Re: Anyone had trouble tolerating beta-blockers?

April 4, 2002

hi juanita,,,

for the first three months after my implant the doc had me on 200 mgs of

amiodarone 2 times day,,,,since ive been zap free (so far) it has been

lowered to a 200 mg dose in the morning...

i take 12m 1/2 mgs of coreg twice a day.

the only side effects ive noticed so far, is that when they had me up to

the max dose of coreg my pulse was down to about 40,,since the reduction in

dose it runs between 60 and 70 and even when using the treadmill it stays

about 110.

as far as the amiodarone goes, ive noticed im turning into a bit of a

smurf.....purple blotches on my skin.....

bob in pa

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April 4, 2002

Hello,

I've had an awful time of tolerating beta blockers, was tried on ace

inhibitors but same problems so finally they tried a beta blocker called

Zebeta........ no problems at all taking it, hardly any side effects

whatsoever, might be worth asking your doctor about......it was the last

straw for me and it actually worked.

Its not a very common beta blocker used but is one of many " rare " beta's that

can be used in difficult to treat patients.

|\_._/|

| o o |

( T )

.^'-^-'^.

" Cat "

~^v~^v~^v~ and the beat goes on : )

Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it

gets you through it.

April 4, 2002

In a message dated 4/4/02 1:01:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,

rcsejt@... writes:

<< i also have lung porobloms so the

only reason i was took off beta blockers was but it was meesing with my

lungs >>

Hi Stacie,

I too have asthma, and the beta blocker Zebeta so far has been fine with it,

this has been the only beta that hasn't interferred too badly with my lung

problems.

|\_._/|

| o o |

( T )

.^'-^-'^.

" Cat "

~^v~^v~^v~ and the beat goes on : )

Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it

gets you through it.

April 4, 2002

hi everybody,,

just thought id throw a list of the meds i take.....ive been told not to

take a potassium supplement because one of the meds will raise it. i think

amiodarone is the culprit but im not sure....

Protonix 40 mg 1 DAILY

Digitek 125 mg 1 "

Amiodarone 200 mg 1 "

Isosorbide 30 mg 1 "

Demedex 20 mg 1 am 1 pm

Coreg 12.5 mg 1 am 1 pm

Cozaar 50 mg 1 daily

Spironalactone 50 mg 1 daily

Aspirin 325 mg 1 daily

Vitamin E 1200 units daily

i alson use ambien for sleep,,,(hopelessly addicted to it) and glucophage

and insulin for the diabetes.

and stacy,,,for asthma i use a flovent inhaler twice a day.......

does my list compare to anybody else.....

bob in pa............when they hand you lemons,,,,make lemonade........

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April 4, 2002

In a message dated 4/4/02 2:28:27 PM Eastern Standard Time,

robertj@... writes:

<< i think

amiodarone is the culprit but im not sure.... >>

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know out of your list of meds, the culprit they are

concerned with is the Spironalactone, which is the generic name for the med I

take aldactone. This med " retains " potassium in your body, therefore another

" supplement " of potassium could raise your potassium levels thru the roof

such as mine did. My potassium was at 8. 4 when I was admitted to ICU and I

wouldn't be alive due to that if not for the fact that my calcium level was

also on overload. This high calcium is what protected my heart from stopping

as 8.4 is considered lethal amounts of potassium.

Scary how fine a line it is really in our meds and how they work

|\_._/|

| o o |

( T )

.^'-^-'^.

" Cat "

~^v~^v~^v~ and the beat goes on : )

Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it

gets you through it.

April 4, 2002

In a message dated 4/4/02 2:49:10 PM Eastern Standard Time,

charade799@... writes:

<< They just told to stop taking the Spironolact as his potassium was

to high....any one else????? >>

Hi Gail,

Again this is because sprionolactone is the generic of aldactone which is a

potassium sparring diuretic that retains pottassium.

|\_._/|

| o o |

( T )

.^'-^-'^.

" Cat "

~^v~^v~^v~ and the beat goes on : )

Faith doesn't get you around trouble, it

gets you through it.

April 4, 2002

cathy,,,you are right,,,,as soon as i read your email i remembered that is

was the aldactone they warned me about....

bob in pa

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April 4, 2002

hi gail.

wow, what a tight knit group we are with all these meds.....id like to open

a pharmacy and i think i could make money being the only customer.....hahahaha

how is dave feeling these days.....are you guys still on the boat......my

fingers are frozen here,,,just uncovered mine and its cool and windy here

in the poconos today....

bob in pa

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April 4, 2002

ita: I had trouble with Betapace/Sotalol making me extremely tired. The

doctors decided to see what would happen without it and within 5 days I had an

episode of 5 consecutive shocks, resulting in an ambulance ride to ER and

multi-day admission until they got me back under control (my problem is v-tach)

with Betapace, which was then replaced by Quinidine Gluconate, which led to

severe diarrhea, which was replaced with Tambocor/Flecainide, which has since

been replaced with Rythmol (all of this in less than 2 years). I have not yet

tried amiodorone. Like Bob, I also take Coreg (and a couple of others),

although I can't tolerate more than 6.25 MG twice daily because my BP drops too

low. Even with only 6.25, my BP averages 85/60. Bottomline is, each drug has

its benefits but also side effects and it may take some time for your doctor to

find the right one for you. FYI, I can relate to your situation. I am 43 with

4 kids and was implanted in June 2000. Welcome to the group!

April 4, 2002

Whew! OK, you're making me feel better about all this ... so it sounds like the yucky phase of finding a drug that works ok for each individual person is pretty normal. I've so far not been able to tolerate sotalol, tikosin (sp), or Toprol/lopressor -- but it sounds like there are still more options that might not provide such nasty side effects. Like you, I'm pretty young still (35) (only 1 kiddo, though), so I do have some concerns about long-term side effects, but to be honest, right now I'm just incredibly in need of something that will just let me function normally each day so my 5 year old isn't fending for herself! I was ready to give up on the med. thing and take my chances, but your v-tach story has me thinking maybe trying a few more isn't such a bad option! Just hope my body decides to agree with one soon.