switch from cal channel to beta blocker ?

[EFT56]

Hi : Just need some info please - on switching from a ccb verapamil to a beta blocker -atenonol 50mg per day.
for h.b.p and palps- pvc's says the cardiologest. I have been scaned and tested no blockage or other problems. heart
is strong and fine they say!  however I have palpatations off and on.. doc said if on the beta blocker the palps would stop and most likely wouldnt return ?  

has anyone done this with success ?  and little problems - as iv been on over 15 diffrent meds before for h.b.p.
and iv taken atenonol before and had sleep problems happen - and a few other side effects I didnt like.

The cardiologest said , the reason he wants to me switch -is the verapamil isnt working too good and my ankles
swell up too much when taking it .. even with diretic ..also have a few other problems from this med.

im trying it friday tomorrow the switch over..  as I can no longer stand swollen ankles.. and I cant tollerate dieretics.

any help here - would mean alot to me .. thanks much the boogerman

[EFT56]

day by day they say !
well back on the verapamil and take spironolatone 25mg per day
doc said it acts the same as diretic med.. maybe need higher dose ..
can no longer take diretics  allergic reaction I had from maxzide.  
hives everywhere for a week !  doc cleared it up with special meds.

today my ankles are not as bad swelling went way down,, but upon taking the verapamil early this a.m  with in hours ankles went up a bit ..
but not as bad.. walking around helped too.. and im peeing like race horse !  so the spro whatever is working fine .. but guess the verap is stronger or need to go up on the spiro drug .. ? will ask my doctor soon

the palps have all but stopped for now on verapamil and spiro
I expect they will return late at night or early in the am. 3 or 4 am.
so will be ready for that , I sometimes sit up  or walk around and it stops
them !!  I think its caused by gas pushing upwords -  as I do burp alot
before and after the palps happen .. its strange !!  

well la te dah..  thanks again for the tips and info . boogieboy

[ireneo]

Yeah, it's hard to decide which is worse - the arrhythmias or the side effects. Me - I'd rather have my palpitations, tachy times and little chest pains. I hate pills that much.

Sorry about the tape reaction. Even the so-called good tape for sensitive skin can mess you up if you have a problem. That's why I hate to wear heart monitors. Those sticky dots make my skin swell up and itch. If it's the event monitor for a month, then I end up with raw spots where the skin peels off. And that's with the dots for sensitive skin. Oh, well, it all finally clears up in a few weeks.

Do you take the diuretic every day? Sounds like you really need that one. It would help with the BP and your puffy feet and ankles.

Life is rough sometimes. Hang in there Booglet.

[EFT56]

its now jan 9th  4a.m -  took the new beta blocker med at 11pm - 25mg  darn thing didnt lower the b.p at all ..and caused more palpaitions to happen !  I remember before past takeing this drug atenonol that the b.p never did drop low enough on it. and palps slowed but did not stop totaly while on it .. hmmmm  make me wonder !  
well today at around 5am will take the normal ccb verapamil and dieretic like pill ..
as before they work fine in stopping palps for me.. and do lower the blood pressure to normal levels.. go figure ?  

oh the ankles are still swollen - went down a little bit, after soaking them and putting them up in the air .. but not much !!

I figure its the verapamill doing it .. and also my Nurse put med tape on my foot , that
was operated on  -and is recovering slow..  I had a allergic reaction to the tape ..red spots and itching on the foot.. it also swelled up - ..so I have a combo swelling problem.
but it should go down in a day or two.. will see the surgeon today  about this ..
maybe hes got something that will calm it down and help the swelling drop down ..

its always something !!    lol

one thing works ok.  but causes other problems to happen !! me oh my !!  

boogie nose

[EFT56]

The main reason is palps - and my ankles swell too too much on verapamil ccb.
yeah beta blockers always cause no sleep - but there are a few over the counter natural
type sleep meds that work fine !   oh yeah it is a lower dose of beta med..

I had the least problems while on atenenol .. just cant stay on more than a few years.
due to it screws with blood sugar levels - and you would think you were dieabetic ..
it can mask the symptoms !   also fake the symptoms !   so doc said after a few years
will switch again to another beta blocker -that I didnt take before.  wierd stuff...

I found with all blood pressure meds - there is no winning to get away from side effects
every single pill has tons of effects  some very adverse..
from swollen ankles - and lips to gas problems uncontrolled type.. and loss of hair..
the way side effects are going, I expect to read of growing a monkey tail .. or duck bill
as, there are so meny and real harsh ones !  

but the cardiologest knows his stuff and time to listen to him first.  
and at least try this stuff again ..  I start tomorrow early.. 25mg  then up to 50mg ..
see how it works.   will be happy not to have swollen ankles anymore !  

thanks all for the info.. its very helpfull

[Crickett559]

I take both, 150mil of atenolol and 120 mil of verapmil, and I have mild side effects and have taken this combo for about 3 years now, and for the most part they keep my PVC's at bay. I have eposides from time to time, but nothing like what was going on 3 years ago. So maybe a small combo of both might work for you.

[ireneo]

Verapamil is indeed a CCB. I tried it years ago and ended up in ER for a few hours because the side effects were more than bad.

Boogie - why is the doc putting you on atenolol again if it gave you problems before? Perhaps it's a smaller dose? They may figure sleep problems are less important than the high BP and arrhythmias. I don't know. There are other BB's out there. I know you've tried a lot of meds and most didn't help or even hurt. I hope this doesn't cause too many problems this time round.

[LittleMissBeatz]

Wait isn't verapamil a beta blocker??  I could have sworn it was that's why they gave it to me because of the pregnancy.  I was on channelers before and they switched it...