Beta blockers – any experience of?

After much testing for the occasional ‘odd’ hearth ryhthym I’ve been having, my cardiologist has recommended that I start taking a low dose of beta-blockers & aspirin.

TBH, I’m bloomin’ mortified – I know I’m getting on a bit (50 in a few weeks), but my resting heart rate is in the 50’s and I live a pretty healthy lifestyle. (although occasional bouts of very high stress thru work – which odd heart ryhthym episodes seem to correspond with).

The consultant said that the BB’s might make me feel a bit lethargic, and I’ve just made the mistake of reading the other possible side affects…. 😯

Does anyone else have experience of beta blockers? If so, how do they affect your riding?

Another reason I’m a bit fed up, is that I was going to start getting in some proper training for my 50th birthday treat luxury biking holiday in Italy. As the holiday potentialy involves some pretty big climbs (well, for me anyway), I was thinking about having one of these max heart rate Watt-bike type tests, so that I could put a decent training plan based on heart rate zones – I think that’s now looking a bit of a daft idea?

Any sensible feedback or advice from those in the know would be much appreciated.

p.s. I’ve got some questions to ask my cardiologist regarding this, but don’t see him again for another 3 weeks or so (I would have asked him earlier, but I was a bit stunned at the beta-blocker news)

bowglie, i have been taking a cocktail of 10mgs of bisopropol and 5mgs of digoxin for the last 15 months. i take them for a persistant heart problem.
however just this week i told the cardiologist and my doctor that i was no longer prepared to take them.
i have been suffering from various problems with then, total lethargy, breathlesness, bouts of depression, mood swings and a total loss of sexual appetite.
the consultant agreed to allow me to take 1 x 5mg of bisoprolol to see how i went on, and so far i have felt a lot brighter.
he has also told me i can still exercise, which i have been unable to do because of the beta blockers. so i am gonna try a steady bike ride one night this week.

hope you go alright on them mate, i did not, but you may fare better.

I’m rather younger than you two (35).

I saw a cardiologist yesterday after 5 days of palpitations last Dec. A 24hr monitor the other day showed up one of them, and the related atrial fibrilation that went with it. Great.

More tests to come (echo, etc.), but he did mention Flecainide – the so called “pill in the pocket”. I did some googling, and it seems it has a use as a medicinal cardioversion (not much use in Ton’s case, I suspect).

Maybe ask him about that instead?

(Oh, and I’ll be back for more questions in due course.)

I was prescribed propranolol in my youth for high BP. Each time I was prescribed (a couple of times) I would take a pill and about an hour later I would simply fall asleep for a while. Bizarre. My heart rate dropped to about 45bpm and I was pretty unfit at the time.

Am now on lisinopril which is an ACE inhibitor (but I *am* ACE!) and doesn’t do that.

They worked for him.

TBH without knowing what the ‘odd heart rhythm’ is, the advice you will get on here is at best guess work and at worst downright dangerous. These questions are best discussed with the man looking after you…

As far as the side effects go, all medications have side effects its weighing up whether those side effects outweigh the risks of not taking the meds. Only you (with guidance/advice from your cardiologitst) can make that decision, when you are in full possession of the facts.

Bowglie,

One thing I’ve learnt over the last year is that every cardiac issue is different and the cardiology consultants are the ones to listen to and work with.

I record heart rate data during exercise, at rest and take regular blood pressure measurements, they are quite useful for self monitoring and also at checkups.

Good you are talking to them now, I found the thing that really affected my riding was the heart attack, I would have settled for all sorts of odd side effects to have avoided that.

After a spell of awful headaches, I went to my Doctor for advice, he took my blood pressure etc, and seemed to think it was stress related, and thought beta blockers would help – Propanol iirc.
Yes, they did help a little with the headaches, though maybe as we had finished a large job the same week, it may have been a coincidence.
There are side effects, which got me off them after a week. Forget about sex. You go through the motions, and nothing happens. I was a bit put out when this happened to me, as I’d never had this problem before.
A read of the sheet inside the packet showed that impotence was a side effect in some people.
They went into the bin, and a life-style change ensued. A bit more exercise, cut down from 20 packets of crisps a week , to one or two when I had a drink in the pub – a half rather than the usual pint.

Exercise is the real cure – gets your body working, and de-stresses you. I was getting home shattered from work, then vegitating in front of the TV eating and drinking, just going out for half an hour, for a ride, or a walk is enough to change your attitude and demeanour.
I woudlnt recommend beta blockers unless there is no other option.
Alan.

My Dad was on beta-blockers for migraine relief. Don’t know doseage but he couldn’t ride/drive for a while after taking them. Different affects on different people though I think. He’s stopped taking them now because the side affects were worse than the initial issue.

3 days on propanol and they went in the bin!! I trie to ride one evening and felt awful, on the verge of tears lack of energy.

Thanks for the replies folks.

These questions are best discussed with the man looking after you…

One thing I’ve learnt over the last year is that every cardiac issue is different and the cardiology consultants are the ones to listen to and work with.

I can appreciate where you’re coming from, as I guess everyone’s physiology is different. I was just having an ‘oh my God, I’m getting old & past it’ crisis, and wondered what I should possibly expect from Beta blockers.

The dose of BB’s (bisoprolol) that I’ve been prescribed is 1.25mg per day, so from what’s been mentioned above, it looks quite a low dosage(?).
I think at the moment, the medication is a safety precaution, as the 24 hour ECG didn’t pick up anything particularly bad. The ECHO also didn’t indicate anything bad – apart from one side of the heart being slightly enlarged, which according to the cardiologist is fairly common in regular cyclists/sports persons, and nothing to worry about. As the unusual ryhthyms are quite fleeting and arrive out of the blue, I’ve been wearing an ‘event monitor’ type ECG over a period of a few days – recorded about 6 events, but haven’t had results yet (discuss next time I see consultant).

As for the ‘episodes’ themselves, I think what happens is that my heart misses beats – feels like it drops every other beat or drops to 1/4 of what is was beating at – it only lasts a couple of seconds or so. The worst episode was about half an hour after a ride, when I nearly fainted. At the weekend, it happened for the first time whilst riding – I kept the pedals going, but felt suddenly short of breath, then the heartrate & breathing just went back to normal as quick as it came on (just riding back along a flattish dry fireroad).

Just out of interest, has anyone else had this ‘slow rythyhm’ type thing?

I was given some 3 years ago for anxiety and panic attacks to control my heart rhythm, they seemed to work well however I felt at the time they made me lazy and sleepy. Looking back I can’t honestly say that was not part if the anxiety/depression and not down to the medication, although I felt it was the medication at the time.

Sorry, that’s not of much use to you. Hope you feel ok on them and keep well.

Just out of interest, has anyone else had this ‘slow rythyhm’ type thing?

Nope. Occasional feelings of skipped beats (ectopic beats, I think), which has thrown up a related episode of atrial fibrillation.

I tend to have a reasonably low resting heartbeat – when fit it’s in the low 40s. I do have an existing electrical issue with my heart – right bundle branch block, but this has no relationship with the ectopic beats.

Missed beats (as well as extra beats) are very common – almost everyone gets one or two now and again. Some people just get more than others, some people just notice them more than others. May well turn out to be nowt of any great interest on your Holter.

As above, conjecture about what to do without a diagnosis is a fools game….. Await your results, discuss with the cardiologist, try not to worry. Low dose BB and aspirin are protective whilst awaiting an answer.

May well turn out to be nowt of any great interest on your Holter

5 secs of AF at same time I felt the extra/skipped beat. Off for echo to see shape of my atria.

Best thing cardio told me to get off my backside and do more exercise. Best prescription ever..!

Be very cautious of going for any sort of maximal exercise testing without the all clear from your cardiologist first. If anything is going to trigger symptoms then that will!

As above, conjecture about what to do without a diagnosis is a fools game….. Await your results, discuss with the cardiologist, try not to worry. Low dose BB and aspirin are protective whilst awaiting an answer.

Yep, fair enough. I was hoping the low dose BB & aspirin was just precautionary. Hopefully, if given the OK, I’ll be able to stop taking ’em.

FWIW, I was very surprised by the results of the 24 hour Holter, the cardiologist said my resting HR had dropped to the mid-30’s! (but that was in my sleep, & cardiol said nothing out of the ordinary given current lifestyle/health). I’ve occasionally taken my resting HR in the mornings as soon as I’ve woken up and got low 50’s or high 40’s, but never anywhere like 30’s for donkeys years! If it’s a true reflection of my proper resting HR, it’d give me some good bragging ammo for next time I see a coupke of my riding buddies (one of ’em will probably go straight into boot camp style training to compete 😉 )

Be very cautious of going for any sort of maximal exercise testing without the all clear from your cardiologist first.

Yes, this is one of things I want to ask him.

Bowglie,

Will private mail you if that’s ok.

Will private mail you if that’s ok.

Yup, that’s OK.