RE: racing heart/med question

[Guest guest]

>A comment and question: sporadic racing pulse aside, I am feeling soooo

well!! My eyes are so great that today I actually wore my contacts all day

without thinking twice about my eyes!

Isn't it great when you can get through a day with *no* health

problems! Congratulations.

Can I ask...what do you do, when your heart starts racing? My dr. cut

my PTU in half (2 weeks now, no problems...just two little pills a

day...), and took me off the propranolol. I'm finding my heart rate

is getting a bit faster every day. Last night, it was bothering me so

much (not too high, but agitating nevertheless) that I took a low low

dosage of my leftover propranolol (one pill). Is it safe to self-med

with that stuff? I've read not, and then I've heard others say it's

ok...so I just don't know! I feel fine today...I just don't want to

get used to taking that med, because once it's gone, i can't get any

more. Any suggestions?

Kari

[Guest guest]

> Isn't it great when you can get through a day with *no* health

> problems! Congratulations.

>

> Can I ask...what do you do, when your heart starts racing? My dr. cut

> my PTU in half (2 weeks now, no problems...just two little pills a

> day...), and took me off the propranolol. I'm finding my heart rate

> is getting a bit faster every day. Last night, it was bothering me so

> much (not too high, but agitating nevertheless) that I took a low low

> dosage of my leftover propranolol (one pill). Is it safe to self-med

> with that stuff? I've read not, and then I've heard others say it's

> ok...so I just don't know! I feel fine today...I just don't want to

> get used to taking that med, because once it's gone, i can't get any

> more. Any suggestions?

>

> Kari

Kari,

Yes, it's great to be able to get through a day feeling normal!! I feel

especially good today and was just thinking about how wonderful it is. . .

The racing heart question: I asked my endo if it was okay to self medicate with

atenolol. He said if I needed to take a pill upon occassion, it was fine.

However, he said if I found myself needing them every day, or even every other

day for several days, that I should call him and go back on a regular dose. I'm

taking 25 mg, the smallest dose possible of atenolol and I haven't taken any now

in a few days. When you take beta blockers regularly, you must be weaned off of

them slowly as you run the risk of your blood pressure shooting up once you stop

taking them, if you stop too suddenly. The way my doctor explained it, I pill

here and there won't build up that dependency and danger, but pills taken

consistently for a few days will.

It wouldn't hurt to give your doc a call and ask a similar question -- it would

probably feel good to be reassured, if nothing else. Hope all else is going

well!