in Permanent Persistent AFib and need advice re taking a beta blocker ( Nebivolol )

I monitor bpm with Kardia. On a single 1 minute occasion it will constantly flip between mostly 50 - 74 bpm but also goes up as far as 130 bpm. However it will often at the end of the minute give a final reading around the high sixties to early seventies which to me appears to be an average.

This is whilst I am experiencing quite severe symptoms of AFib (pain in back/chest, shortness of breath/lightheaded etc.) my conundrum is do I take my Nebivolol in these circumstances when my bpm May be quite low (or not?) or could the Kardia be faulty?

[Buffafly]

Kardia bases bpm on an average of the first 30 secs of recording I believe. I get the same, very variable rate but fairly low average. If you have been prescribed Nebivolol to take regularly then I should take it as prescribed but if it takes your bpm down too low (below 50 average) get in touch with whoever prescribed it.

[Hidden in reply to Buffafly]

Thanks for this info Buffafly and I’ll monitor

[Ppiman]

I take a bisoprolol in similar circumstances of mildly racing heart, chest discomfort and fatigue, whether it is AF (rare) or just runs of ectopics / mild tachycardia (much more common). It seems to help. That was my GP's advice rather than my cardiologist's (who wondered why I felt the need to take bisoprolol, but understood).

The Kardia reading you have can easily be checked manually, I suppose?

Steve

[Hidden in reply to Ppiman]

Many thanks for your reply and also for the logic of taking my pulse manually. I often used this method successfully after a workout in the gym b4 I had persistent AFib. Now I keep losing the beat as it flutters about and/or disappears which is why I bought the Kardia.

[mav7]

Hi Loaf

May want to discuss with your GP or cardiologist about changing to a different beta blocker. Bisoprolol and Metoprolol are other choices.

Insure you take it at prescribed times also take an anticoagulant.

Due to the symptoms you mention, may also want to ask to wear a medical heart monitor for an extended period. Will tell what your heart is doing 24 hours a day.

[Hidden in reply to mav7]

Thanks for advice - seeing a doctor almost impossible but am paying to see a cardiologist next week 🤞

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

PS I take Apixaban and if I wake up with very low heart rate (often) which is exacerbated by sleep apnea. I then hold off taking the am dose of Nebivolol. I tried Bisopropol last year when I was first diagnosed and it seemed to make things worse. .

[mav7 in reply to Hidden]

Glad you have cardio appt - he will advise.

[Hidden]

Yes I am too. I have Kardia history printed off so he can see. When I saw him a couple of months ago (I’m going private) he was questioning whether I had a sinus rythmn problem. We shall see. I have other health issues that don’t help (sleep apnea / hypothyroid) and have had a painful UTI since Feb which my GP surgery has been monitoring. I’ve had 3 urine tests over this time and all have showed blood - although I wasn’t told. I’ve been referred for an ultrasound and cystoscopy. I’m terribly confused which is probably down to the UTI and hoping at least to make progress in getting a Cardioversion when I see the Cardiologist.