Beta blockers side effects : Hi there - is... - PBC Foundation

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Beta blockers side effects

Perkywerky76 profile image
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Hi there - is anyone else on beta blockers ? I’ve developed an awful asthmatic type cough and I have just had a large oesophageal bleed - so worried it’s putting pressure on the varices but they have said I must stay on them - I’m

Not sure if all beta blockers can do this or I could change but this cough is wearing me out and worrying me.

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Perkywerky76 profile image
Perkywerky76
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butterflyEi profile image
butterflyEi

My husband was given beta blockers that made him cough, to many years ago to remember which one, after a chat with the GP he was given an alternative and he no longer coughed.

Is coughing a side effect marked on the patient information leaflet? Can you see if there is an alternative.

Perkywerky76 profile image
Perkywerky76 in reply to butterflyEi

I’m hoping there is an alternative, I’m going to see my consultant on weds as I can’t sleep - im coughing till Im almost sick - which is putting extra strain on those varices. It’s quite worrying. Thank you

ninjagirlwebb profile image
ninjagirlwebb in reply to Perkywerky76

How about an ace inhibitor (can also cause coughing) but it might be okay for you vs beta blocker. Ace inhibitors are also used for high blood pressure. Ask your doctor.

littysgirl profile image
littysgirl

Are you sure you're on a beta blocker? I saw that someone mentioned ACE Inhibitors. I tried them and I was overcome with coughing. Coughing until I had no breath left in me and I felt like I'd pass out. And there was never any warning that it was coming - no tickle. I had a job where I was on the phone most of the time and I had to keep hanging up on customers and then call them back. One of them asked me if I was taking blood pressure medicine because she recognized that cough. Sure enough, that was it. It took a good two to three weeks to get it out of my system. Most of those drugs end with the letters "pril" at the end. Then I tried an ARB inhibitor which was supposed to be like the ACE but with fewer people getting the cough. I stayed on that for almost a year when all of a sudden the cough kicked in again. I think it slowly built up in my system. I've been on one or another beta blocker now for several years. No cough. I do believe that they make you tired (just what I needed - tired already from the PBC and diabetes) but I take mine at night before I go to bed and I can function during the day.

I will add that I now have seasonal allergies which I never had when I was younger, dry, burning eyes and dry cough but in the fall and spring, not winter and summer. Maybe your cough is actually allergy-related.

Perkywerky76 profile image
Perkywerky76 in reply to littysgirl

My cough has subsided now thank goodness - yes definitely a beta blocker but think it took me 3 weeks to get used to them - I was so worried about bursting the veins but it’s gone now - I’m so so itchy now now though -I’ve had bad itching in the past but it’s gone thru the roof now And that’s the only med that’s changed so I’m not sure if it’s that.

In fact with all the drugs and the illness being so bad now , I have no clue what’s what anymore , it’s soul destroying!

littysgirl profile image
littysgirl in reply to Perkywerky76

Here is what I do for the itching. I'm sure a doctor wouldn't like it that much but it works for me. I buy a body lotion called Gold Bond Body Lotion Medicated Extra Strength. It comes in a green bottle. Amazon has it. I can't always find it locally. It has menthol in it. You don't want it too close to your eyes. Sometimes just the lotion on the itchy spot will do. Other times, I use an old hairbrush that no longer has the protective rubber tips on the ends of the bristles. That really scratches but you have to be gentle. I scratch with the brush and then quickly put the menthol lotion on and then try to distract myself for a few minutes with some activity. That seems to work for me in general.

Perkywerky76 profile image
Perkywerky76 in reply to littysgirl

I use an old hairbrush but lately it’s just got the extra worse / it’s so annoying isn’t it what we put up with xxx

DRK1960 profile image
DRK1960 in reply to Perkywerky76

Lisinopril made me cough...had to stop it. I was given something else that made me itch and they stopped it. I’m now on Benicar...

DRK1960 profile image
DRK1960 in reply to littysgirl

May I ask which medicine you’re on now that does not make you cough?

I tried Lisinopril and had to stop because of the coughing.

littysgirl profile image
littysgirl in reply to DRK1960

Currently I'm on something called Bystolic. It's a beta blocker. I've been on this for about four years. The first year Medicare paid for it - no problem. Then some bureaucrats in Washington decided they didn't want to cover it any more and each year I have to fight to get it covered. Last year they made me try a different beta blocker. I can't remember the name but it didn't lower my blood pressure and it also didn't control the heart palpitations that I get sometimes. My doctor then tried a different dosage of their suggested medicine, saying that it's hard to know what the equivalent is from one drug to another. I tried the higher dose for another month. I was miserable with the palpitations - make me feel jittery. Then I said I'm not taking these any more. Please try to get it approved. They did approve. Now I'm going through the whole stupid thing again, less than a year after I tried Medicare's suggestion. Infuriates me that some stranger who knows nothing about me can determine what medicine they want me to take. I'm trying to line things up for next year and I am going to refuse to be their guinea pig with another new drug.

That was more than you asked for !! Sorry for the rant but I'm in the middle of it and am annoyed.

I think all the drugs that end with "pril" will have the same resulting cough. The class of drugs called ARB might work for you. It did for me for a while and then the cough started again. I believe those drugs generally end with "arten" like Valsartan, Losartan....

Beta blockers (generic) usually end with "olol" like metoprolol, propranolol, bisoprolol. I just looked up Bystolic which I guess is a brand name and the generic is nebivolol. Oh, I just read that there is no generic yet for Bystolic. I guess the drug company still owns it.

DRK1960 profile image
DRK1960 in reply to littysgirl

I’ve never heard of that one. The benicar is a brand name and they want me to switch to Losartan. I’ve read there are lots of side effects from benicar...fatigue, hair loss, joint pain etc. I already have these issues from the PBC or Urso. It seems like Losartan is the one that made me itch.

I definitely understand the aggravation with the insurance. Good luck with that! 💕

littysgirl profile image
littysgirl in reply to DRK1960

Losartan is NOT a beta blocker. I just looked it up to make sure I was correct. It's an ARB. That is considered a second generation drug of the ACE inhibitors. I also had coughing issues with an ARB although other people apparently do not. Benicar is from the same class of drugs. They are called Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) I was able to take Benicar for almost a year before the coughing started. Every drug will show that it has a bunch of potential side effects. It's been so long that I don't remember if I had any negative reaction, other than the coughing. I stayed on it pretty long so I'm guessing it was not a problem.

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