skipped beats

I am 40 years old and take inderal once a day for palpitations and tachycardia.  Is this a medicine that I will be able to remain on for the rest of my life or is there long term side effects that I should be concerned about?  How often do you recommend going back for further testing?  It has been three years since I have had an echo. done. I have noticed that since I have been on the inderal that sometimes I have a hard time concentrating and I have also gained 10lbs.  Are these common side effects of this medicine.  I take 6omg. have been on it for about 3 years.  It is not completely effective in preventing the palpitations and tachycardia, but does help.  I am afraid to take a higher dosage due to all the side effects.  This dose causes fatigue, but it does seemed to have improved some.  Thanks for your help.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Dear Lynn,

There are several potential side effects from beta-blocker medications.  These include depression, fatigue and decreased libedo in men.  However, these are nonspecific side effects and may or may not be due to the drug.  Sometimes a trial off beta-blockers is needed to sort this out.  Be sure not to stop beta-blockers suddenly as this can lead to 'rebound' increased heart rate.  There are no long-term side effects.  Some beta-blockers are better tolerated than others.  Inderal in my experience is less well tolerated than some of the others such as Toprol. You will need to work with your doctor to find the best drug and dosage for you.  Sometimes this can be a tight rope walk between too many palpitations and too many side effects.

[dah]

Lynn,
Just wanted to let you know that I have been plagued with all sorts of palpitations for years; I used to take Inderal and it really put me into "never-never land" - I was always very tired, had mild dizzy spells, and I just felt awful, even on a small dose.  For the last 1 1/2 years or so I've been taking a low dose of Atenolol (25 mg/day - taken at bedtime); it's really cut down on the frequency of palpitations and I feel a lot better. Thought I'd let you know my experience with beta blockers being that you're searching for the right one for you.  Good luck!

[RN]

Dear Lynn,
I read the response above about taking Atenalol. I took it for about a year and it worked great. ***BUT- I lost my limbido completely - and am still getting back to normal 2 years later! I would hope that doctors would care more about this than they seem to. I was 27 years old then and had no sex drive at all! I thought something was wrong with me, or my marriage. No one told me this was a side affect till I finally mentioned it at a annual female exam. I would not recomend it to anyone!

[Liz]

I am glad to hear that Lynn had a problem with a loss of libido as a result of using Atenolol.  I am 41 years old and have been on this medication for only 6 months. I have no libido and often have feelings of anxiety and experience heart palpatations. This now confirms my decision to see the doctor about changing my medication.