Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Harcle - If we look long enough, we will find something. Taking blood pressure
always brings on stress and anxiety. Only those with low or perfectly normal blood pressures, feel relaxed when taking their blood pressure. Even when they are nervous or upset, blood pressure numbers remain low. My wife has very low blood pressure. If she gets upset, excited or stressed, her blood pressure reaches a high of about 100/60. My doctor wishes that I had her numbers. Unfortunately, everyone is different. Just knowing that an abnormal tendency exists, can spike blood pressure readings thru the roof, will also create a constant state of anxiety, which will raise blood pressure levels. If we really stress over our blood pressure long enough (and it's high), and let our imaginations run wild, we will begin to paint a picture of doom and hopelessness. The fixation and anxiety is worse than the disease. It's all about attitude. Take time to smell the roses and enjoy the landscapes.
Last edited by mod-anon; 02-19-2010 at 07:34 AM.
Reason: removed quote
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Truer words have never been spoken!! The vicious cycle of "check then recheck" is like a dog chasing his tail--whos chasing and who's being chased I guess. Anyway, I know that it's normal for the old BP to go up and down all day and also that the anxiety/fear of it being high once you see a higher reading than normal, pushes it up even higher--funny when you think about it. Bottom line--It's back to normal readings since yesterday afternoon and was fairly low this morning after coming back from the gym-post half hour--131/63 P-65, so I believe that it was anxiety caused by a surge of adrenaline and perhaps still some reseting of my metabolic clock. Feel great and am not worried. I just wanted to post it in case anyone else out there is tapering off beta blockers and had concerns. Thanks as always Ace! Have a great weekend! Jack
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Hello Ace and everyone--just wanted to give you an update on how it's going. My system apparently has reset itself and seems to be completely normal or at least as normal as I've ever been. I've had a ton of stress with family matters and business here this week and through it all, while I was sure the BP would be through the roof, actually it was fairly low, from being in the 130's / 70's to a few readings that were in the 120-124/65-68 range with my HR at rest being in the high 50's and during normal everyday routine--in the 60's. It's currently 56 as I type this post. During workouts, I have brought my cardio peak HR up to 131 with an average of 121 for 30 mins so I guess it's back to where it should be. It's been 11 days now and other than a few spikes in the first week or so, I'm certainly thankful to be off the Beta Blockers. If anything changes I'll post it at once but hopefully my future posts will be to respond to others in need here. I will see my doctor in a few weeks and if not before, post then. Best of health and luck to you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support! Jack
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Jack - I see all is moving along positively, and to feel completely normal and have excellent blood pressure readings is a reflection of your positive effort and determination. It paid off...
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Thanks to all of you who have posted. I had been on metoprolol 25 mg. for 1 month. Saw the dr. and found my BP had come down to normal range after at least 3 readings of 160/80 a month ago. I'm 57 and my BP readings have always been 120/60. I am not overweight and have no heart problems or cholesterol issues. So I was alarmed when I found the higher readings. I did complain to the dr. about the insomnia and feeling like I was carrying lead weights, so she switched me to a calcium channel blocker, amlodipine 2.5 mg. The dr. and the pharmacist told me I could just stop the metoprolol since it was low dose. However, I had been educating myself over the past month and every book and website stated not to do that. So I halved the dose and felt OK. Then I went strolling with my friend around her neighborhood to look at patios, not for cardio exercise.
When I came home, I experienced a tight feeling in my chest and, of course, anxiety over it. That's when I found this website and was so relieved to find my symptoms were normal. I took half a Xanax and things settled down so I was able to sleep all night. I'm now going to finish off the metoprolol at 1/2 pill every other day, along with starting the CCB. I am feeling a bit anxious, so I guess the beta blocker was good for suppressing that adrenaline. It also seemed to stop a mild headache I sometimes get right before I get up in the morning. But the insomnia was something I couldn't tolerate.
It seems the drs. don't like it when you read excessively on the internet, afraid you'll get to a crazy website that will misinform you. But I have found the internet invaluable in my quest for information on this BP condition I suddenly find myself in. I still can't quite accept that I probably have to be on a BP med the rest of my life, as I've read and as has been stated by my dr. I've been making the dietary and exercise changes, altho, now I've put walking on hold till I get off of the beta blocker. What I have learned is that all info on these BP meds needs to be taken seriously, as the chemical reactions in your heart are altered, which is no light thing. Thanks again to all of you have posted on this thread and others, as you have helped me get through this week.
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
In my experience you should wean more slowly. Much more slowly. Stopping too quickly will lead to anxiety and a whole hosts of extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. I used a program that I found on the Internet...it saved my life it's called The Road Back. I hope this was of some help to you. Good luck
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Thanks for your reply. I would agree that you need to wean off the metoprolol, even at 25MG. Too bad the dr. and pharmacist don't know that. Since writing that post, here's what has happened. I decided not to start the calcium channel blocker right away and instead be diligent with the DASH diet and started a walking regimen. I bought a blood pressure monitor and was taking my pressure 4 times a day. My pressure has stayed down within normal range and I never started the CCB. I continue to monitor my BP and if I see consistent high readings, I understand the need for the medicine, but right now I'm not taking it. I've visited the dentist and the gyn in the past 2 months and both times, my pressure was normal. When I found those high readings, I had just ended a 2.5 year stint taking care of my bedridden father and alot of emotional eating of unhealthy things. I'm not saying this is the answer for everyone, but it's working for me at the moment, so I'm going to stick with it.
Re: Need Advice For Transitioning Off Beta Blocker
Best of luck.
And as I posted recently, beta blockers are a poor choice of medicine for people with hypertension but no other conditions (DM, renal, cardiac) according recent meta analyses (in the past 5-10 yrs). The other classes of drugs are far superior in improving morbidity and mortality; and with fewer side effects.
