Hi Gina,
I have been on Atenolol 50 mg / day for almost 2 years now. It is a Beta Blocker. I have not had any problems with it. In fact, I have read that many golfers and olympic sharp shooters take them to steady themselves. I know it works for me! Are there any specific questions that you have regarding it?
Hope your getting off the Beta Blockers helps. Also, I have this little bit of info to share..
Topic: Heart Disease: Laurie Anderson, RN, BSN >> Discussion: Exercise with
low pulse from medication (by Arlyp (WebMD))
Re: Exercise with low pulse from medication
by ljandie91 (WebMD), 8/18/00 10:09 PM
Hello,
Your heart is getting an adequate workout as long as you raise it 20-30 beats
per minute over your resting levels. You can't calculate a target heart rate
based on the traditional method of subtacting your age from 220 and
multiplying it by 70-85%, because of the beta-blocker.
In the cardiac rehab setting we usually use 70-85% of the highest heart rate
achieved on the pre-exercise stress test, if the medication(s), especially
beta-blockers, were taken before the test. If the medication(s) were held,
the highest heart rate achieved must be further adjusted for these meds;
typically a range of 10-20% more depending on the size and frequency of the
beta-blocker dose and the dose(s) of other medications being taken that may
also be lowering the heart rate. Sometimes this method of calculation is
ineffective; in this case we often use the simple formula of resting heart
rate plus 20 to 30 beats per minute. This range is decided upon based on
whether or not the person is still ischemic (blockages that are preventing
adequate blood flow to the heart), the amount of heart muscle damage from the
heart attack, the ejection fraction and other individual considerations.
In regard to your question about time of day to exercise, in my opinion you
are actually better off to exercise earlier in the day, when your
beta-blocker is having the most efffect on your heart rate. I can't evaluate
this in relation to your condition, because I don't know what the situation
is with your heart's blood flow. In general the effect of the beta-blocker is
to improve blood flow to the heart muscle, so it is better protected from the
potential effects of decreased blood flow and thus you are less likely to
have angina. Hope this is clear and helpful; I will watch for additional
posts from you should you have another question.
Sincerly, Laurie Anderson, RN, BSN
ALSO..
For simplicity sake (though nothing seems to be that way in medicine today), doctors, using their overall clinical experience, try to prescribe a beta blocker that is felt to be the most appropriate one that will effectively control a particular condition or conditions (dosage must be individualized) and do so hopefully with minimal (tolerable) side effects. Contraindications, pre-existing medical conditions and drug interactions have to be taken into consideration when prescribing this particular drug as well.Beta blockers can be cardioselective; decrease in systemic side effects and only affects beta-1 receptors located primarily in the cardiac muscle or non- cardioselective; increase in systemic side effects; and affects beta-1 and the beta-2 receptors (which are located primarily in the bronchial musculature and blood vessels).Toprol-XL® (metoprolol succinate, extended release) is a beta-1 cardioselective drug. Metoprolol tartrate immediate release is availble as Lopressor® and is reported to be the most widely prescribed and competitive beta-blocker in the world. In the U.S., Toprol-XL® is primarily indicated for high blood pressure (hypertension) and angina, but like other beta blockers, it can be prescribed for other conditions as determined by a qualified doctor. Since everyone is unique, and therefore the metabolism responds differently to beta blockers, if a particular beta blocker works well for one individual that does not necessarily mean that it will work well for the next.A problem with this class of drug is that some beta blockers are known to enter or cross the blood-brain-brain (BBB, actually there are two of them and is described as a protective network of blood vessels and cells that filters blood flowing to the brain) easier than others. The ones that do this seem to cause more central nervous system (CNS) side effects, such as nightmares, hallucinations, and depression than others that exhibt low penetration characteristics (LPC). If a beta blocker seems to be ineffective, doctors will either increase the dose or switch to another class of drug that is deemed appropriate.When a beta blocker dosage is increased, one has to watch out for dose delivered side effects (DDSE) which can be an increase in the severity of present (if any) side effects or the onset of entirely new ones which may or may not cause an iatrogenic condition or disease.Also, while on this class of drug, blood pressure and pulse/HR should be checked regularly and a doctor should be contacted immediately if/when pulse/HR falls below 50 BPM.
Hope this helps some,
Rob
