We all realize that the effects of prescription medicines are not always as selective as they appear to be, at least in some patients. And sometimes, their effects don't show up right away, so we tend not to associate them to the drug. So let it be with beta blockers.
Some months after I had my dosage of Bystolic (a beta blocker) doubled to 10 mg/day, I was in the throes of obvious GERD, with lots of heartburn and pain, particularly at night. I was at the point where I wanted to take Prilosec daily for the rest of my life, as it was the only over-the-counter thing that helped. However, omperazole and other proton pump inhibitors affect the metabolism of calcium over time, and that's not something a tissue valve owner wants to tinker with.
I also had symptoms of an inflamed colon, which are very unpleasant, especially in the workplace. I was miserable, and looking at a prolonged relationship with a gastroenterologist and many unpleasant tests. I was also having angina and miserably unable to do anything: I would come home and have to rest, get up and do things for 20-30 minutes, and have to rest again.
As such, I asked my cardiologists to play around with my meds, and get me on a lower dose of beta blocker. After we tried an ACE inhibitor with half the dose of beta blocker for a couple of weeks, I noticed my stomach problems fading away. We juggled some more, but we couldn't get my blood pressure where it needed to be. So the beta blocker came back to 10 mg. My blood pressure dropped back down, and the GERD symptoms came back big time.
My cardiologist was very patient with this process. It's a real pain in the butt for him. I keep showing up with lackluster results, still wanting him to try something else. But he came up with another idea. By pairing half the dose of Bystolic with a diuretic (HCT), we were able to get my blood pressure down to excellent levels (often 90s over 60s) and my beta blocker dose cut back in half. And my stomach problems have disappeared again. Wierd that a diuretic would help my BP, because I had no signs of water retention.
My theory is that as the beta blocker slowed and reduced the autonomic nervous system's trigger to make the heart beat, it was also having the same efffect on my esophogeal sphincter. That's the little, circular muscle at the top of your stomach that is continually stimulated by the autonomic nervous system to stay closed, so the stomach's acidic contents don't spill out onto the (relatively) delicate tissues of the esophogus. Once that sphincter started staying closed all night, the inflamed tissues immediately began to heal. What was happening at the other end of the intestinal tract, I haven't spent much time thinking about. But that part of the problem went away completely, too.
No more pain. That has made an intense difference in my life. I have "myself" back again.
So, if you are taking a beta blocker, and have developed GERD symptoms over time, maybe you should look into whether they are related in your case as well.
Best wishes,
Some months after I had my dosage of Bystolic (a beta blocker) doubled to 10 mg/day, I was in the throes of obvious GERD, with lots of heartburn and pain, particularly at night. I was at the point where I wanted to take Prilosec daily for the rest of my life, as it was the only over-the-counter thing that helped. However, omperazole and other proton pump inhibitors affect the metabolism of calcium over time, and that's not something a tissue valve owner wants to tinker with.
I also had symptoms of an inflamed colon, which are very unpleasant, especially in the workplace. I was miserable, and looking at a prolonged relationship with a gastroenterologist and many unpleasant tests. I was also having angina and miserably unable to do anything: I would come home and have to rest, get up and do things for 20-30 minutes, and have to rest again.
As such, I asked my cardiologists to play around with my meds, and get me on a lower dose of beta blocker. After we tried an ACE inhibitor with half the dose of beta blocker for a couple of weeks, I noticed my stomach problems fading away. We juggled some more, but we couldn't get my blood pressure where it needed to be. So the beta blocker came back to 10 mg. My blood pressure dropped back down, and the GERD symptoms came back big time.
My cardiologist was very patient with this process. It's a real pain in the butt for him. I keep showing up with lackluster results, still wanting him to try something else. But he came up with another idea. By pairing half the dose of Bystolic with a diuretic (HCT), we were able to get my blood pressure down to excellent levels (often 90s over 60s) and my beta blocker dose cut back in half. And my stomach problems have disappeared again. Wierd that a diuretic would help my BP, because I had no signs of water retention.
My theory is that as the beta blocker slowed and reduced the autonomic nervous system's trigger to make the heart beat, it was also having the same efffect on my esophogeal sphincter. That's the little, circular muscle at the top of your stomach that is continually stimulated by the autonomic nervous system to stay closed, so the stomach's acidic contents don't spill out onto the (relatively) delicate tissues of the esophogus. Once that sphincter started staying closed all night, the inflamed tissues immediately began to heal. What was happening at the other end of the intestinal tract, I haven't spent much time thinking about. But that part of the problem went away completely, too.
No more pain. That has made an intense difference in my life. I have "myself" back again.
So, if you are taking a beta blocker, and have developed GERD symptoms over time, maybe you should look into whether they are related in your case as well.
Best wishes,
