Hi Molly,
beta blockers can provoke bronchospasms in people with asthma and other lung diseases. Even the more selective beta1 blockers will block the beta2 adrenergic receptors in the lung, especially in higher doses when their (relative) selectivity is lost. For this reason, until quite recently, people with asthma and other pulmonary conditions were supposed to avoid all beta blockers. Doctors prescribed beta blockers to people with asthma only if they were indicated for coexisting heart problems. This practice has been changing and is now less clear cut. Cardioselective beta blockers should be safe in smaller doses in people with mild or moderate asthma, and only used with extreme caution -if at all- in people with severe asthma. People with COPD seem to tolerate beta blockers well.
So, if your current beta blocker is intensifying your asthma, try another beta blocker with a partial agonist activity (ISA), or one that has added alpha-adrenergic blocking properties, such as Labetalol or Carvedilol. When comparing the properties of these two drugs recently, I read that they are reasonably well tolerated by people with asthma thanks to the alpha receptor blockade. If you don't have to be on a beta blocker for heart issues, you should consider using a drug from a different class of antihypertensives.
flowergirl
Bystolic 
