Question About 2 Beta Blockers?

Question

i was on toprol xl 50mg for extra beats wasnt helping so then my dr put me on atenolol 50mg twice a day 100mg total..that also isnt helping much.one reason it isnt cause like a few hours before im suppose to take the next pill i start feeling the pounding again so i was thinking maybe toprol xl at the higher dosage would be better since it last longer.correct me if im wrong,do you think this would be better for me based on what i said going to toprol xl 100mg or higher instead of atenolol twice a day which i dont think can go any higer then i am right now

Answer 1

You should firstly take the medication as prescribed by your Physician and secondly you should not stop taking the both medicines viz. TOPROL or ATENOLOL. Stopping these medicines give very adverse side effects. They both are Beta Blockers and have same effect. Please read further the web pages given below to know about these two medicines. -

Do not stop taking metoprolol (Brand Name - TOPROL) or ATENOLAL -without first talking to your doctor. Stopping metoprolol abruptly may cause your condition to become worse.

Call your doctor immediately if you experience shortness of breath. Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Metoprolol may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities.- Metoprolol is in a class of drugs called beta-blockers. Beta-blockers affect the heart and circulatory system.
Metoprolol is used to reduce hypertension (high blood pressure), to treat chest pain (angina), to treat heart failure, and to reduce the risk that a heart attack will recur.
Ref: http://health.yahoo.com/drug/d00134a1;_ylt=AgSkx8X4XQLttZRm5oKDpSQkD7sF#d00134a1-important
http://health.yahoo.com/drug/d00004a1;_ylt=At3cgiCN9dUL.y2gOj01HfwkD7sF#d00004a1-important

Do not take or discontinue or alter the medication without asking your Physician and you should not play with your heart. Best of luck -

Today - 30 September, 2007 is this year’s WORLD HEART DAY. Please see my blog at URL - http://360.yahoo.com/jayaramanms . and leave your comments and suggestions. Thanks.-

Answer 2

Atenolol is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It also is used to prevent angina (chest pain) and treat heart attacks. Atenolol is in a class of medications called beta blockers. It works by slowing the heart rate and relaxing the blood vessels so the heart does not have to pump as hard. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. Whilst atenolol, the most widely used β-blocker in the United Kingdom, was once first-line treatment for hypertension, the role for β-blockers in hypertension was downgraded in June 2006 in the United Kingdom to fourth-line as they perform less well than other drugs, particularly in the elderly, and there is increasing evidence that the most frequently used β-blockers at usual doses carry an unacceptable risk of provoking type 2 diabetes. You should conduct microalbuminuria test periodically.

Answer 3

First, you need to let your Doc be aware that you are still getting heart palpitations and/or a rapid heart beat. Toprol XL is a beta-blocker as is Atenolol. The " XL" just means that it is an extended or longer acting medicine. Have you had an EKG?? This test provides information as to what your heart rhythm is. Stress, too much caffeine can cause such a problem. You need to be certain that there is no underlying physical cause for your symptoms. Call your Doc so that he/she can do further testing and/or change your medications. Do not change any medications until you have been re-evaluated. I hope that this helps.

Answer 4

I recently had the exact same problem only I was/am taking Tenormen.(atenolol )
I was taking it once a day and my doctor told me she could raise my dosage but that it might lower my BP too much. (it's already 90/60) But by the end of the day my heart was racing and skipping beats so bad it hurt and by morning I thought I was dieing (anxiety didn't help any ;o). So I went to a different doctor and he put me on the same dosage only 3x a day. He told me it only last about 6 to 8 hours a dose. It worked, I felt so much better almost immediately.

Anyway I would say that you need to go back and ask your doctor and maybe get a second doctor's thoughts on it.Let them know it is wearing off too fast. I am so glad I went for a second opinion. My second doctor also is sending me to a specialist in the heart electrical part just to be sure he isn't missing anything.
Good luck to you.

edited to add;
I had my Cardiologist appointment today and he said the Tenormin (atenolol) that i was on is the longest lasting beta-blocker there is. So he has me back to taking one a day but double the strength. Geez, three doctors three different doses.He is one of the top cardiologist in the U.S. so I would think he knows best.

Answer 5

i recently started taking Inderal LA (generic is Propanolol SA) which is also a Beta Blocker and it solved my problem of less pills lasting longer because the LA stands for Long Acting. I take a 60 MG usually with a snack around 10 a.m. and it has helped the symptoms of my heart condition tremendously(i have coronary artery disease)...now i am really not sure if different beta blockers target different issues of the heart, but i would just assume that they are all in the same family, so hopefully you can mention to your doctor about my medicine but be sure and tell him you want the LA ones because they do make just the regular ones that you have to take twice a day...and i don't know if you have chest pains from your extra heartbeat, but this medicine helps alleviate mine better than any other beta blocker i've taken so that's an added bonus....goodluck!