Beta blockers

[alex c.]

Hi all, I went to see my surgeon for a review. I've noticed since my surgery, my heart beat is really pounding now. He confirmed and put me on a small dose of a beta blocker. Great.....just as I had been ok'd to stop taking aspirin, I was only hoping to have to take coumadin. I HATE popping pills. Does anyone know how long I'd have to be on these beta blockers & why my heart/heart beat is so strong now? Do you think it's because of my enlarged heart?

 

[Mary]

Alex,
I think some people just have trouble with a rapid heart rate following surgery. My cardio refrained from putting me on Toprol XL for more than a year, but finally asked me to try it about six months ago. My heartrate was still running in the high 80's a year after surgery. I was very hesitant, but I feel much, much better on a low dose. I haven't suffered the fatigue many complain about, so hopefully you won't either.

 

[Marguerite53]

Hi Alex. Can't remember when you had your surgery. I was on beta blockers (50 mg Atenolol) 1+ year prior to surgery for really annoying but benign palpitations. After the surgery I had a flare up of palps, different, but still benign. We stayed with the beta blocker dosage. At a 7 month post op visit I asked to reduce the dose. Since I had had no pounding heart issues since that one week post op, we lowered my dose to 25 mg. The thinking with me is that in a year we may be able to drop it altogether (I am also on a BP med called Diovan) if I get my exercise regime in place (my bad, not heart related).

The beta blocker should get that pounding to stop. DO NOT try ending the beta blocker on your own. It can really throw things off (reducing the dose as little as mine is made me totally bumbly feeling for several days). Do give your heart awhile to settle down. Think of it as a crutch. Perhaps you just won't need these beta blockers forever. And if you do, well, at least you don't have to put up with all that pounding!!

I don't think it sounds to me as if you know enough about why or what they gave you. This seems like a perfect time to befriend a nurse at the cardio's office. They are often very happy to spread their knowledge (as in....they know a ton of stuff and no one ever asks them how smart they are ) to the busy cardio's patient. Call and have a nurse call you back. Ask her why he chose this particular med (there are so many different reasons to choose different meds. My particular BP combo acts on 2 different areas of the heart to keep things regulated. I got most of that interesting info from my pharmacist!), if they think you could eventually not need it....when will you now the condition of your enlarged heart, etc. etc.. You can really learn a lot by asking the nurses. Go for it!

let us know. Marguerite

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Hi all, I went to see my surgeon for a review. I've noticed since my surgery, my heart beat is really pounding now. He confirmed and put me on a small dose of a beta blocker. Great.....just as I had been ok'd to stop taking aspirin, I was only hoping to have to take coumadin. I HATE popping pills. Does anyone know how long I'd have to be on these beta blockers & why my heart/heart beat is so strong now? Do you think it's because of my enlarged heart?

A Pounding Heart Beat is not uncommon following surgery.

IF your valves were stenotic and your heart muscles were used to having to 'pump hard' to push enough blood through reduced apertures (with higher than normal pressure gradients across the valves) it would make perfect sense that your heart muscles have not yet 'reconditioned' to the lower gradients of your new valves and are still 'pumping hard'.

Hopefully, your heart muscles will recondition to where they don't pump so forcefully as they adjust to the change in the fluid dynamics of your heart and arteries. This can take several weeks, maybe even a few months. I don't remember how long it took for mine to normalize but it did.

Let us know how it goes.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Barbara Stewart]

I've taken metoprolol for almost 30 years. I went off and onto another drug post op. I had a lot of those loud beats you're talking about, but I never said anything to my cardio and he wouldn't put me back on the beta blocker because my heart rate was so low. I now have a pacemaker and am back on metoprolol for my bp. It is the most effective drug I've found for bp. When I was young and just started it I tried to get off it to no avail. If you have to take it for the rest of your life don't let it worry you. There's a time release that will allow you to take your pill first thing and then forget it.
Good luck,
Barbara

 

[wildcat fan]

hey everyone,

Just wanted to say that I have been Toprol Xl for almost 8 years and it was namely due to High Blood pressure and that was done buy a doc I no longer deal with but my current doc also had me on an Ace Inhibitor namely Lisinopril and day of my surgery Anesthia told me to not take it and have been off it since my surgery 3 months ago and my Cardio doc has put me back on it thanks to my BP numbers being so out of whack namely the top number . But my Cardio doc she is so awesome and when I was in Cardiac Rehab I had to talk with the nures that over sees the program and she told me that the doc worked on it till 9p.m. at night and I was amazed at what she had done. Anyways I have not been haveing any problems and I feel soo good. Hope this helps.'

Chris
ATS Mech Valve and 5.2c.m. Asecending Aortic Anerusym
Dr.Sam Pollock @ Baptist Hospital East in Louisville,Ky

 

[aussigal]

I have taken Metoprolol for about 1 year now...
I first took it for BP issues then after surgery I was kept on it for A-Fib. and the pounding you also feel..
My Cardio told me I would be on it for-life as its most useful in lessening the forceful pounding of our mechanically-valved hearts...
I currently am on 75mg twice a day...