To be scared of increasing beta blocker dose?

[StupidBody]

So.... brief back ground...a heart arrhythmia came out of nowhere this autumn. I had investigations, but managed to collapse, have an ambulance called and ended up on the cardio thoracic ward for almost a week. I was put on beta blockers, discharged and am waiting for some further tests.

Now, the beta blockers helped my arrhythmia, but floored heart rate and blood pressure for the first few days (both naturally low). Arrhythmia is worse again and I am feeling awful. GP has prescribed double the dose... first extra pill tonight.

But when I started on the beta blockers, I felt so poorly at first and almost fainted. AIBU to be scared of taking this pill tonight? I am feeling pretty awful as it is, heart beats all over the place, so I guess it is the right thing to do. Am just scared and feeling like a big baby .

Youre not unreasonable to be scared

Can you ask someone to be with you for a while after youve taken it

DH is home later, good point! Maybe I could take it as soon as he is home and then stay awake for at least a couple of hours just to make sure things do go crazy.

Just feel a bit vulnerable... last time my heart rate kept dropping below 50 /min overnight (machine started beeping) and DH is not a doctor..

Thank you for not calling me a big baby!!

If you can have some time off and take it easy for a couple of days while your body adjusts to the dose, that's probably a good idea.

I am off, but have three DC 10, 8 and 6 and it is half term... Well, I guess worst case scenario, we will watch a LOT of TV over the coming few days .

Have taken the pill! Hopefully I will feel really silly about worrying tomorrow morning!

Sorry you are having these issues. I’d be scared too. Hopefully things will settle down once you/docs get the dose right, fingers crossed the extra pill will do the job.

Hope it goes ok for you. I take 160mg beta blockers a day and was also scared when I went up to it from 80mg but I didn't notice any difference.

Have you noticed that your dreams are different on beta blockers? Random I know but mine are more vivid/memorable now.

Op, I'm a cardiology nurse. It's okay to feel scared, but the Dr is absolutely right to increase your dose to try and control your symptoms. If you're having side effects from the increase, or it can't be tolerated then it can be changed, but you don't know until you've tried it.

Please don't worry too much about your pulse rate and blood pressure, it's absolutely fine for them to be low with beta blockers, as long as you're having no adverse effects from them.

Also your heart rate naturally dips overnight, it's completely normal! I wouldn't bat an eyelid if my patients monitor went below 50 when asleep!

Scary, isn't it? I had much the same sort of experience in August. The GP diagnosed AF and a very fast heartbeat. 150 BPM. I was whooshed off to hospital in an ambulance blue lighting. The beta blockers have the right effect for me, reduce the BP and heart rate. Lots of tests to go through, though. Like you, it's all completely unexpected. Good luck.

Glad you have tried it. Just know that if you don't like the side effects of this particular beta blocker, you can go back and ask to try another one. There are loads of them and they all effect different people slightly differently, so you might feel quite unwell on one and be fine on another. But you have to trial them to work out which one is best for you.

Thank you all so much for the reassurance! Grey, 50 heart rate sounds so low, but if that is ok overnight, then I don’t mind . Bp was 80 over something first morning on the pill (hence feeling unwell), but a quite respectable 120 over something today, so hopefully it will be ok!

So far no weird reaction, so am ready to go to bed. Fingers crossed symptoms better tomorrow.

I haven’t noticed any dream change, but maybe that will come with the higher dose! I didn’t even realise there were different types of beta blockers. That is good to know. The cardiologist was talking about an ablation (?) if the pills didn’t work, but am not sure I know how I feel about that.

Single, so sorry you are going through this as well. It is so frightening when it is the heart isn’t it?