|
Welcome to the Heart Forum! This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Cornary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
Questions posted in the Heart Forum are being answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| From | To | Post |
| Peter 11/3/1999 | . | I am experiencing lone afib and frequent atrial ectopy. I have been put on propafenone before which has generally kept things under control. Propafenone does cause some side effects and thus I try to avoid being on it. I am in excellent health otherwise and all the cardiac tests are good. Someone recently recommended a beta-blocker called Inderal. I have resisted using beta-blockers because I have a very low resting heart rate (about 50 bpm). Actually on holter monitors during sleep my heart rate has dropped as low as 29 bpm. So my questions are simple: 1. Would Inderal be recommended in my case in light of the low heart rate? 2. Is Propafenone a scarry enough drug that I should avoid using it unless absolutely necessary. I also wonder if Inderal would work in a similar way as Propafenone and thus give me a better alternative to the propafenone. 3. Is it true that some athletes use Inderal? Thanks Peter |
| CCF CARDIO MD - CRC 11/3/1999 | Peter | Beta-blockers slow the heart rate and are useful in patients who are in frequent or chronic afib and have a problem with fast heart rates. Athletes don't use beta-blockers in general because it decreases their performance. The only athletes it may help are rifle marksmen who need very steady hands. However it is illegal for them to use it during competition. Propafenone actually decreases the number of afib episodes. It does have potential side-effects and you should discuss these with your doctor. We don't give advice as to which drug to use - this is up to you and your doctor. | [Thread closed to new comments] |
| ||
| If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 216-444-2200 or inquire online by using The Cleveland Clinic Web site. The site contains a directory of the staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your medical problem. |
Related Forums