beta blockers for pots/oi??

[heapsreal]

Can someone explain to me how betablockers work in pots/oi?
If one has periods of low blood pressure then my thinking is that it could drop your bp further and one would pass out. I can see how it can help those that get tachycardia and hypertension from it.
So would a beta blocker only be used in hypertensive pots/oi or maybe someone with an average bp but gets the tachycardia?

I have just watched an interesting utube of a doctor who now uses mainly betablockers as they are the most successful, if they dont work then he moves the patient onto midodrine, which he initially said only seem to help 50% of the patients which was much lower then beta blockers were helping.

cheers!!!

 

[Hugocfs]

I have p.o.t.s, but not orthostatic hypotension. Most of the time I would say my blood pressure is very close to normal (120/80). I take minidoses of atenolol throughout the day (6.25 mg as needed, usually once or twice a day), and it has helped me a lot in making my life more comfortable.

I don't see how a betablocker would be safe to use on a person with orthostatic hypotension. Like you, I am thinking that betablockers would only make the problem much worse.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

I have p.o.t.s, but not orthostatic hypotension. Most of the time I would say my blood pressure is very close to normal (120/80). I take minidoses of atenolol throughout the day (6.25 mg as needed, usually once or twice a day), and it has helped me a lot in making my life more comfortable.

I don't see how a betablocker would be safe to use on a person with orthostatic hypotension. Like you, I am thinking that betablockers would only make the problem much worse.

That was exactly my experience. Was given them to deal with occasional tachycardia but after a while on them I started to felt terrible, weak, faint, poisoned every moment of the day, so quit. No idea what that did to my adrenals, one healthcare provider I spoke with said beta blockers are like putting an asbestos blanket over the adrenals, they have to work that much harder to get the signal through. I'm sure they can help folks for whom use is indicated -- for me I felt they were masking, other issues, rather than helping me recognize I had bigger problems (I had my major crash introducing me to CFS/ME soon after having been on BB's).

 

[xxRinxx]

I'm in one of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situations. I have a weak heart on top of having CFS/Othrostatic so I have to take the beta blockers to make it beat normally..but it does make me a lot more tired, and it gives me headaches. They help my heart even out, but I'm sure its not helping anything else.

 

[SOC]

Can someone explain to me how betablockers work in pots/oi?

I don't understand it, either, but I know some doctors use beta-blockers (or calcium channel blockers in my case) in addition to Florinef. Florinef tends to raise blood pressure, so maybe that compensates...?

 

[Sparrowhawk]

I'm in one of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situations. I have a weak heart on top of having CFS/Othrostatic so I have to take the beta blockers to make it beat normally..but it does make me a lot more tired, and it gives me headaches. They help my heart even out, but I'm sure its not helping anything else.

Sounds like they are important for you, and I didn't mean to imply in the right context they are not a life saver. In retrospect I feel the Kaiser doc who put me on them didn't bother to dig deeper into why I was feeling how I was, and ultimately I had to sleuth it out myself.

 

[Hugocfs]

I'm in one of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situations. I have a weak heart on top of having CFS/Othrostatic so I have to take the beta blockers to make it beat normally..but it does make me a lot more tired, and it gives me headaches. They help my heart even out, but I'm sure its not helping anything else.

I had the same problem of feeling very tired (fortunately no headaches for me) when I first started on atenolol. I took half a pill (12.5 mg) and the cure for the p.o.t.s was worse than the chronic fatigue. After 11 days, I couldn't tolerate it, and start taking minidoses (6.25 mg). This helped a lot with the tiredness caused by the betablocker. If I remember correctly after about a month, my body got use to the atenolol and that tired feeling is no longer a problem for me. You might want to discuss using smaller doses with your doctor. Cutting the pills into quarters is not easy as the pills are so small to begin with. Good luck.

 

[xxRinxx]

I had the same problem of feeling very tired (fortunately no headaches for me) when I first started on atenolol. I took half a pill (12.5 mg) and the cure for the p.o.t.s was worse than the chronic fatigue. After 11 days, I couldn't tolerate it, and start taking minidoses (6.25 mg). This helped a lot with the tiredness caused by the betablocker. If I remember correctly after about a month, my body got use to the atenolol and that tired feeling is no longer a problem for me. You might want to discuss using smaller doses with your doctor. Cutting the pills into quarters is not easy as the pills are so small to begin with. Good luck.

Actually that's what I started doing about a month and a half ago and I do feel muchhh better. I take a fourth in the morning, and a half a pill at night and I think that's finally my 'habitual' zone medicine wise, haha. It makes my heart less sluggish and fussy in the morning and when i get sleepy at night from the half i'm already going to sleep.

 

[bel canto]

I've been on 25 mg of atenolol for many years - once a day at bedtime. If I miss a dose, I know it pretty much immediately on getting up the next day. Rapid heart rate, pounding on exertion.

My understanding of the beta blocker use is that it helps to regulate the heart rate - keeping the rate lower when I am standing or doing something other than lying down. Many of my POTS symptoms are related to the fact a rapid rate can mean that the heart is not able to distribute blood throughout your body and brain effectively.

It does not treat the causes of the POTS - whatever those may be for each person, but it can help greatly in reducing symptoms.

 

[heapsreal]

I dont know if this is how it helps but the heart actually gets its own blood supply and oxygen between contractions through the coronary arteries, so if the heart slows down then it gets better circulation and when it does contract its able to pump blood more efficiently per beat??