Toprol XL and abdominal pain

[kbrock]

Hello... I am a 39 year old female recently diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. I am currently taking Toprol and am experiencing severe, diffuse abdominal tenderness.

The pain started as a burning feeling similar to heart burn and then spread to my lower belly. Now my entire belly is so tender it is excruciating to touch, hurts when I move or take a deep breath.

I went to ER and was evaluated by a surgeon who suspected a perforated bowel....but that was ruled out by CT.

I really feel pain is linked to Toprol; however, the folks here say they have never heard of this happening before. Do you know if Toprol can cause this type of gut reaction?

Also, is it possible to have POTS along with IST?

Thanks so much!  K.

p.s. I always take RX with food and full glass of H2O or Milk.

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your abdominal pain.  There is no connection taht I know of between toprol xl or any other beta blocker and severe abdominal pain.

It is possible to have POTS and IST, in fact there is some overlap between these syndromes.  As you know, we don't fully understand  POTS or IST.  They are very frustrating conditions.   Another frequent issue is the overlap between IST and fibromyalgia.  We know that if we successfully treat IST, either through medications or procedures, they often still continue to have symptoms.  In my opinion, half the battle is knowing that you have the condition and believing that you won't die from it.  It seems one of the most common fears I see in clinic is that people are always afriad they will die suddenly.  This is not an association with either IST or POTS.

I hope this helps answer your question.  Good luck and thanks for posting.

[kbrock]

A fear of sudden death is not now, nor has it ever been a fear of mine. That answer feels very condescending and I think is a great example of how the symptoms of IST are marginalized by the medical community.  

While IST is not life threatening, it can be completely debilitating!  

I have had bouts of racing heart and shortness of breath since I was a teen and I have never been to the ER or expressed a fear of death because of these 'episodes'.  More than anything I’ve blamed myself and always felt pathetically out of shape and that I should somehow have been able to control what was happening to me. One of the most difficult aspects of IST is that the symptoms belie emotions. The physiological reaction is vastly disproportionate to the physical or emotional stress experienced.

The symptoms of IST used to happen only when under emotional or physical stress, but in the last few years I have been so incredibly fatigued and short of breath that I have been house bound and actually bedridden.

Living this way has felt like dying a slow, miserable death without knowing why. We’ve all got to go sometime and being told I might suddenly drop would almost be a relief!  As stated earlier your answer was incredibly patronizing and did not have anything to do with the question posed.

I asked if Toprol could be the cause of my abdominal pain for several reasons. I have had a number of very rare and bizarre reactions to meds in the past and wanted to rule out that possibility. I also have an extensive history of several diseases that can cause abdominal pain. Because I have not had active disease in many years, I wanted to be assured the pain was not caused by heart meds before I began the nightmare of seeing more Drs. [history includes 14 abdominal surgeries: Crohn’s disease; fistula; sigmoid resection; enterocele; endometriosis; colonic inertia; and colectomy]

If anyone has had any abdominal issues associated with Beta Blockers,  please share as I am still experiencing severe gut pain and am waiting for endoscopy appt.

Thanks!!!!  K.