Feeling cold

[PennyMary]

I am on Nebivolol (beta blockers) 5mg morning and 5mg evening to slow heart rate down and also blood thinners. I have felt absolutely freezing through the cold weather. Far colder than any other member of my family and colder than any other year we have had freezing weather. I got particularly cold last Friday to the point that I felt ill and had to go home to bed. Venue was cold all day. Is it normal for these drugs to have this effect ?

[BobD Volunteer]

We all feel the cold more as we get older and any treatmnet for AF has the ability to exacerbate that. Think of me with all the windows open last week due to three guys to re-plastering my hall.

[Cha275rL in reply to BobD]

Omg!!!🥶

[Sebhel]

Same here l feel cold, even in the house and wear my cap + scarf indoors!

[PennyMary in reply to Sebhel]

Same here. We went to a wedding last week and it was cold outside but I wore my coat all through the meal.. Very glamorous !.

[Poochmom]

Yes, that is an effect of blood thinners. When I was on Nebivolol for AFib for 4 years, I was freezing all the time. Since I had my LAA clipped off in June this year, I have been off blood thinners. I am no longer freezing all the time.

[PennyMary in reply to Poochmom]

Thanks. It is as I thought a combination of betablockers and blood thinners ! Also as Bob says getting older although friends my age who are not on these drugs do not feel the cold as much as I do

[Thomas45 in reply to Poochmom]

For some unknown reason anticoagulants are referred to as "blood thinners" making people think that they thin the blood. They don't thin the blood. They stop the blood coagulating, so outside the body a scab will take longer to form, and inside blood clots won't form. Medics expect us to know what antibiotics and antihistamines are but for some reason think they're being helpful by telling us lies about the action of anticoagulants.

[PaulDB]

My hands, feet and nose are always cold to the stage where my hands and feet hurt.

[PennyMary in reply to PaulDB]

Agree, This particularly cold weather has been a real trial to keep warm

[oscarfox49]

Nebivolol is simply another beta blocker, like Sotalol or atenolol and so on. It is supposed to be more 'cardio specific' and thus less likely to 'damp down' your entire system but of course it inevitably has the generalised effect.

As a Sotalol user (80mg in 2x 40mg doses a day) since 1995, I too have found the cold weather unbearable with icy hands and never being able to get warm, not even when doing my brisk walk for 40 minutes with the dog, and togged up with gloves, woolly hat and so on. It is one of the side effects of such drugs.

I am quite interested in hearing your experience with Nebivolol and how effective it is with your AF as the last cardiologist I saw told me to ditch Sotalol ('because we don't use that any more!) and switch to Nebivolol, but I have been reluctant to on the basis of 'better the devil you know......' Apparently it also has some effect in vascular dilation .... "nebivolol, a highly selective blocker of beta(1)-adrenergic receptors, is the only beta-blocker known to induce vascular production of nitric oxide, the main endothelial vasodilator. The specific mechanism of nebivolol is particularly relevant in hypertension, where nitric oxide dysfunction occurs." so this may be helpful in those who suffer breathlessness or high BP etc. Myself, I prefer to use exercise as a way of controlling these things, so far at least.

[Auriculaire]

You should get your thyroid function checked out just in case as feeling cold all the time is a symptom of hypothyroidism. Your dose of Nebivolol seems quite high. You could query whether you really need such a high dose. Presumably it's to reduce your heartrate.

[PennyMary in reply to Auriculaire]

Thanks I have recently had a thyroid check as I am on Amiodarone as well and no problem. Too many pills and side effects !!

[Unify72]

Wow Amiodarone as well ? and it does seem like a high dose of Neb. Do you know what your HR is on the meds? Perhaps it is too slow?? My mother was on Neb and to begin with was doing great... she was on the smallest dose possible (very sensitive) It was enough to treat the AF but she had an allergic reaction - horrible hives that now even a month after stopping the Neb she still has an immune response with flare ups. She also felt the cold and I couldn't understand it as we live in Australia and it was stinking hot! She still wanted a blanket!! Off Neb and feeling the warmth now.

[PennyMary in reply to Unify72]

Having an ablation very soon so hope to come off the Nebivolol at least. HR when I last checked was around 70. I start getting stressed when I keep checking various bits of me!

[Sustainedvtach270]

Hello, as a Sotalol user, I also get cold on my extremities at times. Saturday morning as I was shoveling the snow, I could not feel my fingers... I wonder if it is the betablocker or my heart not pump ing blood as efficiently. A morning walk with about 4000 steps and a warm bath or sauna (be careful too much heat might increase your heart rate) in the evening help me.