I take propranolol and have noticed I get really numb and pale fingers if they get even slightly cold. I used to get this but it is so much worse now! I have to run my hands under hot water for ages and eventually the feeling comes back into them.
I had a blood test today and it happened there too, as my hands were cold from driving and holding the steering wheel (hardly exactly freezing conditions but it gets set off so easily). It was in the arm that was getting blood taken and the vein also collapsed which has never happened before. Thankfully second attempt worked and when I was leaving the nurses room my fingers were almost back to normal!
I know it is a known side effect of propranolol so I’m not overly surprised, but if anyone else has experienced this, any tips for making it better or go away? Even wearing gloves doesn’t always help. I am also quite a slim person so have always felt the cold a bit more than the average person!
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when I was on atenolol this didn’t happen. My husband started on atenolol 22 years ago, and was ok until about three winters ago whempn …wham! Blue and purple fingers except in the hottest months.
He always wears gloves when it’s a bit chilly. Fingerless ones if he needs to use fingers, and always keeps head and neck warm. Even this isn’t enough so if we are on a walk or he’s playing golf he has an electric hand warmer.
I suffer from the cold terribly and my whole hand has turned white and numb and then purple at times but mostly on my fingers. I’m always cold and my temperature is normally down in the 35 degree range and sometimes falls into the mid 34 degree range. I have heart problems but I am not on Beta Blockers.
Have you told the cardiac team? They may be able to offer a similar alternative betablocker that may not give you this side effect. I remember I told my Arrythmia consultant of my asthma getting worse on Bisoprolol and he switched it over to a different class of arrythmias instantly. Always worth the ask.
Hi, I have the same problem with cold hands & circulation & use these gloves, they are really effective in retaining heat. I'm a manual worker & use them intermittent as I get cold. They are Raynaud's society gloves but are brilliant.raynaudsdisease.com/SILVGLO...
I actually have a pair of the finger less ones, my problem seems to be when touching something cold so maybe need to look at longer ones, fingerless ones were good for when I worked in a cold office 😊
I had reynauds before my heart attack. Bisoprolol has made it worse. I had a heated jacket for Xmas that I love. And now plan how to keep my extremities warm all the time. You can get heated gloves or hand warmers. Gloves alone won’t always work as your hands arnt generating heat in the first place.
I have genetic Raynaud's, which is becoming more of a nuisance now, not only because I am getting older but because, in common with many others, we can no longer afford to heat the house to the temperature we used to, and even then the heating hours are limited. Indoors I have a heated handwarmers, a foot warmer with USB plug that is very cheap to run, and fleecy hooded blankets with pockets for my hands. However, all benefits from these disappear the minute I touch something cold like the side of a basin or a door handle.
Having just requested a trial of Losartan as recommended by my rheumatologist, my GP quickly replied that I should not continue with propranolol as this makes the symptoms from Raynaud's worse. Fortunately I do not currently take propanol throughout the day, and will stop completely from now on. Should I feel the need for something like that in the future I will try to find an alternative. Medications can be a confusing business!!
I have had cold hands since I was a boy but has got worse in so much that unless I am in a hot environment they are cold. I have hand warmers but they don't warm the backs of my hands. My wife found some gloves which are rechargeable. They cost nearly£100 but warm everywhere on your hands and they do look like small biker gloves with 3 settings and coloured lights to represent these settings. They last a few hours before they need recharging but they are the best solution to date. Sometimes I have to turn them down as I can feel my fingers burning Not cheap but I love them and you can pull a jacket over the lights and people just think they are gloves.
I'd never really suffered with cold extremities before and was usually the last in the house to put on a jumper or turn the heating up. Now that I am on beta-blockers, my relatives are enjoying every moment of me being the first to wrap up in multiple layers and turn up the heating.
Insulated gloves alone are no good if I don't have much heat in my hands in the first place, so I carry two or three hand warmer packs with me (the sodium acetate/reusable ones). This combination seems to work.
The next few days in the UK will be a good test for us all!
It’s so frustrating, I have found thin gloves are the worst as if they get cold, my hands get painful as well as numb! Never really thought about not having heat in them in the first place but makes sense. I have resorted to fluffy mittens now it is snowing, they seem to work better than the alternatives and will also invest in some hand warmers to keep in them. Thanks so much for everyone’s suggestions!
I take 75mg of metropolol daily, and I agree that beta blockers do tend to make your feet, fingers, and nose tip colder in cold weather. For example, today it is 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1.111 degrees Celsius) where I live. That is cold, and my feet freeze!
I don’t have Raynaud’s Disease, so I can’t speak to that. However, I did read that stress causes the symptoms to be worse. I was wondering whether that might also be true for you. For example, you mentioned driving to your blood draw/test. Driving in heavy traffic, or through construction can be stressful. Plus, you may have been worried about the blood draw. I always stress about a blood test because my veins are small, deep, and they roll.
You might want to consider whether stress may be causing the cold effects of the beta blockers and the Raynauds to worsen. I would suggest talking about all of your symptoms/concerns about this with your doctor.
I've always been prone to cold hands and feet. I started low dose propranolol three months ago and I noticed my hands would get so cold, I had difficulty using them. My fingers were white and tingly. I would get that in my feet as well. It has become better now, I don't know if I got used to the medication or I just pay more attention to keeping warm.
I think I might have a mild version of Raynaud's. When I was a teenager I was very scared of blood tests, to the point I would faint. One time I was supposed to have blood drawn from my finger, and my fingers turned blue suddenly, and the blood flow returned once the nurse decided it was not possible to proceed.
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