Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: Bluebell on June 20, 2019, 12:23:57 PM
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Hi ladies...just wondering if anyone takes beta blockers?
I was at the Doctors today regarding my ongoing palpitations/tremblings/flutterings whatever?!.
I was given Propranolol a while back and told to take whenever I need them. - because my palps are a bit random.
However she asked if I would like to try Bisoprolol and take one everyday for a few weeks.
Would be interested to hear if anyone has tried them. 🥴🤔
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In 2002 I was advised to take Propranolol every day, initially 80mg for 3 months; then dropped to 40mg at night then due to background headaches I dropped it to 20mg 19 months ago which I take at night. Helps ease anxiety surges as I wake up.
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Hi CLKD, thanks for telling me your experience. I've only ever taken one Propranolol in a day 10mg.
I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to taking medication. But knowing how much you've taken gives me confidence. Thank you so much!!!
Cheers, 😉
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You reminded me: when I was on The Pill I would sit for hours with this tiny tablet in my hand, not daring to swallow it :-\
Now I take my meds without thinking about it ::) - needs must and all that.
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That is sooooo me!!! 😂😂😂 I keep putting off taking any medication - breaking out in a sweat when I go to swallow it. Then I sit there waiting for side effects to show. 😬
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Yep ;D what R we like ::)
However, when I was very ill with depression and had to take medication then waiting until it kicked in, I've not been as bad ::)
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Hi Bluebell, i have been on Bisoprolol for a few years now due to palpitations when in peri. Take them now to regulate ectopic heartbeats. I have had no problems with them except the dose i am on now 3.75mg is giving me a bit of a slow heartbeat so Dr is reducing it to 2.5.
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That's good to hear. 😉👍🏼
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Hi,
My GP has put me on 10mg of Propranolol three times a day.
I felt quite awful on it initially, zombied. However things have settled down now and I presume they are helping with chest pains, palpitations, anxiety....
Ali x
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Hi jgr, I think she's starting me on 1.25mg so that's a low dose. She said to try it for a few weeks and see if I get any palpitations. 😬
Thanks for getting back to me re: your experience I really appreciate it. 👍🏼😉
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Hi alibeau, I've only ever taken one propranolol which is 10mg too. She said it's quite safe to go up to three a day but I have very low blood pressure so I've never tried three incase I got dizzy - or blacked out. 😂
Just wish the palpitations/thudding/flutters etc. would just stop. They've been going on for years now.
I am 6years post menopausal and things seem be to getting worse rather than better.
Anyway..I won't be frightened to take the beta blockers now I know some of you ladies are taking them and seem to be doing well. Thanks for replying. 👍🏼😉
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Hi Bluebell, I've never been on Bisoprolol but been on Propranalol for years, once a day for migraines with no side effects. Hope you find it works for you.
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Cheers Foxylady. 😉
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Hi,
I take a Propranolol 40mg 3 times a day...about 3 years ago developed the most awful palpitations, couldn't eat properly or sleep and felt like I was losing it...dr prescribed Propranolol but wouldn't take them at first...kept going back to the drs and he would say have you tried the medication I gave you...in the end he got quite annoyed as I just wouldn't even give them a try was 😱...in the end he said I'm trying to help you here...felt a real fool...so started the Propranolol and things got better...the anxiety for me depends on what's going on in my life and I do suffer from health anxiety. Do try the medication what have you got to lose you might feel so much better, palpitations can make you feel just horrid and really not yourself. All the best x
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Hi Kimmyi, the Doctor actually said to me I can give you my advice and medication the rest is up to you. Also my husband said - why bother going to the Doctors if you're not going to take the advice and medication so I will start the beta blockers. You're right about the palpitations being horrid. I never know when they're going to start - they are quite random. Sometimes they start during the night which always makes it worse in the wee small hours.😬
That's when the anxiety kicks in and bowels start churning. Hopefully the beta blockers will stop all that. 🤞🏽
Thanks for telling me about your experience. I really appreciate it. 😉 x
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Your welcome, I hope things get better for you too.
Night times are the worse times for things going around in your mind...and also when you first wake in the morning.
Life is a test I'm sure x
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I know very little about Beta blockers except a family member was prescribed them but had a bad reaction. He only took them for a week and a don't know which drug it was though.
Are your problems purely due to anxiety or do you have cardio vascular trouble?
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Hi Bluebell
Like you I don't like taking medication (bio-identical HRT does not count as medication in my book!) but recognise that some conditions and some individuals, of course need certain medication!
Also like you I have very low blood pressure - sometimes in the morning it can be in the 90's/60 with slow heart beat. Notwithstanding your doctor prescribing this for you, that being the case (low blood pressure), in your position, personally I really would not want to take beta-blockers - - a heart medication designed to slow the heart and lower the blood pressure.
Palpitations and anxiety without an obvious cause (the former - heart problems. the latter - specific life events or stresses) are among the symptoms of menopause. May I ask if you take HRT? If not your oestrogen levels will now be low and in some women these symptoms you are experiencing seem to continue well beyond the cessation of periods. There are other ways of treating anxiety.
I don't know how old you are but depending on any other symptoms I would try to find another route than beta-blockers - maybe a low dose HRT if you haven't already tried it and are able to take it? This may help with the anxiety along with non-medication methods tried by many on here.
Sorry - not what you wanted to hear when you are looking for reassurance, but I am just saying what I would do in your position with similar blood pressure. I do experience dizziness sometimes on standing etc so would not want BP to be artificially lowered further.
I do hope you are able to decide to do what's best for you and then take those steps free from worry - and that you see an improvement as a consequence :)
Hurdity x
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HI Bluebell,
Like you I was pretty petrified to start taking them, partly due to my circumstances.....
At the beginning of April my 15 year old daughter passed away, suddenly without any warning signs at all.....
We will not get any answers until the autumn if we get any at all, so as you can imagine, I was petrified to take any medication at all, I had thoughts of it finsihing me off!
I also struggled in the night with symptoms that I found terrifying. I also have quite low blood pressure and so perhaps that is why I felt so bad on the Propranolol initially. However as I say, my symptoms have settled down quite a lot but still having flutters and chest ache. GP did not want to up my dose but encouraged gentle exercise etc, I also paid to see a private cardiac consultant just to rule anything nasty out.....
Ali x
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alibeau. My heart goes out to you it really does xxx
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Alibeau, what can I say...you've had the worst experience a Mother can ever have.
It's totally heartbreaking. I hope they can give you some answers so you can get some sort of understanding as to why it happened.
Thank-you for telling me your experience with the Propranolol.
I hope things get more bearable for you soon.
I doubt I can say anything that can make you feel better...but I'm sending you a huge virtual hug. 😘
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If your GP has taken your blood pressure Bluebell and prescribed beta-blockas then what's to lose? I never considered not taking them, I was so ill with anxiety that I would have tried anything. If given a new medication I always take the first week's worth in the evening ........ any side effects happen at home and if I'm asleep, I don't know about them ;-)
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Alibeau, I am so sorry for your loss. Love and hugs to you xx
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Alibeau, how devastating for you, I hope you have good support and lots of love around you. x
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Sudden teen death is more common than is realised. Was she doing sports, sometimes it can be an un-known heart condition. The shock must be enormous!! Aliebeau ......... :hug:
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Hi all
I was in beta blockers for palpitations, bisoprolol 2.5 mg for about 4 years, then found 1.25 was enough to control palpitations. I don't need them anymore now I am on hrt, but it was absolutely fine taking them while working - they did the job! I did get some acid reflux while taking them. Good luck and I hope they work for you.
Meditation is also pretty effective at reducing palpitations.
S
X
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Thanks Sparkler, good to know you can be on them for a long time. 😉 x
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I've been on Propranolol since May 2002. No problems.
My neighbour however, had exact opposite reaction to what they are designed to do ::). Am about to swallow my evening dose with a cuppa ;)
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Hi CKLD, that's a long time to be on them. Are you post menopausal?
I'm six years post menopause but still get lots of flushes, night sweats, palpitations.
I do everything to help myself to deal with it all naturally - but must confess enough is enough and I'm going down the BB route. Also others say it helps with the morning anxiety which I tend to get on the odd occasion too. x
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Hi Bluebell
Is there any reason why you don't want to take HRT? This would be the best way to cope with flushes and sweats etc as well as palpitations and anxiety that have hormonal origin. Using bio-identical HRT ( Oestrogen and progesterone) is a perfectly natural way to treat your symptoms - you are simply replacing what your body no longer makes. Taking the BBs will only treat part of your symptoms. Do give this some consideration if you haven't done so already and we can help further if you would like us to.
Alibeau - so very sorry to hear about the tragic death of your daughter at such a young age. I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child. I do hope you have friends and family or other people you are able to talk to you to help you through these terribly difficult times :bighug:
Hurdity x
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Hi Hurdity, the Doctor said she wouldn't recommend me to start hrt at the age of 65yrs.
Seemingly the health risks are quite high over the age of 65.
If I had started it years ago then that wouldn't be so bad.
I did try hrt three years ago but had problems with it and rather than keep tinkering about to get something that suited me I decided to stop it. 😬 x
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BBs have little to do with treatment at menopause other than to ease anxiety. They are prescribed to lower heart rate, in my case to stop the early morning anxiety surges.
Why is it 'a long time' :-\ - it works 4 me, I can have them for as long as required.
Why won't your Doctor recommend after 65 :-\ - does she have anything to back up her advice?
How R U today?
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Hi CKLD, the reason for not going on HRT at 65 is you're at more risk of strokes or heart problems..that's what I was told. Also a friend of mine had a mini stroke whilst on HRT and she was 69yrs - so they took her off HRT and put her on BB's.
I know it's a minefield out there some for HRT at any age and some saying it's not advisable?!?🤷🏼♀️
The reason I said ‘it's a long time' you've been taking BB's is that it would make me more confident in giving them a go.
I had palpitations/ funny beating this morning and took a propranolol 10mg but it didn't actually do anything. I have a prescription for the other one Bisoprolol which is 1.25mg and I take it everyday whether I have palpitations or not. So I'll give that a go. 😉 x
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Just out of curiosity Bluebell, did your Doc test you with a home heart monitor, the type you wear for a set period?.
My Dad did this and it gives a much clear picture of what's going on than the 'one off' test at the surgery.
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Hi Shadyglade, yes Ive had 24hr, 36hr an48hr and three ecg's too.
Definitely hormonal. I am 65 and 6 years post menopausal - very late in stopping my period.
I know it's nothing sinister because I sometimes go ten or more days without having them but the minute I feel one it's like 😱 and the nerves set in and it's a rush to the loo etc. 😬
Just wish I had gone on HRT when I first started the menopause. My sister is on it and been fab..although she's had a hysterectomy and only needs the oestrogen.
Thanks for replying. X
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So you have pros and cons - what next?
I've never been aware of my heart fortunately 'cos it would be another issue to fret over :-\
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Bluebell, as you are within 10 years of your periods stopping there is no reason why you shouldn't try a low dose, preferably transdermal HRT if you would like to and have no other contraindications. This 'window of opportunity' is frequently mentioned in the most up to date literature on menopause. Of course this doesn't mean your GP will agree but many specialists would be prepared to prescribe... :).
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Hi Saffy, I can have HRT if I want it - but the Doctor said at my age any risks associated with taking HRT are increased so she doesn't advise it. But she did say it's my choice. 😕