Beta Blockers

[Stef F]

Errr.....just how bad is the running slow problem caused by beta blockers?

Has anyone out there got anything positive to say about them?

Stef

[Mike T]

I once used beta blockers for exam nerves - on one type - propranolol - a sort of broad spectrum drug - I could barely walk up a flight of stairs - the problem was muscle pain, not breathlessness. Atenolol - a narrower spectrum drug - was rather better in this respect, but I did not try to run with either drug. Not only do they limit heart rate dramatically, they also impair glycogen metabolism, make hands/feet cold, lower blood pressure, and just generally lower that nice feeling of vitality that comes with doing things outside. Beta blockers CAN help in "sports" where a tremor would be a disadvantage, like snooker or darts.

I would expect running/cycling to be severely affected by beta-blocker intake, unless the dose was tiny, or it was a drug with a short half-life taken well before activity.

[Stef F]

I once used beta blockers for exam nerves - on one type - propranolol - a sort of broad spectrum drug - I could barely walk up a flight of stairs - the problem was muscle pain, not breathlessness. Atenolol - a narrower spectrum drug - was rather better in this respect, but I did not try to run with either drug. Not only do they limit heart rate dramatically, they also impair glycogen metabolism, make hands/feet cold, lower blood pressure, and just generally lower that nice feeling of vitality that comes with doing things outside. Beta blockers CAN help in "sports" where a tremor would be a disadvantage, like snooker or darts.

I would expect running/cycling to be severely affected by beta-blocker intake, unless the dose was tiny, or it was a drug with a short half-life taken well before activity.

It's worse than I thought.....no Bacardi either.....:boohoo:

[Alexandra]

I have 2 friends on Daily Mile who take beta blockers. One (taking them for Atrial Fibrillation) reckons they have put 1 minute per mile onto his racing times. The other (taking them for tremor) after initial problems seems to be more or less back to normal (also racing regularly). If it's not indiscreet, why are you taking them? There may be other options if they don't suit you.

[Hes]

I once took betablockers as a prophylactic treatment for migraine and I didn't get on with them. I have low blood pressure and reynauds and I am not really sure why my doctor thought they might help me except perhaps he thought my migraines were stress induced. Anyway, I used to lie in bed listening to my heart rate and waiting for the next beat...it was soooo slow! They didn't cure my migraines either.

[Stef F]

I have 2 friends on Daily Mile who take beta blockers. One (taking them for Atrial Fibrillation) reckons they have put 1 minute per mile onto his racing times. The other (taking them for tremor) after initial problems seems to be more or less back to normal (also racing regularly). If it's not indiscreet, why are you taking them? There may be other options if they don't suit you.

I've been given Bedranol SR as an attempt to resolve an increasingly persistant headache problem that could be migraine. I've been suffering approx two weeks of severe headaches out of four which seemed to start after my operation. My normally low blood pressure has increased and is just on the low side of normal at the moment. It isn't going to do my come back to fitness any good but I'm not going to be able to manage my job with this so I have to try and get it sorted. There always seems to be something; ho hum!

[Alexandra]

I once took betablockers as a prophylactic treatment for migraine and I didn't get on with them. I have low blood pressure and reynauds and I am not really sure why my doctor thought they might help me except perhaps he thought my migraines were stress induced. Anyway, I used to lie in bed listening to my heart rate and waiting for the next beat...it was soooo slow! They didn't cure my migraines either.

I didn't realise that, like me, you suffer from Raynauds. That must be difificult for you when painting in winter - I imagine wearing gloves, even fingerless, would be awkward. I have phases of wearing fingerless mitts but find myself constantly shucking them off, or trailing them in the gravy.

[Stef F]

I once took betablockers as a prophylactic treatment for migraine and I didn't get on with them. I have low blood pressure and reynauds and I am not really sure why my doctor thought they might help me except perhaps he thought my migraines were stress induced. Anyway, I used to lie in bed listening to my heart rate and waiting for the next beat...it was soooo slow! They didn't cure my migraines either.

I was a bit confused about the choice of treatment for the same reasons and have come to the same conclusion Hes. I am stressed so it'll be interesting to see how I react to them. I was quite upset about it this morning but I'm feeling pretty alert at the moment and am managing to concentrate and get some work done this evening.

[Alexandra]

I've been given Bedranol SR as an attempt to resolve an increasingly persistant headache problem that could be migraine. I've been suffering approx two weeks of severe headaches out of four which seemed to start after my operation. My normally low blood pressure has increased and is just on the low side of normal at the moment. It isn't going to do my come back to fitness any good but I'm not going to be able to manage my job with this so I have to try and get it sorted. There always seems to be something; ho hum!

Very sorry about the headaches/migraines. I used to get these a lot & still remember what an awful, disabling sort of pain it is. This won't help you at the moment, but in my case they gradually disappeared until nowadays all I get is the occasional mild tension headache. There are various drugs that have been shown to help some people with migraine, including Viagra & Prozac (work on circulation) so no need to stay on beta blockers if they don't suit. I got myself referred to a migraine clinic in York which gave me a lot of time and confirmed that I did have migraine. I found just discussing the problem in detail and that diagnosis helpful.

[Stef F]

Very sorry about the headaches/migraines. I used to get these a lot & still remember what an awful, disabling sort of pain it is. This won't help you at the moment, but in my case they gradually disappeared until nowadays all I get is the occasional mild tension headache. There are various drugs that have been shown to help some people with migraine, including Viagra & Prozac (work on circulation) so no need to stay on beta blockers if they don't suit. I got myself referred to a migraine clinic in York which gave me a lot of time and confirmed that I did have migraine. I found just discussing the problem in detail and that diagnosis helpful.

I hadn't realised there was such a thing as a migraine clinic; this may well be my next port of call. Beta blockers would be a very poor swap for the headaches even if they do work!