Off beta blocker

I am going for my EP study/ablation of ectopic atrial tachycardia on Wednesday. As a result, I had to go off my betablocker. So I didn't take Sunday's doses and felt fine and I didn't take the dose this morning. I felt horrible all day and every time I checked my heart rate it was between 44-50bpm. I have been extrem...ely cold and dizzy all day. Before being medicated my heartrate was always fast with a resting heart rate between 90-100bpm and my bp was around 110/70. I fully expected when going off the betablocker for my heartrate to sky rocket and my bp to return to normal or to be slightly higher. Even while taking the betablocker, my hr and bp were still within normal ranges. My heart rate was never below 60bpm. I'm not sure if these are withdrawal symptoms and will go away as my body readjusts or if these are now permanent symptoms. It doesn't really make sense to me and i'm booked in at the hospital wednesday morning so I don't want to go to the ER early.

4 Comments

Go to the ER

by Genie - 2010-08-31 04:08:13

Please go to the ER. I stopped my beta-blockers in June, and had terrible side effects, but my heart was going fast (as you would expect). Definitely shouldn't go slow. If it still is, you should get it checked out.

You are supposed to cut these down gradually, not just stop. They should have told you that!

Take care,

Genie

Conflict

by donb - 2010-08-31 09:08:09

I just want to comment on stopping beta blocker medication as I stopped taking mine after my PM removal because of erosion. I was not given any written or oral instructions about my medication by my Dr. I was told only by an attending RN to stop my beta blocker only to find out my HR would go all over the place with the usual dizziness etc. After doing some research on this site I gradually tapered off my beta blocker and was OK.

In my case after 60 days of no PM my resting rate dropped down to the 30's as my PM was for SSS, 1st - 2nd degree electrical block. A few days later I went into AF and needed to go back on my beta blocker as I had been off for a month along with another PM (my 4th) with a change to stronger beta blocker (Betapace). It has been over a year now and doing well as I also altered my dosage down from 80mg morning & 80mg bedtime to 40mg at betime. Might mention I also had to stay in the 12 hour time frame which really is a must as I would quite often do a 18 hour and 6 hour which was not good. I am back to being able to jump out of bed with no room spinning, not too bad for a 78year old!!! donb

Not so good

by Duke60 - 2010-08-31 10:08:57

Genie is spot on. Almost no meds should be just stopped. If I recall the meds book some betablockers can increase the risk for a heart attack if just stopped?
If you do nothing else at least call your Doc.

Good Luck

by Janey L - 2010-08-31 12:08:17

Hi. I don't know much about beta blockers as I was taken off mine & switched to calcium channel blockers, under Dr's guidance. But before my EP study in January I had to stop the calcium channel blockers 5 days before. The Dr's at the hospital told me to do it gradually, over a day or two. My heart rate went up on stopping them.

Then in June I was taken off Ivabradine before my EP study/ablation. They had stopped working so I was taken off them 4 weeks before. They must have been working a bit because when I stopped them (again, over 2 days) I felt terrible & my heart rate went up again.

But I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck for your EP study/ablation. I had an EP study 5 weeks ago & my Consultant found I had focal atrial tachycardia. It was a 5 hour procedure but he managed to ablate it all & now, 5 weeks on, I feel great! No more arrhythmia symptoms, no racing heart rate. I'm back at work & doing lots of things I haven't been able to do for 18 months due to the arrhythmia.
I hope yours is just as successful. Are you in the USA? I am in the UK.

I hope you get your slow heart rate sorted out. Let us know how you get on. And all the best for Wednesday.

Best wishes
Janey

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