So this may sound crazy but hear me out. I'm a 32 year old black female with high bp which I take lisinopril/hctz for. Well in January I started feeling anxious so my doctor gave me buspirone. Well I took it starting around May because really I was hesitant about taking it, but it made me loopy/dizzy like and I had palpitations so strong I ended up going to another doctor who put me on atenolol 25mg for 10 days and told me to stop the buspirone. So I stopped taking the buspirone immediately and stopped the atenolol Monday and it's Wednesday and please believe me when I say I have never felt this way in all my life. Like when I walk I feel like I might just faint. And even sitting down I feel so weird. I can't even explain it. I'm jittery and when I ate I felt a little nauseous. Any idea how long this might last? My right eye hurts too.
I was put on a differant beta-blocker begining of the year until April. As soon as I went on them I started feeling like a drunk zombie, I was also sent to hospital as they slowed my system doen so much I was oon the verge of collapse. I have been off them for four months but I still feel as if I am on them, they seem to have permanently damaged me. Whilst most cardiologists claim their precious drugs cannot possibly be responsible for my continuing side-effects, one has said it is rare, but is possible.
Hello Chris. You're not crazy. I think these medications must be tapered off slowly. There are FDA warnings on doing so. Your doctor should never abruptly start and stop so many meds no matter how short the time you are on them. These doctors do no homework anymore on what's best and safe for the patient. You must be your own advocate I found out the hard way I made it my own six-week taper schedule which the doctor did approve that I am the one that had to take the initiative these doctors just throw pillows that you like candy without even looking into them I should've never been placed on the beta blocker I was on for almost a year and now I'm struggling to taper off of it but I'm into week three now and taking one day at a time sometimes one hour at a time and believe me The support site helps me so much I don't know what I do without it but you were definitely not crazy and I know the feeling that you're going through because I have the same one and I understand the feeling of am I crazy why doesn't anyone understand this but believe me there are people here on this site that I understand it and what you're feeling is real Please talk to your doctor or a new doctor or even if you have to go to the emergency room and let them do a few test to make sure that everything else is OK I would not dismiss anything you're going through these medications can really mess you up and I am proof positive Keeping you in my prayers. Please seek medical care and don't let them downplay your symptoms because they are very real and nobody knows our bodies better than we do we live in them
I can barely sit at a computer desk anymore the only thing I can uses my phone for email or messages or anything I'm completely dizzy just sitting at the computer desk and I totally understand that feeling of faintness it's awful and scary
May I ask what your blood pressure readings were when you were placed on this medication did you do anything to lower your numbers were you given an official diagnosis of hypertension and are there any other medical factors if you feel like sharing them that could contribute to your blood pressure being up for example I have multiple sclerosis so they're already causes chaos in the body so I had to take a lot of other things into affect as well
My blood pressure only seems to be high at the doctors office or hospital it's always run a little bit up which it has at home but for the most part it's only off the charts whenever I'm in a medical facility and I really believe it's a bit of white coat hypertension but now I'm left to try and taper off safely from this beta blocker which has been nothing but poison in my body
Please come back and let us know how your doing. I care! You're not alone Chris
Hi Peter I completely agree agree with you 100% These doctors hand out these medications but they don't do the homework they don't look into them I don't understand how I can find all these adverse reaction's and FDA warning's on them but they seem to have missed the boat on locating the information that I found on these particular drugs I honestly do believe if they get kickbacks from this medication or pushing certain medications at least here in United States they do it's absolutely outrageous
I'm tapering off this medication as we speak and praying that went to turn in my system I'm OK but I'm not even sure if I'm ever going to be OK from with this medication has done to me but I have a little help is the only thing I have to hang onto after this nightmare
chris83541...I dont understand 'why' the other Dr. you on Atenolol for anxiety. This isnt' what it's intended for. Atenolol is a beta blocker, used for helping to control high blood pressure, or to slow the heart when it beats too fast for whatever reason, i.e. nervousness, or simply because of the bp. Most Drs would prescribed something else, or suggest you do yoga, get together with friends, etc. Now when it comes to stopping the Atenolol like with most medications, you must wean off it. You've been on the Atenolol only 10 days so it should take you long to come off it if that's what you want. Why not consult a Pharmacist to determine the best wean method? You said you came off the Buspirone then started having strong palpitations. Again, I fail to understand why the Dr. turned round so quickly to prescribe Atenolol. Why not wait 'til the Buspirone cleared your system? You yourself stated "it made me loopy/dizzy like & I had palpitations so strong I ended up going to another doctor". Again, it's not wise to suddenly stop a medication. Some you can, others you cannot. By all means consult with a Pharmacist about withdrawing from the Atenolol. He/she just may say it's ok to stop, or to take 1 every other day for a week, then 1 every other other day, etc.
As for your right eye...it could just be a headache caused by all your anxiety. Please let us know how you get on with this.
Excellent answer to Chris
Ironically on base you wouldn't believe the amount of doctors that give out beta blockers for anxiety and PTSD with the troops it's ridiculous he tried to give it to my husband not long before I started to taper off this metoprolol. We were both in the appt and politely said NO WAY
Docs are going overboard with these beta blockers.
Thank you so much for your support and for caring, it's greatly appreciated. And I can tell you know EXACTLY what I am feeling. I believe my bp was at 145/89ish when I went in, but I had been crying and he said that was not helping me. It's hard not to cry when you have no idea what's going on. I honestly wish I had never taken the Buspirone in the first place and this may never have happened, but I can't say for sure. But I feel like the palpitations definitely came from that. I'm not sure what happened because for the longest time the Lisinopril/HCTZ worked just fine. My numbers were good, but somehow it wasn't working when I went in that day, and probably had not been for a while. I think the palpitations had me so worried, I didn't even notice it was rising. I haven't made any life changes since my diagnosis, I'm thinking now that I probably should.
Thank you for responding. So, he put me on the Atenolol for the palpitations that were being caused by the Buspirone and because when I went in, my bp reading was high. I'm thinking now it would've just made more sense to take me off the Buspirone right? I think I will consult a pharmacist like you suggest. He only gave me 10 pills so there was no way to actual wean myself off. I'm going to post again in a couple of days to let you all know what happens.
Hi Chris,
Don't think you mad at all. A lot of people on this forum are suffering just like you, me included, and all because of the drugs the doc's have prescribed for us. I feel like I've been poisoned with these betta blockers, Bisoprolol I've been taking since Feb this year. Was prescribed them for allergic reaction to a muscle rub, Volterol which sent me heart into rapid beats that wouldn't slow down. Ok the bbs have done the trick there but boy have l suffered with the nightmare side effects. Feel spaced out, vivid horrible nightmares very itchy skin (24/7) but think the worse one is the breathing problem. I wake up every day with a stuffy nose and that continues all the day until l sleep eventually at night. My lungs don't seem to work properly and that's the most scary bit to me. I've tried tapering off bit by bit but the heart rate then goes up again and l feel so anxious and scared with a feeling of utter doom. My mood is low and l don't want to do anything or go anywhere which l was never like before. So l know how frightened you are feeling and not knowing where to turn for help. People on here are great, they give you good advice and the support and understanding you can't get from your doctor or people who are not in similar situation.
Good luck and take care.
Oh guys, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention as well, he gave me an EKG the first time and said it was abnormal. The second time after being on the Atenolol for 9 days he said it was correct.
Thank you Christine! I'm going to post again in a couple of days to let you all know. You take care as well!
Chris...Im certainly not a physician, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that just because you were having palpitations due to the Buspirone, that doesn't justify putting you on another med.
The cause was the Buspirone...you came off it. In other words, you not only "put the fire out, you stopped the cause". In my book, one reading doesn't justify a prescription for meds. Where the Pharmacist is concerned...I don't want to second-guess him/her but they could tell you not to worry about weaning, considering you've only been on the Atenolol for 10 days. What you could be experiencing at this point is 'withdrawal"..& if this is the case, you have to ride it out. Again, I'm not a medical professional, but all of this makes sense. By the way 25mg Atenolol really isn't a lot, but again..I don't see the justification in prescribing it to you.
Well l do hope you get on ok, you take care listen to what your body tells you and don't take any rubbish off doc's when they tell you it's not the medication. You know your body best.
Let us know how you get on.
Best wishes.
Chris. Did he mention what was abnormal?
I can tell you docs are quick to throw meds at you. My hubby was injured in combat (Marines in Iraq) and they gave him so many meds it was crazy. We flushed mist of them and kept what we knew he truly needed and was safe. We saw a civilian doc and he agreed that he didn't need 3/4 of the meds they gave him.
With me my nightmare was the beta blocker Metoprolol
Please post when you can again people here truly care but always consult your physician or pharmacist for anything with the medications I'm so sorry that this happened to you it's sad to hear all the stories of people being sick going on with medications doctors are too quick but that prescription pad
For one off number they changed it? Unreal! I always read high at the doctors office but I was also in tears the other day astapering off this betablocker is tough and I'm not one to cry. I've been so sick for a year and the culprit was Metoprolol. I have MS which is tough but never have I been so sick as I have been on this stuff I call poison. There are many factors why your blood pressure was up in that office visit and I'm a bit Stan well let me say I guess I'm not so stunned that he would change the medication that's what they do it's so frustrating and givenwe trust our doctors makes it worse. They don't know everything. You know yourself. Seek another opinion from a doctor or as Mike said a pharmacist. I'm so sorry you are in this mess. Trust me I understand completely. Hang in there. It will be ok. You'll get it worked out. Be your own advocate. Don't give up. I care!! :-)
OK, here's an update you guys. So, things had gotten better and then took a turn for the worse. I thought I was recovering but now my resting heart rate is dropping, and daily. When I lie down at night, I'm really dizzy, and when I woke up this morning and checked my pulse, it was at 54. I went back to the doctor today and he gave me 2 new medicines to take on a temporary basis. 1. Esomeprazole 40mg, for supposed acid reflux (????) which could be causing the chest pain, which I understand. 2. Meclizine 25mg for the dizziness. Now, please explain how any of this explains my heart rate dropping????? He's writing me a recommendation today so I can go see a cardiac specialist. I pray I get some real answers.
Chris,
You must be so scared of what's happening to you. The heart rate dropping like it is is not a nice feeling l guess. Can only go from my experience of heart rate bouncing along like crazy, opposite of yours , but either way both horrible.
You definitely need something to raise your heart rate and the sooner the better.
The problem with Atenolol is that it stops adrenaline from getting to your heart so it doesn't have to work as hard. The side effect of that is a low heart rate--what's called bradycardia. The slowing of the hr is great when you have tachycardia...not so much when you have an average or slightly lower resting rate.
I wouldn't be worried about a heart rate of 54, however. Those old guidelines about the heart rate being between 60-100 are outdated. Truly, a resting heart rate over 70 increases your chances for some sort of issue with your heart. Statistically speaking, females have a lower heart rate than men, but the problem is you may not know what your resting heart rate was before the Atenolol so it'd be difficult to compare.
But if you hit between the 50s and 60s, you should be fine. And when you sleep, it's also okay to have your heart rate drop. If your heart rate is in the 50s and 60s, it wouldn't be unheard of to see it drop into the 40s. But if you're dizzy all the time at night, your heart rate might be dropping farther than that. You should get something that can record your heart rate. I use a finger clip pulse oximeter. Record your heart rate during the day and when you sleep. If you resting heart rate is below 50 or if your heart rate while you're sleeping is in the 30s, I would contact your doctor and schedule an appointment.
BTW, a low heart rate won't kill you :D Not for the time frame you're talking about at least. But I feel your pain--Atenolol used to give me a heart rate somewhere in the 50s. And if I eat a lot of potassium, I can get it down to around 49-50 just sitting in a chair. It's a creepy feeling, but 50s is nothing to worry about.
Hi BC
Where did you hear a resting heart rate over 70 isn't good and could possibly lead to issues later because as an RN in the ER I've never heard that word and taught that
I'm dealing with a taper off the poison called Metoprolol and my my heart is anywhere from 60-80 depending but they've never been concerned about my heart rate at all I was mistakingly put on this medication for what they thought was hypertension but really it's just white coat hypertension unfortunately a year later it made me sick is anything and I'm now tapering off of it I had to extend my taper beyond six weeks and have another week left to go and I'm praying I have no side effects from being off this poison this drug should be off the market
I'm done to 1/4 a day for a week. I'm worried when I get to where I take none from all the horror stories I've heard that hopefully it goes smoothly my six week taper turned into a three month taper but I felt it was better to be safe about it than rush it. I initially did six weeks can I just want to be rid of this monster drive but I realize you have to go slower coming off it
Hi Mike I'm just reaching out to you I tried to post a message but it wouldn't go through I extended my taper off Metoprolol so this week I'm only taking one fourth in the morning that's what I started with today and next week one every other day and then I'll be finished with the medication I have on hand it'll be a total of three months of a taper versus the six weeks I was originally going to do
So tonight I notice my pulse rates up some my blood pressure was 150/85 my anxieties up and I don't know if that's because in my mind I know I'm on the slow Dells and I think I've had one too many horror stories on here about the after affects of coming off the Strug I certainly don't want to heart attack or a super spike in blood pressure I'm such a great trauma Nurse but when it comes to myself I'm a terrible patient it's like I lose all sense of everything it's really strange
I have Xanex on hand for anxiety and usually use half of the smallest dose to start with
I'm also having some issues with my MS so I don't know how much of that is playing in the list but it's like I'm scared to death to be on such a tiny dose which I know was ridiculous but any thoughts on this we are so reassuring to everybody on here and you have such common sense that I thought I'd reach out to you and anyone else that reads this please feel free to chime in. Thanks