Thank you for visiting this video segment of Dr. Afib, I am Dr. Morales.
Today we are going to talking about beta blockers and why you likely prescribed a beta blocker.
If you have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, it's very likely that at some point you are
prescribed a beta blocker.
Which is the most commonly used metoprolol heart rate others including cardiovascular
a betaloc.
So why would you prescribe a beta blocker?
Well first let's talk about the physiological effects of these beta-blocker medications.
1) it works on the bay receptors to arch your body and it can 1) lower your blood pressure
and 2) slow down your heart rate.
What I tell my patients is that It hasn't entitled a gentle effect.
It blocks some of the stress-related hormones, particularly apomorphine and none apomorphine
that's how it would lower your blood pressure and slows your heart rate down.
But as far as atrial fibrillation goes, it has few additional effects on it.
1) it can reduce the frequency of extra beats of your hearts, something called premature
atrial contractions which can help triggers episodes of atrial fibrillation so reduces
the frequency of your potently getting episodes of atrial fibrillation.
In addition, if you are on a beta blocker medication and you are somebody who's AFib
comes and goes when you get an episode of atrial fibrillation, the heart rate will be
less rapid because of beta blocker medication.
So those some of physiological effect of the medications itself.
Another reason why people commonly give prescribe beta blockers especially when they are first
diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, it's just familiarity.
Beta blockers are used commonly in a lot of different health conditions including high
blood pressure, coronary disease, congestive heart failure.
So a lot of doctors are familiar with these medications, familiar with the doses, in addition,
beta blockers are very unlikely to have long-term side effects or cause, long-term damage in
organs in your body like the liver or your kidney so they can save to long-term medications
to use.
And those are a variety of reasons why people end up being started on beta blockers.
However, it doesn't mean that everybody can tolerate them.
There are a variety of reasons why somebody would not be able to tolerate beta-blocker
medications; one will be that your heart rate is too slow.
People who have AFib, come and go, when you are not in atrial fibrillation your heart
rate may be very slow or maybe in 50-60, to begin with as soon, you would not be able
to tolerate additional medications like beta blocker which would slow your heart rate down
further.
Also as I mentioned beta blocker medications affect blood pressure, they have blood pressure
effects and again some people don't have high blood pressure and really can't tolerate the
effects of medications and the long dose of beta blockers to reducing the blood pressure
too much.
In addition, there are plenty of pages on don't tolerate this entitle.
A gentle effect that these medications can have, they just fell constantly fatigued,
sleepy or dizzy or lightheaded from the medications, I even have people describe to me that they
just feel their head is in fall a lot or they are walking through water, just kind of slowness
everything around them from the effects of the medications.
Even though these are good long-term medications to use, some people can't tolerate it.
Now some of these entitle gentle effect, kind of foggy feeling.
People can't get used to medications taking them but none everybody does.
So, in general, these medications are good long-term medications but none everybody can
tolerate them so if you are taking a beta blocker and you feel it's causing you side
effects like fatigue or dizziness.
Please discuss this with your doctor there are many options available other than just
beta blockers.
Thank you for visiting this video segment of Dr. AFib, I'll see you next time.