Email this topic to a friend Printer-friendly version of this topic		Archived thread - Read only  Previous Topic | Next Topic
Home Conferences Migraine Discussion (Protected)
Original message

blueeyz	Jul-08-05, 11:59 AM (CMT)
"Betablocker Warning!"
Hi everyone. It has been a little while since I posted here. I've been through a heck of a lot the past 3 months. First, I moved across country and hated it, my dog died, I was in the emergency room twice, once for an ovarian cyst and the other was because my heart rate was too low and I was also diagnosed with costochondritis. So counting the ER trip for my migraines, I have been in the ER 3 times so far this year. That's enough! The reason for my post is that my most recent trip to the ER was alarming. I had been having chest pain, arm pain and back pain and just feeling plain yucky for 2 months. So I thought there was something wrong with my heart. So they did an EKG and a chest x-ray and they hooked me up to a heart monitor for a couple of hours and determined that my heart was normal but very slow. My heart rate was in the 40-50 range when it should be 70-80. I told her I have been on a beta blocker since January for my migraines. She told me that is most likely what is causing it since all my tests were normal. She also said she never prescribes Nadolol to any of her patients but did not tell me why. So I have been weaning myself off the Nadolol since June 27th. At the time of the ER visit I was taking 30mg a day and just a few weeks prior to that was taking 40mg. I initially was prescribed 20mg but my headaches were not going away so the dr. upped my dosage to 40mg which was obviously too much for me. I since have done some research and found that Nadolol is one of the stronger beta blockers out there and it will take 2 weeks to get it out of system once I'm completely off. Currently I'm taking 10mg every 3 days and I think I may just stop completely now. I just wanted to warn people that may be considering taking Nadolol for your migraines. Be careful because it is a strong medicine and your body may not be able to tolerate it. I have been so miserable, weak, sick feeling, cold hands and feet since my heart has not been working fast enough. Basically my heart rate has been that of a 70 year old woman (I am only 33). If you are on a beta blocker, take your pulse regularly and make sure your heart rate is where it should be. Recently, I have since been able to get my heart rate up to 52 and even 64 with activity which of course is still too low because I should be near 80 at rest. So now that I have been weaning off the b-blocker, I have had two horrible migraines yesterday and the day before. *sigh*
	Top

Thanks for the warning!, ExportMgr, Jul-08-05, (1) RE: Betablocker Warning!, mgb, Jul-08-05, (2) RE: Betablocker Warning!, kimsmom, Jul-08-05, (3) RE: Betablocker Warning!, ruth, Jul-08-05, (4) RE: Betablocker Warning!, charmed quark, Jul-09-05, (5) RE: Betablocker Warning!, blueeyz, Jul-09-05, (6) RE: Betablocker Warning!, deb26, Jul-11-05, (7) RE: Betablocker Warning!, Mercy3, Jul-12-05, (8) Hold on everyone......., mgb, Jul-12-05, (9) RE: Betablocker Warning!, charmed quark, Jul-14-05, (10)

Lobby | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

Messages in this topic

ExportMgr	Jul-08-05, 12:39 PM (CMT)
1. "Thanks for the warning!"
Wow-- this is exactly what I was afraid of when I was prescribed Toprol XL. I have low BP and a low HR naturally, so I thought this would make me feel even "lower" and weaker than usual. I hope you feel better soon. Mary
	Top

mgb	Jul-08-05, 02:14 PM (CMT)
2. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
blueeyz, Sorry that you've had a bad experience with your medication. With beta blockers, there are several formulations of medications into this class. A few that are used to treat migraines are Atenolol, Metropolol, Propanolol (Inderal, Inderal LA), & Timolol. Each has its own potency and indication. Beta blockers are used many times in heart/vascular patients, for reasons like arrthymias, high blood pressure, and angina. Beta blockers, in combination with 4 other heart meds, are keeping me alive. They luckily help with migraines too, for people with vascular-indicated migraines. Your doctor really should be able to decide which iteration is the correct one for you. Beta blockers not only help migraineurs, but also keep people alive with heart problem. Each person is different with how they react with medications. Nadolol at 40mg is at a low dose for treatments like angina and high blood pressure. However, for a patients that do not have underlying heart/vascular problems, or have a sensitivity to, it can be tough--like what you've gone through. Good luck, MGB
	Top

	kimsmom	Jul-08-05, 03:23 PM (CMT)
	3. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	Thank you so much for your warning. I sure hope you are doing much better. We really need to stay on top of our own situations cause the medical crews seem to be dropping the ball. I was just put on Toprol and I am concerned. Was it you Mary that posted that you are on Toprol? What side effects are you experiencing? Are you gaining weight? I would like to cut back. I take 50 mg a day. Thanks again for the warning! Pam
		Top

	ruth	Jul-08-05, 11:25 PM (CMT)
	4. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	Sorry to hear you have had such a rough time. I have been taking 80 mg of Nadalol a day for approximately 15 years and I don't seem to have any side effects, my energy level is relatively high. I think my heart rate is in the 60's. I guess everyone reacts differently. The only problem I do have is that I would like to cut back on it or even come right off the nadalol as I don't have as many severe migraines now I'm menopausal, but each time I have tried to cut back or stop, my heart races too fast so I go back on it. Maybe I'll try again one day to quit. Thanks for the warning.
		Top

	charmed quark	Jul-09-05, 07:13 AM (CMT)
	5. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	Yeah - these are certainly not uncommon side effects. I took Indreol for over a year, the "standard" beta blocker for migraine. I was in very good shape from exercise and had a resting heart rate of around 55 beats per minute. On Inderal, it fell to around 45 bps. That wasn't the problem, though. The entire time I was on it, I was very cold, even in the summer. I had to wear a blanket all the time. I was cognitively very hazy, like my brain was embedded in syrup. If I stood up too quickly I would pass out. I still have a scar on my forehead from hitting it on the edge of my car's trunk. I sure wasn't interested in sex, which pissed my wife off. Basically, i felt like I had the flu or something the whole time I was on it. My doctor said this was normal and actually wanted to increase my dosage because my migraines were still not under control. I finally went to a neurologist who specialized in migraines and he took me off of Inderal immediately. He said that no young man should be living with such side effects. He put me on Elavil, which did help for a while. Yuck is all I can say. However, many people who have posted here say they only get minimal side effects with these drugs. So I guess I would give them a try if I hadn't tried them before. -CQ
		Top

	blueeyz	Jul-09-05, 08:51 AM (CMT)
	6. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	LAST EDITED ON Jul-09-05 AT 08:53 AM (CMT) CQ, How long did it take before you felt completely back to normal? Funny you said Elavil because that is the reason my doc upped my dosage of Nadolol because I did not want to take the Elavil she prescribed. Did you have any weird side effects from the Elavil? I know what you mean about feeling like having the flu all the time and being cold, omg, I was cold in the month of June! The low heart rate made me SO tired and weak. I feel like my muscles have weakened from lack of activity because I did not have the energy to do anything. I took my last dose on Thursday and I'm done with the Nadolol. I will give it time to get completely out of my system and hopefully I can get some normalcy back in my life that is if I keep the migraines away.
		Top

	deb26	Jul-11-05, 05:23 AM (CMT)
	7. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	Hi just want to tell you some people have a naturally low heart rate. My daughter is the one with migraines. I take no meds my heart rate is usually around 64 Deb
		Top

	Mercy3	Jul-12-05, 00:06 AM (CMT)
	8. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	Wow... this is interesting. I often thought it was weird to be taking a medicine for migraines that was designed for something else. It makes sense that if you don't have the problem that the medicine was actually manufactured to fix that there could be some problems. I took Timolol for a little while, and during that time I had a problem w/ collapsing in an almost fainting-spell. It still happens once in awhile since I've been off it, but not as frequently as when I was taking it. So I think it aggravated that particular symptom. I am beginning to distrust medicine more and more. With all the side effects, is it really worth it if it doesn't solve the problem all the way?
		Top

	mgb	Jul-12-05, 12:16 PM (CMT)
	9. "Hold on everyone......."
	I know it isn't fun to go through side effects of medicine. Like I said earlier, Beta Blockers are LIFE SAVERS. They are primarily designed for heart/vascular problems, and also help some with migraines. Some migraines are symptoms of vascular problems. I was released from the hospital today after a bout with palpitations, arrythmias and chest pain. A primary and important med to treat these issues is a beta blocker...it was increased (BTW, I was getting some migraine symptoms back--which for me have a direct correlation with my cardiovascular problems). My mother died 2 weeks ago from arrythmias which caused sudden cardiac death. A beta blocker may have helped her. Please keep in mind medications aren't a magic bullet for everything, but you, the meds, and your doctor all have a role to play. Thanks, MGB
		Top

	charmed quark	Jul-14-05, 08:53 AM (CMT)
	10. "RE: Betablocker Warning!"
	> >CQ, > >How long did it take before >you felt completely back to >normal? within 2 weeks of being off the beta blockers. > >Funny you said Elavil because that >is the reason my doc >upped my dosage of Nadolol >because I did not want >to take the Elavil she >prescribed. Did you have >any weird side effects from >the Elavil? Some - it really changed the quality of my sleep. I sleeped like I was dead and almost totally quit dreaming. I mention this to my doctor and he said it was normal. I gained a good bit of weight and noticed some changes in my personality ( positve ones, according to my SO!). And I got really, really constipated from it after about a year. Overall, though, I found all the side effects except the last to be mild. -CQ
		Top

Remove

Lobby | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

Select another forum Lobby Migraine Discussion (Conference)   |--Migraine Discussion (Protected)   |--Migraines in Children (Protected)   |--Miscellaneous (Protected)   |--Migriane Petition (Protected)   |--Where are we? (Protected)   |--Photo Album (Protected)

Please help this site run smoothly by reading and and following the rules.

DISCLAIMER: This website is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of information only. The maintainer of this site (Ronda Solberg) in no way sponsors, supports or condones any of the advice given herein, nor supports the use of any medication, supplement, herb, substance or program, except pursuant to a licensed medical practitioner's care. In no way does the maintainer of this site advocate the use of any illegal medication, herb, supplement or other substance or the importation, distribution or sale thereof. Persons who have any question about the legality of any action that they are planning to take are advised to consult an attorney.

The views and opinions of posters to this web site do not necessarily state or reflect the opinion of this site's maintainer. Likewise, the maintainer of this site will not be held responsible for the availability or content of the sites linked to by this site, nor warrants or guarantees the information described or offered at these sites. Furthermore, migrainepage.com nor the maintainer of migrainepage.com does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, medicine, or process mentioned on this web site.