Anyone else taking beta blockers?

[duzzlightyearsmum]

My GP has just put me on to beat blockers to prevent migraines and heart palpitations. I'm only on day 3 but they're making me feel so light headed and faint

Is this normal? Will I feel like this for however long I take them or will it settle down? I couldn't stand up earlier cos I knew I'd collapse if I did

Bump

I've been on them for a few weeks now, I haven't noticed any weird side effects other than maybe feeling a bit more tired.

Mine might be different though because I have asthma? Atenolol I think.

I took them for 2 years and never felt like that. Go back to your doctor.

My daughter felt like that and stopped taking them. They could be too strong a dose

I’ve been on them along with other drugs for high blood pressure for 30 years. Did you start on the dose your on or build up to it? As they do lower the bp I wonder if they’re causing yours to go too low and whether that’s causing you to feel so light headed and faint. Can you speak to a pharmacist this evening? I’ve felt faint when a combination of various blood pressure drugs made my bp go very low and it’s a truly horrible feeling. I’d maybe start with trying to get a pharmacist or gp to check your bp. It could be that you need to start on a lower dose of beta blocker perhaps.

I’m on bisoprolol btw. 3.75mg

Okay thanks everyone. I've started straight on to the dose I'm on no which is 50mg twice a day of metoprolol.
I have a somewhat complex medical history which does tend to make doctors jump straight to medicating me to stop any symptoms before they escalate. No pharmacies open round here now and I don't think it's worth bothering 111 with. I'll pop to the pharmacy tomorrow and see what they think. I'm being reviewed in 2 weeks at GP anyway.

@duzzlightyearsmum hi I’m on beta blockers, bisoprolol 2.5mg as I have a heart condition, this is a very small dose compared to many people, but I can’t tolerate a higher dose, as it makes me very dizzy lightheaded & very faint also the fatigue is practically unbearable.
So maybe you need to see your Gp again & tweak the dose, but it is very early days & you may find that in a few more days your symptoms will ease.
Happy to answer any other questions, if it helps.

I take propranolol for anxiety and they are amazing. Been on them for around two years and they take away the physical symptoms of anxiety pretty much instantly.

Like most medicines though they take a while to settle in your system and feeling a bit off at first is normal.

Mine are 40mg 3 times a day.

Thanks again. I think then it sounds like this might not be completely out of the ordinary. I will speak to a pharmacist tomorrow and see what they think and go from there. This morning's episode made me feel like I'd rather have the migraines and palpitations

My heart rate is too fast, and I have POTS. I tried beta blockers, starting with tiny doses and trying to build up. I just couldn't tolerate them. I was already weak and tired, and they made it worse. I take a calcium- channel blocker now, and it's much better for me. Go back to the dr if you can't tolerate them.

I'm on beta blockers for high blood pressure and tremor. I'm on propranolol... started on 2 x 40mg and I did find it tough - they made me very tired, hot and dizzy and generally like I was wading through treacle. I tried a slow release one instead (which is what I think yours is) but it didn't work for the tremor and I still had the side effects. So I went back to the propranolol and the solution for me was a full dose at night (when I don't notice the side effects) and 4 x 10mg during the day, which I found much easier to manage. I think the side effects have become less noticeable over time too. So I would go back to your doctor as there are alternatives out there or tweaking the dose might help.