Stopping Atenolol Because of Heart Block

[Marie54321]

I just got home from the hospital yesterday after being admitted for heart block that the cardiologiest suspected may be caused by the Atenolol I was taking since my heart looked healthy from all the tests they did and I'm not that old.  I was taking 100 mg a day for high blood pressure for about 7 years (increasing dosage) and stopped cold (replaced by Norvasc) a couple of days ago.  While I'm sitting here quietly my heart rate is 110 bpm and I can feel it pounding in my chest.  I do have an appointment with my GP tomorrow but was wondering if this is ok?  It feels horrible, but definitely better than having my heart stop.  Does the heart rate stabilize at a more reasonable rate eventually?  Also, curious about others who may have had Atenolol-induced heart block.  

[Marie54321]

Mine was third degree.  I had about 10 near-syncopal episodes on Sat morning.  No prior warnings in the past (that I'm aware of) so this was a little scary.  The ER cardiologist also suspected that the Atenolol may be aggravating an underlying condition although they didn't find anything on the echo.  Nothing since Sat.  My GP ordered a Holter so we'll see what that shows.  Thankfully the tachycardia is nearly gone.  Just dealing with headaches now.

But your comment about the calcium channel blockers is a little worrisome, since the Norvasc is supposed to be in that class.  I think I'll do some research on that.   Thanks for your feedback!

[FLA467]

Whew sorry for the few typos there. I should have tried to wake up more first and proofread before sending! This is what happens when you can no longer drink caffeine! haha

[FLA467]

What degree was your heart block, may I ask? I developed a low level (first degree) while taking extended release calcium channel blockers (Cartia) for high BP. My cardio discontinued the med abruptly for me after one month as this was picked up on monitor and because I was also having pauses during sleep. Stopping it so abruptly resulted in more tachycardia for me in the way of supraventricular tachycardia attacks (I have AVNRT which is an extra electrical pathway that conducts) but I did not have a constant high or tachycardic heart rate. I should probably mention that my heart rate is usually low.  The faster episodes settled down somewhat the farther out I got from taking the med. I was told my by EP that the med did not actually cause my heart block but it just worsened a tendency my heart already has. (slow AV node conduction). My understanding is that its more like the med worsens it than causes it although mine is transient and comes and goes...the monitor didn't record any more heart block in the two weeks following. Heart block of any degree is usually a red flag that you need to stay away from anything med that lowers the heart rate or further slows conduction. (beta or calcium blockers) Hope this helps.