVC's are still gone, but if they return, I'm just going to live with them. Screw it.

[wildboar]

Don't wait for PVC's to return. Get going on magnesium taurate right away.
https://www.amazon.com/Cardiovascular-Research-Magnesium-Taurate-Capsules/dp/B00AESH6YQ/

[SoCalSteve]

Problem has been resolved but it took about 4-5 days. I was taking BB's because it helped control these annoying PVC's I was having. Treadmill was negative. I was aware of the possible downside of going cold turkey but I proceeded anyway so I have no one to blame but myself and my own stubborn stupidity. PVC's are still gone, but if they return, I'm just going to live with them. Screw it.

Beta Blockers suck for athletes, that is a given. Cardiologists don't care. They prescribe them because they help slow down the heart and MAYBE help with the arrhythmia. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. But, at what cost???

My two suggestions to you and anyone else who has these arrythmia's .

1.) Give up alcohol, caffeine and foods high in fat. Simple healthy lifestyle changes can really help.Don't let your heart rate get over 75-80% of its max.

2.) If appropriate, have an ablation procedure done. Seriously, the medical field has come so far in making these procedures safe and successful.

I am living proof of this. I had SVT and was cured by an ablation procedure about 15 years ago. During this procedure it was noted that I had A-Fib as well. SVT is much easier treated than A-Fib. I had 2 ablation procedures a few years later for the A-Fib and I have been cured now for the last 6 years. CURED! No PVC runs, no trips to the ER, nada!

I have a cup of coffee in the morning and on occasion some alcohol. I NEVER did this before the procedures.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. At our age, lifestyle changes first and then if that doesn't work, the procedure. And NO MEDS!!!!!!

[Jeff N.]

Don't wait for PVC's to return. Get going on magnesium taurate right away.
https://www.amazon.com/Cardiovascular-Research-Magnesium-Taurate-Capsules/dp/B00AESH6YQ/
Ill try that. Thanks.

[Jeff N.]

Beta Blockers suck for athletes, that is a given. Cardiologists don't care. They prescribe them because they help slow down the heart and MAYBE help with the arrhythmia. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. But, at what cost???

My two suggestions to you and anyone else who has these arrythmia's .

1.) Give up alcohol, caffeine and foods high in fat. Simple healthy lifestyle changes can really help.Don't let your heart rate get over 75-80% of its max.

2.) If appropriate, have an ablation procedure done. Seriously, the medical field has come so far in making these procedures safe and successful.

I am living proof of this. I had SVT and was cured by an ablation procedure about 15 years ago. During this procedure it was noted that I had A-Fib as well. SVT is much easier treated than A-Fib. I had 2 ablation procedures a few years later for the A-Fib and I have been cured now for the last 6 years. CURED! No PVC runs, no trips to the ER, nada!

I have a cup of coffee in the morning and on occasion some alcohol. I NEVER did this before the procedures.

Best of luck with whatever you decide. At our age, lifestyle changes first and then if that doesn't work, the procedure. And NO MEDS!!!!!!I'm giving up beer, and that's tough because I love the stuff...but I'm hanging it up. Already decided that. Party is over.

[SoCalSteve]

I'm giving up beer, and that's tough because I love the stuff...but I'm hanging it up. Already decided that. Party is over.

Great decision! Hope this cures your issues.

Shhh, between you and me and no disrespect to the gentleman who suggested magnesium...don't waste your money. It's a wives tale. If it worked, don't you think cardiologists would recommend it to all their patients? I've seen many heart docs over the years and not one ever recommended magnesium.

Alcohol and caffeine are the two biggies. Every cardiologist will tell you that. And, I'm sure you know this first hand working in a hospital. " Holiday Heart " got its name for a reason.

[wildboar]

Shhh, between you and me and no disrespect to the gentleman who suggested magnesium...don't waste your money. It's a wives tale.

Total uninformed BS.

[Jeff N.]

Total uninformed BS.Now, now...;)

[SoCalSteve]

Total uninformed BS.

In regards to the magnesium...would be great if a doctor(s) weighed in on this.

Thanks!

[OtayBW]

In regards to the magnesium...would be great if a doctor(s) weighed in on this.

Thanks!
Contributing to the uninformed BS or not (I honestly don't know anything about this stuff), Mg taurate appears simply to be a Mg supplement supplied as the salt of an amino acid-like compound and used as a dietary supplement. I could find no info about Mg and heart disease on the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or WebMD websites, and I've seen only scant medical literature - admittedly at first glance - on Mg use in cardiology. I did find one medical study that showed a beneficial effect as an 'inverse association between dietary magnesium intake and total CVD events' ( http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0057720), but from a very quick search, Mg certainly does not appear to be in the mainstream as anything other than a dietary supplement.

I'm not a physician - just an inquisitive consumer, and that's my take, FWIW.
Enjoy the reading....

[numbskull]

Most of us have PVC's (or ventricular premature contractions...VPBs).
The thing is most of the time we are not aware of them.
Most of the time they are benign and a specific cause is not found (although they can be markers of other more serious underlying disorders).
When people become symptomatic with PVCs it is usually related to a different issue. Obviously things that increase the frequency of PVC's (stimulants, fatigue, over exercise, etc.) can make you more likely to notice them but this is usually a minor issue.

The main reason people become aware of PVC's is unrecognized esophageal irritation. Coffee, chocolate, mint, carbonated beverages, excess water consumption (which overfills the stomach) all lower the lower esophageal sphincter tone and allow acid regurgitation. If this gets bad enough you get heartburn, but if it is confined to the lower 1/3 of the esophagus most people are unaware of it. But it does make your esophagus more sensitive and your heart abuts the lower esophagus. When you have an extrasystole (PVC) the cardiac cycle is interrupted and hesitates to get back on cycle. During this pause blood is returning to the heart and the heart becomes engorged. The next beat is more forceful and empties this extra volume. That's the beat you feel and you are more apt to feel it if your esophagus has unrecognized irritation. The same issue with the esophagus can also cause chest discomfort and trouble taking a full breath (because of diaphragmatic traction on an inflamed esophagus) so people understandably become concerned about the triad of CP/SOB/irregular heartbeats. And certainly such symptoms deserve work up to exclude serious heart disease before blaming the esophagus.....even though the latter is more common than the former.

An approach that often works for symptomatic extra beats (as well as CP and respiratory constraint) once underlying heart disease is ruled out is to try laying off coffee (even decaff since it is the coffee not the caffeine which is the issue), chocolate, mint and carbonated stuff. Get and take Prilosec OTC 20 mg twice a day even if you don't believe you have an esophageal issue. Do it for 2 weeks and about 75-80% of the time symptoms will subside. Using BB on an only as necessary basis 1 dose at a time in the meanwhile (like you're laying in bed and your heart is jumping and you need to get to sleep) can also be helpful.

I'd like to avoid the whole magnesium discussion. Magnesium does have medical indications for the treatment of arrhythmias, and magnesium deficiency can aggravate extra systoles.......so it often is advised but truthfully most people are not magnesium deficient and a lot of time it is just a clueless MD telling you something to get you out of the office happy. No harm in trying it (it is a laxative, however), just don't expect miracles.

Finally, do not extrapolate the above information to all other arrhythmias (like AFib) as they are very different processes.

[djdj]

numbskull,

very informative. thank you. (you are a doctor, right?)

[gasman]

numbskull,

very informative. thank you. (you are a doctor, right?)

Yes he is.