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Beta blockers reducing melatonin (!), causing insomnia?

Mary

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So I've just been given bystolic, a beta blocker, for high BP and now read that beta blockers can reduce melatonin by 80% (!) I've struggled with insomnia for over 20 years and can't fathom taking something that is going to make sleep worse.

However, one site said that bystolic does not reduce melatonin.

Has a beta blocker caused insomnia for anyone here? if so, what did you do about it?

Is anyone taking bystolic, and if so, did it cause insomnia for you? I'm going crazy trying to sort things out!
 

Cipher

Administrator
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838
In this study nebivolol (Bystolic) was found to improve sleep, unlike metoprolol (another beta-blocker) which impaired sleep:

Impact of beta-blockers on sleep in patients with mild hypertension: a randomized trial between nebivolol and metoprolol

Introduction: Sleep is an innate and essential part of human life. Various aspects of sleep are negatively affected by beta-blockers. We compared the impact of two beta-blockers, metoprolol succinate (extended release) and nebivolol, on sleep quality in patients with stage 1 hypertension.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group study. Eligible patients were administered the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire by a blinded interviewer and were randomized to receive metoprolol (starting dose 25 mg) or nebivolol (starting dose 2.5 mg) once daily for 6 weeks. The first dose was administered before patients left the clinic. Visits were scheduled for 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the initiation of therapy. At the end of the study, patients were readministered the PSQI questionnaire by the same interviewer, as before blinded to treatment allocation.

Results: A total of 22 patients in the nebivolol group and 17 patients in the metoprolol group completed the study and were included in the data analysis (mean age of patients, 40.7 years). At study entry, systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, and PSQI scores were similar in the two groups. Over 6 weeks of treatment, systolic and diastolic BP normalized in both groups. Global PSQI score improved significantly in patients in the nebivolol group, whereas it worsened in the metoprolol group. The difference in effect of two beta-blockers was statistically significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Nebivolol was associated with improved sleep (as assessed by the PSQI), whereas metoprolol was associated with a worsening of sleep characteristics.
 

Mary

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Thanks @Cipher - so that goes along with the Sona article which said that most beta blockers like metoprolol decrease melatonin, except for Carvedilol and Bystolic - I am very relieved to hear this!

I was told it makes you sleepy and to take it before bed. Which I did until I changed recently to noon.
@Rufous McKinney , what beta blocker are you taking? Did it help with sleep? I was told it could make me tired but I think tired is different than being able to sleep.
 

Sushi

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I take propranolol 10 mg before bed and I think it helps me with sleep, though I do supplement with 2.5 mg of melatonin as well. I didn't know about it possibly reducing melatonin but I did read this: Propranolol also inhibits the effects of the stress hormone noradrenaline. So, perhaps that is why it seems to help with sleep (though I take it for cardiac reasons).
 

lenora

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Now we know why doctors find us difficult to treat (actually, all patients). Drugs, vitamins, herbs, etc. affect each of us in a different way. Personally, I find I have to adjust to a certain med and it may take weeks. There are no easy answers....are there? Yours, Lenora
 

Sushi

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Mary

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@Sushi - That's good to hear! For unknown reasons my sleep has gotten really really bad. I was taking a certain CBD product which helped a lot but suddenly stopped helping. I've only been on the beta blocker a couple of days, and it is a low dose, so it might end up helping sleep, probably too soon to tell right now
 

lenora

Senior Member
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I have major BP problems and take three meds, one is a beta blocker. There is a very small window when I may feel sleepy, and have to act on it immediately. If not, it passes and then it's the same old problem with me.

My sleep has improved, Mary, but it took the fractured pelvis to do it. Please don't do fall. How is your bone density out of interest? You, too @Sushi? Mine was really bad by the time I was 40....and I was put on Fosamax. Now the internist wants to put me on a yearly injection of prolia. I'm fighting it, but do know that broken bones are no fun and can lead to even worse conditions.

Most of my vertebrae are a mess and really, it's hard to know what to do. Oddly enough I haven't had hip or knee surgery. Perhaps I just put up with more than most people would. I do take ca. and mg. and keep them in good balance. I really don't want to have prolia and at this point, I won't. Yours, Lenora
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

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Second star to the right ...
I was told it could make me tired but I think tired is different than being able to sleep.
It certainly is in my reality. I can be so bone-tired I can barely lift my arms, but sleep still seems to be hanging out in another neighborhood ... probably where the CoolKids live :rolleyes::rolleyes: :squee: ....

I know you've already thought of this, but I find that melatonin helps get me to sleep, tho it doesnt necessarily keep me there. Still, it's a start ... maybe add a little magnesium (I use mag glycinate) which is a general muscle and neurotransmitter soother ....

I think insomnia, or the inability to get or stay asleep (not sure they're all exactly the same thing or root etiology) is among the most frustrating and debilitating manifestations of this creepy little ghost-stalker of an illness ....
 

Mary

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I know you've already thought of this, but I find that melatonin helps get me to sleep, tho it doesnt necessarily keep me there. Still, it's a start ... maybe add a little magnesium (I use mag glycinate) which is a general muscle and neurotransmitter soother ....
Thanks @YippeeKi YOW !! - actually I've been taking melatonin and mag glycinate for many years . . . also niacin, inositol, l-theanine, 5-htp, taurine and assorted herbs which I keep switching up. Most recently I tried something called Delta 8 CBD - it's the closest thing they have to THC in Texas, and it worked great! for about a week ! :aghhh: It feels like my body is determined NOT to sleep!

I think insomnia, or the inability to get or stay asleep (not sure they're all exactly the same thing or root etiology) is among the most frustrating and debilitating manifestations of this creepy little ghost-stalker of an illness ....
You are absolutely right! Actually I'm having a new type of insomnia which started last April and keeps appearing intermittently, where it seems I barely sleep at all for 8 hours. And then I'll find something which works, for a little while, and then back to no sleep again. I don't know what has caused this. I very fortunately found a DO here in Texas who takes Medicare and seems like a very nice guy - he believes ME/CFS is real and even knows a bit about it! So I'm going to see him on Thursday to see if he has any magic tricks for sleep. I tried trazodone a few years ago, several times, and it always left me feeling awful, even at quite a low dose.

I'm also starting a Reishi mushroom product which is supposed to help with stress etc hoping it will help my body reset. So "frustrating and debilitating manifestations"? Absolutely! :(
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

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Second star to the right ...
also niacin, inositol, l-theanine, 5-htp, taurine and assorted herbs
I found niacin to be a serious sleep disruptor, even 12-15 hours after I took it .... l-theanine bit me on the butt really really hard, and when I stopped taking it, sleep seemed better (I know this runs counter to everything touted about l-theanine, but there it is) .... 5-htp also really messed with me until I stopped taking it, and has been known to cause everything from mood changes to agitation, insomnia, restlessness and anxiety.

We all react to stuff differently, but I thought this might be helpful because reactions can be subtle, cumulative, and really sneaky ....:):):)
 

Mary

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I found niacin to be a serious sleep disruptor, even 12-15 hours after I took it .... l-theanine bit me on the butt really really hard, and when I stopped taking it, sleep seemed better (I know this runs counter to everything touted about l-theanine, but there it is) .... 5-htp also really messed with me until I stopped taking it, and has been known to cause everything from mood changes to agitation, insomnia, restlessness and anxiety.

We all react to stuff differently, but I thought this might be helpful because reactions can be subtle, cumulative, and really sneaky ....:):):)
Well, when i first started niacin I had an immediate reaction- falling asleep much more quickly and going back to sleep more quickly middle of the night. One of my sisters had the same reaction. Actually niacin and niacinamide have been used to help with benzo withdrawal. Having said that, we most definitely do react differently to various supps! Someone else here has a bad reaction to niacin as well. It's extremely unfortunate the research hasn't been done which might help explain how and why we can react so differently.

Same with 5-htp - started sleeping better almost immediately when I started taking it, though that was 18 years ago. And same with l-theanine.

It is quite possible that reactions can change over time, though my trusty muscle testing indicates these are all still good for me - it's generally quite accurate, though of course that can change too! :wide-eyed: It seems our bodies are doing their best to thwart us in our unending quest to do more than just survive!
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

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It's extremely unfortunate the research hasn't been done which might help explain how and why we can react so differently.
There's no money in it for the BigGuys, so there wont be any research done on this, or any other non-pharma supplement, regardless of how many it helps.

Now if they could prove that it killed someone, well, that'd be a different story .... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ....
It is quite possible that reactions can change over time,
Not when you've been on it as long as you've been on 5HTP. The worst that could happen is that you build up tolerance, and it slowly stops working ....