Beta Blockers and feeling short of breath.

[Bill Reynolds]

Hello, During 2008 I had to go to hospital as I suddenly was gasping with breath after climbing a flight of stairs that I normally walked up with ease. It was found I had multiply DVT's and Atrial Fiberation.(sp.) After the hospital stay I was put on Warfarin for life and ditto a Beta-Blocker. Prior to this episode I was running around the local hills with no problem since 1980. I now 'Fast-Walk' the same route. I find on steep bits of the hills I get VERY short of breath. I also find this when I cycle on my Dahon and tend to walk up most hill's as my legs feel 'tired'. I gather being the effect of the breathlessness and weak legs is due to the Beta-Blocker?? Has anybody else here got this side effect at all??

[Annoying Twit]

I don't take Beta Blockers myself, but was curious and googled. It seems that not being able to exercise as hard as previously and feeling out of breath is a known side-effect.

http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en ... blems.html

Most people who take beta-blockers do well and have no side effects. But because beta-blockers slow your heart, they may make you feel tired. You also may notice that you can't exercise as hard as you used to. For example, you may get out of breath when you take a walk or climb stairs.

[greyingbeard]

I understand that they can make people feel dizzy. Not ideal for cycling, driving etc.

they are supposed to stop the ticker from overdoing it, but have other uses too.

[nosmarbaj]

Hello, During 2008 I had to go to hospital as I suddenly was gasping with breath after climbing a flight of stairs that I normally walked up with ease. It was found I had multiply DVT's and Atrial Fiberation.(sp.) After the hospital stay I was put on Warfarin for life and ditto a Beta-Blocker. Prior to this episode I was running around the local hills with no problem since 1980. I now 'Fast-Walk' the same route. I find on steep bits of the hills I get VERY short of breath. I also find this when I cycle on my Dahon and tend to walk up most hill's as my legs feel 'tired'. I gather being the effect of the breathlessness and weak legs is due to the Beta-Blocker?? Has anybody else here got this side effect at all??

I'm not a doctor, but based on my experience of Atrial Fibrillation and associated medication:

Beta blockers have a number of effects and get prescribed for different problems. AF causes increased heart rate so they are prescribed to reduce the heart rate* to something approaching normal. But if you are doing something strenuous the heart rate needs to increase to pump extra oxygen around. Beta blockers prevent this so you can't do the hard stuff. Personally I don't feel short of breath, just not strong enough to climb that hill as fast as I used to, or whatever. Before diagnosis I did feel short of breath, and still couldn't do the strenuous stuff. So I am more comfortable with the beta blockers, but ymmv.

Did your doctors suggested trying to fix the AF? There are ways of doing this, but they're not suitable for everyone.

If you've been on the medication since 2008 and only recently getting breathless, you should probably talk to your GP.

By the way I'm on apixaban instead of warfarin. Apparently now preferred because safer and no regular blood tests needed.

* My GP explained it simply "if the heart rate is too high you tend to die younger, if we control the heart rate you have a normal life expectancy".

[Colin_P]

I'm on a hefty dose of betas.

You have to compromise and realise that you will have a new normal and that is not being able to push and grind on and or spin. You have to learn to slow spin when on the hills.

The other thing to realise and take comfort from is the fact that you are still out there at all.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I have been on beta blockers.
If you are specifically on them for a reason then this is going to be the new you.
Performance will be crap..................20 % decrease in performance.
I was so depressed with the effect amongst other things I gave up cycling on the road for ten years
Good luck

[axel_knutt]

What are you on rate control for, is it permanent AF or to safeguard against Class 1c flutter from a rhythm control drug? My cardio has me on Diltiazem for the latter specifically because it has less tendency than betas to curb your exercise. That said, my MHR is about 125 and my AT about 108. My AF is paroxysmal, so I don't really know what the options are for rate controlling permanent AF, but my experience of wrongly being given betas on top of my other meds was that I felt on the verge of passing out with low BP, but not breathless. Are you sure it's not AF that's making you breathless? Has anyone offered you an ablation?

ESC Guidelins for Management of AF
Exercise and AF
Diltiazem & exercise

[Bill Reynolds]

When I was in hospital ...(for a week) after finding out what I described above the doctors put me on beta blockers and Warfarin. I am on them both for life. Don't get me wrong about this topic. I don't feel ashamed to push my Dahon up most hills, in fact I like it as my legs get aching from the two motorcycle accidents I have had and the walking/pushing helps! If I have to have a operation I will have to stop the Warfarin which might mean another DVT arrives and that's it for me.....

[axel_knutt]

What operation are you referring to, an ablation? You have to go on Warfarin for an ablation, not come off it, and if the ablation is successful you may be able to quit the Betablockers. As I said above, Diltiazem is a better alternative to Betablockers for active people anyway.

[Bill Reynolds]

You may have missread my message or not understood it. I said if I WAS going to have a operation I would have to come off Warfarin in order to have the fictional operation.....or bleed to death. Having DVT's and A.F. are with me for life and I am stuck with Beta blockers and Warfarin...mind you better them than possibly being dead........

[Bill Reynolds]

Further to my first message above, I recently went to my doctors about "Warfarin Red Leg" and other things. My doctor tested my pulse and found the Beta Blockers were making my heart beat far too slow ...so took me off the 2.50mg tablets and put me onto 1.25mg one''s...now I can really walk up hills fast and cycle back to normal speeds...must have been down to the 'Fast Walking' I have been doing around the local hills for last few years...

[mafiatone]

I am on beta-blockers following having two stents fitted for clogged arteries. I used to cycle 50-60 mile group rides at average 15 mph, twice weekly, now I rarely cycle because average speed is 12 mph , so won't go out with a group as I don't want them to have to wait for me, and cycle alone which is not very enjoyable. Running on treadmill at gym, slowly, felt crap when heart beat reached 120 bpm. Any advice on how to improve?
Mafiatone

[Alan O]

I am on beta-blockers following having two stents fitted for clogged arteries. I used to cycle 50-60 mile group rides at average 15 mph, twice weekly, now I rarely cycle because average speed is 12 mph , so won't go out with a group as I don't want them to have to wait for me, and cycle alone which is not very enjoyable. Running on treadmill at gym, slowly, felt crap when heart beat reached 120 bpm. Any advice on how to improve?
Mafiatone

I'm on a low-dose beta-blocker and have been taking it for 10 years, and when I set out on some exercise I sometimes initially feel like it's very hard going - not certain of my heart rate at the time, but it probably kicks in around the 130s. I just feel slow, as if my body isn't responding to the need for activity - which is pretty much what beta-blockers are supposed to do. But I do find it to be a transitory phase, and it usually takes around 15-20 minutes to get past it - and after that, my heart rate can gradually get up a lot higher (and often gets into the 170s when I'm pushing it).

Essentially, I just need a longer and more gradual warmup before anything too strenuous, like it just takes longer to get into gear. As an example, I did a gym session yesterday, and the first 15 minutes had me feeling like I wasn't up to it - but once I was past that, everything seemed to ease up and I did a 1-hour session quite comfortably. And that's quite typical.

Another thing I've found is that with time, the initial "block" has become a lot less severe and I progress more smoothly through it. My dose has actually been reduced too, which certainly helps.

I'm not suggesting you grit your teeth and force yourself when your medicated body is telling you otherwise (I'm not your doc and I don't know what harm that might do), but I do suggest you try a more gradual and longer warm-up period when you start out on a ride or on other exercises. And when you reach a heart rate that makes you feel bad, back off a bit and settle into something maybe around 10 beats less, then when that feels comfortable try to push it up a little again. And repeat.

Obviously I can't say what's right for you and your heart might well respond differently to mine, but this is just a few thoughts that might help.