Beta Blockers and PVCs

03-22-2004, 11:51 AM

Two weeks ago I started the beta blocker (50mg Toprol) to try and relieve fast heartrate (intermittant tachycardia) and PVCs that I'd been having. It seemed like things were going fairly well at first. This could've been related to the fact that I had started taking a good vit/mineral supplement 2 weeks before I started the beta block.

As I said, everything was going along good until about 2 days ago when these PVCs seemed to have come back with a vengeance. After looking thru the internet, I'm now wondering if this beta block isn't making the situation worst instead of better. It's been approx 2 weeks since starting the BB. I read that when your pulse slows down, you will develop something called "escape beats". These can feel just like PVCs but they're not. The beta block could be causing it.

I'm not sure how to handle this. These last 2 days have felt WORST than I did before starting the beta block. Can 2 weeks be long enough for the beta to be doing this??

Any thoughts? Ideas? Opinions?

thanks

03-22-2004, 08:12 PM

i have sinus tachycardia and LOTS of pvc's i was given atenolol it made my pvc's constant and probably twice as bad. i wont be trying another BB for a long time or until my sinus tachycardia gets worse. After i stopped the BB i had the best month with pvc's maybe like a 100 a day and i havent been like that for over a year. my PVC's are back now just as bad as they were before. i also have low blood pressure 88/56 BEFORE atenolol so it made me feel like crap.
kim

03-22-2004, 08:41 PM

Hi,
I also take toprol xl for tachycardia. I remember having a few side effects along with frequent PVC's when I first started taking it, but these symptoms subsided after several weeks(I still feel some skipped beats, but not near as often). I've now been taking it for about 9 months and my main problem(like the previous poster) is that the BB makes my bp drop too low. Yet, my heart rate is still pretty fast.

I would talk to your Dr. about it, but I really think these pvc's or "escaped beats" will probably subside with time.
Take care,
hilery

03-23-2004, 05:41 AM

Kimma, are you taking anything (meds) now for the PVCs? Since you stopped the BB, did they give you anything else to take? Also how long were you on the BB before you stopped?

Thanks so much for the info !!!!!

03-23-2004, 05:43 AM

Thanks Hilery79
Just curious about one more thing. Did your doc say that you could quit the BB if you wanted to? I'm kinda scared that once I started this BB, I will have to take it from now on. I'd like to have the option of stopping (without rebound problems) if I choose to.

thanks so much for posting!!!!

03-23-2004, 06:38 AM

chill,

If you stop the beta blockade, you'll need to do it gradually. The more blockade, the more catecholemines your body will produce (adrenaline and noradrenaline). If you stop too fast, this flood can overwhelm you with racing heart, high blood pressure and panic.)
How long to get off safely is usually a consequence of how long you've been on and how high the dosing was....and what kind of beta blocker you were on.

03-23-2004, 06:50 AM

Hi Zip2play,

Thanks for the info ! I've been taking Toprol xl for 2 1/2 weeks so far. I'm on the 50mg once/per/day dose. I also take 1mg xanax once/per/day to keep the anxiety in check which i'm learning the cognitive behavior therapy. All my heart tests came back clear (no heart problems)....just stress. My blood tests did show somewhat low levels of potassium.

I'd like to stop the beta and try to manage stress and anxiety with the learned relaxation (cognitive behavior therapy). I also have upped my vit/mineral intake. I don't want to rely on meds that may be causing bigger problems.

Any other thoughts? Thanks much in advance!!

03-23-2004, 09:42 AM

chill,
Like zip said, you definatly need to taper of toprol very gradually if you decide to stop taking it. I had an ER Dr. tell me to stop taking it cold turkey and my heart rate sky rocketed. I am now trying to gradually taper off of it, but I'm not having much luck. Just going from 50mg to 25mg made my heart race like crazy. So, I'm back to taking 50mg for awhile.
Hilery

03-23-2004, 02:20 PM

Hi Hilery79
How long did you take the Toprol xr? I've only been taking it for 2 weeks. Do you think that's long enough to give me fits when I stop? I was planning to cut the 50mg down to 25mg for a week, and then cut it again to 12mg for a week. And then stop.....do you think that would do it? In the meantime while i'm tapering, I plan to up my b-vitamins (which are good for calming the central nervous system) and my mineral intake. This should strenghten my heart and calm my nerves at the same time while tapering off. I'm hoping this plan works.

OH! and like you said, my dr told me to just stop. He said I hadn't been taking it long enough to experience withdrawal rebound problems - yeah right. What do they know !

Thanks in advance for your comments !

03-24-2004, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zzzzlady

Hi Hilery79
How long did you take the Toprol xr? I've only been taking it for 2 weeks. Do you think that's long enough to give me fits when I stop? I was planning to cut the 50mg down to 25mg for a week, and then cut it again to 12mg for a week. And then stop.....do you think that would do it? In the meantime while i'm tapering, I plan to up my b-vitamins (which are good for calming the central nervous system) and my mineral intake. This should strenghten my heart and calm my nerves at the same time while tapering off. I'm hoping this plan works.

OH! and like you said, my dr told me to just stop. He said I hadn't been taking it long enough to experience withdrawal rebound problems - yeah right. What do they know !

Thanks in advance for your comments !

Hi,
I've been taking Toprol for about 9 months. I started out on 100mg(my heart rate was in the 150's at the time), but this dose was way to high, making my bp drop pretty low. I didn't take 100mg for very long, so I really didn't have any problems going from 100mg to 50mg. Since you've only been taking toprol for a couple weeks, I wouldn't think you would have any problems going to 25mg. Of course you need to check with your Dr., but (like you said) I would take 25mg for about a week and then go to 12mg for another week. I've been taking the 50mg dose for a good 8 months, so that's probably why I'm having a hard time tapering off it.

Good luck~
Hilery

03-26-2004, 05:46 AM

A couple years ago I was prescribed Metopolol for PVC's. They worked alright but had a few undesireable side effects. After a month of 25 mg per day, I took two weeks to ween myself off by cutting the dosage. It was no problem. I get these irregular beats dailey. Mostly I've just learned to live with them but when they do get bad (while working), I just pop a quarter of a 50 mg tablet into my mouth and 30 minutes later all is well. Sometimes just having the metopolol nearby is comfort enough. I guess I'm addicted to its presence. It's a psychological thing.

03-27-2004, 06:50 AM

After 2 months of taking Toprol XL, my heart arrhythmia went to a frightening level with dozens of episodes every day. Before taking it, I had an episode about once a day. I cut back to 1/2 dosage and started taking magnesium, calcium and potassium. That seemed to do the job, but now I'm suffered from muscular or neurological aches that I can't explain, especially in the knees. I'm switching to another beta blocker.

03-27-2004, 07:25 AM

As I mentioned in my previous post, I only take a small fraction of a Metopolol tablet when I feel I must have it. I think most of of my reasoning is because at times these irregular beats will cause me anxiety. About 2 months ago I did start taking a daily dosage of fish oil and Magesium. It's hard to guage these things but the problem really seems to have gotten better.

Beta Blockers and PVCs

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