high heart rate? What is to high

[tnteacher]

My heart rate has always been high.  Resting is 80 and up and going 100 higher if I am exercising.  My Dr. put me on a beta blocker but now I am tired.  She is out of town for 2 weeks now and I am not sure exactly what is the advantage of having a lower rate.  My blood pressure before the meds was 96/64 usually so I am just wondering is it worth it to be on the beta blocker and what are the advantages?

[Jack54]

Tachycardia or pathological rapid heart rate >100 BPM will overwork your heart and cause all of the dimensions to enlarge, which will eventually cause heart failure if not treated with beta blockers. Nicotine is the greatest of the chemical stimulants, second only to amphetamines and illegal street drugs. Next comes caffeine and otc medicines.

Still, no one wants a resting heart rate of 90 BPM. That is still to high for longevity, so, yes you must either try to modify your lifestyle to achieve a healthy 70-75 BPM heart rate (or lower) without medication, or suffer the fact that beta blockers suck because they make us tired, but they decrease the rate and force of the contraction of the heart muscle. They are life saving drugs for some of us with heart disease. They take a load off of our hearts. There are many different flavors too. If you have to take them, you might could switch to a more gentile, less tiring brand.

Beta blockers also are used to lower BP. Yours is low already. You need to watch it carefully.

You must remember that if you have been taking beta blockers for a while, you cannot stop them abruptly. You must ween off of them. Talk to a doctor before stopping them.....

Good luck,

Jack