beta blockers that are safe during pregnancy???

[pinkpowderpoof]

hi all. i am on atenolol for hypertension and SVT / AVNRT, and my husband and i were thinking about trying for another baby. does anyone know of a beta blocker that's safe during pregnancy? my heart probs get a lot worse when i'm pregnant and i wanted to find something i could go on that wouldn't harm a fetus.
thanks for the input!!!!
= D

[anacyde]

Women can safely take a beta blocker during pregnancy, usually Atenolol, though Coreg is avoided.  Check with the doctor prescribing your beta blocker and with your obstetrician.

[sb786]

Hi there, i also am taking a beta blocker for svt/avnrt and i would also like to try for a baby. Does the atenolol actually work for you? how severe are your svts? I've been told by my cardiologist that in general it is ok to take them during your pregnancy but in a few RARE cases the baby can be a little small or even premature.

[pinkpowderpoof]

well i had gone off my atenolo for two weeks to be on an event monitor and my heart didn't like it at all. before i went on meds i hardly had an episode...maybe once a year if that, but when i went off the meds i had an episode once a week.
i've have two little girls and have had episodes with both pregnancies around 15 weeks, so i was hoping that since i'm on meds now, i can have a better pregnancy next time around. i went to ask a pharmacist today and he suggested acebutolol which is a lot safer to take during pregnancy. the only thing is you must start taking it before your second or third trimester so it has less of a chance to cause any probs with the baby. i have heard of atenolol causing low birth weight and also breathing probs in infants.
: )

[sb786]

Just thought you might want to know, i went to see my cardiologist and asked him once again about taking beta blockers during pregnancy and he assured me that the only risk is that your baby may have a low birth weight but that was rare and only happened if you were taking a high dose throughout all your pregnancy. Do you take a high dose?
When you had svt during your other pregnancies did it stop on its own or did you require medication such as adenosine to stop it? Do you also suffer from pacs/pvcs?

[pinkpowderpoof]

well that's good to know - i would like to stay on the atenolol but i will prolly have to switch to acebutolol when i become pregnant again. with my SVT, i have never (knock on wood) had to go to the ER from the episodes not stopping...but i did let them go for an hour or more which isn't recommended really. oh ya, and i take 25mg a day of atenolol...i could prolly be on 50 though cuz it doesn't seem to slow the tachy too much but it keeps my pvc's more quiet and my episodes at bay.
: )

[Shayruben]

I just gave birth to my son a little less than a year ago.  I have been on Atenolol 25 mg for over 5 years now due to inappropriate sinus tachycardia and the ocassional pvcs.(I too have had all the workups and was told I have a structually normal heart) When I became pregnant my heart felt like it was going in over drive and I was concerned about the effects my meds may have on the pregnancy. I didn't find out I was pregnant until 9 weeks and I was taking atenolol all of the first nine weeks.  My ob suggested that it was better to stop the atenolol due to concerns about fetal growth retardation.  She put me on a non specific beta blocker called Labetalol to see if I would help with the faster heart rate.  Labetalol did not work at all for me as it is not a cardio specific medication.  I decided to stop atenolol for the first 24 weeks.  After that time, I used it very sparingly if I felt I really needed it.  My doctor okayed the occasional use.  My son was born very healthy and alert at 9 pounds, 11 ounces.  I think that if you can get by the first few months with no meds it is better for the baby.  Just remember that although it may seem horrible to you, the meds are just for symtoms relief...you will be fine.  When I become pregnant again I plan to do the same thing.

[pinkpowderpoof]

thanks for the input!
i guess i might have to give it a go with no meds...i'm hoping i will talk with my cardiologist soon so i can finally be at peace about everything.
: )

[pinkpowderpoof]

well my cardiologist wants to put me on verapamil but i still don't think it too safe for pregnancies, plus it's a calcium channel blocker so i dunno how well it will work compared to a beta blocker...