Beta-blockers: your experience?

[mzak69]

I am 41, male, physically fit, 5'10" 220, with bouts of PVCs. I was put on Metaprolol. At first I took 25mg daily, but after another bad episode of PVCs they upped it to 50mg daily. I've been on the 50mg for 3 days and I really feel tired. The good news is that my PVCs appear to have calmed down (I still feel them but much less noticeable).

Will my body adapt to the metaprolol and not be so sluggish? I hate feeling this way.

Thanks.  

[donna4140]

Hi Im on atenolol for svt .Ive been on it for about 1.5 years.I take 50mg daily ,I cut the pill in half and take half in the morning and half about 12 hours later. Maybe that will help if you do it that way. My doctor didnt have a problem with it.He said whatever would work for me. I still get tired,but probably not as tired as I would if I was taking a whole one at a time.   donna

[mzak69]

I've been lifting weights for over 10 years, and yes I probably could afford to lose about 10lbs. If you look at the picture on my profile you'll see that I'm not out of shape.

These weight charts are a little out of wack if you ask me. If I was 170lbs, I would look anorexic. I don't think they account for muscle mass.  

I'm at a crossroads here: do I keep taking the metaprolol if it works, do I ask the EP about an ablation, or do I go back to no meds and live with it. The frequency of the PVCs really increased a few months ago, could this just be a passing thing and I'm taking the meds for nothing? I'm confused.      

[itdood]

Inderal (a BB) made mine worse.  Everyone is different.  Using a BB for PVCs is off-label use.   The idea is that the BB will make the contractions less forceful so you feel them less.  This has never been studied.  The use of BBs in treating benign PVCs has never been studied.  In certain circumstances it has been shown the BBs will be pro PVC, meaning they will make more PVCs, such as in the case when a person has slow-heart-rate enahnced PVCs.  Since BBs slow down your heart rate there will be more PVCs.  

[tom_h]

I've been on Metoprolol for about 6 years.  My dosages ranged from 50 to 200mg per day.  At 200mg, I was a literal zombie.  I couldn't do anything without a heavy feeling in the chest.  100mg worked very well for me, I could function, and it didn't affect my libido at all.  50mg should be no sweat for someone with your body mass after you get accustomed to it.  

On a side note. Metoprolol did absolutely nothing to quell my PVC's.  I hope your results are better.

On another side note. I hate to tell you, and I've been there myself, but at 5'10", you're about 50 lbs over the highest weight for that height. Unless you're built like the Rock of Gilbralter, you might consider shedding a few pounds.  I recently eliminated carbs from my diet and have lost 16 pounds in 3 months. Another strange phenomonon occured, my PVC's have also vanished.

[dolphin8808]

Bystolic is a new one I have heard of that has minimal side effects...  I am not sure but it's worth asking about :)

[Moke64916]

From what my cardiologist told me the best most effective beta-blocker is atenolol.  Maybe switch to that if you feel too tired.  I take the highes dose your allowed to take of it, and I don't feel tired, yet my chest pains go away, pulse, blood pressure are normal.  You know it's cheaper to by the medication without insurance tha it is to with, haha.  It costs 6 dollars without insurance for a months script.  You would be paying more I you ran it through the insurance company.

[LindaTX]

Do you take it at night or in the morning ?  Or both?  I never liked being on BB's for the same reason.  I still have some PVC's if I let my diet get away with me and have a lot of processed foods or sugar or oddly enough peanut butter. Some people swear by taking fish oil capsules daily.  Since I had an ablation in Sept  I hardly have any.