Low heart rate and they want to give beta blockers ?

[cleo333]

Hello my partner has a low heart rate ( family thing) , he recently had a heart monitor on for 24 hours and they picked up some palpitations (he was experiencing a bit on anxiety when wearing it and had a bad dream that night ) . The gp has now said to put him on beta blockers but is this safe with a low heart rate ( she based it on the highest rate which was 66 at the time as we had been walking it's normally much lower upper 50's) ?

My concern is him taking these long term also the impact on his heart rate /function of these .

Sorry if this is a lot , it just feels like he's being rushed by the gp too , any thoughts would be appreciated

Can he contact his doctor and ask him these questions? It’s quite common to come up with a load of questions after the appointment but don’t be afraid to go back and ask these questions. Medical advice from mumsnet isn’t to be relied upon, everyone’s situation is different. But if the doctor has a receptionist you can phone or email they will hopefully be happy to answer these questions

Thanks for your reply , he did ask the gp but was rushed , I'll get him to email them tomorrow . I just wandered if others had thoughts / experience ?

I would ask the gp what the cardiologist recommend

I stopped beta blockers as they lowered my resting heart rate from low 50s to low 40s. When I accelerated the car I'd get pins and needles all down my left side. Not good. They didn't stop the palpitations either, which were due to proton pump inhibitors making my B12 plummet.

I would be very careful, only do this if recommended by the cardiologist after viewing your partner’s stats. This happened with my husband after he had a stent fitted they put him on beta blockers (which is common practise and the right course of action for most). However my husband already had a slow heart rate and wasn’t monitored and he ended up having a stroke. His heart rate on beta blockers went down to 40 beats per min. He was in his late sixties at the time but was very fit and active. I would ask the question about the suitability of beta blockers/dosage used for someone with a slower heart rate. Plus gather heart rate data yourself. Although obviously don’t stop meds that have been advised by doctors xxx