How to stop beta blockers for good?

[Delphiniumsblue]

Hi!

I have had a love hate relationship with beta blockers - all of the different kinds -since I was 29 and newly diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy .

They help my heart rhythm stabilise of course and limit the effect of stress but they also affect my performances (I am a musician ) and give me insomnia , tense muscles and fatigue. Possibly even mild depression .

Basically I feel horrible when I am on them but after a trip to hospital this week after stress induced palpitations and tachycardia my doctor prescribed them again .

She says it’s the only drug I can take for controlling the heart rate and since I’m 41 and working full time I can’t take other drugs that have stronger side effects.

I was on and off them until I had some ablation procedures which seem not to have worked (twice) and now it seems I am on them again for the time being.

I wonder if anyone has managed to beat stress related problems using meditation and other lifestyle related changes ?? I am not overweight and eat a very healthy diet, non smoker non caffeine or alcohol drinker. Just bad genes unfortunately.

I need some hope as the thought of being tied to beta blockers until I am 90 or whenever I move on makes me pretty depressed.

Thanks

[Hidden]

Dear you,

There seems to be a couple of problems going on here, one very physical and one mental that seems to be brought on with the worry of the physical one.

I am not medically trained but if your are so unhappy with the findings of your Cardiologist and their suggestion of going back onto Beta Blockers then you need to seek other advice.

There are many variations of that drug and there effectiveness is extremely well documented including the dreaded side effects.

Hopefully you can find one { even at a lower dose } that can help your physical condition.

As for the stress and the mental health side of your problem then it has been proved time and time again that you cannot deal with that alone and you must contact someone to start some form of therapy.

You are not alone, you may live in a different country { a stunning one } your job may be different, but we are all human and all suffer in the same when we hurt.

Take care and please keep us informed.

[fishonabike]

As Blue 1958 says there are many other medications available for treating dilated cardiomyopathy. I think what your doctor says is like telling you that aspirin is the only medication you can take for pain! Unless you have allergies, sensitivities or medical conditions which limit the medications you can take there are other drugs to choose from.

So I find it hard to believe that your doctor cannot prescribe a different medication for you, have you tried seeing a different doctor?

For managing stress there are many choices, but you might find it helpful to get some support and guidance from a therapist who can help you look at what causes you stress and what you can do to change how you respond. As a professional musician i think you should find that some of your colleagues might be able to recommend sources of support.

[rubina786]

I had palpitations, insomnia, tired, swelling, few other issues after my heart attack last year.I realised it might be due to Clopidogrel a beta blocker.

When researching reasons for palpitations I came across excellent videos by Sanjay Gupta a Cardiologist in York. Learnt a lot from his web site too!

Hope these help.

youtu.be/uucUyMaJPQg(Not working as expected?)

youtube.com/live/kmOZRKR-Fp...

I did not get off the beta-blocker (half dose did not help). Instead I remained on them and now have Magnesium (also suggested by him in another video) and that has helped with my palpitation and swelling symptoms.

If you have them for the reasons he mentioned, guess its important but maybe his other videos will give you more information on how to combat any side effects naturally or with supplements. He appears to br very accurate in my humble opinion and explains well.

Hope this helps xx

Regards

Rubina

[Miriam123 in reply to rubina786]

Isn't Clopidogrel an anti- platelet drug (blood thinner) used to prevent clots not a beta blocker (slows heart rate) which is used to help AFib and arrhythmias.

[rubina786 in reply to Miriam123]

I must have confused it with Bisoprolol which was the culprit in my case. So sorry.Both Clopidogrel and Bisoprolol cause the heartbeats to change, fluttering etc.

(PS: anti platelet and blood thinners are different) but it was bisoprolol that caused my joint pain and swelling to worsen.

[Delphiniumsblue]

hi everyone! I am really grateful you took time to reply to my post.

I am interested -fishonabike -about the different drugs for dilated cardiomyopathy you mentioned. Do you have any names maybe of the heart medicines you or a friend /partner has taken?

I have been on the bbs (metoprolol) for 2 weeks and have been suffering from “half”insomnia- I just can’t get to sleep for hours even when I am tired and my sleep quality doesn’t seem to be as good. Sounds similar to you -rubina786-.

Good news is I’m not seeing spiders on the walls during the night or thinking a pillow is my son and my son is a pillow …😬

These last few days the anxiety has been bad and today I am just really depressed and thinking about quitting my career. I have just halved the dose to 12.5 mg a day (I am super sensitive to the medications !) to try to see if it will help these side effects.

It feels as though I have a kind of poison running through my body at the moment , and I remember this feeling from last time.

And yes- blue1958- I have developed psychological issues from dealing with the side effects for years when I didn’t know they were side effects and from just having a heart condition as a performer and not knowing for some months before diagnosis etc.

Also I’m having to continue to deal with the fear of my body getting tight and/or weak while I am working either from not being on any bb and my heart going crazy and so not getting enough blood to my muscles (or so I assume , I am desperate to find out exactly what happens to my body and how it affects me as a performer , adrenaline levels compared to a healthy person etc when I get my ectopics and palpitations) or from being on the bbs and feeling anxious and tense from the side effects.

I watched the clip you added- rubina786- thanks. That dr was very interesting and I agree, very humble and polite.

How are the other symptoms that you get from the bbs now? Magnesium is a good one to remember . I was suggested that by a holistic dr once.

This heart disease has taken away my 30s as I spent a decade waiting to “heal” not knowing I had a genetic heart defect at that time , and waiting for my panic to go away with time and with therapies, not realising it was a combination of my illness and then my medicines that they gave me .

Now I don’t know what is anxiety, what is nerves and what is my illness 😩

Being able to write on this forum is comforting especially on a day like today when I am struggling to see a good outcome without my either quitting performance or having to suffer through beta blocker side effects , which I don’t think I can do to be honest.

Sweden has a good healthcare system (I’m actually an Australian )but once you are given a doctor it’s not usual to change . I’m not even sure if I can since I have a genetic cardiologist and that’s in a smaller city .People don’t get second opinions either ! You are assigned a doctors surgery, and organised by your “region” in terms of specialists, appointments and tests.

Thanks for your thoughts .