Beta blockers have the effect of not allowing the heart to overwork and so protects the
heart from becoming stressed if coronary artery disease is present. This sounds like
a problem I had last year. I was put under a new cardiologist who told me to double my
dosage of beta blockers (bisoprolol) daily (1.25mg - 2.5mg) because of my bad angina.
Two days later the angina was as bad and I complained that I felt too lethargic. He insisted I double the dosage again to 5mg a day. Two days later I was in hospital with
a pulse of 25 and I kept passing out. My bisoprolol was immediately returned to 1.25mg
but the highest my pulse could reach even with exertion was 60. I was discharged in this
condition and I felt terrible. Taking matters into my own hands, I stopped the bisoprolol
completely and after 24 hours my heart seemed to burst back into life. At rest it hovered
at around 70 and during exertion it reached 160 but caused discomfort. I resumed the
1.25mg and within 24 hours my rest pulse was still normal but during exertion my pulse
couldn't exceed 100 and felt much more comfortable. I would question the beta blockers because they are far more sensitive on some people than others.