Beta Blockers
Beta blockers help to lower blood pressure by blocking the effects of the adrenal (stress) hormone, epinephrine. They cause the heart to slow down and beat with less force; to some extent the cause the blood vessels to open up. For this reason they are used to lower blood pressure.
Often other drugs are tried before a doctor will prescribe a beta blocker for high blood pressure. They are often given in conjunction with other blood pressure medication, including diuretics, calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors.
Beta blockers are used for conditions other than high blood pressure. Irregular heart beats, heart failure, angina (chest pain), migraine headaches, and glaucoma are examples of conditions that are sometimes treated with beta blockers (also called beta-adrenergic blocking agents).
Examples of beta blockers include:
- Acebutolol (Sectral)
- Atenolol (Tenormin)
- Bisoprolol (Zebeta)
- Carvedilol (Coreg)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
- Nadolol (Corgard)
- Nebivolol (Bystolic)
- Propranolol (Inderal LA)
Many people take beta blockers without any side-effects, but the most common side-effect is fatigue. Other side effects include cold hands, dizziness, or weakness. Sometimes they can lead to problems with sleeping, shortness of breath, loss of libido or depression. The drug is not recommended for asthmatics, because it can trigger an asthma attack. Because they act to slow down the heart, beta blockers may cover up one of the important signs of low blood sugar in diabetics—rapid heart rate. Diabetics taking this drug should monitor their blood sugar.
Beta blocker can affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Sometimes they might temporarily increase triglycerides and lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol. As with many other drugs, you should not abruptly stop taking beta blockers. Suddenly stopping the drug may increase the risk of heart attack or other heart problems.
