Another question about beta blockers

[bundleblocker]

Hope I'm not becoming a pest!   Apparently beta blockers cause your heart rate to stay below 150, is that correct? If so, does this apply to people of all ages?

I'm wondering because my heart rate when running hills will go up to 172 (according to a holter monitor I wore a few months ago) Does this mean I won't be able to get higher than 150 now?. Or does it depend on what your maximum heart rate is, to begin with?

My doctor stopped my stress test at 152 (or so) because he said that was optimal for my age: 72.

Hower a short time later, my cardiologist let me continue to 172 (at which point the tread mill was going too fast for comfort)

Incidentally, my heart rate, while wearing the holter monitor, went down to 35 at night.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

[coribell]

Hi, i was on a beta blocker for about 6 weeks and its true with most people they will keep your hr lower and even at times my hr went lower than needed but in my case the beta blocker dident work very good and my hr would go up to around 100 to 102 now iv been on cartizem for about 3 weeks and my hr stays fairly good around 75 to 88 but from what i know and read here most peoples hr is controlled pretty well with the beta blockers.Maybe others can tell you if beta blockers will keep the hr under 150 as i dont know the answer to that or if age has anything to do with it..  

[banglamom]

Mine wouldn't stay down with beta-blockers AND calcium channel blockers- not until there was ALSO sodium channel blockers...  Beta blockers are the most common and about the easiest to deal with, but different things work for different people at least better than some things.  Good luck.  Is this a regular "sinus" rhythm or is it connected to a.fib?

[bundleblocker]

I have paroxysmal (sp?) Afibs.

[smco]

Good question.  I have been on a beta blocker for about 10 days and no matter how hard I exercise my heart rate will not go over 130.   My threshold is/was 155 which I was able to maintain for about 30 minutes, max 185.  I assume we have lost the power from the top end of higher heart rates?

[PikaPika88]

I don't think so.  If your heart wants to go into svt, it still can.  That's what the doctor will ask you, "when your medicine starts not working?"  It still can go up to 200 while you're on BB.  It happened on me, svt lasted more than 24 hours while I was on Quinidine +  digoxin.